Three Talks on Folklore

Explore the stories, rituals and legends that have shaped human culture for centuries - from the origins of elves and dwarfs to the ghosts of Edinburgh's closes, the outlaws of Sherwood Forest, and the everyday superstitions that still govern our lives today. With Q&A at the end of the talks.

🧠 Three 45-minute talks that go in-depth on their niches

🗣️ An interactive Q&A with all speakers

🎨 A focused morning of insight and practical takeaways for creative and curious minds

👭 Connect and learn with likeminded individuals

Elves' Ears & Dwarfs' Beards: How devils, colonialism & gender roles shaped our favourite magical beings

Where did our image of elves and dwarfs really come from? Pointed ears, long beards, mischievous grins - these figures feel timeless, but their familiar forms are the product of centuries of cultural forces: religious anxiety, colonial encounter, and shifting ideas about gender. Dr Jon Norman Mason unpacks the surprising and sometimes unsettling history behind some of folklore's most beloved creatures, and asks what these magical beings quietly reveal about the societies that imagined them.

Legends of Place: Exploring Witches' Caves, Ghosts of Edinburgh & Outlaws of Sherwood Forest

Folklore doesn't just live in books - it lives in landscapes. In this talk, Dr Ceri Houlbrook explores how places accumulate stories: how a cave becomes a witch's lair, how a city's dark history births its ghost tours, and how a forest becomes the eternal home of an outlaw hero. What is it about certain places that make legends stick - and what do those legends tell us about the people who keep telling them?

Rituals of Uncertainty: The Practical Folklore of Luck

Why do we touch wood? Cross our fingers? Avoid walking under ladders? In this talk, Dr Helen Cornish looks at the living folklore of luck - the rituals, charms, and habits that people across cultures use to manage uncertainty and feel a little more in control. These practices might seem like harmless quirks, but they reveal something genuinely fascinating about how humans have always tried to navigate an unpredictable world.

Doors open at 9:30am, talks start at 10am - come down early to grab a good seat!

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Dr Jon Norman Mason is a folklorist, cultural historian and professional storyteller who specialises in how imagination is used to make sense of the world, and how stories shape - and are shaped by - the times they are told in. He teaches at the University of Brighton and Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and was researcher and writer for four series of the award-winning BBC comedy history podcast You're Dead To Me.

Dr Ceri Houlbrook is a Senior Lecturer in Folklore and History and Programme Leader for the MA Folklore Studies at the University of Hertfordshire, as well as a Council member of the Folklore Society. Her primary interests are the modern adaptations of stories, ritual practices and popular beliefs. She has written several scholarly books on folklore's journey through the past and present, as well as folklore-inspired fiction.

Dr Helen Cornish is an Anthropologist and lecturer on the MA in Folklore Studies at the University of Hertfordshire, and co-founder of NAoHH (Network for an Anthropology of History and Heritage). Her research has focused on contemporary Witchcraft - with the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall as a key research site - as well as Cornish folk festivals, ghost tours, and the relationship between folklore and ecology.

Testimonials from Our Guests

⭐ "Truly riveting talks, always enjoy these - a great way to spend an evening with some pals. Already looking forward to the next one." - Alexander P.

⭐ "Expertly run, talks are always super informative and a lot of fun! Couldn't recommend these enough! 5 star." - Owen S.

⭐ "Been to a few talks and all have been super interesting. An enjoyable evening to go to either alone or with friends. The talks make for stimulating conversation. Highly recommend!" - Daisy J.

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