Lore Podcast: Episode 293 – Mother Knows Best

Host: Aaron Mahnke
Date: November 17, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of Lore, Aaron Mahnke explores the enduring legend of Mother Shipton, the notorious English witch and prophetess whose biographical details blur the line between folklore and history. From her mysterious birth in a cave next to a “magical” well, through tales of supernatural mischief, healing, and grand predictions, the episode traces how Mother Shipton became a cultural icon in England—and how her legend was crafted, expanded, and capitalized upon over centuries. The episode closes by drawing a fascinating parallel to a legendary woman in the folklore of the Lakota Sioux, adding a global perspective to the archetype of the mysterious old woman who holds the fate of the world in her hands.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Onion Magic and the Desire to Know the Future

• Cromniomancy: The episode opens with a humorous introduction to obscure forms of divination, including reading onions to predict the future—a segue into how humans have always tried to peer beyond the veil of time.
  • “But sometimes peering into tomorrow takes a little more patience. Especially if you’re working with onions. That’s right, onions. It’s called cromniomancy...” (Aaron, 01:13)

2. Mother Shipton: Legend’s Origins

• Miraculous Birth (03:00):
  • Born Ursula to a desperate mother, Agatha, in a cave near Knaresborough in 1488, amidst a thunderstorm that ceases when the infant laughs—a sign of her supernatural heritage.
• Iconic Status (04:35):
  • “Mother Shipton has permeated British culture for centuries. She appears in everything from folk tales and Christmas pantomimes to scary stories and pop culture references…”
  • Comparison: Mother Shipton as a British folk icon is likened to American figures like Paul Bunyan.

3. Fact, Fiction, and the Building of a Folk Hero

• Blurring the Lines:
  • Aaron emphasizes that what little can be confirmed about Mother Shipton is tangled with embellishments and myth.
• Early Tales of Mischief (07:00–10:00):
  • Supernatural Shenanigans: Stories include Ursula summoning the sound of countless screeching cats, turning household calamities on their head, and humiliating her tormentors with magical practical jokes.
  • Quote: “...the air filled with the sound of a thousand screeching cats. Suffice to say, this startled the hell out of everyone.” (Aaron, 08:15)
• Stigmatized Appearance:
  • Mother Shipton’s looks are described with the ableist language of the time, dovetailing with contemporary fears of witchcraft.

4. From Ostracized Child to Wise Woman

• Healer and Witch (12:30):
  • Ursula becomes a healer, learning herbalism and nature’s secret language.
• Champion of the Wronged:
  • Notable tale: Ursula compels a thief in the town square to publicly return stolen garments while singing her confession.
  • Quote: “I stole my neighbor’s smock and coat. I am a thief. And here I shot...” (Aaron, 13:50)
• Marriage and Tragedy:
  • Marries Tobias Shipton, who dies soon after; Ursula adopts his surname and becomes “Mother Shipton.”

5. Prophetess of Knaresborough

• Soothsaying and Celebrity (16:25):
  • People flock to her cave seeking both remedies and fortunes.
• The Cardinal Wolsey Prophecy (17:50–21:10):
  • Story of Mother Shipton’s prophecy that Cardinal Wolsey will “see” but never enter York, which comes eerily true when he is arrested nearby and dies en route.
  • Quote: “...if this burn, then I may burn…” [refusing to fear the Cardinal’s wrath, testing her kerchief in the fire] (Aaron, 19:20)

6. The Power—and Powerlessness—of Prophecy

• Real History, Legendary Prophet (22:40):
  • Mahnke unpicks how real people and events were woven into the growing mythos of Mother Shipton, mostly retroactively.
  • First prophecies printed in 1641—decades after her supposed death.
• The Folklore Industry (24:20):
  • Writerly opportunism: “Writers began making money off national anxiety by appropriating the folklore of none other than our old friend, Mother Shipton.”
• Predictions and Pamphlets (25:00–27:00):
  • Many alleged prophecies, such as the defeat of the Spanish Armada, beheading of Mary Queen of Scots, and even the invention of the telegraph, were written after the events themselves.
  • Quote: “Around the world. Thoughts shall fly in the twinkling of an eye.” (Example prophecy, 26:15)

