Fabulous Folklore with Icy

Dave Silk is a storyteller and historian from Newcastle upon Tyne and co-author of Tyne and Wear Folktales for Children. He collects and retells traditional tales and ancient stories from around these isles and further afield and enjoys rearing pet leeches and practicing the Dark Arts. In the daytime, he is usually found doing his ‘normal job' of lurking in the dark towers of Newcastle Castle, where he is the Learning Manager. In this chat, we talk about the Newcastle Witch Trials, other witch cases from the region, and two of Newcastle's most famous cunning men. Follow Dave on the socials at @davetaleteller or check out Newcastle Castle @newcastlecastle or www.newcastlecastle.co.uk Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

In this third episode of our Witches, Cunning Folk & Magic theme, I'm talking to Deborah Hyde, an author, presenter and producer who has written for periodicals such as The Guardian and The Fortean Times, and who specialises in the subject of weird belief. For ten years, Deborah was Editor-in-Chief of The Skeptic and is a fellow of The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. She makes frequent TV appearances, being a regular contributor to 'Strange Evidence' and 'Mysteries at the Museum', and has presented insights in some of BBC iPlayer's most successful recent podcasts such as 'Uncanny', 'The Battersea Poltergeist' and 'Lady Swindlers'. In this chat, we talk about Margery Jourdemayne as an example of a cunning woman caught up in royal politics, Widow Coman, one of the Coggeshall Witches who was targeted relatively late in 1699, and how witchcraft accusations changed to suit the times. Find Deborah online: DeborahHyde.com Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

In this second episode of our Witches, Cunning Folk & Magic theme, I'm talking to Willow Winsham, an author and historian specialising in folklore, and the history of the English witch trials. Her books include the highly popular Treasury of Folklore series from Batsford Books, and Accused: British Witches Throughout History from Pen and Sword Books. Her passion for uncovering fascinating topics and dedication to impeccable research guarantees an accessible and engaging read, whatever the subject. Willow is also co-founder of #FolkloreThursday, the popular website and social media phenomenon dedicated to sharing folklore, fairytales and traditions from across the globe. When not writing, Willow spends her time crocheting, delving into family history research, and indulging an ever-growing board game habit. She lives in Derbyshire with her three children and two British Shorthair cats. In this chat, we talk about how witches appear in history, why there is such an ongoing fascination with the witch, and Helen Duncan, the last woman tried under the 1735 Witchcraft Act! Order The Story of Witches: Folklore, History and Superstition: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781849949064 Find Willow on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/willowwinsham.bsky.social Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

In this first episode of our Witches, Cunning Folk & Magic theme, I'm talking to Dr Tabitha Stanmore! She's a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Exeter on the Leverhulme-funded Seven County Witch Hunt Project, investigating the people affected by the 1640s witch trials in eastern England. Her doctoral research was funded by the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (part of the AHRC), and published as Love Spells and Lost Treasure: Service magic in England from the later Middle Ages to the early modern era by Cambridge University Press. She has appeared on Radio 3's Free Thinking and BBC Radio London discussing magic in the early modern period, written for The Conversation, and TIME Magazine and BBC History Magazine, among others. Her debut non-fiction book CUNNING FOLK was published by The Bodley Head (UK) and Bloomsbury (US) in 2024, and the paperback came out on 28 May! In this chat, we talk about what cunning folk are and how they differ from witches, how members of different classes approached magic and what they used it for, and why Magic Studies is such a valuable approach to history! Get your copy of Cunning Folk: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781529931563 Find Tabitha online: https://www.tabithastanmore.co.uk/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Much is often made of London's lost rivers, like the Tyburn, Fleet, and Walbrook. Yet Newcastle upon Tyne also has rivers we cannot see. Ours are not lost, rather they're simply buried. The Skinnerburn, Erick Burn, Pandon Burn, Lam Burn, and Lort Burn all continue to flow beneath the city, down to the mighty Tyne. The Lort Burn is perhaps the most well-known of the buried rivers. Originally called the Dene Burn, it gained its new name of Lort Burn in the later 14th century. Some sources say 'Lort' comes from an Old Norse word meaning 'filth' or 'excrement'. The Story of the Tyne: And the Hidden Rivers of Newcastle gives the rough route of the Lort Burn. I've followed it as best I can given the current street layout, picking up the ghost stories and legends that lie along its route. Let's go and explore them in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/lort-burn-route/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

