This month's episode of the Three Ravens Bestiary is all about one of our favourite topics - Wargs and Werewolves!We start with J.R.R. Tolkien, exploring how the species of intelligent wolf he invented - the Warg - combined Old English and Old Norse words and ideas, bringing different traditions of werewolf belief crashing into the public consciousness.It is this, brought into monster movies over time, that really created the 'Modern' werewolf.Though where does the werewolf's story begin?We're throwing a broad net on this one, including discussions of Skinwalkers and Wendigos, the Epic of Gilgamesh and the first-ever "man beast" in the form of Enkidu; we touch on the Classical myth of King Lycaon of Arcadia, transformed into a wolf due to his inhuman transgressions, and discuss how the Great European Werewolf Panic, which lasted for over 300 years, changed folk belief about the links between Black Magic and werewolves forever.It's a grand and sweeping story, and goes to explain a few things about why werewolves are pretty much always scary, why Wargs matter so much, and how modern cinema-goers are maybe a bit more like Odin than they probably realise.So, pull up your Wolf Pants, leave the silver bullets at home, and let's get lupine! Aroooo!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/threeravenspodcastProud 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.
--------
1:13:39
--------
1:13:39
Series 7 Episode 4: Radnorshire
On this week's episode we're off to the least populated historic county of Wales, Radnorshire on the Welsh Marches!As for why Radnorshire has been so depopulated and wild for quite so long, it has a lot to do with war, and plenty to do with the Black Death. We discuss how these traumas, combined with the destruction of castles, have left the county speckled with desolate empty hillforts and ghost villages - a landscape filled with tales of murder and tragedy, as well as lots of fascinating superstitions...These include the ways in which 'Spirit Nights' were organised, how 'Sin Eaters' were employed to absorb the errors of the dead, and plenty else, from the donation of graveside 'Shovel Money' to 'Rag Knife Men' and the vigilante groups known as Rebecca and her Daughters. All this aside, we chat about the Cat Man of Radnor Forest, the drowned Giant's Graves now sunk within a reservoir, the Llandrindod Wells Sheela Na Gig, the county's link to the Elizabethan magus Doctor Dee, and plenty else besides, interspersed with some extracts from this Saturday's upcoming interview with award-winning Welsh storyteller and author Michael Harvey.All of which leads up to Martin's story for this week, "Davies and the Devil" through which a lowly orphan turns the tables on the Dark One across a hundred years of mischief.We hope that you enjoy the episode, and will speak to you again on Thursday with a new Three Ravens Bestiary episode all about Wargs and Werewolves and - if you're a Patreon supporter - our November Exclusive episode about the history and folklore of the Gunpowder Plot!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/threeravenspodcastProud 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.
--------
1:52:24
--------
1:52:24
Three Ravens Podcast Trailer
The Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux.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/threeravenspodcastProud 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.
--------
4:16
--------
4:16
Local Legends #49: Christine Watkins
Eleanor is joined around the campfire by storyteller priestess Christine Watkins to talk all about her home county of Monmouthshire.Christine was born in Monmouthshire, where her family has deep roots. She has been crafting words for speaking live or in broadcast since 1980 - stories of belonging and apartness, discovery and creation. She's the author of Gwent Folk Tales and the host of the podcast Around Goes The Rambler, in which she walks Monmouthshire over the course of a year and a day.You can learn more about Christine and her work, and listen to the podcast, on her website at christinewatkins.co.uk.For now, though, let's gather round the campfire in the shadow of the Sugarloaf and talk about all things Monmouthshire with a true Local Legend, Christine Watkins.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/threeravenspodcastProud 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.
--------
58:50
--------
58:50
Magic and Medicines #20: Reiki
For this month's Magic and Medicines Bonus Episode, we're talking all about Reiki!We have a bit more direct experience with this one than some of our past topics, as we completed our First Degree Reiki qualification this summer over the Solstice.Our conversation digs into the theory and history behind Reiki, its development by Mikao Usui and subsequent spread to the West, along with the establishment of the Usui Shiki Ryoho lineage. We look at the Five Principles which provide an ethical underpinning for the practice of Reiki, and talk about the practicalities of Reiki healing, along with the many different permutations of the system.And, of course, tell the story of how it made its way down to us!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 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.
Three Ravens is an English myth and folklore podcast hosted by Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux.In each weekly episode, released on Mondays, we explore a historic county, digging into the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more.Across our first six series we ventured around England's 39 historic counties twice, taking turns to tell a new version of a legend from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it may have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past.Our Bonus Episodes are then released on Thursdays (Magic and Medicines about folk remedies and arcane spells, Three Ravens Bestiary about cryptids and mythical creatures, Forgotten Melodies about folk song types with original performances from us, and Magus, which is about the lives of the most famous witches and wizards in history).On Saturdays, we then release episodes of our interview series Local Legends, with each episode featuring a chat between us and an acclaimed folklorist, author, podcaster or historian, deepening discussions about that week's county.In between series, since March 2025 we have also launched our Lang Fairy Tale Project, for which we are recording and releasing the 700+ stories collected by English academics and authors Nora and Andrew Lang, published in over a dozen volumes from the end of the 19th century and changing children's literature forever.With entire other Bonus Series to enjoy, including our comic retelling of the legend of Gawain and the Green Knight, original narratives such as our upcoming series Dog Days about the supernatural adventures of young playwright Christopher Marlowe in Elizabethan London, and our annual Haunting Season every October, there's tonnes of fun to be had in our back catalogue of over 300 episodes.In addition to which, we also release a range of exclusive content on Patreon, where supporters also enjoy ad-free listening, including monthly 'One Off' episodes covering a range of folky topics, editions of the Three Ravens Newsletter, and over two-dozen episodes of the Three Ravens Film Club, through which we discuss folk horror films from across the decades, and more.For a guide of where to start, click here - but our advice is to just pick an episode that sounds interesting, then hit 'Play' and join us around the campfire to listen in...Three Ravens Series 7 launched in September 2025, and is all about the heritage and legends of the 13 historic counties of Wales. For press or collaboration inquiries or learn more about our book, published in hardback by The History Press, and the podcast in general, visit our website. Join our Patreon here, and find links to our social media channels and sponsor Three Spirit Drinks here. Use Voucher Code THREERAVENS for a 15% discount. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
UK