May Update: Beltane and Need Fires

May Update: Beltane and Need Fires

From The Three Ravens Podcast by Three Ravens

May 1, 2026 · 1h 24m · Season 7 · Episode 82

About this episode

This episode discusses Beltane and Need Fires, sharing traditions and music while previewing exclusive Patreon content.

In this month's update episode we're chatting all about Beltane - which is happening right now - as well as "Need Fires" and why they're so special. After recapping the key traditions associated with Beltane, and discussing the wider traditions of using 'Virgin Flames' to purify livestock and people, we share a bunch of our news, two awesome pieces of music sent in by listeners, and we have also included the opening chunks of March's two Patreon Exclusive episodes. First comes the opening 25 minutes of Nine Sacred Trees #1: Birch, which is followed by the first part of our Film Club episode all about Val Guest's 1955 British-American sci-fi movie The Quatermass Xperiment . We really hope you enjoy the fun mix and blend, and will speak to you tomorrow on our Three Ravens Live Show all about Maytide Folklore recorded at Treadwells Books in London! Three Ravens is a Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon. Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on a historic county, exploring the heritage, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much…

People in this episode

Hosts: Martin Vaux, Eleanor Conlon

Topics covered

  • Beltane
  • Need Fires
  • Folklore
  • Traditions
  • Mythology

Keywords

  • Beltane
  • Need Fires
  • Virgin Flames
  • Folklore
  • Traditions
  • Myth
  • Patreon

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Quatermass Xperiment

More episodes of The Three Ravens Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Three Ravens Podcast podcast page.