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On this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with a champion of Connecticut, folklorist, scholar, author, and tenured Professor of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Stephen Olbrys Gencarella. Stephen’s work explores the intersection of folklore studies, rhetorical criticism, and performance studies, with a strong emphasis on the cultural history, legends, and eccentricities of New England. At UMass Amherst, his research advocates for "critical folklore studies" using the analysis of expressive culture to examine and address social injustice, critique anti-democratic behaviour, and explore political anxieties across time and place. He serves as the Resident Folklorist at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, Connecticut, and has authored several books including, “Wicked Weird & Wily Yankees: A Celebration of New England's Eccentrics and Misfits” published in 2018, “Spooky Trails and Tall Tales Connecticut" from 2019, and “Spooky Trails and Tall Tales Massachusetts" published 2021. So, settle in around our intercontinental campfire, perhaps one illuminated by a great carbuncle, stolen by a wizard, sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic, for a conversation about conservation, reinvention, the implicitly political nature of folklore, and the passion people have that keeps it alive, with a true Local Legend. And yes, this episode is a long one - but by crikey is it worth it! Learn more about Stephen and find links to many of the organizations he mentions across the interview here. About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week's story we're retelling one of the great American myths, from the perspective of the man who made it famous... Written by Martin, Israel Putnam and The Wolf follows the life of a real person, presented to the world as a frontiersman and scion of virtue. Yet, to make his story effective, 'the writer' must make choices about which truths to include, which to omit, and which to fabricate entirely. A tale as much about the making of myths as a particular myth itself, this one spans the Seven Years War, the American Revolution, and the time immediately afterwards, through Shays Rebellion and that fearful period where it looked like the experiment of the United States might fall apart before it really began. Drawing on historian Robert Ernest Hubbard's book Major General Israel Putnam: Hero of the American Revolution, it welcomes you to crawl into the dark and witness the eye shine face-to-face. And to ask the question "What makes a hero?" About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Haunting Season 2026 now behind us, let's get back to business and explore the history and folklore of Connecticut! We start with the story of Nathan Hale, and by opening up the idea of how folktales can shape national perceptions. We discuss the Puritan founders of Connecticut, who struck out alone without a Royal Decree, investigate how some of the state's most famous legends formed, and even became taught as history in schools across the U.S. Featuring some brilliant extracts from this Saturday's upcoming Local Legends interview with UMass Amherst Professor of Folklore Stephen Olbrys Gencarella, we explore the legend of Connecticut's Charter Oak, discuss the Connecticut witch trial which predated Salem by a whole generation, rumble on about the mysterious Moodus Noises, consider the role of the English in the Mystic Massacre, and poke some fun at Puritans, too! Including a tonne of cryptids with truly excellent names (the Glastonbury Glawackus, anyone?!) as well as cursed fruit, indigenous legends of beaver-stamping giants, and a frank chat about the lives and legacies of Ed and Lorraine Warren, it's action packed, ends with a big State Dinner, and ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous. We really hope you enjoy the episode, and will speak to you again on Thursday for Martin's retelling of Israel Putnam and the Wolf! About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this month's update episode, we're emerging from the Other Side after Haunting Season! We review our fourth annual Haunting Season, announce the winners of this year's Pumpkin Carving Competition, and talk about some of our own news, before delving into Blood Month traditions and other bits of November lore, in preparation for the long dark winter. We may not be slaughtering our livestock, but it's definitely time to preserve things in jars and cans and make sure our homesteads are all shored up for the coldest time. Besides, on Stir Up Sunday, it's time to start making that Christmas cake so that you can keep feeding it to get it good and drunk in time for the festivities! We've also got the opening extracts of our two Patreon Exclusive episodes for October: part of Martin's latest Spenser & Associates adventure, "It's Just Their Time", and the first part of our Film Club episode all about Robert Wise's unnerving, stylish film The Haunting. About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ghost Tales Live Show as recorded on Thursday 29th October at Godinton House & Gardens in Kent. We begin by exploring the ghosts of Godinton House itself, and those of the historic county of Kent more widely, from legends of grey ladies, white ladies and ghostly monks to the spectre of a Roman baby that haunts Dover's Reculver Fort, and beyond. Recounting quite why Pluckley is known as the most haunted village in England, if not the world, and some of the many eerie aspects of Romney Marsh, to the spectres of Canterbury, Kent's many plague pits, old lunatic asylums, castles, and the 2,000 vessel ship graveyard at Goodwin Sands, there's plenty to get our raveny beaks into! Which is not to mention Mothman and his appearance in the county back in 1963... Martin then performs "Tomfoolery" - his haunting story of boarding school pranks gone wrong, as published in our new book Three Ravens Ghost Tales, before we enjoy a Q&A with our lovely live audience. Topped and tailed by performances of classic English folk songs Three Ravens and Death