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.
The Fool’s Church: Rahere and the Church of St Bartholomew
The story of the founding of Saint Bartholomew the Great is one that has all the hallmarks of good folklore – an unlikely hero, a vision, and a dangerous journey.
Wobbly Poets: Joe Hill, Signe Aurell, and Scandinavian-American Laborlore
The songs and poetry of the American labor movement are an example of occupational folklore or ‘laborlore’, which records worker voices and traditions.
Japanese Folklore: Fushimi Inari-Taisha and Kitsune Fox Legends
Follow the path marked by red torii gates and enter a world outside of the city, a world of meandering paths, where there are more foxes than people.
Gruesome Folk Healing: The Curious Cures for Warts and Wens
These remedies, many of them fairly gruesome to our ears, were recorded only 100 years ago by Mrs Ella Mary Leather at the beginning of the 20th century, from the towns and villages of Herefordshire. Here are the folk memories of people who remembered these remedies being used and, what’s more, being efficacious. They are […]