Ancient Celtic Cauldrons: The Magical, the Mythical, the Real
For the Celts, cauldrons had many everyday uses. As well as cooking, boiling, cleaning, bathing, carrying water and other domestic
Top 5 Trees in Celtic Mythology, Legend and Folklore
t is believed that the ancient Celtic people were animists who considered all objects to have consciousness of some kind.
Celtic Warrior Women: Queen Boudica of the Iceni
Queen Boudica, ruler of the Iceni people of Britain, was famous for leading a violent uprising against Roman rule. Although
Animism and the Living World of the Ancient Celts
The Celts were a varied collection of ethnic groups inhabiting a wide swathe of continental Europe from the west coast
Sex, Murder, and the Myth of the Wild West: How a Soiled Dove Earned a Heart of Gold
In the summer of 1960 at the age of five, I joined an honored folk tradition by telling my first
Top 5 Feminist Ghosts
Articles about female ghosts are scattered across the Internet, each one more compelling and nightmare-inducing than the last. Stories of
Juraj Jánošík: An Outlaw Who Became the Slovak National Hero
Jánošík, a young outlaw with braided hair, carrying a shepherd’s axe called valaška, and wearing rural clothing, is the unlikely
The Top 5 Magical Women of Arthurian Legend
A brilliant professor once told us that desire always lurks at the heart of Arthurian legends. Desire for glory, for
Castles That Go Bump in the Night
From Macbeth’s castle in the Scottish Highlands to the shores of Hampshire, Britain has many haunted castles that go bump
Racism & Folklore: Meet Saci-Pererê, The Brazilian Folklore Superstar
We’ve got many different characters in Brazilian Folkcloric scene and they are related to all aspects of the land, weather,
A Year and a Day – My Top 5 Characters from the Mabinogion
The Mabinogion is a mess of misconstrued mythology, a minefield of mistranslation and misinterpretations. It’s also the font of all
Top 6 Fascinating and Fearless Female Saints
By their very nature saints are exceptional beings and none more so than the select few female saints. These were
Top 5 Scary Brazilian Monsters
Brazil is full of folklore, myths and superstitions. Here in Brazil, we’ve got a fascinating and complex collection of stories
Top Five Mythical Birds in Legend and Folklore
The alkonost, the sirin, the roc, the phoenix and the caladrius are all five mythical birds from legend and folklore.
A ghost story that caused a riot: the strange case of Maude Carew
In February 1862 a riot broke out in a Suffolk churchyard over a ghost story. Margaretta Greene, the story’s author,
The Owl of Cwm Cowlyd and the Oldest Animals in the World
In Welsh legend and myth the Owl of Cwm Cowlyd lived in the woods that once surrounded Llyn Cowlyd.
On Gnomes: From Alchemical Theory to a Fairy Tale Staple
Gnomes trace their origins back through alchemical theory to Greek and Roman mythology.
Prison or Prophecy? The Woman in the Tower
For many, the Woman in the Tower is a symbol of female oppression and repression, a highly negative image charged
British Legends: The Outlaws of Inglewood and the Feminine Influence
The story of William of Cloudesly is found in a 16th century ballad, Adam Bell, Clym of the Cloughe and
The Last Gleam of Sunlight: Mining Folklore on the International Frontier
alking deep into a mine, when the last gleam of sunlight is eclipsed by the next turn, reveals the overwhelming
Marian of Sherwood
Mention Maid Marian and Sherwood Forest in the same breath, and most people think of Robin Hood’s lady love. The
Mark Twain’s Wild West and the Presidential Election of 1872
In a daring act, facing frightful peril, Mark Twain exploited a legend to launch his onstage comic career. With his
Ship’s Cats in Folklore and Legend
Ship’s cats have been sailing the seven seas alongside humans for centuries. They were not usually taken along as
The Weardale Fairies
'The Weardale Fairies'. Extracted from English Fairy Tales and Legends by Rosalind Kerven, published by Batsford. Illustration by Arthur Rackham,
Lost Mines and the Secret of Getting Rich Quick
old! The very word fuels the imagination. And when that furnace is stoked, folklore is not far behind. Legends of lost
How a “Cursed” Victorian Devil Statue Destroyed a Welsh Church
The Swansea Devil is a three-foot tall “cursed” sculpture which is said to have been responsible for destroying a church.
British Legends: Wild Edric, the Wild Hunt and the Bride from the Otherworld
Wild Edric was an Anglo-Saxon earl from Shropshire who was also known as Eadric Salvage, Eadric Silvaticus and Eadric the
A Pied Piper Mystery
hile the Pied Piper of Hamelin is undeniably a fairy tale, it’s uniquely grounded in real-world specifics – the date
British Legends: King Lear and Cordelia – A Tale of Love and Foolishness
King Leir and his youngest daughter, Queen Cordelia, were legendary rulers of the the Britons. Their story appeared in
Bee Folklore: Humanity’s Eternal Companion
Bees have been an ally to humankind since ancient times. Discover how even now we look to the wisdom of
The Green Children of Woolpit: A Medieval Encounter with Aliens, the Fae – or Orphans of War?
In the middle years of the 12th century, two green-skinned children mysteriously appeared in a field in Suffolk. But who
Japan’s Top 3 Weirdest Monsters
Japan is monster country. Nowhere else on earth has the sheer variety of bizarre beasties lurking in every shadow. And
Mythical Beasts: The Griffin, the Legendary King of All Creatures
A griffin is a legendary beast believed to be the offspring of a lion and an eagle, depicted in various
Nazis, Trolls and the Grateful Dead: Turmoil among Sweden’s Folklorists
A story of love, betrayal and impending war became entwined with upheavals that affect the discipline of folklore to this
Cuckoo Day and Animal Sacrifice: Folklore of the Creatures of Spring
Spring is the herald of new life, and throughout the animal world, spring is a time to forecast the weather
The Cailleach: Irish Myth, Legend and the Divine Feminine
The Cailleach, which translates as ‘old woman’, ‘hag’, and ‘veiled one’, exists in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and is
British Legends: Warrior Women — The Battle of Britomart and Radigund the Amazon Queen
The epic unfinished poem, The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, published 1590-96, created a parallel of the medieval universe.
Top 5 Irish Cryptids: the Good, the Bad and the Muckie
For centuries, stories from Irish myth and legend have ignited imaginations all over the world. Today, mysterious records of seemingly-impossible
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight – a Bewitching Masterpiece of Mediaeval Poetry
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, is a fourteenth century poetic masterpiece. No mere Arthurian romance, it is a work
British Legends: The Madness of Merlin (Part 2)
The Vita Merlini, written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the twelfth century, tells the story of Merlin after the Battle