and the Lady, we hope it makes for a suitably spooky, entertaining listen this Hallowtide. Also, if you are in Kent, do be sure to visit Godinton House & Gardens and while there watch out for the shade of past owner Captain Toke, whose absence during this performance hopefully implies that we did a decent enough job of it! About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our last Local Legend of Haunting Season 2026, Eleanor is chatting with the wonderful author Joanne Harris. Joanne is best known for her internationally bestselling and much beloved Chocolat series, particularly after the feature film adaptation in 2000 starring Juliette Binoche. However, she's written over 30 books across a huge variety of settings and themes. From darker Gothic fiction like Sleep Pale Sister and The Evil Seed to Norse-inspired fantasy like her Rune series, Joanne has something for every reader. We’re speaking at the time of publication of her latest novel, Sleepers in the Snow, a chilly folk horror set on a snowbound, isolated moor underneath the constant electrical fizz of a watchful pylon. We talked about the process of writing the book and Joanne’s inspirations, including the way she uses scent in her practice, and we also delved more deeply into the core of folk belief and legends of place which run through all her work. Of course, as it’s Haunting Season, we also talked about her favourite scary stories and her own supernatural experiences too. So gather in close around the Three Ravens campfire with a true Local Legend, Joanne Harris. About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our fourth and final tale of Haunting Season 2026, Eleanor's story "Scrimshaw" is inspired by this week's theme, Ghosts of Sea and Shore. A twisting helix, drawing together multiple perspectives across time, it's a story of the sea, the things we take from it, and how they come back to bite us. From a marine scientist to a 19th century whaler and a far-seeing child in a Neolithic past, our characters are drawn together by a common thread: a single genetic sequence, stretching back 800,000 years... About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the final week of Haunting Season 2026 we're walking through the shallows and gazing at the wild waves as we talk about the Ghosts of Sea and Shore. We start with the ghosts of the SS Watertown before talking about famous ghost ships like the Flying Dutchman, Marie Celeste, and the magical legend of the Caleuche. Then we're drawn inexplicably towards a faint light on the headland, guiding our ship to the strange liminal lighthouses dotted along the shore. We have wrecks, we have wraiths, we have haunted piers - and we have two winning entries to our Ghost Story Writing competition! This week, we're enjoying 'Jenny's Storm' by Em Swailes and 'The Sea Gives, The Sea Takes' by Rachel Kitchen - very different stories, but guaranteed to leave you with a shiver... About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As voted for by the Conspiracy of Ravens on Patreon, for today's special Haunting Season Sunday release we warmly present our classic ghost story for this year, "Oh, Whistle and I'll Come To You, My Lad" by M.R. James. Do we talk too much about M.R. James on the podcast? We try to restrain ourselves, but any way you slice it this particular story ranks as one of the best ghost tales ever told. Last year we shared "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde to celebrate a more knowing, ironic take on the genre, but this year we're going straight down the line! James did have an oeuvre and rarely ventured too far from it. This particular story is, in our view, the best one he wrote, adapted wonderfully into the iconic British television film of the same name by Jonathan Miller, as well as other adaptations, too. If you have never read an anthology of James' work though, and know little of him, you are in for a treat - while we trust the James connoisseurs out there will always be interested in a new take on this material. Once the story is told, we get into some of the minutiae, including our favourite bits about it, some of the quibbles that endure about James' perspective on the world, and the various subtexts of "Oh, Whistle..." Otherwise though, we hope you have a cozy arrangement in or from which to enjoy this particular episode. Fingers crossed to everyone not yet feeling spooky this year that listening to this one does the trick... About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week's episode of Local Legends Eleanor is chatting with the wonderful author Lucy Rose. Lucy is known for her instantly bestselling debut novel The Lamb, a deliciously dark folk horror tale set in the isolation of rural Cumbria. However, she's also an award-winning film maker, and a lifelong devotee of haunting tales and the folklore of place. Lucy's work has often been included in the 'Femgore' subset of horror, which centres the experience of women and girls to respond, often violently, to the horrors of living in the world in a female body. It's a lovely chat about hauntings, what makes a good scary story, Lucy's favourite atmospheric places, and the tales which still frighten her... So gather in close around the Three Ravens campfire with a true Local Legend, Lucy Rose. About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our third original tale this Haunting Season Martin tells us "The Airman" as inspired by this week's theme, Ghosts of War. Living in Dorset during World War 2, Valerie is a teenage girl helping to manage a house filled with secrets and unspoken things. One night, a chance encounter with a low-flying fighter plane sets in motion a sequence of life-changing events which impact her brothers, sisters, parents, and herself, echoing forward across decades of time. A tale of love, loss, conflict and its consequences, this story is a personal one, rooted in family experiences. About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keep your weapon drawn, your eyes peeled, your powder dry, and WAIT WHAT'S THAT AND WHY IS IT MOVING?! For our third week of Haunting Season 2026 we're