We conclude our round-up of the Lorefolk's favourite moments from 2025. Now is a time to reflect on man-eating horses, saucy giants and islands that definitely aren't potatoes.

Eleanor & Alasdair Read That X @loremen.bsky.social

It's Part 1 of the annual Loremen misunderstanding of how countdowns work! We've selected the top ten(ish) moments from 2025, as voted for by the Lorefolk. Roman robots! Man-faced pigs! Two Jesuses?

Comedian Daisy Earl joins us for the legend of a boozy Mancunian pig and the Scottish fairy tale of Whuppity Stoorie.

Who is that, judging me from afar? Why it's the Man-Faced Pigs of Brussels (Wisconsin), the pickiest swine the Loreboys have encountered to date! With a sprinkling of Christmas Pig magic, here is a festive little tale to warm you from your snout right down to your curly, curly tail.

Long Hanborough? Home of the Oxford Bus Museum? Yes! And once you've listened to this episode, you'll know it for more than being home to the bus from the Spice Girls movie. You'll know it for containing a spooky cottage with a particularly busy poltergeist...

You know what they say: if you remember Finstock, you've been to West Oxfordshire. Here we discover a wealth of ghosts, including a truly chilling lady whose beckoning hands can only be seen by children. Pop on your body warmers... now!

It's a case of Till Death Us DON'T Part in the legend of Sarah Polgrain and Yorkshire Jack, whose marriage vows echoed beyond the grave. Plus, a lovely handful of teeth.

Thank you very much to @lilithepunk.bsky.social for this beautiful copy of Household Lore, which includes a surprisingly practical guide to keeping out Draculas. Hopefully @loremen.bsky.social will be vampire-free by 2026.

Two of my favourite pods coincide - @dannyrobins.bsky.social Uncanny x @misterabk.bsky.social from @loremen.bsky.social. A special listen.

A ghoulish groom attempts to drag his lover to Hell, like some kind of reverse-Meatloaf. This is the classic Cornish tale of Nancy Trenoweth, featuring a quick-thinking blacksmith, a humble servant and an exploding horse. But will the boys get through the story without any derailments?

It's true, other 10% is in Readers Digest

In 1809, Benjamin Bathurst vanished without leaving a trace. Apart from his trousers. And his cloak. And possibly his skull. Luckily, James has a theory NO ONE has considered before...

Thank LoreFolk!

LoreFolk! Assemble!

The boys discover a peculiar cult boasting not one, but two Jesuses. Yowzah! Must be pretty awkward at Christmas. James whisks Alasdair off to the commune of the Agapemonites: a scandalous Victorian sect nestled in the sauciest region of Somerset. (Well, a few miles north of Taunton.)

James and Alasdair do their darndest to keep Austin a little bit odd with this selection of spooky tales from that Texan bastion of peculiarity.

LoreFolk! Assemble!

Queen Victoria, the second longest Queen of England, escaped death on numerous occasions. But did she ever explore the spirit world? The Loreboys ask: who watches the watch, man?

Hmmm.. Daily Mirror 9 July 1937

Alasdair bedazzles James with the Old English legend of gold-digging ants. (The ants are also massive. And deadly.)

Are the lanes of Wiltshire stalked by a pagan deity in disguise? Meet the Peaked Red One.

Are the lanes of Wiltshire stalked by a pagan deity in disguise? Meet the Peaked Red One.

"I've had it up to HERE with ruffs"

Comedian Amy Matthews⁠ takes the Loreboys on a spooky tour of Leigh-on-Sea. But what's the truth behind the legend of the witch who sold the wind?

Crack open the Usborne Book of Ghost: it's Britain's most haunted village.

The Loremen meet the Map Men. Yes, it's the crossover we can only assume people have been clamouring for! Jay and Mark joined us to share the secrets of the mythical island / clerical error known as Hy-Brasil.

dating apps should just make men list their top 5 podcasts

Storm's comin', and it is quite literally "mucky out". Alasdair forecasts peculiar precipitation with spells of weird science.

Matt Stewart joins James (Alasdair having lost his voice) and James gives him a stern warning about the city of Cambridge.

Buff the buckles on your shoes and ready your bodices for ripping. James has plucked a tale of betrayal and romance from the annals of Yorkshire legend.

Polterguys are back! After a wee August break, the Loreboys return with some noisy sprits from a disputed corner of Oxfordshire.

The boys are on holiday, so this episode is pure "bants". Enjoy a selection of bonus bits from our recent episodes and take care out there, kids.

Improve your Thursday by listening to this😃👍

Meet a hornéd hunter and a two-faced Edward: legends who left the pages of literature and entered the realm of lore.

James takes Alasdair back to the Croydon of the Cotswolds - Banbury! - home of the "famous" nursery rhyme. You know, the one with the rude horse and the lady with peculiarly positioned bells?

James is joined by Dave Warneke of the podcasts Do Go On and Book Cheat to hear about one of the UK's breaking (and bounciest) cryptids.

Looking for a tale to warm you knockles? If so, you've come to the wrong place! Alasdair's North Country legend will make your knockles chillier than ever. You're gonna wish you'd invested in 8 tiny beanies to keep 'em warm. This is the sanguinary story of Stephen Hollin's ghost...

Welcome to Sydenham, but be warned — this ain't your grandma's Sydenham. It's more likely to be your great-great grandma's Sydenham. James takes Alasdair to a tumbledown cottage on a moonlit night, where an unwary rambler had a terrific fright...

James takes Alasdair on a whistle-stop tour of Britain's mobile stones. These standing stones were made for walking, and that's just what they'll do. Except when they're spinning around on the spot. Or not moving at all.

Apparently 50 Berkeley Square is a part of Scotland. From, The Mercury 7 August 1908.

James brings the temperature down with the chilling tale of Bloody Bones and the most notorious haunted house in London.

It's double podcast Thursday, with a new @loremen.bsky.social episode about the monsters of Prince Edward Island (we don't talk about Prince Andrew Island, so relax). And a new episode of Eleanor & Alasdair Read That all about The Secret Garden: linktr.ee/readthat

Do you struggle to tell the difference between Prince Edward Island, the Canadian province, and Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh (15th in line to the throne AT TIME OF RECORDING)? If nothing else, this episode will teach you which of the two produces 25% of Canada's potatoes.

The remote islands of Scotland are known to be home to folk with the second sight. Alasdair tells James the story of three gifted seers, each of whom came to a sticky end. (In one case, literally. Barrel of tar, innit?)

The unintentionally saucy tale of a man who took his pinnace to London. A ⁠pinnace⁠ is a kind of small boat and James didn't realise how rude was going to sound when spoken aloud. How would you pronounce it? Try it, say "pinnace" out loud. Say it on the bus.

A walk in the park turns out to be no walk in the park. The loreboys encounter some Kentish legends and the meaty ghost of Colonel Meates.