Quatermass at 70 and humanity’s future – a Zoom talk with Jon Dear

Jon Dear leads us through the work of Nigel Kneale, one of Britain’s most significant screenwriters of the 20th century – the creator of Professor Bernard Quatermass

Introducing the Ghost Club (1882–1936) – a Zoom talk with Roger Luckhurst

Professor Roger Luckhurst explores the history of London's famous 1882 Ghost Club.

Goddesses of Sex & War – Professor Ronald Hutton – Zoom Lecture

This talk is devoted to a particular form of ancient pagan goddess, one who is at the same time associated with love and sex, and with warfare

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Adventure of the Cottingley Fairies – Merrick Burrow

In this talk Dr Merrick Burrow, Head of English and History at the University of Huddersfield and an expert on Conan Doyle

Somerset Folk Tales – Sharon Jacksies

Sharon Jacksies will tell tales from her collection of Somerset Folk Tales published by the History Press

Gef the Talking Mongoose – a Zoom talk with Christopher Josiffe

"I am a ghost in the form of a mongoose, and I shall haunt you with weird noises..." Find out about the Isle of Man's most-famous spook in this Zoom talk with Christopher Josiffe.

Tales of Hidden Bulgaria, by a Spell In Time

Unique British-Bulgarian storytelling company, A Spell In Time, tells extraordinary tales from the hidden magical world of Bulgarian myth

North London Hauntings – a Zoom talk with Dr Robert Radakovic

The remnants of an ancient forest and Tudor hunting grounds between Barnet and Enfield is the setting for a host of supernatural sightings including medieval knights and boggarts.

Inventing the Green Man – a Zoom talk with Dr Alex Woodcock

In this illustrated Zoom talk Dr Alex Woodcock will explore one of the most familiar images from medieval art.

Vital Objects: The Art and Meaning of Vernacular Altars – Kay Turner

She invites the audience to learn more about this important, long-lasting tradition. Please bring a "vital object" of your choosing

Folklore - Past Digital Events

Gargoyles and Grotesques – a Zoom talk with Dr Alex Woodcock

In this illustrated Zoom talk Dr Alex Woodcock will explore why there are monsters, wild figures and faces carved on our medieval churches.

The Magical Women of Ireland by Dr. Gillian Kenny

This talk will introduce listeners to the links between women and magic in Irish history and how women may have used ritual/spells

Early Paranormal Theories of the Late Nineteenth Century – a Zoom talk by Dr Robert Radakovic

This talk explores the complex culture and history of the late nineteenth century and how the earliest theories of the paranormal were developed.

Scottish Highland Second Sight: Its Past, Present, and Future – Domhnall Uilleam Stiùbhart

An expedition—with some diversions—through four hundred years of Highland folklore and popular belief, in this world and the otherworld.

The Holy Grail – Professor Ronald Hutton – Zoom Lecture

This talk is a quest in itself, for the origins of the story, which can be pinpointed quite specifically

Scandinavian love magic: divination and curses – Tommy Kuusela

In this talk, I will present and discuss types of love divination and curses in myth and folklore

The Erotic Folktales of Norway – Lena Heide-Brennand

In this lecture we will be focusing on those steamy, hilarious and astonishingly graphic stories that have been passed down

Borley Rectory: The Most Haunted House in England – a Zoom talk by Sean O’Connor

Sean O'Connor's book 'The Haunting of Borley Rectory' (Simon & Schuster, Oct 2022) details the strange history of this infamous house...

Robin Hood – Professor Ronald Hutton – Zoom Lecture

This talk is intended to show what was so different about him that made him so famous in world culture while other outlaws

Baba Yaga in Russian Folktales – Prof Sibelan Forrester

The traditional Russian folk character Baba Yaga is an ambiguous and fascinating figure.

Zombies: The New Dead – a Zoom talk with Roger Luckhurst

Professor Roger Luckhurst explores advances in medical science, the modern zombie story and its role in horror fiction and film.

The History and Future of the Wildcat in Britain – A Zoom talk with Derek Gow

Join farmer and conservationist Derek Gow as he discusses one of Britain's rarest and most enigmatic native mammalian predators.

In the Fort Archive: Charles Fort and the Making of the Twentieth Century

A Zoom talk by Colin Dickey on the father of all things Fortean: Charles Fort

More Mythical Creatures in Scandinavian Folklore – Lena Heide-Brennand

A follow-up lecture on more of the magical, mysterious and scary creatures we meet in Scandinavian folklore

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life – a Zoom lecture by Ruth Franklin

An online Zoom lecture about one of the greatest American women writers of unsettling fiction, Shirley Jackson (1916–1965).

The Irish Goddess Morrigan – Lora O’Brien

This presentation will answer the questions: Who is She?; When and where did Her stories take place?

Folklore, the Gothic and Urban Myth in Scooby-Doo – a Zoom talk by Mark Norman

Folklorist Mark Norman takes us through the real world folklore, urban myth and legend that populates the cartoon universe of Scooby-Doo.

Trolls in Nordic Myth & Folkore – Dr. Tommy Kuusela

This lecture will look closer at the history of the supernatural trolls in Scandinavia

Witch-bottles from the 17th–20th Century – a Zoom talk with Brian Hoggard

An illustrated Zoom talk on this particular form of magical house protection, with Brian Hoggard.

An Evening in Asgard – The Home of the Norse Gods – Lena Heide-Brennand

This will be an evening of captivating tales about the main characters of Asgard and the creatures that existed alongside them

J. Sheridan Le Fanu: Irish Master of Mystery – a Zoom talk by Jim Rockhill

Jim Rockhill gives an illustrated talk on the Irish ghost story writer and novelist Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, who was born this day (28 Aug) in 1814.

Marina Warner on Fairy Tales & From The Beast to The Blonde

In this talk Dame Marina Warner will discuss her book 'From The Beast to The Blonde - on Fairy Tales and their Tellers

Magical protection marks in medieval and later buildings – a Zoom talk with Brian Hoggard

This presentation will explain the differences between the broad categories of esoteric marks found in old buildings

Dark Folklore – an illustrated Zoom talk by Mark Norman

In this illustrated Zoom talk, Mark will discuss some of the themes which he explores in his most-recent book, 'Dark Folklore'.

The Boggart – a Study in Shadows: a Zoom talk by Dr Simon Young

A Zoom talk by Dr Simon Young on the boggart, a much-feared, little-studied supernatural being from the north of England

An introduction to Arthur Machen – a Zoom talk by James Machin

James Machin gives an introduction to Welsh writer Arthur Machen, ‘The Flower-Tunicked Priest of Nightmare’

The Mythical Creatures of Scandinavian Folklore – Lena Heide-Brennand by Zoom

A live, illustrated Zoom lecture with Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand, Master of Literature and Language.

Me and My Shadow: Sympathy with the Devil in Folk Tradition – Jeremy Harte

An illustrated Zoom talk by Jeremy Harte in which he examines the folk Devil – an inconsistent character who is frightful and wicked, but also silly, combative, vengeful and vain.

Folklore and Strange Tales of Cornwall’s Seas – Joan Passey

‘Let us catch the sea-wolves falling on their prey’: Folklore and Strange Tales of Cornwall’s Seas - Zoom Lecture