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Hag cover art

Hag

By: Daisy Johnson, Eimear McBride, Liv Little, Kirsty Logan, Naomi Booth, Emma Glass, Natasha Carthew, Mahsuda Snaith, Tom Curry
Narrated by: Cameron Crighton, Amy Lunn, Eimear McBride, Anjli Mohindra, Rhian Morgan, Maggie Service, Michelle Tiwo, Taj Atwal, Edward Rowe
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  • Summary

  • Exploring otherness, identity, faith, religion, gender and sexual trauma, Hag brings together a gripping collection of tales that are unsettlingly timely and wickedly sinister. Each story is inspired by a forgotten folk tale sourced from across the UK by Professor Carolyne Larrington, a specialist in Old Norse and British fairy tales at St John's College, Oxford. Drawn from illuminated manuscripts and other folkloric traditions, these stories have been revised and reimagined by authors local to each region. Just as the Brothers Grimm codified Germany's rural folk lore, Hag catalogues the early myths and legends that have shaped the UK's storytelling heritage.

    Each story has been richly sound-designed, combining subtle vocal effects, atmospheric textures and an original score.

    Listeners who want to find out more about the forgotten folk tales that inspired Hag will be able to explore further with a series of accompanying interviews between Professor Carolyne Larrington and the authors.

    This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 8 episodes to your Library now.

    ©2019 Daisy Johnson, Eimear McBride, Kirsty Logan, Mahsuda Snaith, Naomi Booth, Emma Glass, Natasha Carthew, Liv Little (P)2019 Audible, Ltd.
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Episodes
  • The Sisters by Liv Little

    The Sisters by Liv Little

    Forgotten Folk Lore, Retold As Feminist Fables
    Aug 28 2019

    As their mother lies dying, Chlo takes her chance to paper over the cracks of the past, whilst Grace breaks through to a new, independent future.

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • The Droll of the Mermaid by Natasha Carthew

    The Droll of the Mermaid by Natasha Carthew

    Forgotten Folk Lore, Retold As Feminist Fables
    Aug 28 2019

    Lowman’s family have handed down the gift of healing from father to son for centuries, terrorising the local townspeople more with every passing generation.

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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass

    The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass

    Forgotten Folk Lore, Retold As Feminist Fables
    Aug 28 2019

    Eira longed to be a mother, but when a young girl arrives at hospital alone, and heavily pregnant, her maternal dream quickly becomes a parent’s worst nightmare.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins

What listeners say about Hag

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Dull, Over-Analysed and Tedious. Just not for me!

I listened to 3 'fables' before deleting the book from my device. The original tales behind these stories were probably told and listened to with more excitement and thrill, upholding the morals that they describe. Modern adaptations sound dull by comparison (probably due to the vast array of media content we are exposed to today).

In depth analysis after each story was told, made me feel like I was back at Uni being lectured and it was a chore to listen to. I am sure others will really enjoy these tales but sadly they are just not for me this time.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not as advertised

I'm confused by how this is discribed as "sinister". Dull, yes. Interesting, not really. The description of the folk tale behind the first story, for instance, sounded a lot more interesting and dark than the reimagined version. Really failed to deliver for me.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointing performance

Whilst I enjoyed the story and the three main characters, the delivery was disappointing. It was monotonous for the most part. Unless it was supposed to be part of the idiolect of the characters, the pronunciation of words such as 'arksed' for 'asked' grated on my ears.,along with several other words. It ruined the narrative for me.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Jo
  • 26-11-19

retelling and reclaiming

I love fairy and folk tales that are not Disney, because they are a little piece of the past that many people have collectively felt resonate in them enough to keep alive down many decades and generations. These are personal feelings and experiences that are either shared or ring true for different people for different reasons.
There is a strong sense of being connected to the past thru the stories, in a way that is quite different to a moralizing retelling. Disney is a hollow style of retelling which tries to apply a formula or an agenda.
I loved that the writers of each of these retellings added something personal and relatable, a key into the concerns and cares of the people in the past that has let us access some quite stark and coded messages in a deep and tangible way.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

50/50

The stories were good apart from the tales of Kathleen. I did not enjoy the analysis at the end. The performances were amazing though.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

this is great stories and very well performed!

great to listen to
got it as I wanted something small bite that did not require great commitment but end up marching through them!
also was nice to have the interview in the end of every story with the writer

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant short folk stories

A really good collection of well-narrated folk stories, some might appeal more than others to a listener, personally I found the collection an excellent listen.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding - superb- refreshing

I thought the re write of old well known tales was wonderful and refreshing. Great to hear different takes and angles and to explore old meanings and new meaning .. just superb!
And the discussions at the ending really helped us delve deeper into what each story was exploring.. I loved hearing from the authors..
what a fantastic project..

I do hope they do more of them.. I would listen to this as a podcast for eternity..

So good. So good.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bedtime stories for today's women

A compelling immersive beautifully written collection of stories that take you to a unique place, time, environment and sensory moment. I was curious to hear the modern written stories and learn about folk tales from around the country. The quality of the story telling felt rich, detailed and beautiful. There were one or two that grabbed me less than the others but in the majority I thought they were exquisite. And then the conversation between author and researcher after the story was a really enjoyable and insightful addition. Looking at other reviews this clearly isn't everyone's cup of tea. But it very much chimes with the women's novels set in other times or places I love.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

strange and compelling tale

good story and very easy listen.
narrator has a good voice and we'll performed.

first book in this podcast series look forward to the rest.

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1 person found this helpful