Wyrd Wessex

Welcome to AfterWyrd, the show where we sort through the odd little bits, strange stories, and global eccentricities that don’t quite make the main episodes.

Fresh off a grueling vocal session that has left our voices in absolute tatters from doing silly accents, Craig and Andy reunite to break down a massive backlog of unhinged headlines. We dive straight into the tragic breaking news out of Derbyshire surrounding the brutal summer solstice murder of Isaac Clare-Watts at the ancient Nine Ladies Stone Circle in the Peak District.

Then, we head over to Jalisco to track the "Batman of Lagos de Moreno"—a mysterious masked vigilante duct-taping motorcycle thieves to lampposts and drawing cat whiskers on their faces.

Andy shares his weekend dodging street preachers at the Boscombe Witches Market with a pagan-friendly Jesus, while Craig recounts nearly getting shot by a farmer in a man-made crop circle. Plus, we explore the psychology behind why our brains see ghosts, a wild 37-year-old adult adoption scam in Brazil, and the brewing online theory that a rogue weasel at the CERN Large Hadron Collider permanently fractured our reality's timeline.

Don't blame the owls!

Website: www.wyrdwessex.co.uk
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Hosted by: Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by: Craig Brooks
Intro music by: Universfield Dark 80s Sci-Fi Atmosphere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2026 season has brought new formations to the Wiltshire landscape, but the mystery of the "crop circle" didn't start in the 1980s. Long before the modern era of drones and sophisticated land art, people were finding strange, circular depressions in their fields—and they were blaming everything from cyclonic winds to the Devil himself.

In this episode, Craig explores the long, bizarre history of flattened grain.

Tracing the lineage of the phenomenon, starting with the 1678 "Mowing Devil" pamphlet in Hertfordshire and moving through the "nest" sightings of the 1950s, all the way to the complex, mathematical formations that have come to define Wiltshire. Is there a hidden continuity to these reports, or are we just projecting our own modern anxieties onto the landscape?

In This Episode:
The Mowing Devil: Re-examining the 1678 account—was it folklore, an early report of a whirlwind, or the seed of a centuries-old legend?

From "Nests" to Circles: How the 1950s UFO sightings in Australia and France turned "flattened vegetation" into a definitive link to the extraterrestrial.

The 1976 Turning Point: How two friends at a Hampshire pub—Doug Bower and Dave Chorley—accidentally kicked off the modern "crop circle" era as a prank.

The Mathematical Leap: Looking at the post-hoax era, where formations grew in complexity, leading to the massive 2001 Milk Hill anomaly.

The "Wyrd" Persistence: Why these formations persist in our collective imagination, even when we have a clear, human explanation for their creation.

A Wiltshire Perspective: Exploring why this specific corner of England remains the global epicenter for the phenomenon, regardless of origin.

Stay Wyrd!

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Written and hosted by Craig Brooks
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Craig and Andy head to the ancient, iconic landscape of the Avebury Stone Circle for the "Weird Wessex" showcase—a gathering of local artists, musicians, and storytellers celebrating the high strangeness of the West Country.

What starts as a stroll through the stones quickly turns into a deep dive into the living, breathing folklore of the region, packed with everything from medieval mysteries to silent UFOs.

First, we chat with some of the festival's more eccentric living folklore characters, including the forest-dwelling Apple Man and the Cerbo Dog (a self-proclaimed son of Cerberus). Then, we catch up with traditional stonemason Toby Robson to talk about the hidden history of apotropaic "witch marks" on historic buildings, before he drops a fascinating, first-hand account of a silent, diamond-shaped craft he witnessed gliding over Devizes.

Moving over to St. James's Church, event co-organiser and carver Wolfie gives us a masterclass in reading sacred spaces as he shares his deep research into replicating the mysterious, headless figure on the 12th-century Avebury font.

We're also joined by muralist Bos, who details the dark, thunderous Dartmoor lore behind his painting of the 1638 Widecombe-in-the-Moor Devil attack, and storyteller Oliver Lavery (The Folk Bus), who helps us bridge the gap between ancient fairy abductions at Hackpen Hill and modern Ufology.

We wrap things up with a well-earned debrief at The Barge at Honey Street, reflecting on how crop circles, stone carvings, and local legends all connect into one massive matrix of weirdness.

In This Episode
The Witch Marks of Wessex: Stonemason Toby Robson explains the folklore of apotropaic markings, portal protection, and why people used to scrape consecrated dust from church walls for folk magic.

