KnotWork Myth & Storytelling
by Marisa Goudy
On KnotWork, we explore the mythology and folklore of Ireland, and beyond. Episodes begin with a story, followed by a deep dive conversation about how this age-old tale still resonates today. Our guests include oral storytellers, writers, artists, musicians, and spiritual leaders. Occasionally, in our Myth Workers and Culture Makers series, our guest offers a song, a meditation, or another bit of creative magic. We talk about what it means to live a myth-inspired life.These conversations explore our relationship to land and to identity, particularly related to what it means to be Irish and a member of the Irish diaspora.Whether you’re drawn to Celtic culture or the mysteries that linger at ancient sacred sites, or whether you just like a good story and expansive conversation, you’re in the right place. Welcome. Fáilte.Your host is Marisa Goudy, author of The Sovereignty Knot: A Woman’s Way to Freedom, Power, Love, and Magic. She is a myth worker, a story healer, a writing coach w
Episodes
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The Cailleach Weaving Through Our Bones, Song & Conversation with Sionnáin | S7 Ep23
OUR STORY In this episode from our archives, Irish songcarrier Sionnáin offers an ode to the Cailleach called “The Wise One” - a deep, powerful conversation about ancient tradition and living lore. OUR GUEST Sionnáin is a song carrier, ceremonialist and guide from the West of Ireland. She walks a...
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Why Is She Calling Us Now? Niamh, Oisín and the Irish Language in Liminal Times with Dian Killian | S7 Ep22
OUR STORY The days of the great Fianna warriors have ended. Unexpectedly, Oisín is invited to live out his retirement in the Otherworld and become husband to Niamh on Tír na nÓg, the Land of Youth. How long is too long in paradise? Despite his love for his new wife and children, Oisín is destined...
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The Hare, the Witch, and the Tower with Katy Swift | S7 Ep21
OUR STORY Deep in the forest in the Scottish Borders, there’s a hidden cottage that’s home to a shapeshifting witch. In this ghost story, a handsome, duplicitous laird falls in love with the woman who can turn into a hare, and his entire world is turned upside down. OUR GUEST Katy Swift is a...
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The Buried Moon with Mitlé Southey | S7 Ep20
OUR STORY We return to the archives for a story of the Fens of East Anglia, retold by Mitlé Southey. The moon becomes trapped in a marsh pool. Without her light, the bogles and beasts of the darkness take over the Fens. Through a combination of community care and the wisdom of the old woman at…
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Not End Times, But Mountain Time | S7 Ep19
OUR STORY Mis staggers away from a gruesome battle on Kerry’s Dingle coast and finds a home in the mountains. Over 200 years, she becomes at one with the wild, covered in feathers and living completely apart from the human world. Eventually, the harper Dubh Ruis finds a gentle way to bring her...
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From the Archives: The Driftwood Man with Dee Mulrooney | S7 Ep18
OUR STORY “Driftwood Man” is a timeless tale of longing and belonging, existential homesickness and ultimately coming home that’s at once deeply Irish and unmistakably global. This original story emerged as artist-performer-activist Dee Mulrooney emigrated from Dublin to Berlin and speaks of the...
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The Reddest Red & the Brightest Sun with Matthew Stillman | S7 Ep17
OUR STORY Nobody believes Phaeton's claim to divine heritage: Helios, the sun god, is his father. The boy sets out on a quest to find his dad, and when they're finally united, Helios promises to fulfill one wish. Phaeton asks to drive the chariot of the sun for a day. It all ends in fire, ruin…
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Because She Could Not Stop for Death: An Irish Goddess in the Afterlife | S7 Ep16
OUR STORY According to traditional Irish myth, Tailtiu, the foster mother of Lugh of the Tuatha Dé Danann, uproots a vast forest with an axe and her own two hands. The plains she clears become the site of the great festival of Lughnasadh and once the people begin planting crops on these vast...
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Grandmother Spider: Trusting the Threads with Kara Simons | S7 Ep15
Join Us at the Retreat! Meaning-Making: Claiming & Interpreting Signs November 6-8, 2026, near Philadelphia Kara will lead us over a weekend of asking for, recognizing, and trusting in the signs that the universe is constantly sending your way. Marisa joins as a guest facilitator teaching about...