7. The Great Fire of London and Apocalyptic Predictions

• Eerie Specificity and Dangerous Belief (28:00):
  • A prophecy about London’s destruction is so well-known by the time of the Great Fire (1666) that some citizens give up fighting the flames, resigned to fate.
• Doomsday Panic (29:10):
  • The infamous prediction of the end of the world in 1881, written centuries later as a hoax, led to widespread panic—even after its author confessed.
  • “Fun fact. The world did not end in 1881, but it did for at least one family. Allegedly, a little girl was so terrified by the prophecy that she died from fear.” (Aaron, 30:09)

8. Fact or Fiction? The Historical Mother Shipton

• A Name in the Margins of History (31:00):
  • King Henry VIII drafted a letter ordering the capture of “a witch of York,” possibly referring to Mother Shipton—only to remove her name in the final version, perhaps out of fear.

9. The Real Petrifying Well

• Lore Meets Science (32:08):
  • The cave and “magical” well in Knaresborough actually exist, possessing a mineral-rich water that encrusts objects with stone—offering a rational explanation behind centuries of awe and superstition.
  • Quote: “But what the people of the 17th century would have called magic, we have a different name for it. Science.” (Aaron, 32:45)

10. Legacy: Mother Shipton as Icon

• Enduring Fame (33:00):
  • Mother Shipton appears in everything from children’s books to pantomimes and tourist souvenirs.
  • Her birthplace is a long-standing tourist attraction boasting petrified objects, from royal shoes to teddy bears.

11. Global Echoes: The Old Woman Weaving the End of the World

• Lakota Sioux Legend (35:00):
  • Mahnke closes by shifting to American folklore—telling of an unseen cave in the Badlands where an ancient woman weaves a quill blanket, her black dog eternally unraveling her work. When she ever completes it, the world will end.
  • Quote: “The woman weaves all day. And as she weaves, the dog watches her, never looking away…” (Aaron, 35:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Folk Remedies:
  “She learned what plants could heal a burn or soothe a fever, which berries could be ground into poultice for wounds, and what herbs could cure a headache. By the time she reached adulthood, the residents of Knaresborough had come to value her as a powerful healer. And by healer, of course, I mean a witch.” (12:42)

• On the Folklore Industry:
  “Writers began making money off national anxiety by appropriating the folklore of none other than our old friend, Mother Shipton.” (24:30)

• On Doomsday Prophecies:
  “Even when a man named Charles Hindley came forward and admitted to authoring the text as a hoax, people still wouldn’t drop it.” (29:32)

• On the Crossing of Folklore and Science:
  “But what the people of the 17th century would have called magic, we have a different name for it. Science.” (32:45)

• Universal Archetype:
  “But Mother Shipton is hardly the only old mystical woman said to live in a cave... there was another one located right here in America, and she’s said to hold the fate of the world in her hands.” (34:35)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:13 – Introduction to future-telling traditions (cromniomancy and more)
• 03:00 – Legendary birth of Mother Shipton and overview of her mythos
• 07:00–10:00 – Youthful wizardry: magical pranks and ostracization
• 12:30 – From witch to healer: herbal wisdom and tales of retribution
• 16:25 – The beginning of prophecy and cementing of reputation
• 17:50–21:10 – Cardinal Wolsey and the prophecy that made her legend
• 22:40–27:00 – The rise of Mother Shipton pamphlets and the commodification of prophecy
• 28:00–29:10 – The Great Fire prophecy and the end-of-the-world panic
• 32:08 – The petrifying well and science behind the “magic”
• 33:00 – Mother Shipton in modern culture
• 35:00 – Lakota Sioux’s myth of the world’s weaver

Episode Tone & Closing Thoughts

Aaron Mahnke’s narration is suffused with dry humor and skepticism, while never losing appreciation for the emotional power and cultural significance of folklore. He finds empathy even in the darkest tales and draws thoughtful parallels across cultures. The episode ends on a note that blurs the line between myth and meaning, universalizing the archetype of the wise old woman as a keeper of fate—reminding listeners that behind every folk tale is a reflection of human hopes, fears, and the timeless desire to know what tomorrow brings.

Recommended for:
Listeners interested in folklore, history, the construction of legend, and the intersection of science and superstition. This episode is a rich, accessible dive into how stories grow, why they matter, and what they reveal about us.