British Legends: Morgan le Fay – Magical Healer or Renegade Witch?
In Arthurian tradition the elusive sorceress Morgan le Fay becomes one of King Arthur’s most dangerous foes.
The Top 3 Japanese Ghosts
19th century Japan was obsessed with ghost stories. These stories are so influential that they serve as direct inspiration for today’s horror films.
Iceland’s Hidden People: Finding All That’s Lost
A land’s topography speaks of the forces that have formed it and how it has endured; in Iceland, the shape of people’s beliefs and the ways folklore bisects and enriches everyday life is as striking and memorable as the volcanic landscape. Mythology reflects and refracts the dangers of the natural environment.
Dumplings and Dragonboats: The Chinese Duan Wu Festival
When I was a little girl, I used to watch with open-mouthed admiration and puzzlement as my mother prepared the ingredients for the making of zong zi (rice wrapped in leaf). She would make a variety of fillings: sweet chestnuts, dried shrimp, pork meat, and mushrooms. There would be a lot of soaking, stewing and […]
Íslensku Jólasveinarnir: the Yule Lads of Iceland
On the evening of 11th December, Icelandic children place shoes on the sills of their windows, before they go to bed.