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From Anu to Saint Anne: Stories of Grandmother Wisdom with Perdita Finn | S7 Ep14
IN THIS EPISODE Perdita Finn returns to KnotWork for the third time to talk about the grandmothers, the mothers behind the mothers. She shares a story told in her latest book, Mothers of Magic: Summoning the Wisdom of Our Ancestors: discovering a hilltop church built by 19th century Irish...
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The Eagle Remembers: A Bardic Vision for Lughnasadh from Jonathon Huet | S7 Ep13
OUR STORY “Lugh was a new type of hero, a hero that was needed then, a hero that is needed now. A hero who listens to everyone and anyone, and never strikes unless it's a just cause and never from anger or from revenge, but for the benefit of the whole.” In celebration of the festival of...
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All Ground Is Sacred Ground, A Story and Conversation with Mary Reynolds | S7 Ep12
"If you want to save the planet, then start with your own patch of it." OUR GUEST Mary Reynolds is a reformed landscape designer who launched her international career by winning a gold medal for garden design at the Chelsea Flower Show in London in 2002. That story was later told in the movie…
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May the Roads Rise to Meet You: Following Macha’s Trail | S7 Ep11
"The moment she reached the shoreline, she began walking, walking, walking. She didn't need a road, not when she had a stride this purposeful and undeterred." That's Macha, goddess and woman of the Sídhe, arriving in Ireland from her home in the Otherworld. It's the start of the terrible,...
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To Fall from the Sky, To Cross Over the Sea: Stories and conversation with Kaitlin Curtice | S7 Ep10
OUR STORY In the Potawatomi origin story, the pregnant Sky Woman, Giizhgokwe, falls from Sky World. She is caught by a flock of geese and lowered onto mshiké, Turtle, whose back becomes this continent we know as Turtle Island (known in Potawatomi as Mshike Minis). Our guest, Kaitlin Curtice…
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The Village Beyond The Dunes | S7 Ep9
It's the middle of the night. A wealthy woman sits alone by the fire, carding wool, when the first knock comes at the door. Open! Open! I am the Witch of One Horn! This is the opening of The Twelve Horned Women,” from Lady Jane Wilde's folklore collection Ancient Legends of Ireland. It’s one of...
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Choosing the Mystery with Perdita Finn | S7 Ep8
Our Story The rosary has long been used to shame women and restrain sexuality, but what if it is actually the umbilical cord that connects us to The Mother? When the rosary emerged in the 11th or 12th century, the Church offered a narrative that began with Eve’s sin and ended with apocalypse....
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A Tale of Two Poets with Kate Chadbourne | S7 Ep7
This episode is a medieval Irish permission slip for every creative who has ever felt too raw, too unformed, or too messy to call themselves a writer. It’s for anyone whose inner critic has tried to kill the emerging work before it could grow. OUR STORY From the Book of Leinster (c. 1160): a...
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Island Consciousness | S7 Ep6
OUR STORY The shoreline is a threshold. When we stand at the place where the ocean meets the land, we know we’re standing in between the worlds. In this preview of S7 Ep6, Marisa tells the story of King Canute, the Anglo-Danish king whose famous confrontation with the tide has been misread for...
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Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: Cú Chullain, the Outsider by Peter Wucherpfennig | S7 Ep5
OUR STORY Cú Chullain is Ireland’s most renowned mythological hero, and his story comes what’s seen as the greatest of Irish epics, the Táin Bo Cualigne. And yet, we’ve never told his story on KnotWork. Clearly we were waiting for the right storyteller. In this episode, Peter Wucherpfennig offers...
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We Are the Grandchildren of the Selkies Who Stayed | S7 Ep4
OUR STORY The selkie story is one of the most enduring tales in the Celtic imagination. A woman caught between two worlds, a stolen skin, and the impossible choice between the sea and the shore. But what if the story doesn't end when she slips beneath the waves? What if it lives on in her...
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The Silver Wheel with Jen Murphy | S7 Ep3
OUR STORY Jen Murphy tells us the core tales Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, the great epic of Welsh mythology, beginning with King Math and his Goewin, his “virgin footholder” and concluding with the story of Arianrhod. Jen concludes her telling with Blodeuwedd, who you met in S7 Ep 1. OUR GUEST...
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The Invitation to Tir na mBan, the Land of Women | S7 Ep2
OUR STORY We’ve told the story of King Bran and the silver branch several times on KnotWork. This time, we the woman’s story, the story of the Bean Sídhe who speaks her fifty quatrains of poetry and invites us all across the sea to Tír na mBan, the Island of Women. ABOUT THE NEW SERIES: TURAS...
