Matlock the Hare: The ‘Real’ Workings of a Majickal Hare
Hares and folklore… hmmm… how many words, I wonder (or ‘griffles’, even?), have been written about this one bounding, leaping, boxing wonder? A million?
King Arthur, the Mabinogion and Wales’ Legendary Landscapes
The National Library of Wales discuss their exhibition ‘Arthur and Welsh Mythology’, and how Welsh folklore is engrained in its legendary landscape.
Smuggler Legends: Owlers, Woolers & Restless Ghosts
Smuggling. The word has been entwined with romantic delusions and depictions for many years. However, in reality this could not be further from the truth. From concepts of men in fancy clothes to moonlit coves and caverns; the idea of the smuggler has been mixed with an almost heroic taste. Yet, the graphic novella ‘The […]
‘The Lost Words’: In a Nutshell
The Lost Words, written by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by me was published in October of last year by Hamish Hamilton.
The Grotter & the Strange History of Shell Grottos
Shell grottos have a certain murky ambiguity to their history and folklore. This for me made them all the more enticing to use as the basis for a ghost story in my tale, ‘The Grotter’ in Nyctophobias. Especially with my roots as a Whitstable native in Kent, where grottos are still primarily lit once a year as part of the Oyster Festival celebrations. These grottos are usually stacked in a ‘beehive’ style pyramid, held together with wet sand and illuminated by a short candle.