The Broads National Park, often known as the Norfolk Broads, is one of the UK's 15 National Parks. Seven rivers and over sixty waterways called Broads comprise the park. In the medieval era, locals dug peat from the land for fuel. By the 14th century, these channels flooded and created the Broads. They'd become a popular boating destination by the 19th century. Here in the 21st century, the park is Britain's largest protected wetland. Unsurprisingly, the Park is also home to spectres, Otherworldly beings, and bogey beasts. Perhaps Norfolk's most famous resident is Black Shuck. Yet there are also ghostly monks, phantom drummers, and the malicious Lantern Men. Let's go and meet them in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/norfolk-broads/ Seances and the Female Medium in British Cinema talk: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seances-and-the-female-medium-in-british-cinema-with-icy-sedgwick-zoom-tickets-1249421837349 Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Dr Alexander Cummins is a contemporary cunning-man and historian of magic. His magical specialities are the dead (folk necromancy), divination (geomancy), the cunning-crafts of traditional British service magic, and the grimoires. His published works include The Black Raven with Brian Johnson, Nazarth: Pillars of Gladness, The Art of Cyprian's Mirror of Four Kings, An Excellent Booke of the Arte of Magicke with Phil Legard, A Book of the Magi, The Starry Rubric, and a host of essays in collections by both occult and academic publishers.  Al is a frequent speaker on the international circuit, and co-hosts the podcast Radio Free Golgotha. Dr Cummins' work, classes, and services can be found at www.alexandercummins.com." In this chat, we talk about geomancy, how it works as a form of divination, how it can be used for more magical operations, and just why more people need to use titles like 'service magician'. Enjoy! Find Al online at: https://www.alexandercummins.com His other links are here: https://linktr.ee/grimoiresontape Order The Black Raven: https://hadean.press/products/the-black-raven Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Canals occupy a strange place in the cultural imagination. They're manmade, yet offer a connection to nature, and they offer a means of transport, but one that's only accessible by boat. Some cities depend on canals, like Amsterdam or Venice, while in the UK, canals are often overlooked or forgotten spaces that have long outlived their original purpose. There is also surprisingly less folklore about canals than you might imagine, given the amount you can find about rivers or lakes. It's not that they're 'new' as a concept. The Romans built the Fossdyke to connect Lincoln to the River Trent in 50 CE, and the Grand Canal of China dates to the 10th century. Yet in Britain, the real Canal Age didn't begin until the later 18th century, with canals built to ease the transport of goods. While the railway took over as the transport of choice in the 19th century, the canals remained. Some stayed in use until the 1960s. So what legends or ghost stories have clung to these manmade British waterways? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/haunted-canals/ Seances and the Female Medium in British Cinema talk: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/seances-and-the-female-medium-in-british-cinema-with-icy-sedgwick-zoom-tickets-1249421837349 Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

We've no doubt seen plenty of content online about water's power to be a great healer. We need to drink it (this is your reminder for today), while people swear by cold water baths for their wellbeing. Then we think about how much water appears in nature, somewhere we're often counselled to go to improve our mental health. I think of how often I find myself heading towards water on my days off, whether that's the local burn, the mighty Tyne, or the unforgiving North Sea. But how often do we think of healing springs or wells as a potential destination? They seemed a logical choice for this week's entry into our Folklore of Water theme after the brief dabble with Holywell Priory last week. True, wells can also be used for other purposes, like wishing and cursing, which I've covered before. But here, we'll focus entirely on four springs devoted to healing - especially of the miraculous kind. Let's explore the folklore of healing wells in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/healing-wells-and-springs/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

A sense of mystery gathers around London's lost rivers, with their names whispered like forgotten deities from an ancient cult. Fleet, Tyburn, Walbrook, Effra, Westbourne, Neckinger. In some cases, they aren't so much lost, as buried. Sometimes, they break ground, appearing where you least expect them. Take the grey duct that carries the Westbourne above the District and Circle line at Sloane Square as an example. Yet the Walbrook seems truly lost. As Tom Bolton says, it "is the most mysterious, elusive and comprehensively buried of London's lost rivers".  While I was in London at the beginning of April, I decided to trace the route of the Walbrook using London's Lost Rivers: A Walker's Guide by Tom Bolton. Well, as best as you can, given the entire river is underground. Given the lore surrounding these lost rivers, I decided to share my expedition here as a form of folklore-meets-psychogeography. Let's see what we can learn both from the river, and the history of the London that overlays its route in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/walbrook-lost-river/ Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ULwWgoYIjh8 Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Visiting churches might not sound like everyone's idea of a great time. Yet the buildings are stuffed with strange carvings, peculiar graffiti, interesting artwork, and even sassy memorials. These church curiosities tell us a lot about what mattered to people in centuries past. They also preserve folklore, legends, and the beliefs of the congregation. From apotropaic marks scratched onto fonts, to stone guardians on the outer walls, churches are a fascinating repository of folk practices...if you know where to look. That's precisely what we're going to do here, looking at gargoyles, grotesques, graffiti, carvings, and even door knockers.  Let's figure out what they have to do with folklore, and what they tell us about our forebears in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/church-curiosities/ The Folklore and Legends of Rosslyn Chapel bonus episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-episode-of-63008388 The Folklore & Legends of Notre Dame bonus episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-episode-of-82235383 Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

W.J. Gilbert is a writer, storyteller, and creator of the YouTube channel Eerie Edinburgh. Based in Edinburgh, he's the author of the best-selling Hidden Haunts: Scotland, Hidden Haunts: England, and Ghostly Tales of the NC500 — a haunted journey through Scotland's most legendary road trip route. His next book, Hidden Haunts: Ireland, is currently in development. His writing explores the eerie overlap between folklore, history, and the paranormal — with a particular focus on the overlooked, unreported, and half-forgotten stories that linger just beneath the surface. We chat about the importance of keeping humans at the centre of ghost stories, the link between ghost stories and local history, just why everyone loves a White Lady ghost, and how to preserve stories of ghost encounters for posterity. Find W.J. Gilbert online: https://eerieedinburgh.com/ Get Hidden Haunts: Scotland: https://amzn.to/3ECBceQ (affiliate link) Get Hidden Haunts: England: https://amzn.to/42LRGJI (affiliate link) Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Churches can be sites of divination, haunted locations, and important community hubs. Yet in Wallsend, Holy Cross Church is notorious for a tale of witches and heroic derring-do. The ruin might not look like it now, but appearances can be deceptive. It's not just a chapel. Throw in a midnight ritual, grotesque women, a desecrated corpse and an infamous lord for good measure.  Is it fact, folklore, or total fiction? Let's explore the legend of the Witches of Wallsend in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/holy-cross-church/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Here in the 21st century, death and burial often occur as part of a sanitised process. Death happens away from home, often in hospitals, and funerals are usually tidy, respectful affairs. We can forget that this wasn't always the case, and that our quaint, inner city gardens were sometimes putrescent burial grounds, crammed with rotting remains. Even worse, history contains legends like that of Enon Chapel. This awful story is far from being folklore, but rather a dark chapter in the history of English burials. Since folklore and history so often make good bedfellows, I thought it might be helpful to examine this notorious burial place. After all, it brings with it a dose of London history, scandal, a disavowal of burial practices, and capitalism gone mad. Let's explore what happened at Enon Chapel in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/enon-chapel/ Conway Hall talk about folklore rebels on 26 April: https://www.conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/art-magic-lore-wild-talents/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