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The Fires of Bealtaine and Eros with Robert Mulhall | S7 Ep1
OUR STORY Just in time for Bealtaine, the Irish festival of fertility and new life, we explore the erotic energy at the heart of all creation, specifically in the context of Celtic mythology. We open with a brief retelling of the story of the woman made of flowers Blodeuwedd, which appears in the...
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Bean Ghlúine of the Burren, The Midwife of County Clare with Sarah Richardson
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. As a paid subscriber you'll be invited to join us for the Myth Workers' Salon and keep in touch with the show during my upcoming Imbolc...
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Conspiring With Brigit with Kate Chadbourne | S6 Ep42
Take Marisa's Brigid class at Celtic Junction! Marisa will be teaching a three-session online class for Celtic Junction, starting January 28. Register for Brigid & Expressions of the Irish Divine Feminine Our Story As the season of Imbolc draws closer, an episode from the KnotWork archives. Kate...
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The Spin of the Brigid's Cross with Natalie O'Shea | S6 Ep41
Take Marisa's Brigid class at Celtic Junction! Marisa will be teaching a three-session online class for Celtic Junction, starting January 28. Register for Brigid & Expressions of the Irish Divine Feminine In this episode: As part of our Myth Workers and Culture Makers series, we sit down with...
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Ciarán and His Wild, Holy Kin | S6 Ep40
Write Your Book With Us In 2026 The Authors’ Knot Program, February - November 2026 Registration is open now for our intimate 10-month online writing program for thought leaders, memoirists, novelists. and heart-led visionaries working on a book or another “big project.” Learn more and apply to...
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Omen Days & Solstice Rays | S6 Ep39
Write Your Book With Us In 2026 The Authors’ Knot Program, February - November 2026 Registration is open now for our intimate 10-month online writing program for thought leaders, memoirists, novelists. and heart-led visionaries working on a book or another “big project.” Learn more and apply to...
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A Winter’s Gift with Erica O’Reilly | S6 Ep38
Write Your Book With Us In 2026 The Authors’ Knot Program, February - November 2026 Registration is open now for our intimate 10-month online writing program for thought leaders, memoirists, novelists. and heart-led visionaries working on a book or another “big project.” Learn more and apply to...
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The Christmas Visions of John Moriarty with Amanda Carmody | S6 Ep37
Write Your Book With Us In 2026 The Authors’ Knot Program, February - November 2026 Registration is open now for our intimate 10-month online writing program for thought leaders, memoirists, novelists. and heart-led visionaries working on a book or another “big project.” Learn more and apply to...
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Keeping Hold of the Sacred Branch | S6 Ep36
Write Your Book With Us In 2026 The Authors’ Knot Program, February - November 2026 Registration is open now for our intimate 10-month online writing program for thought leaders, memoirists, novelists. and heart-led visionaries working on a book or another “big project.” OUR STORY King Bran...
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Meet The Elemental Grannies with Elizabeth Cunningham | S6 Ep35
Write Your Book With Us In 2026 The Authors’ Knot Program, February - November 2026 Registration is open now for our intimate 10-month online writing program for thought leaders, memoirists, novelists. and heart-led visionaries working on a book or another “big project.” OUR STORY In this…
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Sovereignty Rising with Rima Bonario | S6 Ep34
When Rima Bonario invited me to be part of her Sovereignty Rising Summit, I was honored. You’re invited to the Sovereignty Rising Summit, too! Join us Nov. 21-23. Register for this free online event now: https://www.thesevenqueendoms.net/sovereignty-rising-summit Rima’s work has given me an...
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Gather Round the Fire with the Women and the Rabble | S6 Ep 33
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. Subscribe to our newsletter Myth Is Medicine. Words Are Magic S6 Ep 33 We continue to celebrate Samhain season on the podcast with a…
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Through the Samhain Portal with Robert Mulhall | S6 Ep 32
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. Subscribe to our newsletter Myth Is Medicine. Words Are Magic Samhain: the Celtic festival when the veil between the worlds is thin.…
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Digging Deeper Than Mythology Can Take Us | S6 Ep31
Last Call! Write with Us this September The Writers’ Knot is welcoming new members! This is the global creative community where where the mythic imagination meets creative expression. Registration is now open and due to the intimate nature of this community, space is extremely limited:...
