People have lived in the Madrid area since prehistoric times. Occupied by Romans, Moors, and then the Spanish, it has quite the history.

Over 6.8 million people live in Madrid. That's less than Paris and London but more than Berlin.

Of course, a capital city will boast a few ghost stories. The ghosts of those executed for heresy and witchcraft in the Plaza Mayor are said to still haunt the square. A fire tore through the square in 1631, devastating the buildings and leaving people dead, and some wondered if the square had attracted some kind of evil energy.

So which other ghosts lurk in this beautiful city? Let's explore three of the most famous legends - and their variations in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!

Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/haunted-madrid/

Pre-order Ghostlore: https://geni.us/ghostlore

Star Lore and Legends: Myths of the Constellations talk: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/star-lore-and-legends-myths-of-the-constellations-tickets-1389351410469?aff=oddtdtcreator

Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/

Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595

Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick

Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore

Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop

Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7

Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick

Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social

'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

In this chat, I'm talking to illustrator Katy Horan about murder ballads, discussing what they are, how they work within folk music, how contemporary musicians have tried to reclaim the tradition, and the issues with examining ballads when all you might have is the lyrics!

Katy Horan is an illustrator and interdisciplinary artist whose work has been exhibited throughout the United States and in Canada, published in several books, and four times selected for New American Paintings. Together with the writer Taisia Kitaiskaia, she co-created Literary Witches: A Celebration of Magical Women Writers and The Literary Witches Oracle Deck. She is also the illustrator of Ask Baba Yaga: Poetic Remedies for Troubled Times. Originally from Houston, Texas, Katy now lives and works in Austin.

Buy Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics & Lore: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781524889265

Find Katy on Instagram: https://instagram.com/goodyhoran

Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/

Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595

Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick

Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore

Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop

Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7

Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick

Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social

'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

If you head away from the hustle and bustle of the Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square), you’ll head into the stranger, more magical part of Venice. It’s in the tangle of narrow streets and courts that you enter the realm of Venetian legend.

It's difficult to know how many of them have any basis in fact. One legend sees the Devil face off with legendary composer, Vivaldi. Another sees the Devil try to snatch the soul of the first person to cross the Rialto Bridge - a bridge he created. Yet another involves a fisherman and his mermaid bride, which I covered in Rebel Folklore.

I've also covered some Venetian creepy ghost stories before. Yet this next legend even has physical evidence to testify to its occurrence. Or does it?

Let's explore the legend behind the carvings found on a fabulous building in Castello in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!

Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/venetian-legend/

Pre-order Ghostlore: https://geni.us/ghostlore

Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/

Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595

Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick

Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore

Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop

Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7

Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick

Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social

'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/