Folk Tales & Legends of the Cotswolds

Discover mysterious, funny and romantic Cotswolds tales - delving into the traditions of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Bath and much more! Explore the tales told by the folk in the region - greedy kings, flying monks, little folk, big cats and more! Discover what makes the Cotswolds tick! 

Tales of the Saints of the Cotswolds and the Midlands

Join us for an feast of folklore from the heart of England. Discover the mystical legends of the local saints with a side order of cows, pigs, hedgehogs ... and of course vengeance, body snatching, sexual misconduct and war! Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich history and culture of this fascinating region. 

Folk Tales and Legends of Wessex

Discover the ancient - and modern! - folk stories of Wessex - delving into the traditions of Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset. This talk by folklorist and storyteller Kirsty Hartsiotis explores the tales told by the folk in the region - taking in everything from Stonehenge to the Somerset Levels, to smugglers on the coast and tales of saints, sinners and the Devil!

Tales of the Saints of Wessex

Martyrs, entertainers, kings and princesses - join Kirsty Hartsiotis to discover the saintly history of Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire and beyond - with a supporting cast of luminaries from King Arthur, King Alfred, the King of the Fairies, oak trees, ash trees, yew trees, and obviously the Devil.

Folk Tales and Legends of East Anglia

Discover centuries of East Anglian folk tales, mardle and wit - delving into the traditions of Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire! This talk by folklorist and storyteller Kirsty Hartsiotis explores the tales told by the folk in the region - taking in mermen and pedlars, green girls and babes in the wood, giants, dragons, black shucks and much more!

Tales of the Saints of East Anglia

The counties that make up East Anglia and Essex have a rich panoply of saints. Mostly from the time of the Early English, saints like Felix, Etheldreda and Edmund led miraculous lives and return again and again after death to reward the good and punish the bad. Expect a cast of kings, queens, monsters, beavers and wolves - but also dark tales that tell of prejudice, intolerence and emnity throughout England's history.

Great British Ghosts 

Delve deep with Kirsty Hartsiotis into our collective British ghostlore in this talk to send shivers down your spine for the Christmas season. From the strange happenings at Borley Rectory in Essex, to Henry VIII's many ghostly wives, to lost Roman legions, to skulls that scream when you try to remove them, to villages busy with ghosts like Pluckley in Kent and Prestbury in Gloucestershire. There'll be grey ladies, hooded monks and phantom carriages galore!

Tales of the Celtic Saints

Discover the saints of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall and Brittany and their nature-loving, magical lives in this talk - from Patrick to Gildas, from Bridget to Dympna.  Join Kirsty Hartsiotis as she explores these saints from Christianity's early days, and the art that has been produced in their local (and not-so local) churches.

Folk Tales and Legends of Brittany

From the Ankou to King Arthur, join Kirsty Hartsiotis in a talk exploring the fabulous folk tales and spectacular legends of Brittany. Discover tales that range from saint's lives to to dark supernatural creatures and lost sunken cities, from gentle giants to capricious fairies. Come and explore the land of Brittany, discovering its landscape and buildings at the same time as delving deep into folk tales.

Out with the Old and In with the New!

From New Year's Day to Christmastide, over the course of the year we observe many festivals and traditions that ease us through each season, many of which related to the farming year and nature around us. Join writer, storyteller and speaker Kirsty Hartsiotis on a journey from Plough Monday, through the equinoxes and the solstices, to harvest and beyond into winter, exploring our folklore and folk tales of the year's turning.

Mistletoe, Wrens and Mumming

Ever wondered where our Christmas traditions come from? Or how people celebrated Christmas in the past? Joina hunt for Britain's quirkiest Christmas traditions, and discover the secrets of some of the things we take for granted at Christmastide. From hunting the wren to kissing under the mistletoe, and from eating a mince pie a day to ensuring the house was clean to keep out the fairies, find out about the Christmas season from Advent to Candlemas.

Wonder Workers!

Miracles, murder, marvels! Discover the lives, deaths, yes, and the afterlives of saints from all around the British Isles. Stories of saints were among some of the most popular and famous tales of the Middle Ages and beyond. Join storyteller, writer and speaker Kirsty Hartsiotis in exploring a selection of fascinating saints' tales - expect the unexpected!

King Arthur was Here!

Here lies King Arthur, king once - and king to be. Explore the many local legends that claim King Arthur as their own. Join storyteller, writer and speaker Kirsty Hartsiotis for a journey around the British Isles in search of King Arthur, uncovering the local stories told about the once and future king.

The Fairies Revenge: getting your own back in British folklore

Think you can trick the fairy folk or disrespect the land? Well, think again! But if you play it right the rewards are great! This talks explores folktales from the British Isles and beyond, uncovering the dark traditions of the fairies' revenge - and how you can avoid it by fair dealing with the fairies and the land. 

Enchanting the Landscape: bringing the landscape to life with folklore

How much more enchanted is the land if we know its stories? A journey of discovery into the secret tales of the British countryside & town.  Take a journey with Kirsty in this illustrated talk as she explores stories and their settings - and what she found when she visited the places.

Ghosts in the Stones: Supernatural Tales in Gloucestershire

The spirits of history are lurking out there in the countryside and hidden in the buildings of the towns and cities of Gloucestershire. This talk explores some of the country's spooks, and the stories and histories behind them.

Christmas Ghosts: the Tradition of Winter Tales in Gloucestershire and beyond

We've told supernatural tales at midwinter for a very long time. This talk goes back to the earliest winter tales, comes up through the Victorians revisiting of the tradition, and up to the present day, with a focus on Gloucestershire's own midwinter stories.

Medieval Wonder Tales: Exploring the weird in the Middle Ages

Aliens! Vampires! Zombies! Giants! Space travel! Think the Middle Ages is all tales of knights and ladies? The truth is much more exciting! From zombie ghosts in Yorkshire, to sky ships over Bristol, to Alexander the Great's space adventure, and a vampire in Hereford, medieval wonder tales - or mirabilia, as they were called - have puzzled and delighted people for generations.

Monsters, Heroes and Saints: Tales of the Anglo Saxons in English folklore

Listen! Tales of war, of lost treasure, of heroes and of doomed love. Discover the tales the earliest of the English have inspired.  Journey around the folk tales that people have told about the Anglo-Saxons - from the first invaders Hengist and Horsa right up to Harold I getting it in the eye. Kirsty explores the landscape of England, searching out those places in England with legendary associations with kings, queens, warriors and saints.

The Dancing Stones: Folk tales and folk tale collectors in Wiltshire

From the Giant's Dance to the Moonrakers, no stone is left unturned in this talk about Wiltshire's tales and the people who collected them. This talk  looks at a selection of folk tale collectors over the centuries in Wiltshire, including 12th century Geoffrey of Monmouth, 17th century John Aubrey and into the 20th century with Alfred Williams, the Hammerman Poet.