Feral Folktales: A Short Tale - The Men of the Turning Year

January 26
5 mins

Episode Description

This time, I’m sharing “The Men of the Turning Year,” a Czech and Slavic-style folktale about a girl sent into a winter forest to fetch what winter doesn’t give. In a clearing, she finds twelve men around a small fire—each one tied to a piece of the year, each one taking his turn. When she asks plainly and takes only what’s offered, the year bends for her just long enough. But when someone else shows up with demands, the cold comes back fast, and the story reminds you why people said time can be asked, but it can’t be ordered.

Feral Folktales is where I step aside from the main show and tell a straight folktale—simple, spoken, and exactly as it’s meant to be heard. These bonus episodes are just a little something extra between the full installments of The Feral Folklorist, which is where you’ll find the deeper dives into history, folklore, magic, hauntings, and the stranger corners of human belief.

A new folktale often appears between the regular podcast releases—just a short story to keep the world of folklore moving.

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