The Silent Diamond over Devizes: Toby shares his unexplained encounter with a silent, multi-coloured, diamond-shaped aerial object that defied military aviation logic.

The Avebury Font Detective: Wolfie breaks down the iconography of the church's medieval font and his theory that the missing figure is actually St. James of Jerusalem.

The Devil of Widecombe: Bos brings the eerie history of Dartmoor to life, recounting the legendary 1638 lightning strike blamed on a demonic visitation, and a strange Hollywood connection to the "ghost village."

Fairies vs. Grays: Storyteller Oliver Lavery explores the shared archetypal DNA between the historic fairies of Hackpen Hill and modern alien abduction lore.

"I don't think it's for me to say if anyone's wrong or right... I love the secrecy of it all. And your opinions are just as valid as mine."

Stay Wyrd!

Help keep the lights on and join our Discord here: buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Buy our merch here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Written and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix
Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another instalment of the Wyrd Wessex Book Club! This month, we’re peeling back the layers of mythology and identity as we dive into Queer as Folklore by Sasha Coward.

We’ve been an "extended book club" for a long time here, but it’s been a joy to formalise these monthly gatherings with our Discord members Rosie and Terrie. This month’s pick was recommended by Rosie, and it’s safe to say it gave us all plenty to talk about. Sasha Coward’s work isn’t just a look at ancient texts—it’s a manual for reclaiming our space in history and understanding why the "strange" has always acted as a sanctuary for the outsider.

In this episode, we chat about:
Reclaiming the Monster: Why symbols like the X-Men or The Little Mermaid (and the legendary drag queen Divine!) are more than just stories—they’re ancestral threads for the queer community.

The "Armor" of the Outsider: We share how many of us used "fake lore"—from gothic gear to devil horns—as literal armor to navigate the world.

The Perspective Shift: How even for those of us who grew up on classic folklore, this book added an entirely new layer of meaning to the myths we thought we knew.

Our Rating: Did it live up to the hype? Spoiler: The Green Men were out in full force for this one.

Next Month’s Read:
We’re shifting gears for July. We’ll be tackling Shadows in the Nave by Peter Underwood/Paul Adams/Eddie Brazil. It’s beautifully broken down into short, visual sections—perfect for our summer reading.

Join the Conversation:
Did you read along with us? Let us know your favourite chapter or your thoughts on the book in the comments below! If you want to jump into our next recording or share your "ideal reading spot," head over to our Discord.

Support the Show:
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Hosted and edited by Craig Brooks
Intro & Outro Music: Medieval Celtic violin by Music_for_Creators
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you don't fit into the "neat and orderly" versions of history taught in schools? You go underground. You find your truth in the stories, the monsters, and the high strangeness that society tries to ignore.

In this episode, Craig sits down with historian and author Sasha Coward (Queer as Folklore) to map out the hidden, queer roots of our favourite myths. We’re exploring how the marginalised and the neurodiverse have used folklore as a sanctuary for centuries—and why those "weird" stories have always acted as a beacon for the outsider.

In this episode, we cover:

The Sanctuary of the Strange: From Victorian seances (and their surprisingly erotic loopholes) to the 90s goth subculture, we look at how the supernatural has provided a safe harbour for queer identity.
Reclaiming the Monster: Why we aren't just "borrowing" myths like mermaids, unicorns, or werewolves—we helped create them.
The Neurodiverse Connection: Why the "slanted" mind and the "wyrd" have always travelled together.
Mothman & Florida Man: Craig mounts a spirited defence of the misunderstood Mothman, and we break down the tactical logistics of praising God from a highway sunroof at 70mph.

Folklore isn't just a collection of dusty old stories; it’s a map of our true ancestral roots. Whether you're an outsider, a believer, or just someone looking for a bit of high strangeness, this conversation is for you.

Follow Sasha Coward: Check out his book Queer as Folklore www.sachacoward.com https://www.instagram.com/sachacoward/

A HUGE SHOUTOUT TO OUR BUY ME A COFFEE MEMBERS:
Tenner, Dan, Vicky, Steph, Gabby, Andrew, John, Rosie, Nick, Simon, and Terry! Your support helps us keep the show going. Want to join our supporters, get live recording links, and access our Discord channels? Head over to the link below.

Stay Wyrd!

Help keep the lights on and join our Discord here: buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Buy our merch here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Written and hosted by Craig Brooks
Edited by Craig Brooks
Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix
Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.