The Three Ravens Podcast
byThree Ravens
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Three Ravens is an English myth and folklore podcast hosted by Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux.In each weekly episode, released on Mondays, we explore a historic county, digging into the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more.Across our first six series we ventured around England's 39 historic counties twice, taking turns to tell a new version of a legend from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it may have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's...
Episodes(40 episodes)
S7E7 - Series 7 Episode 7: Brecknockshire
After a break from releasing regular county episodes, we're back with a bang for the second half of Series 7. The first historic Welsh county on our journey is Brecknockshire, which has now been divided up into lots of other counties, and no longer exists.We start out by talking about Brychan Brycheiniog, the 5th century king who gave his name to the original area, and his many, many saintly children, and adventure through Brecknockshire's highly picturesque scenery: mysterious cave systems, the Bannau Brycheiniog, and Waterfall Country.Along the way, we discuss the Romans in Wales...
Published: Feb 2, 2026Duration: 2:09:07
S7E54 - February Update: Imbolc and the Feast of Lights
In this month's update episode we're chatting all about Imbolc - otherwise known as the start of Spring!In addition to speaking about the Celtic deity Brige, Candlemas traditions, Candle Magic, and a bunch of our news, we have included the opening chunks of January's Patreon Exclusive episodes.These include our episode about Havelock The Dane, and part of Martin's telling of this largely forgotten 10th century English legend, and part of our suitably pagan Film Club episode all about 1974's Penda's Fen.We really hope you enjoy the episode, and speak to...
Published: Feb 1, 2026Duration: 1:23:10
S38E10 - Discussing The Blue Fairy Book
To cap off the end of our release of the stories from The Blue Fairy Book, in this episode we look back at who Leonora and Andrew Lang were, why anybody should care, and then we go back and trace the provenance of these tales.Beyond just identifying where they seem to have come from, we also explore how the Lang fairy stories work a little like a kaleidoscope, with the same pieces of coloured glass landing in different orders to create dramatically different outcomes.We speak about the ones we really liked, the ones...
Published: Jan 31, 2026Duration: 1:43:13
S10E37 - 'The Story of Pretty Goldilocks'
So, turns out we somehow forgot one: The Story of Pretty Goldilocks!And this one is really good - it gives Martin plenty of excuses to do silly animal voices, Charming is a better version of Trusty John, and there's not a bear in sight - let alone three!We hope you enjoy, and do check out today's other release, which is a discussion between Eleanor and Martin about all the stories in The Blue Fairy Book, including where the tales originally came from, and which ones stand out as exceptional and why....
Published: Jan 31, 2026Duration: 28:46
S10E36 - 'A Voyage to Lilliput Chapters 4 and 5'
To conclude our readings from the Blue Fairy Book, we warmly present the second part of a trilogy of episodes retelling 'A Voyage to Lilliput.Adapted from the first book of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, in this one Gulliver goes to war, stealing fifty war ships in a single afternoon of swimming - but trouble soon starts to rear its head.Because Gulliver, unwilling to enslave the Blefuscudians, finds the Emperor of Lilliput now wants to blind him and starve him to death...If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales...
Published: Jan 29, 2026Duration: 18:02
S10E35 - 'A Voyage of Lilliput Chapters 2 and 3'
To conclude our readings from the Blue Fairy Book, we warmly present the second part of a trilogy of episodes retelling 'A Voyage to Lilliput.Adapted from the first book of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, in this one Gulliver is searched and measured by servants of the Lilliputian Emperor, all before it is concluded that he may do this strange nation service.Specifically, as a war machine in Lilliput's battles against the 'Big-Endians' of Blefuscu...If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by...
Published: Jan 26, 2026Duration: 14:51
S10E34 - 'A Voyage To Lilliput Chapter 1'
To conclude our readings from the Blue Fairy Book, we warmly present the first part of a trilogy of episodes retelling 'A Voyage to Lilliput.Adapted from the first book of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, in this one, we travel with young surgeon Lemuel Gulliver from England, by sea, to somewhere beyond Van Diemen's Land.There he encounters a race of people that appear, to Gulliver, only six inches tall - who also have some pretty strange beliefs... If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled...
Published: Jan 24, 2026Duration: 14:35
S10E33 - 'The Red Etin'
Brace yourself for one of the Lang's dialect stories from north of Hadrian's Wall: The Red Etin!Though the Etin itself is Irish, strangely. Still, thank goodness for another Youngest Son who isn't a total fool.Also, fix your buckets everybody!If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them completed by Nora, also known as Leonora Blanche Alleyne.Assembled and published...
Published: Jan 22, 2026Duration: 12:48
S10E32 - 'The Black Bull Of Norroway'
A take on the East of the Sun and West of Moon tale type from north of the border.When the Black Bull of Norroway turns up to whisk the youngest daughter off to seek her fortune, she'd better not move a hand or a foot when the air turns blue...This story is written in dialect, so in the spirit intended by the Langs, we have narrated it in dialect, with apologies to our Scottish friends.If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913...
