Animal Folklore: Badger Folktales From Around the World
Despite their numbers, badgers are elusive beasts thanks to their nocturnal lifestyle and underground dwellings. This has led to myths and legends wherever they make a home.
A Very British Book: The Road to ‘Tales of Britain’
Author Jem Roberts explains the genesis of Unbound Publishing’s 21st Century roadmap of British folktales.
Gloson: The Swedish Ghost Pig That Will Cleave You in Half
You turn around, and all of a sudden, you see that something is approaching, moving towards you. You notice a pair of glowing red eyes and discern the silhouette of a creature in the distance, the size of a large dog, or maybe it is a boar? You panic when you realize that the shape is rushing towards you at full speed. When it comes close it becomes clear that it is indeed a big pig, but one with burning eyes, white skin and a sharp back, formed like a sawblade. It runs straight at you and quickly comes between your legs, with the result that it will cleave you in two halves.
Trows, Changelings and Wise Women in Early Nineteenth Century Kirkwall
A nineteenth century autobiography written by the minister William Leask offers a fascinating insight into supernatural belief in contemporary Orkney.
The Secret History of the Grimm Fairy Tales
Like many people, I thought the Grimm brothers had lived long ago & travelled around Germany collecting stories from old women hunched over spinning wheels.