On this week's episode we're headed back to Warwickshire, and Martin is telling his take on the legend of Lady Godiva!

We start off chatting about St Ethelbert, and the rather severe haircut he received from King Offa of Mercia, after which we wander to Warwickshire!

In addition to discussing some parts of Warwickshire that are no longer considered part of the county, including Coventry and Birmingham, along with the likes of Warwick Castle and Stratford Upon Avon, we then debate the merits of a couple of possible County Dishes - Warwickshire Stew and the much more traditional, if possibly dangerous, Pickled Pigeon...

After some folkloric chat about topics like the mysterious Mickleton Hooter, the highwayman Bendigo Mitchell, and a one-handed Jacobean poltergeist, plus some excerpts from this week's Local Legends interview with author of Warwickshire Folk Tales Cath Edwards, it's onto the main event: Martin's take on the story of Lady Godiva's life and naked ride, "The Hand of God."

Speak to you again on Thursday for our new Magic and Medicines bonus episode all about Amulets!

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 (Magic and Medicines about folk remedies and arcane spells, Three Ravens Bestiary about cryptids and mythical creatures, Dying Arts about endangered heritage crafts, and Something Wicked about folkloric true crime from across history) 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

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

On this week's episode of Local Legends, Martin gathers round the campfire to chat about County Durham, a writer's life, and so much more, with storyteller and author of over 40 books, including County Durham Folk Tales, Adam Bushnell.

Born and raised in County Durham, Adam knows and loves the county where he now resides - and he has perspective on it. His work regularly sees him travelling all over the world, delivering workshops in Asia, Africa, and America, as well as all over the UK. As you’ll hear, he knows so many of the stories of the place, and is always acquiring more. A story magpie, drawn to shiny things, he is a compulsive tale-teller and so friendly – the North East could hardly have a better ambassador!

As we discuss, Adam’s career has been exciting – his degree was in philosophy, and he was a primary school teacher for many years, including in several boroughs of inner city London, where a chance meeting with beloved author Michael Murpurgo steered him towards life as a writer.

His first book, Snakes’ Legs and Cows’ Eggs, was published in 2007, and since then ink has flowed from his pen like an ocean surging to get free. His new series, Kid Detectives, launched this month, and his academic books, including the Comprehension Ninja series, and the Descriptosaurus books, are beloved by teachers all across the world.

With our chat ranging from Medusa to the Lambton Worm to friendly ghosts, horrible murders, and vampires staked under childrens' playgrounds, it's a good one. So settle in for an hour of talk with a master storyteller, and if your workmates ask you to go through a haunted field to get extra beer, there's advice within about exactly what to do...

Learn more about Adam and his work here: https://www.adambushnell.co.uk

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 (Magic and Medicines about folk remedies and arcane spells, Three Ravens Bestiary about cryptids and mythical creatures, Dying Arts about endangered heritage crafts, and Something Wicked about folkloric true crime from across history) 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

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

In this week's bonus episode, Martin talks us through the ghastly crimes of Burke and Hare - with a side serving of the history of medicine!

Part of the "Something Wicked" series, we start by chatting through the headlines of the Burke and Hare killing spree, including the Enlightenment-era craze for celebrity surgeons and 'anatomisation.' We then discuss how Scotland's fraught religious history enabled leaps forward in natural philosophy, necessitated the invention of things like 'mort safes,' and how ideas like Humorism and Sensibility had their roots in Ancient Mesopotamian and Ancient Egyptian concepts like 'Flow Theory,' curses, and exorcism.

After chatting through Ancient Greek and Roman developments in medicine, including the Hippocratic Oath, and Medieval concepts like Leechbooks, we then loop back to the popularity of "operating theatres" - places where surgeries were performed for paying customers - and how the profit motive drove demand for corpses. Ideally ones that were still warm. And why this, in turn, inspired Burke, Hare, and the surgeon Robert Knox, to make some ghastly leaps in logic, the consequences of which were still being felt well into the 20th century...

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 (Magic and Medicines about folk remedies and arcane spells, Three Ravens Bestiary about cryptids and mythical creatures, Dying Arts about endangered heritage crafts, and Something Wicked about folkloric true crime from across history) 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

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