S2 Ep17: The Good Sword of Winfarthing

S2 Ep17: The Good Sword of Winfarthing

Author: Norfolk Folklore Society February 1, 2024 Duration: 34:08
Today’s podcast is about the Magical Sword of Winfarthing, the Excalibur of Norfolk which helped women rid themselves of terrible husbands (and find their lost horses) from the safety of their village church.

We have plenty of sword play with a range of topics which see us discuss witchcraft, famous magical swords and why we can’t pronounce most of them, why the sword is associated with supernatural and magical powers and why making swords was so revered.

(Something I forgot to mention in the podcast is what some of those secrets were, such as “the virtues of certain liquids for quenching the hot iron, varying from the water of certain rivers to the urine of a red-haired boy or the juice of radishes mixed with earthworms.” Bear this in mind the next time you make a sword).

Find out why folk magic in a church might not have been the no-no it later became, why women felt the need to ask a sword for help if their husband was a wrong ‘un, a real example of a sword in a stone and how to use a sword for toothache (useful in these days of no NHS dentists).

Siofra also offers an alternative title to the five-series-long Merlin TV series which would have made it a whole lot better and Stacia wonders what excuse you’d need to come up with in order to go and ask a sword to murder your husband once a week for a year.

Both members of the Norfolk Folklore Society would like to make it very clear that they love their husbands very much and have not been visiting (a) Winfarthing or (b) a sword.

We hope you enjoy! 

Love from Siofra and Stacia


Hosted by Siofra Connor and Stacia Briggs, the Norfolk Folklore Society podcast is a series of audio expeditions into the weird and wonderful layers of England’s most enigmatic county. Each episode is a deep dive, moving beyond well-trodden tales to uncover the living strangeness in the landscape-from whispered ghost stories in forgotten churches and encounters with elusive big cats in the fens, to the peculiar history of village witchcraft and modern accounts of lights in the Broads sky. The conversations feel like joining two deeply knowledgeable friends on a long walk down a muddy lane, where every crumbling wall or oddly shaped tree might have a story. This isn’t just about cataloguing the past; it’s about listening to how these old currents of belief, fear, and magic still ripple through the present. Whether you’re someone who instinctively scans a field for fairy rings or you simply enjoy a compelling, atmospheric story, this podcast offers a unique and grounded perspective. The tone is one of genuine curiosity and respect, treating each subject, no matter how uncanny, with thoughtful consideration. You’ll hear firsthand accounts, historical research, and lively discussion that connects ancient folklore to contemporary experience, all centered on the rich, eerie soil of Norfolk. It’s for anyone who suspects there’s more to a place than what appears on the map.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Norfolk Folklore Society
Podcast Episodes
Live at The Holloway: Ghosts of St Benedict's Street, Norwich [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:38
Recorded in the basement of The Holloway in Norwich, hidden beneath St Benedict’s Street, this episode was captured before a live audience, though we can’t promise it was only the living who joined us. We explore the ric…
The Haunting of St Stephen's Church, Norwich [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:29
In this episode we explore the history and haunting of St Stephen's church in central Norwich. Expect dramatic music, Siofra saying "like" a lot (sorry about that) and what appears to be a pretty rare type of haunting.
S2 Ep29: Your Questions - part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:18
Good morning from the Norfolk Folklore Society! This month, we’re handing the microphone over to you—our lovely loyal followers! That’s right, our latest podcast is dedicated entirely to your questions, and you had so ma…
S2 Ep28: The Troubled Deep by Rob Parker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:01
Today’s podcast stars FAN OF THE PODCAST author Rob Parker, who has written an astonishing 25 books and has just released the first in a new series of crime novels set right here in Shuck’s Own County. If you buy The Tro…
S2 Ep26: The Folklore of Bells [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:59
Good morning from the Norfolk Folklore Society! Today we are (b)ringing you a feast of folklore all about BELLS. From the ghostly chime of drowned bells beneath the sea to the eerie toll of phantom bells in Norfolk bogs,…
S2 Ep25: Norfolk Folklore Society - The Old Man of Hopton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:04
Today we are talking about a particularly sinister apparition that stalks the Norfolk countryside, namely the Old Man of Hopton, who haunts a section of road close to the coast. In the Winter edition of Lantern (the wond…
S2 Ep24: Myth Country - Black Shuck encounters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:25
In this episode we collect more accounts of Black Shuck encounters in Norfolk and Suffolk. The episode was recorded as part of Charlie Cooper's Myth Country, so welcome if you came across us from the Black Shuck episode.…
S2 Ep23: Dog-headed monk or a monk-headed dog? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:49
Today’s podcast is the NFS’s own version of the General Election and, as such, we get to the heart of a very pressing issue: whether a dog-headed monk or a monk-headed dog would be more terrifying to meet down a dark all…
S2 Ep22: Norfolk & Norwich Festival - Dark Tales from the Guildhall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:21
In the atmospheric setting of England’s largest and most elaborate provincial medieval city hall, wonderful tales were woven about Norwich’s dark past. We joined forces with performer Laura Cannell to create a magical ni…