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KnotWork Myth & Storytelling

On KnotWork, we explore the mythology and folklore of Ireland, and beyond. Episodes begin with a story, followed by a deep dive conversation about how this age-old tale still resonates today. Our guests include oral storytellers, writers, artists, musicians, and spiritual leaders. Occasionally, in our Myth Workers and Culture Makers series, our guest offers a song, a meditation, or another bit of creative magic. We talk about what it means to live a myth-inspired life. These conversations

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All Episodes

55:12

Bride and the Cailleach: A Scottish Story told by...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/04/05

Please Support Our Show: Join us on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling?Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more storieson our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our StoryKaty Swift shares a story of Scotland’s creation and the cycle of the seasons, featuring the Cailleach, the goddess of winter, and Bride, the goddess of spring. The story is inspired by Donald Alexander Mackenzie’s Scottish Wonder Tales from Myth and Legend. Katy’s version offers us a vision of the Cailleach as

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49:54

When Tides Rise, Build Your Own Boat: Cessair’s...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/03/29

Please Support Our Show: Join us on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling?Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more storieson our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our StoryIreland doesn’t have a creation story, but it does have Lebor Gabála Érenn, the Book of Invasions. The first invasion was led by Cessair, a granddaughter of Noah who took her own boat to Ireland to avoid that great Biblical flood.Our GuestCarmen is a marketing consultant who works with purpose-driven entrepreneurs

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53:48

The Look of the Scots Gaelic Language: Stories About...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/03/22

Please Support Our Show: Join us on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling?Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more storieson our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our StoryThree stories from Turtle Island - from Antigonish in Nova Scotia, Alaska, and the Cape Fear River in North Carolina - speak to expectations of race, ethnicity, and skin color, particularly when it comes to Scottish identity and the Gaelic language.Our GuestDr Michael Newton earned a Ph.D. in Celtic Studies from the

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57:32

Driftwood Man, A Story by Dee Mulrooney | S3 Ep7

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/03/15

Please Support Our Show: Join us on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling?Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more storieson our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our Story“Driftwood Man” is a timeless tale of longing and belonging, existential homesickness and ultimately coming home that is both deeply Irish and unmistakably global. This original story emerged as artist-performer-activist Dee Mulrooney emigrated from Dublin to Berlin and speaks of the longing for home, land, and

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45:26

In the Company of the Banshee with Caoimhe Nic...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/03/08

Please Support Our Show on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling? Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more stories on our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our StoryAs the film, the Banshees of Inisherin receives awards across the world, we explore stories of the bean sí, the Irish fairy woman who was considered a harbinger of death. Our guest, Caoimhe Nic Giollarnáith, brings us stories from Ireland’s Schools Collection as well as and stories her own childhood.Our GuestCaoimhe Nic

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54:05

The Power of Pillow Talk: The Story of Queen Medb |...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/03/01

Support the Show on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling? Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more stories on our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our StoryThe “Pillow Talk” scene opens theTáin Bó Cúailnge, the Irish mythological epic. Queen Medb and King Ailill compare the wealth they brought to the marriage. This private conversation becomes a war that involves all of the greatest warriors of the time.In Marisa's retelling of the story, which originally appeared in her book, The

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46:28

The Buried Moon, Told by Mitlé Southey | S3 Ep4

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/02/22

Please Support Our Show on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling? Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more stories on our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our storyMitlé Southey retells a classic story from her childhood home, the Fens of East Anglia, collected by Mrs. M.C. Balfour from the 1890s.The moon becomes trapped in a marsh pool. Without her light, the bogles and beasts of the darkness take over the Fens. The local people miss her light. Through a combination of community

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52:27

Choosing the Mystery: The Rosary’s Radical Feminine...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/02/15

Our StoryIn recent years, the rosary has been used to shame and restrain women and sexuality, but what if it is actually the umbilical cord that connects us to The Mother?Support the Show on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling?Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more storieson our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our StoryIn recent years, the rosary has been used to shame and restrain women and sexuality, but what if it is actually the umbilical cord that connects us to The

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57:12

Art, Love, God: The Tragedy of Líadan and Cuirithir |...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/02/08

Support the Show on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling?Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more storieson our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our StoryLíadain and Cuirithir’s romance is the stuff of medieval tragedy. Two bards fall in love, but Líadain makes a choice that alters their shared fate. They end up at a monastic order, forever bound in chaste conversation--until the night they break their vows.Sinead O’Connor was Marisa’s muse for this tale from 700-800 BCE that

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57:51

Brigid: Rebirth of the Mother, a Story by Laura...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2023/02/01

Support the Show on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling? Support the show, find the in-depth show notes, and get even more stories on our Substack, Myth Is Medicine.Our StoryThe goddess Brigid is known to be a daughter of Dagda, “the Good God.” But who was her mother?Inspired by the mythology and her own intuitive imagination and imbas forosnai, Laura shares own story of Brigid’s birth at Newgrange at Brú na Bóinne in County Meath. The child comes from the Milky Way, and follows the way of her

