Top Five Terrors: Treasury of Folklore – Seas and Rivers
The folklore attached to the seas and rivers of the world is plentiful, filled with wondrous creatures and beguiling tales.
Spirit Possession and Shamanic Ritual in South Korea: Business is booming
Whilst shamans and their rituals can vary widely from place to place, never in world history has a country industrialized
Ancient Celtic Cauldrons: The Magical, the Mythical, the Real
For the Celts, cauldrons had many everyday uses. As well as cooking, boiling, cleaning, bathing, carrying water and other domestic
Top 5 Trees in Celtic Mythology, Legend and Folklore
t is believed that the ancient Celtic people were animists who considered all objects to have consciousness of some kind.
Celtic Warrior Women: Queen Boudica of the Iceni
Queen Boudica, ruler of the Iceni people of Britain, was famous for leading a violent uprising against Roman rule. Although
Animism and the Living World of the Ancient Celts
The Celts were a varied collection of ethnic groups inhabiting a wide swathe of continental Europe from the west coast
Bahadur—the Brave Dog
The pup sat on his hind legs with his mouth up near the cow’s udder and loved the white stream
The Lightbringers: The Folklore of the Turning Year
At this time of year, when the light fades early and the world shifts from green to gold, cinnamon and
The Future Folklore of Chernobyl
The effects of the Chernobyl disaster will endure for thousands of years to come. So how will that legacy be
Will the Real Father Christmas Please Stand Up?
From midwinter feasting at Neolithic British sites like Durrington Walls, to the Haloa of Ancient Greece and the Norse Yule
‘Terra Incognita’: Tracing Literary Occult Pathways in North London
North London has captured the imagination of gothic writers through the ages, exploring both sides of the region’s possibly: one
Five Mysteries of Portsmouth That Will Never Be Solved!
Better known for its naval history, sea battles and imperial power, "Pompey" also lays claim to some mindboggling legendary connections.
Sex, Murder, and the Myth of the Wild West: How a Soiled Dove Earned a Heart of Gold
In the summer of 1960 at the age of five, I joined an honored folk tradition by telling my first
The Political Orthodoxy of Folklore
This article presents an historical examination of the political orthodoxy of folklore from the middle of 19th century when the
The Casket Girls and Vampires of New Orleans
ew Orleans blends the past and the present into a heady mix where almost anything seems possible. Especially at Halloween. The
‘May I have some water?’ The Fair-Haired Lady from the Toilet
Folklore changes and evolves with the peoples and their societies. It’s not rigid, it’s not concrete. As time passes, new
Top 5 Feminist Ghosts
Articles about female ghosts are scattered across the Internet, each one more compelling and nightmare-inducing than the last. Stories of
Sleepy Hollow: The Headless Horseman’s European Roots
orever immortalised in Washington Irving’s ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ the Headless Horseman has undoubtedly become one of horror fiction’s
21st-Century Victoriana: Our love letter to the dark
Within our current society of filtered perfection and aggressive online happiness, there is something oddly refreshing in the macabre.
The White Hind of Hope
What does it mean if you see a white deer in the woods? Lisa Schneidau explores the folklore and folk
Rag Trees, Blessed Fish and Blind Horses: Some Traditions around Holy Wells in Ireland
Ireland has at least 3,000 wells that are, or were at least up until recently, looked upon as holy or
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
Ruth Tongue and ‘The Chime Child’
The Chime Child is one of the most enchanting books I know. It begins with the rustle of autumn deep
Top 5 Romanian Folk Tales
Why do folktales still charm us? They hold ancient wisdom, ceremonies and life lessons but they also unravel old rituals
Juraj Jánošík: An Outlaw Who Became the Slovak National Hero
Jánošík, a young outlaw with braided hair, carrying a shepherd’s axe called valaška, and wearing rural clothing, is the unlikely
The Top 5 Magical Women of Arthurian Legend
A brilliant professor once told us that desire always lurks at the heart of Arthurian legends. Desire for glory, for
Castles That Go Bump in the Night
From Macbeth’s castle in the Scottish Highlands to the shores of Hampshire, Britain has many haunted castles that go bump
Mixing Animals, Birds, Humans and Gods in Celtic Mythology
Animals played an important part in the everyday life of the ancients Celts. In Celtic mythology the lives of
Five Extraordinary Goddesses
The first witch of Western literature, Circe lived what appears to be an idyllic, solitary life on the island of
Skogsrå and Huldra: The femme fatale of the Scandinavian forests
Tolkien describes the Old Forest, a space filled with deep-rooted mysteries and danger in Middle-earth. Although, this takes place in
What’s Your Lucky Number?
Nearly everyone has a lucky number. It may well be seven but all the numbers associated with luck – and
Gabarghichor: A Folktale from Bihar
Galeej, a youth hailing from a low caste, got married to a woman of the same caste and equal status.
Racism & Folklore: Meet Saci-Pererê, The Brazilian Folklore Superstar
We’ve got many different characters in Brazilian Folkcloric scene and they are related to all aspects of the land, weather,
Anansi the Spider: Trickster or Teacher?
The folklore stories of Anansi the Spider originate from the Asante people of Ghana and has orally been passed down
Dark Side of the Sun: A Brief Guide to Midsummer Lore in Britain & Ireland
Each morning the sun rolls across the sky. In Estonia it was the hatched egg of the enchanted swallow bird,
Telling the Bees: The Folklore of Bees and Beekeeping
Mark Norman explores the folklore of bees and beekeeping in his new book, 'Telling the Bees and Other Customs: The
Unicorn Lore: Interpreting the Lady and the Unicorn Tapestries
The rare and elusive, mythical, magical unicorn has been part of world folklore and legend for centuries, evolving spectacularly into
Digital Literacy: Its Application to Folklore Studies
Digital Literacy refers to the ability and competence of individuals to research, evaluate and compose clear information through writing and
The Firebird: Understanding the real trouble
An old Russian fairy tale brings us food for thought in these challenging times. Lisa Schneidau explores the mysterious story
Snow-White & Rose-Red & Other Tales of Kind Young Women
‘Snow-White & Rose Red’ is a literary tale, adapted by Wilhelm Grimm from a short story ‘The Ungrateful Dwarf’, written