Author(s): MARK NORMAN

Mythology

How did our ancestors use the concept of demons to explain sleep paralysis? Is that carving in the porch of your local church really what you think it is? And what's that tapping noise on the roof of your car..? The fields of folklore have never been more popular a recent resurgence of interest in traditional beliefs and customs, coupled with morbid curiosities in folk horror, historic witchcraft cases and our superstitious past, have led to an intersection of ideas that is driving people to seek out more information. Tracey Norman (author of the acclaimed play WITCH) and Mark Norman (creator of The Folklore Podcast) lead you on an exploration of those more salubrious facets of our past, highlighting those aspects of our cultural beliefs and social history that are less 'wicker basket' and more 'Wicker Man'. AUTHOR: Mark Norman is a folklore author and researcher. He is a council member of The Folklore Society and has been on the judging panel for the Katharine Briggs book awards for the last 3 years. He is also the creator and host of The Folklore Podcast. Listened to around the world, the podcast looks at all aspects of traditional folklore and has enjoyed over half a million downloads since it started 3 years ago, with lively audience engagement. Mark speaks around the country on folklore-related subjects, and also writes newspaper and magazine columns plus web articles on the subject. He lives in Devon.