“Magical Folk”: A Review
Dr. Bob Curran reviews “Magical Folk”, a new book edited by Simon Young and Ceri Houlbrook, which explores a range of fairy folklore from across the world.
Fishing with the Living and the Dead: The Sáiva Lakes of the Sami
For the Pre-Christian Sami people who inhabited parts of modern-day Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia, fishing was a livelihood.
Women on a Quest: The Hawaiian Saga of Pele the Volcano Goddess and Hiiaka
The saga of Pele’s youngest sister Hiiaka is a heroic quest across the Hawaiian archipelago. It conveys a perspective of women throughout Hawaiian culture.
Protection and Punishment: Beliefs About Angels in Tudor and Stuart England
In Tudor and Stuart England, angels were believed to deliver messages, protect the godly, carry souls to heaven, punish sinners, and carry out God’s will.
Tree Folklore: Birch, the Lady of the Wood
The birch has a particularly graceful, flowing habit that always reminds me of a stream of water, extending right to the tips of its delicate black twigs in a shower of leafy droplets that tremble, suspended, in their fall.