Fabulous Folklore with Icy

Icy Sedgwick
  • 4.8 (118)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Fabulous Folklore with Icy

Fabulous Folklore will give you your weekly fix of fabulous folklore in fifteen minutes (or less)! Hosted by fantasy and Gothic horror writer, Icy Sedgwick, the podcast explores folklore, legends, superstitions, mythology, and all things weird, occult and unusual.

  1. 13 HR AGO

    The Venetian Legend of the Carvings of Castello

    If you head away from the hustle and bustle of the Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square), you’ll head into the stranger, more magical part of Venice. It’s in the tangle of narrow streets and courts that you enter the realm of Venetian legend. It's difficult to know how many of them have any basis in fact. One legend sees the Devil face off with legendary composer, Vivaldi. Another sees the Devil try to snatch the soul of the first person to cross the Rialto Bridge - a bridge he created. Yet another involves a fisherman and his mermaid bride, which I covered in Rebel Folklore. I've also covered some Venetian creepy ghost stories before. Yet this next legend even has physical evidence to testify to its occurrence. Or does it? Let's explore the legend behind the carvings found on a fabulous building in Castello in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/venetian-legend/ Pre-order Ghostlore: https://geni.us/ghostlore Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

    16 min

  2. 12 JUL

    Dublin Ghost Stories of Phantom Dogs and Mysterious Figures

    Dublin is a beautiful city that straddles the River Liffey, famous as the home of Guinness and the National Leprechaun Museum. What you might not expect from the Irish capital is a series of Dublin ghost stories. Though why not? The city enjoys a millennium of history, including Viking settlement, economic hardship caused by the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the fight for independence from Britain. Of course there would be ghost stories! For much of this article, I followed the legends related by Dave Walsh in Haunted Dublin, though where I could, I did a little digging of my own. But enough of the preamble. Let’s explore some Dublin ghost stories in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/dublin-ghost-stories/ Penny Dreadfuls talk: https://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/talks/how-the-penny-dreadfuls-created-their-own-legends-icy-sedgwick-308110501 Northern Spiritualism talk: https://www.folkloremythmagic.com/event-details/icy-sedgwick-northern-spiritualism-talking-to-the-dead-in-manchester-and-newscastle Pre-order Ghostlore: https://geni.us/ghostlore Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

    18 min

  3. 5 JUL

    Folk Traditions and Strange Sights in Florence

    Florence was founded in the 1st century BCE as a Roman military outpost, although it came to prominence as a centre of commerce and the arts in the 14th to 16th centuries CE. The Florentine method of speech even became the Italian language. Some of the city's most famous exports are Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo, and Niccolo Machiavelli, along with the Medici family. You can see the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli in the Basilica of Santa Croce. But that's not all you can find in this Tuscan city. From the mythological scenes to statues of Roman gods present in the Uffizi, Florence has a range of odd curiosities and folk traditions that are worth seeing. Let's explore some of the stranger side of Florence in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/florence-folklore/ Pre-order Ghostlore: https://geni.us/ghostlore The Many Faces of Medusa talk: https://ko-fi.com/s/a60a047ebb Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

    24 min

  4. 28 JUN

    Witches in Devon and Witchcraft Trials in Theatre with Tracey Norman

    Tracey has written fiction for as long as she can remember, covering a variety of genres and subjects. Her first stage play WITCH, a historical drama based on original English witch trial transcripts, premiered in 2016 and has been performed more than 80 times to date. Tracey’s most recent publications were Dark Folklore (2021), co-written with her husband Mark, and Who Is Anna Stenberg? (2023), her first full-length novel. Her next book, also co-written with Mark, is Devon’s Forgotten Witches 1860-1910, which is published by The History Press and comes out in August 2025. She gives talks to a variety of groups on historical subjects such as witchcraft and early modern medicine. She, Mark and their daughter live near the edge of a forest in mid Devon, with a trio of insane chickens, and a feline trip hazard. In this chat, we talk about witchcraft cases in Devon, some of which are surprisingly late into the 20th century, the beauty of using records of witch trials, and how theatre can help us to better understand the lived experience of those accused. Preorder Devon’s Forgotten Witches 1860-1910: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781803994215 Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

