The Three Ravens Podcast

This week on Three Ravens, as part of our month long exploration of cycles of life, we're talking all about Birth Folklore!
From Ancient Mesopotamian "birth bricks" and fires lit to smoke babies out of the womb to 20th century beliefs in hairy babies prompting their mothers to experience heartburn, human societies have cleaved to a whole load of fairly wild concepts related to reproduction.
Yet, as we explore in this conversation, it's surprising how universal many motifs to do with birth and pregnancy are, from forms of sympathetic magic like the danger of mothers tying knots, weaving, or even crossing their legs for fear they will risk the lives of their unborn children to ideas of phases of the moon influencing whether births will be easy or whether children grow up to be harmonious darlings or challenging little devils.
Working roughly chronologically, we open up a whole range of discussions, including of how prehistoric peoples treated the remains of children who died before joining society to particular demons and supernatural forces believed dangerous to pregnant women and methods for defending against them.
From the changing roles of fathers in relation to birth superstitions and lots of highly spurious methods for determining a child's gender while in utero to enduring customs like the baking of Groaning Cakes and the passing of mothers or babies through hollow spaces in rocks or wheels of cheese, we've done our best to account for how everyday people viewed and navigated conception, pregnancy, and birth itself across millennia.
As ever, we really hope you enjoy the episode, and hope you will join us again on Thursday for this week's story - Martin's retelling of a Northamptonshire legend of changelings, cunning, and tricky parental dynamics, The Brigstock Fox, all before Saturday's birth-themed conversation with bestselling 'Northants' author of over 80 books, including some pretty spicy magical romances, Sue Bentley.

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?
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On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with veteran British broadcaster and host of Folk on Foot Matthew Bannister.
In a conversation that folds in some of Matthew's other wonderful projects including The Song Detectorists and Last Word, while Martin and Matthew don't quite go on a wander together, our main focus is Matthew's multi-award winning podcast Folk on Foot, which combines folk music, outdoor walking, and acoustic on-location performances.
In each episode, Matthew walks with a prominent folk artist through a landscape that has inspired their craft, capturing natural ambient sounds and intimate live sessions that cast a bit of a spell.
Though how does a person go from being a budding fiddle player and chorister from Yorkshire to becoming not just a radio presenter but a BBC Executive, managing a huge whack of TV production for this nation’s state broadcaster?
Moreover, how has Matthew found routes through to a creative career that has lasted longer than Martin's entire life?
We of course get into all that, and, because our theme on Three Ravens this week is Harvest, we’ll also be chatting about Matthew’s favourite Harvest folk song, his experiences walking across England to raise money for Help Musicians, and so much more.
So, gather in close around the Three Ravens campfire and listen in to a conversation about the power of radio, Ley Lines, and what it’s like to hang out around the kitchen table with the entire McCarthy and Waterson extended family, with a true Local Legend, Matthew Bannister!

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?
REGISTER FOR THE TALES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND TOUR

Visit our website

Join our Patreon

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week's story, sticking with our theme of Harvest, we present a slice of US-set folk horror for you to enjoy!
The tale begins with Robin, a recently widowed wheat farmer whose crops have failed due to drought. At his farmhouse Mother rules, although a new feminine energy has arrived in the shape of Amelia, who believes Robin's loss might open space in his heart for her.
Though out on Robin's farm, too far to walk from town, Amelia begins to wonder if the the scarecrow in the vegetable garden out back is watching her, or if, even across the long days while Robin works the land and Mother forages in the nearby woodland, she is ever truly alone...
We really hope you enjoy Eleanor's reading of this one, which Martin wrote back in 2019 - as we dig into in the post-story discussion, which engages with themes of natural cycles, the land's response to mankind's interference, and why we find scarecrows so unsettling...
Speak to you again on Saturday for this week's Local Legends interview with Folk on Foot's Matthew Bannister who, along with lots of other interesting things, speaks about his favourite traditional English Harvest folk song.

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?
REGISTER FOR THE TALES OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND TOUR

Visit our website

Join our Patreon

Social media channels and sponsors
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the first time we've done a Seasonal Special in a while, but this week we're celebrating the harvest and exploring the history and folklore of Lughnasa and Lammastide.
We begin by discussing the Festival of First Fruits and the Eleusinian Mysteries of the Classical World, before getting into the nitty gritty of Lughnasa, or 'The Aseembly of Lugh.' From Irish festivals of games, hand-fasting rituals and ceremonial fires to a PR stunt for the Roman Emperor Augustus and all the way through to the 19th century Gaelic revival, Lughnasa has changed a fair bit over time.
We have a brief brush with the Burryman of South Queensferry, then explore the king of the vegetative spirits himself, John Barleycorn and the archetype of the Dying and Rising God.
The episode is accompanied by a selection of English poetry, exploring the harvest from the differing perspectives of Robert Herrick, John Donne, Thomas Hardy, Ted Hughes and William Wordsworth. We've also included a live recording of our version of the traditional song 'John Barleycorn' from Black Shuck Festival in 2025.
We really hope you find the episode relaxing and enjoyable, and we will be back to reap the season more on Thursday, when Eleanor will be giving a creepy reading of Martin's story The Corn Maiden...
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

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 welcoming in the harvest and exploring some of August's lesser-known traditional festivals!
We're talking about Marymas, which seems like it would have been pretty witchy, and Bartlemas, which was quite violent and packed with "back swording" - though that's not all, as, in addition to sharing some of our own news, we're chatting about Christopher Nolan's cinematic adaptation of The Odyssey and sharing the opening chunks of July's two Three Ravens Patreon Exclusive episodes.
First comes the opening 25 minutes of our special audio ghost tour of Chiltern Open Air Museum, recorded in the witching hours of May 30th into June 1st this year, which is followed by the first part of our Film Club episode all about the delightfully chilly, Iceland-set 2024 folk horror movie The Damned.
We really hope you enjoy this tasting menu and selection of Three Ravens bits and pieces, do be sure to also check out today's Local Legends interview with the amazing Richard Dawson, and we will be back again on Monday with a Seasonal Special episode all about Lammas and Lughnasa...

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

Visit our website

Join our Patreon

Social media channels and sponsors
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.