Hunting for Unicorns
Scotland is one of the few nations to have chosen a mythological creature rather than a real one as her national animal, and probably the only nation to have chosen an animal that no one believed actually lived there…
Toil and Trouble? The Goddess Hekate in Ancient Greece
Hekate: goddess of witchcraft, ghosts and the restless dead, frequently represented as a triple deity, associated with dogs, crossroads and flaming torches.
The Folklore of Eggs: Their Mystical, Powerful Symbolism
For millennia and across the world, the egg has been a powerful symbol, representing the earth, fertility and resurrection.
Trows, Changelings and Wise Women in Early Nineteenth Century Kirkwall
A nineteenth century autobiography written by the minister William Leask offers a fascinating insight into supernatural belief in contemporary Orkney.
Fairies and the Folklore Society: 1878-1945
The great Victorian fairy fascination held its grip over culture into the early 20th century. In the wake of the Cottingley photographs, the dark folkloric sprites had seemingly transformed into benign nursery beings.