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27:20

Three Goddesses Walk Into a Bar | S.2 Ep.15

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/11/02

Our StoryMarisa reads an excerpt from her 2020 book, The Sovereignty Knot, in which she imagines three Irish goddesses, Brigid, the Morrígan, and the Cailleach all walk into a bar and have a chat about what women really want.After the story, Marisa explores:Marisa reads an excerpt from her 2020 book, The Sovereignty Knot, in which she imagines three Irish goddesses, Brigid, the Morrígan, and the Cailleach all walk into a bar and have a chat about what women really want.After the story, Marisa

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55:28

Fierce Tenderness: Stories of the Cailleach told by...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/10/26

Our StoryThe Cailleach is the longest living supernatural woman in the Celtic tradition. This goddess is a world builder who consorted with kings and is still associated with the landscape today. Our guest, Kate Chadbourne, brings us a story from County Mayo about a man who chose to test himself by setting out on a walk with the Cailleach. She weaves the threads of many other Cailleach stories throughout our conversation.Our GuestKate Chadbourne is a singer, harper, and storyteller. She's an

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52:32

Mysteries and Holy Wells By Elizabeth Stack | S.2 Ep.13

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/10/19

Our StoryThis trio of stories about holy wells, faith, and illness traces the evolution–or perhaps the devolution–of folk belief and the power ascribed to sacred waters and places. Our guest Elizabeth Stack begins with two stories from Tipperary: a teenaged boy cured at St. Patrick’s Well in Clonmel and a weeping statue of Mother Mary in Templemore during the Irish War of Independence. Elizabeth closes with a story of her grandmother’s family, when a young child died of a mysterious illness in

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58:44

Ethne and the Cauldron of Hospitality | S.2 Ep.12

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/10/12

Our StoryBefore Ethne became a queen of Tara and married Cormac mac Airt, she was a foster child to Buchet, a man known for his tremendous hospitality. In this story, Marisa Goudy imagines Ethne’s perspective on this 12th century Irish tale.Our GuestElizabeth Shaw is an author, consultant, speaker, and facilitator who brings her core philosophies of practical optimism and radical hospitality to everything she does. Whether she's planning a custom Cirque du Soleil show, working as an hospitality

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33:00

Walking in the Footsteps of a Legend, A Personal...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/10/05

Our StoryIn a departure from our usual format, our guest Christian Bolden tells a personal story of visiting Ireland for the first time as a graduate student. He describes his experience as an African American in Dublin in 2016, a moment when three events captured attention: the US presidential election, the killing of Alton Sterling, and the death of Muhammad Ali.Christian’s story echoes that of Frederick Douglass, the Black abolitionist, who traveled to Ireland on an extensive speaking tour when

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47:22

The Fenland Lanterns: An Autumn Story from East...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/09/28

Our StoryThis is a story of a cheerful, fearless farmhand named Fred who lived in the Fens, the marshy, bogs of East Anglia. He was at home in himself and on the land, and that attracted the jealousy of the other young men on the farm. This story, inspired by a tale called "The Syleham Lamps," collected in Kirsty Hartsiotis’s Suffolk Folk Tales, features the mysterious will-o'-the-wisps, the mysterious marsh lights that appear over the bogs of the Fens in eastern England.Our GuestRobyn Watt is an

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59:38

Deirdre, Who Is So Much More Than Her Sorrows | S.2...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/09/21

Our StoryThe story of Deirdre or the Exile of the Sons of Uilsliu is a pre-tale of the Táin, the greatest epic in Irish mythology. At her birth, Deirdre is prophesied to bring ruin to Ulster. It is a tale of a despotic king, love at first sight, betrayal, and includes a brief mention of suicide.Our GuestMelinda Laus is a grief counselor and educator who understands grief as a normal, healthy part of being human. After the sudden and unexpected death of her late husband, Melinda learned that her

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52:01

Life and Death on the Farm Atop the Hill: A Story of...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/09/14

Our StoryThere’s a long, strange tradition in Irish mythology and folklore in which a powerful man tries to steal a valuable cow from an old woman (cailleach). Maybe it’s not so strange… It’s just one more example of how independent older women are considered a threat to the status quo. Marisa Goudy tells the story of Mona, the Cailleach who lived upon a hill that bore her name (Cnoc na Móna/Knocknamona). The original tale, found in a footnote in an 1860 publication of the Ossianic Society, a

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01:01:34

Bóinn Re:membered: A Story of Poetic Inspiration by...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/09/07

Our StoryThis original story of the Irish goddess Bóinn was written by Laura Murphy and is being offered for the first time here on KnotWork Storytelling. Laura takes what we have from the medieval manuscripts from the Christian monasteries and then follows her own divine inspiration, or the imbas forosnai you’ll hear so much about in our conversation.If you hear a phrase that plucks at the strings of memory, know that Laura has woven in a few lines from other great Irish writers who have inspired

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49:56

Lost in the Wild, At Home Within: A Story of Mad...

KnotWork Myth & Storytelling ·

2022/08/31

Please Support Our Show: Join us on SubstackLove KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. Find the in-depth show notes, get special supporter-only podcast episodes, and stay connected between seasons.Subscribe to ouron our Substack newsletter Myth Is Medicine.Our StoryThe tale of Suibhne Geilt or “Mad Sweeney” comes to us from a medieval Irish manuscript and is sourced as far back as the 9th century. A warrior king driven mad by a

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