You would absolutely know a lychgate if you saw one. They make popular backdrops for wedding photos, and provide a quaint air of rustic charm to country churchyards. They're the wooden or stone gateway, complete with tiled roof, that marks the entry into the churchyard. Not all churches have them, and they're far more common outside churches in the countryside than in suburban or city-centre churches. Yet they do have some folklore attached to them. Let's take a look at what they were for and what beliefs they gave rise to. We'll also look at some popular burial markers you might see in churchyards or cemeteries to broaden our focus to the wider burials. So let's have a look in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/lychgates-and-burial-markers/ Fairies in Northumberland talk on 19 April: https://www.newcastlecastle.co.uk/talks Conway Hall talk about folklore rebels on 26 April: https://www.conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/art-magic-lore-wild-talents/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

I started out with the intention of looking at unusual church names. The problem was, this offered the potential to accidentally poke fun at their congregations. It also didn't help that most churches in the UK have pretty similar names. They're named for individual saints, like St Nicholas' Cathedral in Newcastle, or even all saints like, funnily enough, All Saints. Otherwise, they're named for their location. Yet many churches have such names and preserve a touch of their history, or that of their location, through their names - much like pubs. So I thought I'd look at those churches whose names deviate, even slightly, from the usual 'St Andrew's Church' format. So when I say 'unusual', that's what I mean. Not like the usual names, rather than weird or strange! So let's explore the origins of some church names in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/church-names/ Corpse Roads talk on 2 April: https://www.folkloremythmagic.com/event-details/online-icy-sedgwick-a-tour-of-an-english-corpse-road Fairies in Northumberland talk on 19 April: https://www.newcastlecastle.co.uk/talks Conway Hall talk about folklore rebels on 26 April: https://www.conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/art-magic-lore-wild-talents/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Looking at the origins of sports team names might seem antithetical to folklore. Yet sport forms part of the ritual calendar for many people, whether on a personal or a mass scale. Look at the good luck rituals people follow before they watch their team play. Or how about the sporting events that become part of the folk tradition of a place through their regularity? Some team names refer to the history of the area. Others refer to the specific history of the team. Some are generic, designed to sound powerful or intimidating. And others have links to folklore! So let's explore the origins of sports team names in UK football, NHL hockey, and minor league baseball in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/sports-team-names/ Corpse Roads talk on 2 April: https://www.folkloremythmagic.com/event-details/online-icy-sedgwick-a-tour-of-an-english-corpse-road Fairies in Northumberland talk on 19 April: https://www.newcastlecastle.co.uk/talks Conway Hall talk about folklore rebels on 26 April: https://www.conwayhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/art-magic-lore-wild-talents/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Victoria Male is an internationally recognized screenwriter, earning accolades from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, film festivals, and major industry lists. Her prose has been published worldwide in fifteen literary magazines and she's written op-eds for major publications. She worked in creative development for The Montecito Picture Company and media startup Graphic India, in addition to producing a podcast for three years. In this chat, we talk about her screenplay for the film Cader Idris, which won Best Screenplay at the Wales International Film Festival 2024, some of the folklore associated with the mountain, and the perils of adapting folklore into fiction!  Find Victoria online here: https://www.victoriamale.com/ Read her story, The Crone of Cader Idris, here: https://thechambermagazine.wordpress.com/2023/04/07/the-crone-of-cader-idris-supernatural-thriller-by-victoria-male/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

