The wise woman or witch archetype is one of the oldest in collective human memory, dating back far further than we can track it. Once it hovered on the edge of being a respectable, if occasionally feared, profession. Just how did the word 'witch' come to be loaded with so many varied and often negative connotations? Why is it such an enduring archetype? From the Witch of Endor to the Alewives of York, from the 'keening women' of Ireland to modern day practitioners of wicca, the dragons examine exactly what makes a witch and how the archetype is used in speculative fiction. In the petri dish this week - The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis, The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Episode 375: The Batcherlorette - Bookish Edition
Ep 374: Her Fatal Curiosity - Tracing the Origins of Bluebeard
Ep 373: Circe Morgana and Rosaline - The Problem with Feminist Retellings
Episode 372: Truth Fiction and Outright Absurdity - More Strange Author Mysteries
Episode 371: Breaking the Stained Glass Window - Language Storytelling Absolutism and Censorship
Episode 370: Running with th Wolves - Werewolves in Folklore and Speculative Fiction Part 2
Episode 369: Running with the Wolves - Werewolves in Folklore and Speculative Fiction Part 1
Episode 368: Help I’ve Written a Book - What to do next when you want to get published
Episode 367: To Like or Not to Like - Writing Likeable Characters in Speculative Fiction
Episode 366: The Deserving and the Undeserving - Avoiding Classism in Speculative Fiction
Episode 365: Amazing Pets and Fantasy Coffee - How to Incorporate Wish Fulfilment Fantasies in Speculative Fiction
Episode 364: There can be only one, no seven - Writing Ensemble Casts in Speculative Fiction
Episode 363: Easter Eggs Accidents or Clever Inclusions - Delving into Disney Fan Theories
Episode 362: The Maiden in the Tower - Tracing the Origins of Rapunzel
Episode 361: The Butler Did it - or Did He - How Who-dunnits Have Shaped Speculative Fiction
Episode 360: Fated Brides & Fatal Spies - the Romantasy Phenomenon
Episode 359: A Great and Mighty Destiny - Legacies and Magical Bloodlines in Speculative Fiction
Episode 358: Wonders and Irritations - 2022 in Review
Episode 357: Gunpowder Crackers and Cancelling Christmas - the Myths Surrounding Common Christmas Practices
Episode 356: Nutcrackers Little Wooden Boys and Bears of Very Little Bear - The Sentient Toy Trope in Speculative Fiction
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Lit Society: Books and Drama
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Grimms’ Fairy Tales
The Turn of the Screw
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends