Three Ravens Bestiary #25: Ogres

Let's strip away the meat of mythology and render down the fat of folklore to cook up a delicious chat all about Ogres!

The word itself was coined by Chrétien de Troyes during the 12th century, and was used to talk about the brutish Britons on the other side of the channel - but from the Ancient Egyptian "Cannibal Hymn" of Pharaoh Unas to the Greeks and Romans with Polyphemus and Orcus, the name of these things is less important than what they do.

Personifications of wild, untameable nature and warnings about totalitarian power, what's at the root of this symbol of eating people?

Did it mean the same things to the Etruscans as it did to the first Italian chroniclers of folk romances?

What about when Charles Perrault re-adapted both 'The Ogre' and 'The Ogress' at the end of the 17th century, and started dressing them in fancy clothes?

From cthonic Gods of Oaths to Japanese Oni, Baba Yaga to the Ogre's position in contemporary psychotherapy, we're chopping it up, blending it down, then simmering the Ogre gently until it's ready.

Unless you're listening during the Reformation - in which case Ogres are just Catholics, and ought to be hunted down!

We also hope you increasingly pleased by our new Bestiary episode art, as drawn by our good friend Tom Peteuil of Creature Castle - check out brand new Ogre merch here and visit the Creature Castle shop for prints and other wonderful things here.

Speak to you again on Thursday for this week's Lang Fairy Tale, The Enchanted Fairy, before Saturday's Three Ravens Live Show, recorded on Thursday 11th June at Leominster Festival!

Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.

Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, we take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...

Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.

With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?

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