Laughter from Empty Rooms: More Stories my Parents Tell Me
My parents tell me more family stories, this time about haunted houses. But what haunts a house? Ghosts, or fairies?
Kulning, An Ancient Scandinavian Herding Call
Kulning is a high pitched singing technique used by women to communicate with animals and over great distances, most common from 1500 to 1800 in Scandinavia.
Folklore Festivals: Five Italian Folklore-Filled Weekends in October
Italian festivals offer glimpses of life in a previous time through food, re-enactments and sporting events. These events will satisfy history buffs and foodies alike. PALIO degli ASINI – Race of the Donkeys October 2 – Alba, Piedmont/Piemonte Region, Italy When one thinks of the words “Italy” and “Palio” in the same sentence, it is […]
Folk-Ore: The Magical Power of Blacksmiths and Their Enduring Stories
The folklore of iron and smithing has been common since prehistory, and one of the oldest folktales tells of a blacksmith forging a deal with the devil.
Ghostland: Arthur Machen, King Arthur and ‘Goblin City’
Caerleon: The location is steeped in history and archaeology with its impressive Roman ruins, and its later associations – it’s the site where Geoffrey of Monmouth’s twelfth-century chronicle of British monarchs, Historia regum Britanniae, places the court of King Arthur, and where, some 350 years on, Thomas Malory staged the legendary figure’s coronation in Le Morte D’Arthur.