This month we have a good old chat about Twelfth Night and the Whittlesey Straw Bear. Mainly because they are both nice events coming up which we think you might like to go to.

Stacia manages to make Siofra laugh at a joke and Siofra says "interesting" a lot.

Good morning from the Norfolk Folklore Society!

Today we are (b)ringing you a feast of folklore all about BELLS. From the ghostly chime of drowned bells beneath the sea to the eerie toll of phantom bells in Norfolk bogs, we’ve jingled and jangled through history to unearth the most enchanting bell lore (basically, Siofra bought a book on bells and they appear to be folklore MAGNETS). It’s an ap-peal-ing episode. Sorry.

Bells have long been a part of Norfolk’s cultural landscape, from church towers to folklore. Whether marking joyous celebrations or mysterious warnings, they are a timeless connection to history, superstition and sound. And then there’s that Christmas song by The Darkness to contend with.

So grab a cup of tea, settle into your cosiest chair, and let the Norfolk Folklore Society take you on a magical journey through the echoes of bell lore.

Here’s what’s tolling in today’s episode:

• Drowned Bells Beneath the Sea: Discover the eerie echoes of Norfolk’s lost village of Shipden, where legend says the church bells still ring from beneath the waves and more drowned bells around our coastline.
  
  
• The Devil and the Tunstall Bells: A devilishly good tale of bells that caught the attention of Old Nick himself.
  
  
• The Bell as Protector and Summoner: Learn how bells have been used to ward off storms, summon spirits, and mark the thin boundary between this world and the next.
  
  
• Witch bells. Not which, witch. But also, which bells.
  
  
• The Haunting Chime: Explore the fascinating duality of bells as symbols of celebration and omens of doom.

Lots of love from Stacia and Siofra 

xxx

Today we are talking about a particularly sinister apparition that stalks the Norfolk
countryside, namely the Old Man of Hopton, who haunts a section of road close to the
coast.

In the Winter edition of Lantern (the wonderful publication from the brilliant Lowestoft-
based Borderline Science Investigation Group) in 1980, the tale of a Lowestoft man on the new A12 Hopton Bypass was reported.

In this episode we collect more accounts of Black Shuck encounters in Norfolk and Suffolk. The episode was recorded as part of Charlie Cooper's Myth Country, so welcome if you came across us from the Black Shuck episode. We hope you all enjoy this behind the scenes recording.  We wanted to add a special thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us. We loved having you on the show.

Today’s podcast is the NFS’s own version of the General Election and, as such, we get to the heart of a very pressing issue: whether a dog-headed monk or a monk-headed dog would be more terrifying to meet down a dark alley?

For many years, the dog-headed monk/monk-headed dog conundrum has been our very own personal litmus test…but for the first time ever, our conviction that we knew the correct answer has been rocked. So, this episode is all about putting this issue to bed for once and all.

Let it be said that we are in our monk/dog era.

In the atmospheric setting of England’s largest and most elaborate provincial medieval city hall, wonderful tales were woven about Norwich’s dark past. We joined forces with performer Laura Cannell to create a magical night filled with tales of ghosts and witchcraft, secret tunnels and dreadful murders linked to this distinctive building in the heart of Norwich. We had a lot of fun that night and we hope you enjoy listening to the show!

In this episode Siofra and Stacia explore the tale of Melvena Spinks, and alleged witch from East Dereham. 

Join the Norfolk Folklore Society as we introduce author, illustrator and folklorist Helen JR Bruce who will be diving into the rich folklore and mythology surrounding Black Dogs.

Cover illustration - Shuck Zine / Matt Willis

This month we have a chat about a very haunted house in Thorpe Marriott. Inspired by the new BBC documentary about the Amityville Horror house, we searched our archives and dug out one of our creepiest stories to discuss.

We were absolutely delighted to welcome Lucy Spirit and Rachel Duffield as our January speakers the Norfolk Heritage Centre at the Norwich Millennium Library.

Rachel, who is an artist and costume marker, a historical reenactor and an incredible painter who spent years working for Norfolk Museums Service will be presenting the talk written by Lucy, a researcher, writer, open-minded sceptic and spooky expert.

Those attending will discover a brief history of Raynham Hall and the life of its infamous ‘Brown Lady’ ghost and how she became a worldwide phenomenon, the history of spirit photography, its controversial reputation and the photographer and sceptic who battled in court over its authenticity and the legacy of spirit photography.

The talk will be the third in a series of Norfolk Folklore Society events for The British Library’s Living Knowledge Network’s Fantasy: Realms of Imagination exhibition which has been funded by Anguish’s Educational Foundation and Arts Council England.

Today’s podcast is about the Magical Sword of Winfarthing, the Excalibur of Norfolk which helped women rid themselves of terrible husbands (and find their lost horses) from the safety of their village church.

We have plenty of sword play with a range of topics which see us discuss witchcraft, famous magical swords and why we can’t pronounce most of them, why the sword is associated with supernatural and magical powers and why making swords was so revered.

(Something I forgot to mention in the podcast is what some of those secrets were, such as “the virtues of certain liquids for quenching the hot iron, varying from the water of certain rivers to the urine of a red-haired boy or the juice of radishes mixed with earthworms.” Bear this in mind the next time you make a sword).

Find out why folk magic in a church might not have been the no-no it later became, why women felt the need to ask a sword for help if their husband was a wrong ‘un, a real example of a sword in a stone and how to use a sword for toothache (useful in these days of no NHS dentists).

Siofra also offers an alternative title to the five-series-long Merlin TV series which would have made it a whole lot better and Stacia wonders what excuse you’d need to come up with in order to go and ask a sword to murder your husband once a week for a year.

Both members of the Norfolk Folklore Society would like to make it very clear that they love their husbands very much and have not been visiting (a) Winfarthing or (b) a sword.

We hope you enjoy! 

Love from Siofra and Stacia