Treasury of Folklore: Stars and Skies by Willow Winsham is a celestial collection of stories that sparkles in the hand as much as the mind. Wonderfully illustrated by Joe McLaren, it’s a beautifully crafted object with a cover that glitters like the stars within. Winsham seamlessly connects a diverse assortment of centuries-spanning tales from people […]
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Halloween Folklore of Wales
The Origins of Halloween Traditions: A Journey through Time and Place It’s Halloween (Nos Calan Gaeaf) 2023 time on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, and that can only mean one thing – spooky specials and surprise guests! Halloween Folklore of Wales On episode 129 (available from October 12, 2023), Mark Rees is joined […]
Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast Christmas Quiz
Dare you tackle the fiendishly tricky Welsh Ghosts and Folklore Christmas quiz? Special guest Chris Carra did! Test your knowledge, from the Mari Lwyd to Welsh witches, on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast with Mark Rees.
Ghost stories for Christmas and the Mari Lwyd: December on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast
Ghost stories for Christmas are a long-standing tradition, but unlike the chilling tales of Charles Dickens and M.R. James, the festive accounts on this podcast are not works of fiction – these are real-life ghost stories! December on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast also saw the return of everyone’s favourite yuletide visitor, the horse-skulled Mari Lwyd, a look at the never-ending Christmas parties in Victorian Wales, and even a few accounts of spirits of the living – the shades of those yet to shuffle off this mortal coil. Merry Christmas/ Nadolig llawen!
A ghost tour in Wales‘ ”most haunted” National Trust property, witchcraft and demons: November on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast
The highlight of November on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast was a ghost hunt at Newton House, the National Trusts’ “most haunted” location in Wales.
Halloween ghost hunt, Welsh jack-o’-lanterns and headless spirits: October on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast
October on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast was all about Halloween – or Nos Calan Gaeaf, as we call it in Wales. There were tales of the first Welsh jack-o’-lantern, the Ladi Wen (a headless white lady) and the Hwch Ddu Gwta (a monstrous black pig) who come to steal your soul, and for the first time ever, a “live” ghost hunt at one of Wales’ “most haunted” places.
A Victorian Séance, the Welsh hobgoblin and ghostly white ladies: September on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast
As autumn arrived, things turned extra spooky on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast. As the nights grew darker and the leaves began to fall we encounter all manner of restless souls, from trapped spirits to a classic white lady. There’s also a good old-fashioned folk tale about a giant, but even that gets a little gruesome…
Support the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast with a coffee!
If you enjoy the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, or any of Mark’s weird and wonderful work, you can now show your support and appreciation by buying Mark a coffee (or two!)
Haunted rivers, evil spirits and ghost police: August on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast
August was an extra spooky month on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast, with four episodes featuring the haunted rivers of Wales, the evil spirit which – apparently – burnt down a home, and how belief in spirits of the dead grew as belief in fairies declined.
Fairy-haunted mines, a spectral nun and a macabre magician: July on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast
With the summer sun shining, in July the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast took a look at the creatures which lurk in the shadows – the fairy-haunted mines, the spectral nun, a macabre magician and even a disembodied hand, much like Thing from The Addams Family.