Swan Folklore: Hope Is the Thing with Feathers
What is it about swans? They feature heavily in Western European folklore, a graceful animal for a human to be transformed into as a curse, or shapeshifting into humans at will.
A Real Robin Hood: Tales of Wild Kynaston and his Satanic Steed, Beelzebub
Remy Dean explores the stories of Wild Kynaston; a medieval noble turned highwayman who may have inspired some of the tales of the legendary Robin Hood.
Haunted by Monsters: Top 5 Wicked Creatures in Polish Folklore
ith its rich folklore, deep woods filled with wild boars, wolves and massive bison, and dark 20th century history, Poland often feels haunted by monsters. I first went to Poland when I was eighteen and among the places I visited was the fairy-tale city of Kraków. Although I traveled extensively afterwards, I found myself returning […]
Fairy Folklore: The Unchanging Appeal of Changelings
The notion of fairy changelings, whilst dating back centuries, in many ways feels like a modern concept. That a human might be stolen away by the little folk and replaced with a worn-out fairy or stock of wood, enchanted to look like them, is reminiscent of the human-seeming aliens in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. […]
The Three Little Pigs Go to War: Fairy Tales in 8 + 1 Battles
I first encountered fairy tales as a child. As in most children, the encounter generated mixed feelings—wonder and excitement