From the Gorgon to the Gift Shop: A Brief Archaeology of the Evil Eye
The matiasma is an apotropaic amulet designed to ward off the evil eye in Greek folklore.
The Calderstones: Invoking the Spirits of Place
South Liverpool, where I was born and live still, is a place full of green-spaces. Its abundance of woodlands, parks, cemeteries, playing fields and golf courses are linked by an intricate network of narrow, bramble-lined public footpaths and overgrown roadside verges. The more romantically inclined might be tempted to call them faerie paths, or corpse […]
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
NFTs and … Folklore? G&(NF)Ts at the Saatchi Gallery
Just what do cryptocurrencies, gin, art and folklore have in common? Not much, you might well think. Yet #FolkloreThursday was recently invited to a curious event that blended these seamlessly, conjuring images of the apothecaries of old.
Curiouser and Curiouser: How the 100 Year Old Cottingley Fairies Hoax Just Got Better
Hidden in plain sight for a century, two recently reappraised Cottingley Fairy photographs bring a whole new dimension to the celebrated hoax.