Death Takes Wing: Birds and the Folklore of Death
One could write an encyclopaedia on the appearances of birds in folklore and their association with death and mortality, travelling from Japan to Scandinavia, France and beyond.
Getting Even in Roman Britain: The Curse Tablets from Bath (Aquae Sulis)
For many residents of ancient Britain, curses involved invoking a god to influence a particular individual according to their wishes
Ghosts, Angels & Death Omens: The Seven Whistlers in Mining Folklore
On 21st September, 1874, after hearing the cries of the ‘Seven Whistlers’, miners employed in North Warwickshire refused to descend into the coal pits.
The Winged Demoness of Death: Vanth and the Etruscan Underworld
On the walls of a 300 BCE Etruscan tomb, Vanth, a winged demoness of dark and stern gaze, flanks a door to the Great Unknown.
Past Anxieties: Defining the Folk Horror Narrative
‘Have you ever heard the term ‘folk horror’ before?’ I asked a colleague of mine: a classics professor. ‘In particular, when describing drama?’