exploring the theme of Ghosts of the War. We start with Achilles and the Shade of Patroclus then talk through some major developments in ghost beliefs related to martial conflicts across history, from the 'Great Wonder' following the Battle of Edgehill to the Angels of Mons and more. Once the front is behind us and we're released on leave we kick back with our best gal and enjoy two winning entries in the 'Ghosts of War' category of our Ghost Story Writing competition. Congratulations to Lucy Cornwallis with 'A Samhain Story' and Ian Tovey with 'Old Soldiers' - both quite time-slippy and in delightfully different ways! So don't wait to be called up - enlist-en now, as Three Ravens needs you! About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've thrown in an extra spooky story - it is Haunting Season, after all, and we've been releasing a few fun extras on Sundays. This story, In Miniature, Eleanor's take on the haunted doll's house, is the only one in our new book Three Ravens Ghost Tales which has never before been recorded for the podcast. Meet Lou. She's professional and attractive. She's interested in history and crafts. She's single, but open to dating. But be warned - she's got very high standards, and she doesn't like mess. About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this week's episode of Local Legends Martin chats with one of England's great living horror writers Adam L.G. Nevill. With 13 novels under his belt, several of them award-winning, and three short story collections too, you might expect Adam to have enjoyed rapid success which started early. Instead, for years Adam worked every night after work to shape his fiction while receiving little-to-no interest from the industry - all until the whims of the world's fiction publishers shifted back towards the macabre... In a chat which takes in several of Adam's books, including his most famous novel, The Ritual, and what it's like to have your work adapted for screens both big and small, the peculiar Englishness of many of the greatest horror stories, and plenty of discussion about the supernatural, it's a generous, expansive conversation that we very much hope you enjoy. From prehistoric hyenas to the recorded history of British witchcraft, the folklore of New Zealand to M.R. James, it's a discussion that travels and trespasses on ground both holy and unholy, some of which is in Devon. So gather in close around the Three Ravens campfire and let's get into it, starting with how loathed supernatural horror fiction was back in the 1990s... About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our second original tale for Haunting Season 2026 Eleanor tells us "Vade In Pacem" as inspired by this week's Ghosts of Sacred Spaces theme. Set during the English Renaissance, the tale takes place within the confines of a cloistered, claustrophobic Cistercian monastery in the hours counting down to the arrival of Cromwell's men. Our monks, mortally dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, live surrounded by marsh fires and Will o' the Wisps. Perhaps the King's Men will never make it through the fens? Perhaps being caught in a trap is the perfect time for haunting presences to encourage a little carnality... This story is inspired by the long and brilliant tradition of ghostly monk stories. If you enjoyed this one then do perhaps check out the classic Gothic horror novel The Monk by Matthew Lewis, The Name of the Rose by the singularly brilliant Umberto Eco, or the excellent monk-y mystery Dissolution by C.J. Sansom. About Three Ravens 🔮 Three Ravens is a completely independent English myth and folklore podcast where we share stories, celebrate folk culture, and fall backwards through the hedgerows of history. Hosted by real-life couple Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux, and mostly recorded at our home in rural Sussex in southern England, Three Ravens is rated 4.8/5 from over 500 reviews and has grown by word of mouth care of our lovely listener community ‘The Conspiracy of Ravens.’ We release three episodes a week, on Mondays, Thursday and Saturdays, through which we explore folktales, folkways, fairy stories, folk songs, mythology, local heritage, seasonal customs and traditional beliefs. Our research inspires our retellings of stories from across history and culture, with episodes standing alone but connected together across over 500 chatty, mostly light-hearted, swear-free installments driven by passion, kindness and curiosity. Now ranked as an all-time Top 5 podcast across several categories by Goodpods, charting in the Spotify, Apple and Rephonic UK Fiction Top 10 across 2024, 2025 and 2026, if you’re interested in ghosts, monsters, regional beliefs, and the things that unite us all, then join us round the campfire and listen in… Join the Conspiracy of Ravens ✨ 🌐 Official Website: Visit the Three Ravens Podcast Official Site to sign up for our mailing list, explore our episode catalogue, and enjoy our blog! 🎤 Three Ravens Live: Find tickets and news about our upcoming live shows! 🛒 Shop: Buy our books and exclusive Three Ravens Merch including mugs, tote bags, tees and hoodies from our Online Shop 👑 Patreon: Support the show and unlock ad free listening, monthly Patreon exclusive episodes, the Three Ravens Film Club, our community chat and newsletters at the Three Ravens Patreon 📚 Our First Book: Buy our stunning hardback collection of 39 historic stories Three Ravens Folk Tales 👻 Our Second Book: Order our brand new hair-raising host of 20 original ghost stories Three Ravens Ghost Tales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Our Third Book: Preorder our upcoming collection of Welsh regional legends Three Ravens Folk Tales of Wales coming to all good bookshops on St David's Day (March 1st) 2027 📱 Socials: Follow our adventures and help us grow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok RETHINK THE WAY YOU DRINK WITH OUR PARTNER THREE SPIRIT - USE OFFER CODE THREE RAVENS FOR A 15% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT Our Linktree to all things Three Ravens Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.