The Three Ravens Podcast

• Forgotten Melodies #3: Fair Songs

  For this month's Forgotten Melodies bonus episode we're talking all about Fair Songs - in particular, Scarborough Fair, Brigg Fair and Widecombe Fair - and the histories behind these iconic tunes.The episode of course features new takes on all three of these songs, 'Scarborough Fair,' 'Brigg Fair' and 'Widecombe Fair,' and this time it's not just Eleanor and Ben singing, but our friend and collaborator Katie Sommers, too! Boosted along by her fine soprano, we chat through what we know about where each of these songs came from, along with the history behind each fair in turn - from Scarborough, one of the 'Great Fairs' that drew people to Yorkshire from all across Europe, to the gypsy/horse trading origins of Brigg Fair, to the scrappy, upstart, terrier-racing silliness of Somerset's Widecombe Fair, Uncle Tom Cobley and all!With discussions of musical modes, what 20th century British composers like Benjamin Britten and Vaughan Williams did to popularise these songs, and plenty of silliness, too, be sure to bring some money and let's revel in all the fun of the fair!As always, we really hope you enjoy the episode, and if you've seen our grey mare then do let us know it's whereabouts, if you'd be so kind...The 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 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Series 6 Episode 7: Herefordshire

  On this week's episode of Three Ravens we're heading into disputed territory: Herefordshire in the Welsh Marches, which is a county with so much history and folklore!We start off by going over all Queer Eye and giving April 14th a makeover, concluding that, while we could make this 'Nothing Day' about gardening, or ice skating on bone-bladed skates, it really ought to be a day devoted to the celebration of Justin. Be that the ancient pre-Christian philosopher, or the Justin's in your life. All with dubious historical justification. After that, we hurry on into Herefordshire, where we may have gone a bit overboard...In terms of the county's history, we whip back to pre-Roman times to talk about the contested tribal status of what later became Herefordshire - and why all the fighting over it never really stopped - while also chatting about some of the stunning heritage sites in the county, from Hereford Cathedral's fractious history and Chained Library to King Arthur's Stone and Cave, the Nameless Church, and more - all before Martin plies us with cider, prehistoric cheese, and several pudding options, for this week's County Dish.After that, it's Folklore Time, and we've got plague spreading 12th century vampires, we've got vengeful ghosts, we've got fairies, miracle babies, Dribbling Kings, and so much more, all enriched by some excerpts from Saturday's upcoming Local Legends interview with blogger and all-round lovely person 'The Herefordian Historian.'Then it's on to the main event: Martin's retelling of "Black Vaughan" which has been reframed as a Spenser & Associates mystery - hence the epic length of this episode - so prepare to get a bit spooked while also having a good old giggle.We really hope you enjoy the episode, and will be back on Thursday with a new Forgotten Melodies bonus episode about Fair Songs, all before the full interview with The Herefordian Historian comes out on Saturday!The 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 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Local Legends #35: Matthew Vaughan

  On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin is joined by storyteller, library manager, and Secretary of the Leicestershire and Rutland Guild of Storytelling, Matthew Vaughan.Matt has been a storyteller for well over a decade. Since 2011 he has also worked in East Midlands’ Public Library Services, and, in addition to working as a storyteller in Early Years, Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Colleges, Universities, Youth organisations, the Care, Health and Heritage Sectors, and in Prisons, he tells stories in libraries as part of his job. As Matt explains in the episode, he particularly enjoys performing international folk tales, along with Wonder Tales of all kinds, and he also has a particular interest in the stories of working folk of Britain and the wild places of our islands. To learn more about the Guild and the Story Tree project as mentioned in the episode, do visit leicesterstorytelling.com. If you are interested in learning more about Matt’s work or would like to book him to tell stories to you or your school group or community organisation, please do get in touch with him via his profile on the Society for Storytelling website, sfs.org.uk. Otherwise, settle in around the cosy confines of the Three Ravens campfire for a conversation which ranges from the drowned villages beneath Rutland Water to the politics of how to hang a horseshoe, from the smallest man in history to one of the biggest, via witches, poachers, and dastardly highwayman, with a true Local Legend, Matthew Vaughan!We really hope you enjoy it, and will be back on Monday with our brand new County Episode all about the history and folklore of Herefordshire!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 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Three Ravens Bestiary #16: Mermaids

  For this week's Bonus Episode we're basking on slippery rocks, swishing our tails, and looking into the magic mirror of Mermaid history and folklore, combing our hair all the while!We start off chatting about the plethora of 19th century Mermaid-themed media, from paintings and plays to poems and songs, all of which paved the way for our modern perception of merfolk. Then though, we swim against the current, back through time, to discover the ways in which Mermaids were first represented in human society. This includes through art, literature, and religious beliefs, on Ancient Babylonian pottery, in Ancient Egyptian mythology, and throughout Ancient Assyrian temples and palaces where mer-people were even worshipped as gods! As time moved on however, through Ancient Greece and the Classical Age, we explore the ways in which divisions formed between increasingly Christianised 'Sea Mother' icons and their dark counterparts, the 'Monstrous Women,' which rose to particular prominence through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance.In addition to taking a quick Mermaid World Tour to look at representations of 'Fish Men' and 'Fish Women' in cultural traditions from Scandinavia, Russia and China to New Zealand and the Americas, we then dive deep into oysterbeds of legend to examine the pearls of Mermaid lore that fell out of favour during the Enlightenment.From nationalistic anthems to fairy tales, sea shanties to some of the most famous myths in all of human history, the episode covers, in essence, the Mermaid's place in the cultural consciousness from the birth of civilisation right through to today, where ideas of Mermaids are continuing to evolve and change.Which beggars the question, are Mermaids immortal? Considering that they have been part of human life since before we could write, there's no reason to believe they won't outlast us too.Oh, and Martin has some truly noxious Mermaid puns to jolly it all along as well, so consider yourself warned!The 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 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Series 6 Episode 6: Rutland

  On this week's episode of Three Ravens we're off to Rutland to explore the history and folklore of England's smallest county - on the back of a dinosaur!We start off chatting about a couple of beautifully obscure traditions that take place around this time each year, including one involving a jacket on a flagpole and another relating to a Secret Society in Somerset, after which we ramble on to Rutland!We begin with a sad fact: Rutland may actually be about to disappear! In addition to which, we talk about some traditional Rutland sports, including Nurdles and Leg Wrestling, the incredible Uppingham Fossil Wall, the Cecil family's rather grand country manor, and a whole bunch of ghosts - all before Eleanor welcomes us to a picnic beside Rutland water for this week's County Dish...Next, with our dinosaur still in tow, we whip over to Exton Park for some miniature historic naval battles, say a quick hello to the ancient pagan Braunston Goddess, discuss Oakham's macabre history of crime and punishment, and more, all enriched by some excerpts from Saturday's upcoming Local Legends interview with Matthew Vaughan from the Leicestershire and Rutland Guild of Storytelling.Then it's on to the main event: Eleanor's folk-horror inflected telling of "The Oakham Poachers" - a tale remembered in a murder ballad, featuring a mythical creature living in Empingham Old Wood...We really hope you enjoy the episode, and will be back on Thursday with a new Three Ravens Bestiary bonus episode about Mermaids, all before the full interview with Matt comes out on Saturday!The 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 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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