The Three Ravens Podcast

This week we're chatting all about the heritage and folklore of the historic Welsh county of Caernarfonshire, and telling the tale of a very good dog.
We begin with two of the county's saints, both connected to a key legend from The Mabinogi, before leaping headlong into the county famous for being the heart of the Kingdom of Gwynedd.
We have dramatic coastlines, two of the most stunning castles in all of Wales, more Arthurian legends than you can throw a stick at, and the tallest mountain anywhere south of Scotland.
Along the way we discuss stories which echo all over Britain given unique twists in Wales, get haunted by a strangling ghost, spectral nun and the shade of a screaming child all at the same pub, discover the resting place of King Arthur's sword Excalibur, and learn about a demonic beaver/crocodile hybrid who might just be to blame for climate change...
Then it's time for this week's story, Martin's telling of "Gelert" - a very famous legend about a boy destined to be a king who's only true friend in the world has four legs and a waggy tail.
We hope that you enjoy it, and we will speak to you again on Thursday on a brand new episode of Magic & Medicines!
Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.
Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, we take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...
Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.
With a range of exclusive content on Patreon too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?
Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast
REGISTER FOR THE TALES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND TOUR
Proud members of the Dark Cast Network.
Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Eleanor chats with writer Horatio Clare about land and legend.
Although Horatio has had a really versatile career, he’s probably best known for his award winning nature and travel writing, and the beauty of his descriptions of place. Luckily for us, he also grew up on a farm in the Brecon Beacons, so was deeply steeped in the mythology and stories of the natural world around him.
Author of Myths and Legends of the Brecon Beacons and Myths and Legends of Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd, Horatio is also an ambassador for the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Scheme.
We really hope you enjoy the conversation, and Horatio's vivid descriptions of the area and compelling storytelling. We'll speak to you again on Monday, when Martin will be taking us to historic Caernarfonshire.
The Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.
Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...
Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.
With a range of exclusive content on Patreon too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?
Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast
REGISTER FOR THE TALES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND TOUR
Proud members of the Dark Cast Network.
Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this month's episode of Magus we're finally discussing the life of the first Magus ever, Hermes Trismegistus!
An ancient Egyptian sage written about by Cicero and early Christian church fathers, he is the literal reason why the magical practices of Hermeticism and Alchemy came into existence. He was still being referenced by the likes of Isaac Newton during the European Enlightenment, and his writings remain popular in esoteric and occult circles even today.
Discovery of his existence came about in Italy, at the same time as other ancient writers, including Plato, were being translated into Latin for the very first time, prompting the whirlwind array of changes we call 'the Renaissance.'
The man to whom the task fell specifically was Italian philosopher and Catholic priest Marsilio Ficino, who soon established a Neo-Platonic Academy attended by artists including Boticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, their work all funded by Cosimo di Medici, the richest man in the world.
Their collective project was to recover the past and remake it, all so mankind could reshape its physical existence through magic. Ficino's product was The Hermetica, an entire magical system based on philosophies of Matter and Spirit. It quickly became one of the most famous magic books in all of history, and for centuries the story of Hermes Trismegistus, his learning, wisdom, and magical system, were all beyond doubt.
Only then along came a classical scholar and philologist called Isaac Casaubon, who had questions about some of the 'ancient Egyptian' vocabulary used in The Hermetica, which prompted others to wonder whether Hermes Trismegistus had ever existed at all...
We really hope you enjoy the episode, and Eleanor will speak with you again on Saturday for this week's Local Legends episode all about Brecknockshire with the wonderful Horatio Clare!
Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.
Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...
Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.
With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?
Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast
REGISTER FOR THE TALES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND TOUR
Proud members of the Dark Cast Network.
Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a break from releasing regular county episodes, we're back with a bang for the second half of Series 7. The first historic Welsh county on our journey is Brecknockshire, which has now been divided up into lots of other counties, and no longer exists.
We start out by talking about Brychan Brycheiniog, the 5th century king who gave his name to the original area, and his many, many saintly children, and adventure through Brecknockshire's highly picturesque scenery: mysterious cave systems, the Bannau Brycheiniog, and Waterfall Country.
Along the way, we discuss the Romans in Wales, some mean and mischievous ghosts and fairies, and celebrate Parsnip Day in the company of an avaricious parrot.
Somewhere in the mist of the mountains, we stop off for Eleanor's story for this week, "The Conjurer's Hand." A wide-eyed innocent goes in search of treasure, and finds himself dealing with the devil himself and a conjurer with a very strange hand.
We hope that you enjoy the episode, and we will speak to you again on Thursday with a brand new episode of Magus!
Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.
Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, we take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...
Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.
With a range of exclusive content on Patreon too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?
Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast
REGISTER FOR THE TALES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND TOUR
Proud members of the Dark Cast Network.
Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's update episode we're chatting all about Imbolc - otherwise known as the start of Spring!
In addition to speaking about the Celtic deity Brige, Candlemas traditions, Candle Magic, and a bunch of our news, we have included the opening chunks of January's Patreon Exclusive episodes.
These include our episode about Havelock The Dane, and part of Martin's telling of this largely forgotten 10th century English legend, and part of our suitably pagan Film Club episode all about 1974's Penda's Fen.
We really hope you enjoy the episode, and speak to you tomorrow on our first county episode in two months all about the heritage and folklore of the Welsh county of Brecknockshire!
Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.
Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...
Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.
With a range of exclusive content on Patreon too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?
Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast
REGISTER FOR THE TALES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND TOUR
Proud members of the Dark Cast Network.
Visit our website Join our Patreon Social media channels and sponsors
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.