Folklore & Women: The power of folklore in reclaiming female stories

Before most people could read and write, folklore – made up of customs, rituals and stories – was passed down by word of mouth. Women played a central role as storytellers and guardians of these traditions, especially in rituals to protect the home, heal the sick, and guide childbirth. In this talk, Professor Marisa Linton will explore the history of folklore and women in the British Isles, where belief in magic often served as a way of giving power to the powerless.

Folklore continues to shape our culture today, inspiring Gothic novels like Dracula and folk horror films such as The Wicker Man, where outsiders encounter rural communities still bound by ‘old beliefs’. The talk will also ask why folklore is enjoying such a dramatic revival. Does this resurgence reflect a search for alternative paths – especially for women – towards empowerment and deeper connection with the natural world? 

Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm - come down early to grab a good seat!

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Speaker Bio:

Prof Marisa Linton is a historian, writer and Professor Emerita of History at Kingston University, where she taught the history of folklore, belief in magic, the history of women, and the history of European witch-hunts. She is internationally recognised as a leading authority on the French Revolution, the European Enlightenment and the history of women in France. Alongside her academic career, she has delivered numerous public talks, appeared on TV and radio, and served as a historical adviser for TV. Today, she writes fantasy novels that draw on her love for ancient Celtic Britain, folklore and belief in magic, ghost stories and the supernatural. Her prize-winning debut, The Binding Spell, is a contemporary fantasy set in a remote English village, where a teenage girl finds that the past is alive and all around her, bringing both power and peril. Her latest novel, Circle of Shadows, is a historical fantasy set in the Edwardian era, following a young woman whose mastery of magic and the occult pits her against an ancient demon, and a group of dangerous, privileged men.

Marisa’s books will be available to purchase at the event.

The Binding Spell – dark academia meets Mexican Gothic. Morgan thinks her nightmares are over when she moves to Weir Hinny with her archaeologist father. She even befriends a local boy, Joe Harper, whose secrets seem as tangled as hers. And for a while, their time together is magic. But when her father begins work on an ancient burial site – Morgan’s bad dreams return. With every relic he unearths, she sees a creeping horror emerge. A binding curse that binds them all. 

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, United Kingdom

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