The Folklore Podcast

Mark Norman
  • 4.9 (37)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Folklore: Beliefs, traditions & culture of the people. Traditional folklore themes from around the world. An accessible podcast ranked in the top 0.5% of shows globally, bringing free access to many of the world's experts in folklore, authors, broadcasters and more.

  1. 1D AGO

    Episode 191 - TALKING GHOSTS PART 1

    The first of two episodes featuring interviews recorded live at the UK Ghost Story Festival in Derby in February 2026. In this first part, host Mark Norman meets four presenters from the festival to discuss their particular areas of interest. You will hear: DAN WEBBER discussing queer readings of Dracula and theatrical adaptations of ghost stories TRACY FAHEY on Irish ghosts and the idea of ghost estates ANTHONY KERRIGAN talking about fairy folklore and its links to abduction cases RICHARD FARREN BARBER answering the question 'What mkaes an effective ghost?' Support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon and get free exclusive bonus material. Join as a free member or on a paid tier at www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

    55 min

  2. MAR 19

    Episode 190 - AND 'OTHER' STORIES

    In this episode, recorded on location, host Mark Norman meets members of the Turning Tides Project to talk about their Arts Council funded project AND 'OTHER' STORIES which presents the work of a group of artists with and without 'learning disability' and 'autism' labels. And 'Other' Stories reworks fairy tales and folktales in different ways to challenge our ideas about disability. It invites you to: Consider the human tendency to exclude and create "Other".Look for ways we can value our rich heritage of traditional stories in a way that respects everyone, as equal.Immerse yourself in multi-sensory approaches to storytelling.Experience an approach to presenting information that gives everyone equal access to that information. Mark discusses the project with facilitators Abi and Jane from Turning Tides, along with two of the participants.

    48 min

  3. MAR 6

    Episode 189 - OPENING THE BOX OF DELIGHTS

    A very special feature length episode of The Folklore Podcast, with a panel consisting of the cream of those people associated with the classic children's title THE BOX OF DELIGHTS. Podcast host Mark Norman discusses the enduring love for Box in all its forms with an amazing line-up of guests, consisting of: PHIL ERRINGTON - John Masefield expert and author of 'Opening the Box of Delights' PIERS TORDAY - Children's author and playwright responsible for adapting the Box of Delights for the stage, including the RSC production CHRIS CHAPMAN - BBC documentary maker and director of 'Time and Tide: Making the Box of Delights' for the BluRay edition You can support the Folklore Podcast on Patreon and access even more content for free, or with a donation, at http://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast

    1h 26m

  4. FEB 19

    Episode 188 - UK GHOST STORY FESTIVAL CHATS

    In this episode we visit the 2025 UK Ghost Story Festival, which was held at the Museum of Making in Derby. Host Mark Norman meets some of the presenters from the festival and chats to them about ghost stories and their work. Children's author ALEX FOULKES discusses her middle-grade books, and talks about writing vampires for children. Author and editor TEIKA MARIJA SMITS talks about the darker side of fairy stories and her own short ghost fiction Academic DR SAM HIRST tell us all about her project Romancing the Gothic and the wide range of areas in which that particular genre can take you. Learn more about the guests on their websites: Alex: https://foulkeswrites.wordpress.com/ Teika: https://teikamarijasmits.com/ Sam: https://romancingthegothic.com/ Join The Folklore Podcast Patreon community at: https://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast You can support the podcast with a small monthly donation, or elect to be a FREE member.

    53 min

  5. FEB 9

    Episode 187 - WICKED STRANGE: GHOSTS AND LEGENDS OF NEW ENGLAND

    Folklore Podcast host Mark Norman chats with special guest, broadcaster and author Jeff Belanger, about some of the ghosts, folklore and other legends found in New England, in the north-eastern corner of the United States. Jeff is the host of 'New England Legends' on Amazon Prime Video, co-host of a podcast of the same name, and has written for and appeared on 'Ghost Adventures'. His book, 'Wicked Strange' provides a coffee-table collection of the stories covered on this episode and much more. This episode is rounded off with a folk music recording from the archives of American folklorist and singer Ellen Stekert. This previously lost recording of 'Golden Apples of the Sun', performed by Dave Van Ronk, was recorded in 1966 and has been recently remastered as part of the Ellen Stekert Project. Find out more about Jeff on his website at https://jeffbelanger.com/ Learn more about Ellen and the project to digitise her archives at https://ellenstekert.com/ Join the Folklore Podcast Patreon page at https://www/patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast to access extra content and support the show. There is plenty of free content available, and enhanced material for those who want to sign up for a small monthly amount to support the work of the show.

    1h 1m

  6. JAN 20

    Episode 186 - MEDIEVAL GHOSTS

    Mark Norman is joined by broadcaster, author and medievalist Dr Eleanor Janega to look at the role of the ghost in the medieval period. What elements of the behaviour of the ghost might we still recognise today? What was the view and the role of the church when it came to ghosts? Did people use ghosts for entertainment as we do now? You can find out more about Eleanor, her broadcasting and her writing on her website at https://eleanorjanega.com/ Support The Folklore Podcast on Patreon to get extra content at https://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast - free and paid tiers available.

    54 min

  7. JAN 12

    Episode 185 - THE FOLKLORE OF PROVERBS

    The Folklore Podcast returns to its original first principles for the first show of Season 11, with an episode written and presented by creator and host Mark Norman. The episode is a short exploration of the role of proverbs in folklore, and its writing was inspired by a new music track, 'Breadcrumbs' by artist Amy Hopwood which you can hear at the end of the show. Watch a video version of this podcast on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Rn6R_FnqV-Y You can visit Amy's website and get links to her music and art at https://amyhopwood.co.uk/ Visit the Folklore Podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/thefolklorepodcast where you can join as a free member for additional episodes. Upgrade to a paid membership later and access even more bonus material.

    17 min

  8. 2025-12-29

    Folklore Podcast 2026 announcement

    Want to know what to expect from the show as we head to 2026, and where to find the content you enjoy? Listen to this short announcement from creator and host, Mark Norman.

    5 min
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4.9
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

Folklore: Beliefs, traditions & culture of the people. Traditional folklore themes from around the world. An accessible podcast ranked in the top 0.5% of shows globally, bringing free access to many of the world's experts in folklore, authors, broadcasters and more.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Norman
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    268
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 The Folklore Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Folklore Podcast

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