There is no shortage of bizarre pub names in the UK. Some of them appear to be a combination of random objects, like the Frog and Nightgown. Others have a local story behind their odd name. I've covered unusual pub names before, so consider this Part 2. Yet when I started researching these examples, it became apparent that pub names didn't have to be unusual to be interesting. Rather, pub names can capture a slice of history, whether they commemorate a local person, notorious or otherwise, or even just part of the fabric of their local area. So let's explore the origins of the names of some pubs related to history in some way in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/pub-names-2/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Unlike place names, which often give us information who once lived somewhere, street names can be a different case entirely. Sometimes they bear the names of notable (and often now infamous) people.  Other times they refer to long-gone industries performed in the area - you can guess what happened on Cock Lane in London, site of the Cock Lane Poltergeist in 1762.  Or street names might be the last remains of a now-dead language. Yet the continual building of new streets also sees the creation of new names more fitting to the time. Newcastle upon Tyne's Great Park development features a Sir Bobby Robson Way. Given the different ways these street names can come about, let's explore the origins of some unusual street names in the UK and US in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/street-names-2/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Place names are important and pass on a lot of valuable information, even if we no longer understand how to interpret it. Within them, they tell us who used to live in an area, or what natural features were important. Some of them even end up with a range of legends to explain names that might otherwise seem random or bizarre. Folklore attempts to explain their origins. I've talked about unusual place names before, but this time, we're going to look at more of a range of names to see where they come from. So let's have a look at some place names from England, Wales, and the United States. Where did these names come from, and how does their original meaning compare to the names we know now? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/place-names-2/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

When I decided to write about goats in folklore, I thought I would find plenty of content. After all, they appear in mythology. Look at Amalthea, the goat reputed to have raised Zeus in Greek myth. Or the goats associated with the goatherd in the Auriga constellation. That's before we get anywhere near the sign of Capricorn. Yet in terms of actual folklore, there's less than you would expect. Unlike pigs, there are few specific tales about goats. Instead, they pop up almost as a side character in relation to other animals. That said, they do have associations with fairies, and of course, we can't talk about goats without addressing the devil-shaped elephant in the room. So let's see what folklore we can find about the humble goat in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/goats-folklore/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Kimberly J. Lau is a professor of literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the author of Erotic Infidelities: Love and Enchantment in Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber" (Wayne State University Press), Body Language: Sisters in Shape, Black Women's Fitness, and Feminist Identity Politics, and New Age Capitalism: Making Money East of Eden, as well as articles in a number of interdisciplinary journals. Her research interests include fairy tales, folklore, and fantasy; feminist theory and critical race studies; and the intersection of popular and political cultures.  In this chat, we'll talk about her new book, Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale, and the ways in which racist tropes and stereotypes are embedded in European fairy tales from France, Italy, Germany, and Britain. Find Kimberly online: https://www.kimberlyjlau.com Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Pigs appear in folklore in somewhat unusual ways. Sometimes, they choose the location where a church should be built. Or they appear as phantoms, haunting misty moorland. Sailors or fishermen considered pigs unlucky, and wouldn't even say 'pig' at sea. If they met a pig on their way to the boat, they would postpone sailing. Some of them went so far as to ban pork products on board. While this superstition seems inexplicable on the surface, Jacqueline Simpson suggests it comes from the biblical association between pigs and uncleanliness. Some believed pigs can't swim (they can, they're very good at it), and that they can see the wind. So what other strange things have people thought about pigs and collected into folklore? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/pigs-folklore/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Certain animals might spring to mind when it comes to folklore. Hares, horses, deer, cats - they all have an otherworldly quality to them. Would you consider the same of cows? There's a surprising amount of folklore about cows. They can be death omens, fairy cattle, consumption cures, or even the guardians of treasure. That's not even considering the deities associated with cows, or their appearance in mythology. Just look at the various versions of the Taurus origin myth. But let's take a look at some of the legends and lore associated with cows in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/cows-folklore/ Cattle in Irish myth and legend class: https://irishpaganschool.com/p/irish-animals-history-myth Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Following on from 2024's theme of the Folklore of Animals, this month we'll examine the Folklore of Agricultural Animals. This week, we'll explore the folklore, legends, and even folk medicine associated with sheep. Sheep are not native to the UK. Neolithic settlers brought them to Britain from southwest Asia in around 3000 BCE. Sheepskin and other wool textiles appear in the archaeological record from the Bronze Age in northern Europe. Following the Norman Conquest, sheep became the dominant form of livestock. They primarily provided milk, with meat, wool, and manure secondary products. By the medieval era, the focus switched to wool. Unsurprisingly, they appear in folklore through tales of sheep-stealing, but also fables, like the wolf in sheep's clothing. Sheep appear in mythology too. The golden ram, Aries, who saved Phrixus and Helle from their evil stepmother, went on to both provide the famous Golden Fleece of Greek myth, and the Aries constellation. But let's take a look at some of the legends and lore associated with sheep. in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/sheep-folkore/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Niina Niskanen is a Finnish artist, writer and a folklorist who specialises in Finnish, Baltic and Sámi Mythology. She is an online educator and hosted “Heart of Mielikki,” one of the first online courses about Finnish mythology for non-Finnish speaking audiences. Niina is also an artist with a BA in illustration. Her work has been displayed in numerous art exhibitions in Finland and abroad. Niina is the author of the book "Mythology of The Sámi, Stories from the North" and she has Sámi ancestry from the Lapland of Sweden and Finland.  In this episode, we chat about Sámi myths, a beautiful legend about the northern lights, and some similarities between Finnish and Sámi mythology. Find Mythology of The Sámi: Stories from the North here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mythology-S%C3%A1mi-Stories-Niina-Niskanen-ebook/dp/B0BX73TRTN Find Niina on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fairychamberart/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