    1h 6m

  5. 24 JUN

    The Newcastle Witch Trials and Northern Cunning Men with Dave Silk

    Dave Silk is a storyteller and historian from Newcastle upon Tyne and co-author of Tyne and Wear Folktales for Children. He collects and retells traditional tales and ancient stories from around these isles and further afield and enjoys rearing pet leeches and practicing the Dark Arts. In the daytime, he is usually found doing his ‘normal job’ of lurking in the dark towers of Newcastle Castle, where he is the Learning Manager. In this chat, we talk about the Newcastle Witch Trials, other witch cases from the region, and two of Newcastle's most famous cunning men. Follow Dave on the socials at @davetaleteller or check out Newcastle Castle @newcastlecastle or www.newcastlecastle.co.uk Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

    53 min

  6. 21 JUN

    Margery Jourdemayne and the Coggeshall Witch with Deborah Hyde

    In this third episode of our Witches, Cunning Folk & Magic theme, I'm talking to Deborah Hyde, an author, presenter and producer who has written for periodicals such as The Guardian and The Fortean Times, and who specialises in the subject of weird belief. For ten years, Deborah was Editor-in-Chief of The Skeptic and is a fellow of The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. She makes frequent TV appearances, being a regular contributor to 'Strange Evidence' and 'Mysteries at the Museum', and has presented insights in some of BBC iPlayer’s most successful recent podcasts such as 'Uncanny', 'The Battersea Poltergeist' and 'Lady Swindlers'. In this chat, we talk about Margery Jourdemayne as an example of a cunning woman caught up in royal politics, Widow Coman, one of the Coggeshall Witches who was targeted relatively late in 1699, and how witchcraft accusations changed to suit the times. Find Deborah online: DeborahHyde.com Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

    44 min

  7. 14 JUN

    Witches in History and Superstition with Willow Winsham

    In this second episode of our Witches, Cunning Folk & Magic theme, I'm talking to Willow Winsham, an author and historian specialising in folklore, and the history of the English witch trials. Her books include the highly popular Treasury of Folklore series from Batsford Books, and Accused: British Witches Throughout History from Pen and Sword Books. Her passion for uncovering fascinating topics and dedication to impeccable research guarantees an accessible and engaging read, whatever the subject. Willow is also co-founder of #FolkloreThursday, the popular website and social media phenomenon dedicated to sharing folklore, fairytales and traditions from across the globe. When not writing, Willow spends her time crocheting, delving into family history research, and indulging an ever-growing board game habit. She lives in Derbyshire with her three children and two British Shorthair cats. In this chat, we talk about how witches appear in history, why there is such an ongoing fascination with the witch, and Helen Duncan, the last woman tried under the 1735 Witchcraft Act! Order The Story of Witches: Folklore, History and Superstition: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781849949064 Find Willow on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/willowwinsham.bsky.social Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

    49 min

  8. 7 JUN

    Cunning Folk and Practical Magic with Dr Tabitha Stanmore

    In this first episode of our Witches, Cunning Folk & Magic theme, I'm talking to Dr Tabitha Stanmore! She's a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Exeter on the Leverhulme-funded Seven County Witch Hunt Project, investigating the people affected by the 1640s witch trials in eastern England. Her doctoral research was funded by the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (part of the AHRC), and published as Love Spells and Lost Treasure: Service magic in England from the later Middle Ages to the early modern era by Cambridge University Press. She has appeared on Radio 3’s Free Thinking and BBC Radio London discussing magic in the early modern period, written for The Conversation, and TIME Magazine and BBC History Magazine, among others. Her debut non-fiction book CUNNING FOLK was published by The Bodley Head (UK) and Bloomsbury (US) in 2024, and the paperback came out on 28 May! In this chat, we talk about what cunning folk are and how they differ from witches, how members of different classes approached magic and what they used it for, and why Magic Studies is such a valuable approach to history! Get your copy of Cunning Folk: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781529931563 Find Tabitha online: https://www.tabithastanmore.co.uk/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

    53 min
See All (388)

4.8
out of 5
118 Ratings

About

Fabulous Folklore will give you your weekly fix of fabulous folklore in fifteen minutes (or less)! Hosted by fantasy and Gothic horror writer, Icy Sedgwick, the podcast explores folklore, legends, superstitions, mythology, and all things weird, occult and unusual.

Information

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada