Folklore and Storytelling: A Narrative Match Made in Heaven

Folklore and Storytelling: A Narrative Match Made in Heaven

Author: Icy Sedgwick May 30, 2026 Duration: 51:24

Storytelling is something we all do on a daily basis, whether we’re aware of it or not. Maybe we’re telling a funny anecdote about something that happened on the way to work. Perhaps we’re recounting how we first met the bride during a wedding speech. Or how about retelling our favourite folk tale to help soothe a child to sleep?

Storytelling and folklore are not synonyms. Folklore is a body of knowledge created primarily by the people for transmission between themselves. Folk tales are the stories told by these same people, though the definition of a folk tale varies. Yet storytelling can be the bridge between the two, enabling the ongoing transmission of folklore from a teller to a group of avid listeners.

The English and Welsh storytelling revival began in the early 1980s, and we can thank its success for the plethora of storytelling events, books, and podcasts now available. So let’s look at how storytelling links with folklore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!

See the episode contributors here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/episode-contributors/

Find the blog post with all the images and references here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/folklore-and-storytelling/

Check out Dawn Nelson's Little History of Storytelling: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781803996745

Amanda's talk at the Folklore Centre: https://www.folkloremythmagic.com/product-page/amanda-edmiston-traveller-tales-and-healing-herbs-talk

Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/

Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595

Get weekly articles and bonus content at Substack: https://fabulousfolklore.substack.com/

Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick

Find the Fabulous Folklore Bookshop, Icy's social media links, and other useful bits at: http://icysedgwick.com/start-here


Each week, Fabulous Folklore with Icy offers a compact, fifteen-minute dive into the strange and storied shadows of our world’s traditions. Host Icy Sedgwick, a writer steeped in fantasy and Gothic horror, brings a storyteller’s eye to the material, weaving together tales of local legends, deep-rooted superstitions, and ancient myths. The podcast moves beyond simple retellings to consider the cultural soil from which these stories grew-why people believed what they did, how these narratives functioned in society, and the peculiar, often unsettling details that make them endure. You’ll hear about the oddities and occult practices that textbooks often overlook, all delivered with a blend of curiosity and a slight chill. It’s a consistently engaging exploration for anyone fascinated by the weird corners of history and human belief, a weekly reminder that our world is far more mysterious than it seems. Sedgwick’s background ensures the tales are told with both authority and a palpable sense of wonder, making each short episode a perfect gateway into a larger, fabulously folkloric universe. This isn’t just a catalog of curiosities; it’s an invitation to look at the familiar landscapes around us and imagine the layers of story hidden just beneath the surface, all packed into a brief, compelling listen that easily fits into a daily routine.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Fabulous Folklore with Icy
Podcast Episodes
Church Curiosities: Finding Folklore in Carvings and Statues [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:20
Visiting churches might not sound like everyone's idea of a great time. Yet the buildings are stuffed with strange carvings, peculiar graffiti, interesting artwork, and even sassy memorials. These church curiosities tell…
Telling and Preserving Ghost Stories with W.J. Gilbert [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:41
W.J. Gilbert is a writer, storyteller, and creator of the YouTube channel Eerie Edinburgh. Based in Edinburgh, he’s the author of the best-selling Hidden Haunts: Scotland, Hidden Haunts: England, and Ghostly Tales of the…
Holy Cross Church and the Witches of Wallsend [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:09
Churches can be sites of divination, haunted locations, and important community hubs. Yet in Wallsend, Holy Cross Church is notorious for a tale of witches and heroic derring-do. The ruin might not look like it now, but…
The Tale of Enon Chapel: London's Most Notorious Burial Site [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:53
Here in the 21st century, death and burial often occur as part of a sanitised process. Death happens away from home, often in hospitals, and funerals are usually tidy, respectful affairs. We can forget that this wasn't a…
The Folklore of Lychgates and Popular Burial Monuments [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:17
You would absolutely know a lychgate if you saw one. They make popular backdrops for wedding photos, and provide a quaint air of rustic charm to country churchyards. They're the wooden or stone gateway, complete with til…
Folklore and Church Names: Preserving Local History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:40
I started out with the intention of looking at unusual church names. The problem was, this offered the potential to accidentally poke fun at their congregations. It also didn't help that most churches in the UK have pret…
Origins of Sports Team Names: Preserving Folklore and History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:03
Looking at the origins of sports team names might seem antithetical to folklore. Yet sport forms part of the ritual calendar for many people, whether on a personal or a mass scale. Look at the good luck rituals people fo…
Cader Idris Lore and Writing Folklore with Victoria Male [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:03
Victoria Male is an internationally recognized screenwriter, earning accolades from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, film festivals, and major industry lists. Her prose has been published worldwide in fifte…
The Folklore of British Pub Names Linked to Local History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:34
There is no shortage of bizarre pub names in the UK. Some of them appear to be a combination of random objects, like the Frog and Nightgown. Others have a local story behind their odd name. I've covered unusual pub names…
Strange Street Names: From The Philog to Dog Leap Stairs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:58
Unlike place names, which often give us information who once lived somewhere, street names can be a different case entirely. Sometimes they bear the names of notable (and often now infamous) people. Other times they refe…