Winter Plants: The Magic of Mistletoe
Mistletoe is known to most people for its Christmas associations, but holds a long folklore of magical associations, where it is connected with healing, travel to the Underworld, and even resurrection.
London Folklore: The Legendary Frost Fairs of the River Thames
he legendary frost fairs on the River Thames are depicted in a number of works of art that show just how cold, icy and severe the weather became during winter, in comparison to the weather experienced in London in modern times.
Origins of Breaking the Wishbone: Horseshoes, Groins and Chicken Ouija Boards
‘Breaking the wishbone’ is a tradition around the world in the days after a Sunday roast, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Aurora Borealis: the Folklore of the Northern Lights
The Auroras, as we know today, are dependent on the interactions of the sun and our upper atmosphere, and have thus appeared since before history began to be recorded. And it appears that each age of history has had their own ideas about what caused the Auroras, what they consisted of, and what they signified.
Snow Queens and Winter Witches from Around the World
Through myth, fairy tale and legend, powerful women are depicted as dark, cruel and calculating, and they are often naturally associated with winter – a season where all warmth withdraws, and the land is covered with snow and ice, and life is no more than a battle of survival against the elements.