Roses are Red: The Sinister Side of Valentine’s Day Folklore
Sending mean cards? Eating mashed earthworms? Using jack o’lanterns to light medieval love banquets? They’re all surprising yet vaguely sinister ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Open the Door and Let Us In: Mummers at Midwinter
The appearance of a Turkish knight, Beelzebub, and a horse’s skull mark out a centuries old winter tradition in rural communities across Britain.
As the Crow Flies: Corvids in Lore and Legend
Birds of the crow family have long been heralds of doom and devastation. They destroy crops, devour corpses, act as emissaries for soothsayers and Gods, and are closely linked to human fortunes.
Good Friday Customs: The Peculiar Washing of Molly Grime
David Castleton explores a curious local tradition in Glentham, Lincolnshire, which seems to merge folkloric traditions with Christian rituals.
Folk Healing & Hypnotism: Arthur Spray, ‘The Mysterious Cobbler’ of Bexhill
Arthur Spray, known as ‘The Mysterious Cobbler of Bexhill’, wrote an autobiography in 1935 which detailed his famed powers in healing and hypnotism.