When most of us think of the term boggart, we probably first come up with the idea of a shapeshifting creature represented in the Harry Potter universe. But this is nothing like the actual folkloric creature which the word actually refers to. Boggarts have not been studied in particularly great detail until recently – they are a supernatural being specific to the north of England but having much in common with other creatures from our folklore.
Joining Folklore Podcast creator and host Mark Norman to discuss the subject is historian and author Simon Young. Simon disputes the traditional description put forward by Katharine Briggs that the Boggart was a goblin-like creature, but argues that instead it was a much more general term which encompassed aspects of most solitary supernatural creatures from mermaids to ghosts and all points in between. This approach goes a long way to demonstrate how the continual misrepresentation of the boggart by earlier folklorists led to the fantasy version of the creature that we know today.
The Folklore Podcast is an independent podcast, part of The Folklore Network which is striving to collect and preserve folklore material in all forms for future generations. To support our work, and that of the Folklore Library and Archive please join our Patreon or make a small donation on our website. Full details at www.thefolklorepodcast.com/support
To download The Boggart Sourcebook, referred to in this episode, free of charge please visit https://www.exeterpress.co.uk/en/Book/2114/The-Boggart-Sourcebook.html
Episode 93: BERNIE'S MITTENS
BOOK CLUB 04: A Natural History of Ghosts
Episode 92: OLD NORSE MUSIC
BOOK CLUB 03: Medieval Folk Tales for Children
Episode 91: CURSED BRITAIN
BOOK CLUB 02: Lanny
Episode 90: YEAR WALK
Episode 89: FOLK SONG (AND BAGPUSS TOO!)
BOOK CLUB 01: Forest Folk Tales for Children
Episode 88: THE OXENHAM OMEN
Episode 87: Working & Writing with Japanese Folklore
Bonus Episode: The Diary of Mr Poynter
Episode 86: JOANNE HARRIS: ORFEIA
Episode 85: THE MAB
Episode 84: THE LOST SOUL ATLAS
Episode 83: ALL ABOUT UFOs
Episode 82: GHOST DAYS
Episode 81: FOLK-A-PA-LORE-ZA PART 2
Episode 80: FOLK-A-PA-LORE-ZA Part 1
Episode 79: THE HARP IN FOLKLORE
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