Bone and Sickle

BONE AND SICKLE explores historical topics related to folklore and horror. With acerbic wit and a scholarly penchant for the grotesque, rogue folklorist Al Ridenour delves into a wide but carefully curated range of topics illustrated by stories from histo

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Recent Episodes

Urban Legend

Posted October 18, 2025 •

A 1968 Halloween “Spook Show” in the Midwest left an unsettling heritage of urban legends possibly rooted in even more unsettling facts. What...

Pumpkins, Turnips, and Spooklights

Posted September 30, 2025 • 00:51:36

The Halloween Jack-o’-lantern, made from pumpkins in the US and originally turnips in the UK, began its existence as a wisp of glowing marsh gas or...

St. George, the Dragon, and More

Posted August 29, 2025 • 00:49:16

There’s so much more to the figure of St. George than his battle with a dragon. Legends also tell of his grisly martyrdom, capture of a demon, and...

International Folk-Horror Film Round-Up

Posted July 31, 2025 • 00:53:36

As a summer replacement for our regular episode: a round-up of non-English-language Folk-Horror films (here as audio but also available as video)

The...

The Fates

Posted July 8, 2025 • 00:49:48

The Fates of Classical Antiquity not only survived in the form of related fairy-tale figures but also as the object of superstitions and rituals associated...