Gruesome Folk Healing: The Curious Cures for Warts and Wens

Weobley, Herefordshire © 2016 Anne O'Brien

These remedies, many of them fairly gruesome to our ears, were recorded only 100 years ago by Mrs Ella Mary Leather at the beginning of the 20th century, from the towns and villages of Herefordshire. Here are the folk memories of people who remembered these remedies being used and, what’s more, being efficacious. They are […]

The King’s Table: Exploring the Storytelling Tradition

Herbal storytelling box

#FolkloreThursday’s Willow Winsham interviews storyteller Jean Edmiston and her daughter Amanda on their family storytelling tradition, and Jean’s new story, “The King’s Table”.

The Victorian Language of Flowers: Hiding Secret Messages in Plain Sight

Poppies. CC0, https://pxhere.com/en/photo/960192, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78130850

If a bouquet of flowers arrives at our door, we’re more interested in who sent them. The Victorians were more concerned with what it meant.The Victorian language of flowers, also known as floriography, was a way to send messages using specific plants and flowers. Combining different flowers allowed them to send more complex or sophisticated messages.Let’s look at how this language developed and how to use it.

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close