Skip to main content
What's on /

The Bard, the Witch, and the Cauldron

with Mhara Starling

Photo of Mhara Starling
Photo of Mhara Starling

Booking and details

Get Tickets

Dates Wed, Oct 8, 2025, at 7pm

Venue Virtual

Tickets $10

Duration 1 hour

Wales is often depicted as a landscape of enchantment, where prophecies include dragons, traditions stem from fairy-lore, and poetry has long been considered an inherently mystical art. It is no surprise that Welsh literature and history have long inspired myth, lore, and magic—whether in the storytelling of Shakespeare, the worldbuilding of J. R. R. Tolkien and Diana Wynne Jones, or the spiritual beliefs of contemporary Witches.

As the veil thins this October, join Welsh author, folklorist, and modern-day Witch, Mhara Starling for a virtual talk on the rich tapestry of Welsh stories preserved in medieval and early modern literature. We’ll learn how these stories continue to inspire, from recent literature to the magical practices of today’s Pagans and Witches.

Speaker

Mhara Starling
Photo of Mhara Starling

Mhara Starling

Related

Tabitha Stanmore on Practical Magic in Shakespeare’s England
Shakespeare Unlimited

Tabitha Stanmore on Practical Magic in Shakespeare’s England

Posted

Uncover the world of cunning folk in Shakespeare’s England, as scholar Tabitha Stanmore reveals how these magic practitioners helped everyone from commoners to royalty with their practical spells and charms.

Some spellbinding October reads
Shakespeare and Beyond

Some spellbinding October reads

Posted
Author
emma poltrack

As we enter the year’s spookiest month, explore a trio of contemporary novels that involve early modern witchcraft. Much has changed since the deadly witch hunts of Shakespeare’s era, and the contrasting approaches of these books are a good way…

About Folger Institute

The Folger Institute is a center for early modern research at the Folger Shakespeare Library that brings public audiences together with researchers to explore the cultures and legacies of the early modern world. Learn more.

You might also be interested in these events:

Folger Book Club: 'A Haunting on the Hill' by Elizabeth Hand

Folger Book Club: 'A Haunting on the Hill' by Elizabeth Hand

Our October 2025 selection takes a trip to Shirley Jackson’s infamous Hill House, where four theater-makers are attempting to adapt a Jacobean witchcraft play under unique conditions…
Thu, Oct 9, 2025, 6:30pm
Folger Virtual
Folger Salon with Ruth C. Pión, Evelyn Reidy, and Andrew Aaron Valdez

Folger Salon with Ruth C. Pión, Evelyn Reidy, and Andrew Aaron Valdez

Learn about research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, Folger Institute scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation.
Thu, Oct 16, 2025 at 4:30pm
Great Hall