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 350: When Pain Says No - Chronic Illness Representation in Speculative Fiction
Episode 349: The Stones Remember - Cursed Places of the UK
Episode 348: Written in Blood - Vampires of the UK and Ireland
Episode 347: Bat Beasts Kellas Cats and Wolf-men - Lesser Known Cryptids of Britain and Ireland Part 2
Episode 346: Wodewose, Owlman & Morag - Lesser Known Cryptids of Britain & Ireland
Episode 345: Once More with Feeling - The Successes and Failures of Musical Episodes in Genre TV Shows
Episode 344: Enough to Make a Cat Laugh - Tracing the Origins of Puss in Boots
Episode 343: Exiles, OutCasts and Outsiders - Solitary Villains and Isolated Heroes
Episode 342: Distant Fathers 2D Beefcakes and Tortured Villains - Sexist Tropes Against Men in Speculative Fiction
Episode 341: True Beauty is Found Within - Tracing the Origins of Beauty & the Beast
Episode 340: There is none so capable as Anne - Why we should celebrate gentle characters
Episode 339: You Can’t Take the Sky From Me - Weird Westerns and Why We love Them
Episode 338: There are Wolves in the Woods - What Folklore Can Teach Us About Storytelling
Episode 337: Relatable or Debateable - Avoiding Mediocre Main Characters in Speculative Fiction.
Episode 336: The Lesser of Two Evils - Creating Moral Dilemmas in Speculative Fiction
Episode 335: Cottage Core & Interdimensional Cafes - Cosy Speculative Fiction
Episode 334: Devotion, Betrayal & Misadventure - Queer Romance in Speculative Fiction
Episode 333: Manners Morals & Monsters - the Growing Trend of Regency Fantasy
Episode 332: Girls With Glass Slippers - Tracing the Origins of Cinderella
Episode 331: Every Act of Creation is an Act of Parody - Filk Music & Fandom in Speculative Fiction
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