Loremen Podcast

And lo! The six top episodes of 2023 (as selected by the Lorefolk via patreon.com/loremenpod) appeared! Lets see which tales were tall enough to make the cut: 06: Strawberry Hill Gothic 05: The Tanuki with Yuriko Kotani 04: Cornwall's Loneliest Vicar 03: The Ghostbusting Parsons of Penzance 02: The Croglin Grange Vampire 01: The Wold Rangers with Amy Gledhill And stay tuned at the end for a spooky bonus from Bec Hill's episode... LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

What a year! James and Alasdair are counting down the top 14 (fourteen) episodes of 2023 (twenty twenty-three). This is only part one, so prepare yourself for eight of our highlights from last year. (Yes, it would have made more sense to do seven, but we got carried away.) If you don't want to know the results, look away now... 14: The Spitting Ghost of Haddon Hall 13: Denizens of Another World 12: The Vampyre with Sacha Coward 11: The Devil's Hoofprints 10: The Queen Rat with Tom Mayhew 09: The Flaming Head of Norton Mill 08: The Denham Tracts 07: Kelpies of Kintyre There's also a cameo from Geordie Samuel L. Jackson. LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

It's Pig Boxing Day! Do you box a pig? Or put a pig in a box? We simply don't know. Instead of worrying about that, listen to the final Xmas Pig special. James meets up with Pete and Ben from The Quantum Mechanics podcast to share a story about an absolute pig of a bridegroom... As ever, join us on the Patreon (www.patreon.com/loremenpod) for exclusive behind-the-scenes material. James put a lot of work into these Xmas Pig episodes, surely he has earned a spoonful of gruel? (Alasdair didn't lift a finger to help. Don't think about that!)

As a special Xmas treat, we're joined by the spooky podmaster himself - Danny Robins. The Loreboys introduce Mr. Uncanny to a couple of chilling, pig-tinged tales! Are you Team Xmas or Team Pig? This episode is a lot of fun, and you can listen to exclusive behind-the-scenes stuff by joining us at www.patreon.com/loremenpod

For the third pig of Xmas, the Loremen gave to me... The Weekly Planet's Nick Mason! Maso drops in to hear an Arthurian legend that miiiiiiiight be linked to an absolute ledge from modern-day Australia.  Enjoy! And don't forget to join the Patreon if you want Xmas pig bonuses including behind-the-scenes audio! Visit patreon.com/loremenpod to support this nonsense.

It's the second day of the Five Pigs of Xmas. James is joined by Bethan from the Eerie Essex podcast for a few Xmas pigs in a blanket (of folklore). Grab a sausage roll (vegan, of course) and enjoy these hamtastic tales! Join us for access to the Lorefolk Discord and exclusive bonus episodes at patreon.com/loremenpod

Xmas Pig everyone! This episode features everyone's favourite Sunil Patel - it's Sunil Patel! In the first of five festive specials, we explore the tale of a relatively obscure saint and a herd of porcine cowboy builders in Dorset. Endorse it? No, we forgot to do that joke. Join us at patreon.com/loremenpod for exclusive behind the scenes audio (and whole lot more).

Get excited! We will be Livestreaming at 830pm GMT (330pm ET) an Xmas Pig Porktacular! at youtube.com/loremenpodcast subscribe and ding the bell for updates!

Ewww! A low stakes, gross ghost! James tells ABK about some well-documented (but not encouraged) ghosts from Derbyshire. Something about the formerly-ruined building of Haddon Hall has stirred the poetic side of James. He even reads out a bit of what some would consider poetry, or indeed poesie*. This episode also features the stunning debut of brand new character "Geordie Samuel L Jackson". *If you're from the past, before the invention of the letter T. LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

If you’re walking home late one night, and you hear something rolling along beside you – beware! You might have encountered the Sac Bàn - AKA the Seckyban or the White Sack. Alasdair chills James to his marrow with the legend of a creature who rolls around the byways of Scotland like an angry pudding. You see, a sighting of the White Sack means death! From the Hollow of the White Sack to the Creagan Change House, this episode features several dodgy pronunciations, sixteen old men, two noms de plume, and the longest trip to the off license in folklore history. LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

James mutters an incantation and whisks Alasdair off to Bakewell in the Peak District, a town famous for its variety of puddings. There, the Loreboys meet a pair of ALLEGED witches. Hear how they use their devilish powers to... make and sell women's hats. Oh, the horror! It's the legend of the Bakewell Witches*. *Story may contain innocent women and one lying Scotsman. LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

Alasdair takes James to Canterbury, in Kent*, a city positively brimming with ghosts. The boys skip from the Roman streets to a tea house, which boasts its own unique ghost room. But! What begins as a grisly interior design show ends up as a hard hitting exposé. Folklore or FAKElore? You decide.   We also come up with some Chaucer-themed business ideas. If you open a Canterbury grocers that sells only parsnips called "The Parsonips Tale" you have to pay us royalties. There's a lot to get your teeth into here. And a lot of panels to hide your teeth behind, if that's what you're into. Incidentally**, why not pop into Tiny Tim's Tea Rooms and book yourself on a Canterbury a ghost tour? * Actual Kent, this time. ** Tooth pun!

The Loremen meet a quadruple threat. This kid is no mere zombie vampire wizard. He's Welsh too. James brings in the story of a Hereford revenant who had simply too much going on. This tale is taken from Witchcraft in Britain by "Christ in a hole", it's Christina Hole. And from the writings of 12th century historians/liars William of Newburgh and Walter Map. (Do check out Wally's pic on Wikipedia. So cheeky!) LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

Halloween may be over, but it is always spooky season on Loremen. With that in mind, James brings in a tale of a Berkeley Witch whose last request is as elaborate as it is ineffectual. Poor wee James is under the weather this week, so his deep bass baritone is even bassier than usual. And yes, Alasdair does dole out a couple of pity points. There's a chance James has touched on this tale before, but never in such detail, or at such a low octave. Get it down your ears! LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

As part of the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival, James and Alasdair take to the stage on the spookiest night of the year. We meet the Saxon bad-boy Hereward the Wake, and ask - at what point does putting heads on spikes stop being a hobby and start being a job?  Accompanied by a fine bunch of Lorefolk (hand-picked like the spookiest of Scottish kale) James tells a story featuring way too many Mission Impossible rubber masks and more Normans than you can shake a spike at. (The French kind of Normans, not the Hale or Pace type). You can watch the entire stream in glorious 'technically-colour' on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwwVok7Tb7g

Hark, the jingling of bells! 'Tis two fools come to make merry. What luck! Alasdair and James recorded a live episode at the Bill Murray in London's London. The Evil Jester of Muncaster Castle features all the Loremen classics. We're talking bowls. We're talking Cumbrian superstitions. We're talking trombones and a comedian who kills (literally).  And that's not the last live show the lads have in them. Join... us... at the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival for our Halloween Special - 31st October: https://www.designmynight.com/london/pubs/balham/the-bedford/cheerful-earful-podcast-festival-day-1 LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

Kintyre is the name of a mysterious (and objectively NOT sexy) peninsula in the western highlands of Scotland. Alasdair plumbs its depths, skips along its beaches and gazes at its glinting surface, hypnotised by his own reflection. Oh yeah, and he also told James a bundle of tales from the collection of Cuthbert Bede. We're talking tartan pirates, shapeshifting kelpies and one very lucky ship's cat. Will Daft Wattie the piper be there? You betcha. And join... us... at the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival - 31st October https://www.designmynight.com/london/pubs/balham/the-bedford/cheerful-earful-podcast-festival-day-1 LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

Artist, author and excellent podcast guest Amy Jeffs guides the Lorebois through the lesser known mythic origins of STONEHENGE! We meet a load of giants having an Irish spa day. We encounter the treacherous (and definitively real) King Vortigern. And we attempt to turn "Wallace and Grommitting" into a verb. Don't forget to join... us... at the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival - 31st October https://www.designmynight.com/london/pubs/balham/the-bedford/cheerful-earful-podcast-festival-day-1 Featured image by Amy Jeffs, from Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain, 2021. LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod

Cheeky little minisode with film maker Miles Benson and a little treat about devilish simians from across the pond. Here's the link to Miles' project... https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dream-clean-a-short-film-about-urban-legends#/

The Loreboys are back to doing what they do best - making mistakes via a podcast medium. Fortunately, James's snafu this week is quickly corrected. Listen, as he tells a thrilling tale, racked by self-doubt and undermining himself at every turn. Edric the Wild's adventure begins with the Norman invasion, and takes us from flooded Roman garrisons to burnt Shrewsburys (not a euphemism). Be sure to listen before your next trip to the town of Battle, near Hastings. Hint: it's not in Kent. And join... us... at the Cheerful Earful Podcast Festival - 31st October https://www.designmynight.com/london/pubs/balham/the-bedford/cheerful-earful-podcast-festival-day-1 LoreBoys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen Check the sweet, sweet merch here... https://www.teepublic.com/stores/loremen-podcast?ref_id=24631 @loremenpod youtube.com/loremenpodcast www.instagram.com/loremenpod www.facebook.com/loremenpod