Published: Jan 19, 2026Duration: 11:24
S10E31 - 'The History of Jack The Giant Killer'
We have one of the most famous English fairy tales of them all for you today: Jack The Giant Killer!Does make you wonder though whether Jack is really a good guy, or a big game hunter. For further discussion of the topic, perhaps listen to Local Legends #3 about Cornwall with Mike O'Connor. Stream it here or simply search for it on your podcast app!If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with...
Published: Jan 17, 2026Duration: 12:53
S10E30 - 'The Story of Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou' - Part 2
In the next part of Prince Ahmed's story, his blissful time with the Fairy Paribanou is interrupted by the machinations of the Sultan's scheming advisers...If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them completed by Nora, also known as Leonora Blanche Alleyne.Assembled and published in 12 colour-coded "Fairy Books," the corpus the Langs put together included 798 fairy tales from across cultures, many of which had never before...
Published: Jan 15, 2026Duration: 36:03
S10E29 - 'The Story of Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou' - Part 1
When three princes all fall in love with the same princess, their father sends them out into the world to find the most wonderful curiosities...An adventure that keeps unfolding, Prince Ahmed's tale is probably the longest in the Blue Fairy Book - so we've split it into two. Part 2 will be out on Thursday!If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them completed by Nora, also...
Published: Jan 12, 2026Duration: 33:06
S10E28 - 'The Princess on the Glass Hill'
If you have ever wondered what would happen if Cinderella was a story about a boy, well, we warmly present The Princess on the Glass Hill!A pleasing example of the Youngest Son doing things his elder brothers can't, the real question the story asks is, would marrying this particular princess be a route to happiness? Because... who is she, really?!If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to...
Published: Jan 10, 2026Duration: 21:07
S10E27 - 'The Brave Little Tailor'
Follow the adventures of the brave little tailor as he tricks his way to ultimate success, on the strength of a misunderstanding of the meaning of 'seven at a blow...'With dim-witted giants, a daft unicorn and a king almost as tricksy as our questionable hero, it's a jolly reminder that guts can come in any size.If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them...
Published: Jan 8, 2026Duration: 21:07
S10E26 - 'Trusty John'
Today's Lang Fairy Tale is a strange one: Trusty John, in which the behaviour of all of the characters is questionable at best!For what would be nicer than marrying your kidnapper? And why not shoot a horse with a pistol? Or, indeed, smear a statue with the blood of your children?!If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them completed by Nora, also known as Leonora...
Published: Jan 5, 2026Duration: 20:26
S10E25 - 'Blue Beard'
Today's Lang Fairy Tale is the classic cautionary tale about too much curiosity - Blue Beard! Of course, it's unfortunate our heroine married a murderer with a suspicious blue beard, but she certainly couldn't say that he didn't warn her not to go into the locked room...If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them completed by Nora, also known as Leonora Blanche Alleyne.Assembled a...
Published: Jan 3, 2026Duration: 13:07
S7E53 - January Update: First Footing
In this month's update episode we're welcoming in 2026 in style - ideally in the form of a dark-haired stranger...In addition to speaking about New Years traditions, and why they're confusing, as usual, the episode features Three Ravens news and updates from the last month, and the things we're looking forward to in the month ahead, along with excerpts from December's Patreon Exclusive episodes.These include a section of our special Fireside Chat Review of 2025, and part of our bloody Santa-stic Film Club episode all about 2010's Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale.Three...
Published: Jan 1, 2026Duration: 1:16:00
S10E24 - 'Prince Darling'
For the second Lang Fairy Tales episode of this 'between series break' we have a less well-known one for you - Prince Darling.It's a tale which reminds us that having a great father, phenomenal wealth, and the Fairy Truth on your side doesn't mean you will grow up to be a good person - and that sometimes being turned into a terrifying chimera is the only way to ensure your self-improvement!If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators...
Published: Dec 29, 2025Duration: 27:28
S10E23 - 'The Goose Girl'
For the first Lang Fairy Tales episode of this 'between series break' we have an absolute classic - The Goose Girl.If you like talking decapitated horse heads, cheeky goose boys and a good ol' fashioned tale of comeuppance, this one's definitely for you.If you are unfamiliar with the Lang Fairy Tales, these seminal collections were assembled between 1889 and 1913 by a married couple, folklorists and translators Nora and Andrew Lang, with most of the work done to compile them completed by Nora, also known as Leonora Blanche Alleyne.Assembled and published in 12...
Published: Dec 27, 2025Duration: 14:28
S25E6 - Guest The Third: Tony Walker
It's just beginning to get dark at Three Ravens HQ, when a booming knock sounds on the front door. Who should be outside but Tony Walker, host of the Classic Ghost Stories podcast and author of Christmas Ghost Stories?Tony just can't seem to get himself warm, even by the roaring fire in the Great Hall, but he's certainly got a tale to tell, so cuddle close and don't peer too closely into the shadows.Unless, of course, it's not really Tony at all...The final part of the Three Ravens Christmas Feast 2025...
Published: Dec 25, 2025Duration: 33:55