The Devil’s Instrument: Hardanger Fiddles and Norwegian-American Folk Music
The Hardanger fiddle is a staple of traditional Norwegian folk music, which connects people visually, bodily, and aurally, with their Norwegian heritage.
May Day, Weddings and Births – Folklore Trees and Traditions in Bavaria
Maypoles are often seen as a quintessentially English tradition, yet in Bavaria the raising of the Maibaum (or May Tree) is also an important event, and it is not the only time a tree is hefted aloft in celebration.
Kissing under the Mistletoe? Not in Medieval Herefordshire
Mistletoe is the stuff of folklore. It is found in Norse, Greek and Roman mythology, a plant of power and magic.
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.
Italian Folklore: The Devil’s Column, at the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio
The Devil’s Column (Colonna del Diavolo), in Milan is the focus of one of Milan’s oldest and most beloved legends …