If you think of the phrase "to be in mourning", you'll probably imagine a Victorian scene. Perhaps a black-clad widow ushers similarly black-clad children to a desolate graveyard in the depths of autumn. Or maybe you picture a grand house, shuttered up against the world that continues outside, while life is paused for those inside as they grieve their loss. Clearly, humans have had mourning rituals and customs throughout history. Yet it is the 19th century that captures attention, perhaps through the industrialisation of mourning spearheaded by the Victorians. Such a high degree of buy-in by the public of all classes makes such customs worthy of study by a folklorist. Why did people adopt these beliefs and practices en masse? And, crucially, what happened to them? Let's take a look in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/mourning-folkore/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

According to legend, two green children wandered into a village in 12th-century Suffolk. No one knew who they were or where they came from. Their refusal to eat and unfamiliar language made locals wary. Over time, they gradually assimilated and told a fantastic story of their origins. Were they fairies? Lost children with big imaginations? Extraterrestrials? The fever dream of medieval chroniclers? Let's take a look in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/green-children-of-woolpit/ Resources for those affected by the LA fires/winds AND current volunteer & supply needs: https://tiny.cc/malan-fire Support the LAFD: https://supportlafd.org/ Support Pasadena Humane who provide temporary shelter for pets evacuated from fire zones: https://pasadenahumane.org/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Dowsing is a fascinating form of divination since it is often used to find water, minerals, or even lost items. While other forms of divination like tarot or botanomancy seek to provide information, here the information is often of a tangible sort. Rather than telling a fortune, or providing a prophetic dream that must be interpreted, dowsing appears to relate information about the presence of something the dowser is looking for. Given dowsing can be used to find a whole range of things, this article will focus on the use of dowsing to locate water. After all, this comprises much of the discussion about dowsing within folklore. This form of dowsing also enjoyed other names, including water witching, well witching, water divining, or rhabdomancy. While dowsing can also be performed using a pendulum, sometimes held over a map when dowsing for water, this article will also focus on the use of rods, since this appears more frequently in folklore. Let's find out more about dowsing in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/folklore-of-dowsing/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick

There can be a tendency to view folklore as antiquated customs, old legends, or outdated practices. Yet folklore is not disconnected from contemporary life, and is an ever-evolving part of our lived experience. Folk music and folk art are two obvious branches, yet dialect and language is another. Louise Pound refers to dialect as "a species of folklore" while J. D. A. Widdowson described language and folklore as "those twin pillars on which the whole fabric of our cultural traditions rests". True, language does evolve and change over time, but as dialects run parallel to folklore, and preserve traditions in linguistic form, I thought it high time that we visit a specific dialect - mine. Let's explore some of the background of the Geordie dialect - and some of its phrases - in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/geordie-dialect/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

The Loch Ness Monster is perhaps one of the world's most enduring mysteries. Does a giant reptile really lurk in a Scottish loch? Has it somehow survived for millennia on its own? Or is it something darker and more dangerous? It is, after all, a monster. Its legend dates to the 7th century, although recorded sightings really begin in earnest in the 1930s. It feels somehow ancient and modern at the same time, with scientists on a quest to find evidence either way as to its existence. While the 'reality' of the Loch Ness Monster is beyond my scope, the legends and the ways in which people have shared their sightings are not. Much like ghost stories, Nessie sightings echo across time, with people poring over their similarities - and their differences - in search of the truth. So let's explore the Loch Ness Monster's legends in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/loch-ness-monster/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Buy Icy a coffee or sign up for bonus episodes at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Few maritime disasters have captured the public imagination like the RMS Titanic. Perhaps it's because of the relatively recent nature of its sinking, compared to the loss of the Mary Rose warship.  The countless films, documentaries, and exhibitions probably help in prolonging fascination. New theories and reconstructions attempt to pin blame on one factor or another as the reason the ship sank. But as we're focused on folklore and legends here, what legends or ghost stories have become attached to RMS Titanic? Why are people convinced that ghosts still linger in the wreckage, or that a cursed mummy is to blame for the disaster? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/legends-of-RMS-Titanic/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

In this month's episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I'm talking to Russ Williams, the author of Where the Folk: A Welsh Folklore Road Trip. Russ grew up in Caernarfon in North Wales, where he was raised on Welsh stories, like the one about a mountain that would send you mad or turn you into a gifted poet if you camped out on it, or the one about the lost civilization drowned by the sea, and the one about the bottomless lake leading down to the Welsh Otherworld. He now lives in Cardiff.  In this chat, we get into the origin story of the Devil's Bridge legend, we talk about whether stories can ever truly be claimed by one place, and an eccentric figure from Welsh history who has passed into legend. Buy Where the Folk from Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781915279705 Find Russ on his website: https://www.russwilliams.org/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

When we look at types of folkloric creature, we often encounter the same types in different places, such as mermaids or fairies. But occasionally, you encounter a creature so localised that it only appears in a single place. The Blue Men of the Minch are one such example. Feared by sailors, the Blue Men of the Minch lived in the straight between the Shiant Islands and Long Island. This stretch of water is known as sruth nam Fear Gorm, or the Stream of the Blue Men. Most descriptions mention how similar they look to humans - if those humans had blue skin. They usually have grey faces, white beards, and long arms. They're also fearfully strong. And they're also humans with a fondness for pulling ships into the depths. Let's find out more about them in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/blue-men-of-the-minch/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

If we think of submerged cities, lost beneath the waves, we're probably most likely to think of Atlantis, that thought-experiment that took on a life of its own. Closer to home, there's the lost Welsh kingdom of Cantre'r Gwaelod, believed to lie between Bae Ceredigion and Ynys Enlli.  Yet there are countless tales of submerged villages along both the west and east coast of England too, not to mention villages lost to the depths of lakes or reservoirs. Many of them share a preoccupation with drowned church bells continuing to toll beneath the water. Others tell stories of losses often assigned to divine retribution. So how do these villages appear in folklore? Let's take a look in folklore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/submerged-villages/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