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Silver Branch Perception: The Voyage of Bran | S6 Ep30
Write with Us this September The Writers’ Knot is welcoming new members! This is the global creative community where where the mythic imagination meets creative expression. Registration is now open and due to the intimate nature of this community, space is extremely limited:...
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Achtan: A Brave Mother’s Tale, featuring Karina Tynan | S6 Ep29
Write with Us this September The Writers’ Knot is welcoming new members! This is the global creative community where where the mythic imagination meets creative expression. Registration is now open and due to the intimate nature of this community, space is extremely limited:...
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Torn Between Two Worlds with Erica O'Reilly | S6 Ep28
Write with Us this September The Writers’ Knot is welcoming new members! This is the global creative community where where the mythic imagination meets creative expression. Registration is now open and due to the intimate nature of this community, space is extremely limited:...
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The Art of Arrival: A Modern Irish Immram | S6 Ep 27
Write with Us this September The Writers’ Knot is welcoming new members! This is the global creative community where where the mythic imagination meets creative expression. Registration is now open and due to the intimate nature of this community, space is extremely limited:...
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Lughnasa: Harvest, Sacrifice, Celebration | Ep6 S26
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. Subscribe to our newsletter Myth Is Medicine Write with Us this September The Writers’ Knot is welcoming new members! This is the global...
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The Descent of Inanna, with Pearl Gregor | S6 Ep25
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. Subscribe to our newsletter Myth Is Medicine Write with Marisa this September The Writers’ Knot is welcoming new members! This is the...
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Bright And Obscure: Stories of the Irish Goddess Áine with Jen Murphy | S6 Ep24
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. Subscribe to our newsletter Myth Is Medicine Write with Marisa this September The Writers’ Knot is welcoming new members! This is the...
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The Man Without a Story by Michael Newton | S6 Ep23
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. Subscribe to our newsletter Myth Is Medicine Write with Marisa this September The Writers’ Knot is welcoming new members! This is the...
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S6 Ep22: Extraordinary Everyday Culture Work with Tad Hargrave
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. Subscribe to our newsletter Myth Is Medicine. Words Are Magic IN THIS EPISODE As part of our Myth Workers and Culture Makers series, the...
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The World Below: Song & Conversation with Katy Hellman | Ep6 S21
Explore your own mythic landscape… Join us for our summertime writers’ retreat on June 25th! During a three hour online retreat, we’ll explore a series of imaginal landscapes that help to illuminate and reframe your own relationship to your creativity and to your voice. You can expect a guided...
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S6 Ep 20 From Erosion to Regeneration: To Cessair Sang the Sea | S6 Ep20
Explore your own mythic landscape… Join us for our summertime writers’ retreat on June 25th! During a three hour online retreat, we’ll explore a series of imaginal landscapes that help to illuminate and reframe your own relationship to your creativity and to your voice. You can expect a guided...
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S6 Ep 19 From Lochlann to Éire: A Cailleach Story from the Outer Hebrides
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. With your paid subscription, you'll be invited to our next mythically inspired online writing retreat on June 25! Subscribe to our...
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Gemini Mythologies | S6 Ep18
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. With your paid subscription, you'll be invited to our next mythically inspired online writing retreat on June 25! Subscribe to our...
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The Theft of the Golden Apple featuring Stephanie MacKay | S6 Ep17
Please Support Our Show: Join us on Substack Love KnotWork Storytelling? Your financial contribution helps me pay the amazing team that puts this show together. With your paid subscription, you'll be invited to our next mythically inspired online writing retreat on June 25! Subscribe to our...
About this show
On KnotWork, we explore the mythology and folklore of Ireland, and beyond. Episodes begin with a story, followed by a deep dive conversation about how this age-old tale still resonates today. Our guests include oral storytellers, writers, artists, musicians, and spiritual leaders. Occasionally, in our Myth Workers and Culture Makers series, our guest offers a song, a meditation, or another bit of creative magic. We talk about what it means to live a myth-inspired life.These conversations explore our relationship to land and to identity, particularly related to what it means to be Irish and a member of the Irish diaspora.Whether you’re drawn to Celtic culture or the mysteries that linger at ancient sacred sites, or whether you just like a good story and expansive conversation, you’re in the right place. Welcome. Fáilte.Your host is Marisa Goudy, author of The Sovereignty Knot: A Woman’s Way to Freedom, Power, Love, and Magic. She is a myth worker, a story healer, a writing coach w
Hosted by
Marisa Goudy
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