Witch Country Episode 22: November - Stories from Stone

Welcome, friends, to the November episode of Witch Country. As the nights draw in and the air grows sharp with autumn’s edge, I’ve been walking among the Rollright Stones — a circle steeped in story. Kings turned to stone, witches weaving fate, and whispers carried on the wind linger here. In this episode, I share my own walk among the stones, along with the folklore, legends, and uncanny tales that have gathered around them for centuries. And to close, a delectable and chilling treat: the tale of the Stone King, another version of the Rollright story, read by the incomparable Vincent Price from the 1973 archive A Coven of Witches’ Tales.

“So bake the soul cakes, and harvest the apples, light the candles and celebrate love! Dine with joy and in memory. And invite the spirits in if you wish. For winter is nearing, and soon enough the bright lights of Yule will be on their way.&rd
“Fairy rings of fungi, fly agaric and jade-green elf cups offer even more colours and magic to the autumnal palette. I have tried for many years to capture the magic I feel in the autumnal seasons.” from Witch Country: Seeking the Witch i
“They [the Fairies] have three great festivals in the year – May Eve, Midsummer Eve, November Eve…this is the first night of winter. This night they dance with the ghosts, and the pooka is abroad, and witches make their spells&rdqu
“The witch in a story can represent evil, justice, magical power, jealousy and the persecuted innocent. And it’s often hard to prise apart the truth, not least because witches are rarely just one thing: not just a character of good or bad