Water Horses, Wild Gods and the Hare in the Moon: Stories from The Treasury of Folklore
A Treasury of Folklore: Waterlands, Wooded Worlds and Starry Skies will be released on 1st August, 2024.
Fancy a folkloric read? Check out #FolkloreThursday’s books!
Fancy a folkloric read? Check out FolkloreThursday’s books!
As the Crow Flies: Corvids in Lore and Legend
Birds of the crow family have long been heralds of doom and devastation. They destroy crops, devour corpses, act as emissaries for soothsayers and Gods, and are closely linked to human fortunes.
Supernatural Safeguarding: Hidden Objects in the Post-Medieval Home
What do a child’s shoe, a cod-liver oil bottle, and a desiccated cat have in common? They’re all objects that have been discovered in unusual locations within buildings. In fact, a vast variety of objects have been found (from pantaloons to chickens), often dating to the 18th and 19th centuries, under floorboards, hearthstones, and thresholds; […]
Tellers of Tales
Folklore is at heart oral and behavioural traditions, so the notion of written folklore is somewhat oxymoronic. Any attempt to preserve oral traditions in writing involves a transformation of the material
What’s Your Lucky Number?
Nearly everyone has a lucky number. It may well be seven but all the numbers associated with luck – and bad – have many different origins. Despite this, very many people will choose seven as the number they associate most with good fortune and choose 13 as their most unlucky digit.
Yule Logs, Kissing-Bushes and Mistletoe: Christmas Greenery in Pre-Industrial England
Plants play a major part in the many customs surrounding the Christmas festivities. The Yule log for example, was essentially associated with Christmas Eve, for on the evening of that day it was traditional to transport the log to the fireplace, ignite it and allow it to burn for at least 12 hours if ill-luck was to be avoided.