Exploring otherness, identity, faith, religion, gender and sexual trauma, Hag brings together a gripping collection of tales that are unsettlingly timely and wickedly sinister. Each story is inspired by a forgotten folk tale sourced from across the UK by Professor Carolyne Larrington, a specialist in Old Norse and British fairy tales at St John's College, Oxford. Drawn from illuminated manuscripts and other folkloric traditions, these stories have been revised and reimagined by authors local to each region. Just as the Brothers Grimm codified Germany's rural folk lore, Hag catalogues the early myths and legends that have shaped the UK's storytelling heritage.
Each story has been richly sound-designed, combining subtle vocal effects, atmospheric textures and an original score.
Listeners who want to find out more about the forgotten folk tales that inspired Hag will be able to explore further with a series of accompanying interviews between Professor Carolyne Larrington and the authors.
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(Audible Original, 29 August 2019, 8 hours, audiobook, Audible Original Podcast free from @audibleuk with membership, various narrators)
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I enjoyed every story in the podcast. I liked the fact the stories were so different even though they had similar origins in folk lore, local to each individual author. Kirsty Logan's story about a woman who has a Selkie baby is by far the best in the podcast and I didn't want it to end. This fantastic tale is worth getting the podcasts for. I also loved the fact each episode has a discussion with the author and Professor Carolyne Larrington, a professor in Old Norse and British fairy tales about the original story and how each author tackled their own version of the story. Well worth a listen to.