The humble mouse appears in a surprising amount of folklore. Both a harbinger of death if spotted in the house, and a medical remedy for a range of ailments, it seems the mouse both harms and heals. This reputation even stretches back to ancient Egypt, demonstrating just how ambivalent humans have felt about the tiny rodent for centuries. With strange origin stories, links to a Belgian saint, a use in divination, and a helpful role as the Tooth Mouse, their lore covers a lot of bases! Let's take a look at the mouse in folklore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/mouse-in-folklore/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social

Welcome back to Fabulous Folklore Presents. This time, I'm delighted to be talking to Darragh Mason, a multi-award-winning photographer, author, and researcher. He studied photography at Dublin City University and has traveled extensively across Asia, Europe, and America, where he has written articles and published his photography. His work has taken him to post-war countries such as Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo. Darragh is particularly renowned for his photographic work on the Aghori Hindu sect and his research on the Djinn. Darragh also hosts the award-nominated podcast *Spirit Box*, which explores topics of folklore, magic, and the spirit world. Beyond photography, he is the co-creator of the Sigil Engine, a technomantic art project. His book, "Song of the Dark Man, Father of Witches, Lord of the Crossroads", delves into the Dark Man as a devil-like figure in folklore and magic, exploring his role as trickster, initiatory guide of witches and creative force. In this chat, we talk about the Dark Man as a concept, discuss his role in initiatory tales, and get into folklore as a continuum, rather than something that just happened in the past. There's a bonus rant about AI too! Buy Song of the Dark Man: Father of Witches, Lord of the Crossroads: https://amzn.to/3V2r3x7 Find Darragh online at: https://www.darraghmason.com/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social

Humans first domesticated horses in around 3500 BC. Since then, they've pulled our chariots and carts, carried royalty and soldiers, worked on farms, and been steadfast companions. Horses are actually a prey animal, which perhaps explains their vulnerability to supernatural attack by witches and fairies.  Yet as the stories in this episode will show, they're also famous for their speed, ability to help humans, and even fantastical leaps and bounds. But let's look at these horses, from spectres to Black Bess, in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/horses-in-folklore/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social

Britain is supposed to be a nation of animal lovers, especially when it comes to pet dogs. According to the PDSA, 29% of UK adults own a dog, which gives an estimated population of 10.6 million pet dogs. While 29% isn't a majority, the number of pet dogs in the country has increased over the last few years. So it seems only fair to see how this popular animal appears in folklore. After all, I've already covered their eternal nemesis, the cat! In folklore, they sometimes appear as death omens—dogs persistently howling meant death was imminent. And they also appear in mythology, with Cerberus the three-headed dog guarding the Greek Underworld, and Anubis, the jackal-headed god presiding over the weighing of the heart ceremony in ancient Egypt. Let's not forget Sirius, in the Canis Major constellation, literally known as the dog star. They take the form of spectral hounds, loyal companions, witches' familiars, and even give their name to a hangover cure. So let's explore the folklore of dogs in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/dogs-in-folklore/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/

Human relationships with deer stretch back thousands of years. Archaeologists uncovered red deer skulls at Star Carr in Yorkshire which are 11,000 years old. No one knows what they were used for, if they had practical applications or were used in shamanic rituals. But it suggests some kind of relationship between humans and deer, even if we're not sure what that involved. Deer appear in mythology all over the world, although this post will focus on the British Isles. From shapeshifting deer to fairy cattle, deer cults to white stag legends, let's explore the appearance of the deer in British and Irish folklore and legend in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/deer-folklore/ Deer Woman article by Carolyn Dunn: https://endicottstudio.typepad.com/articleslist/deer-woman-and-the-living-myth-of-dreamtime-by-carolyn-dunn.html National Leprechaun Museum podcast episode with Mark and Tracey Norman: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3mK66mxwarcOlIiKZBorQ7 Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

I've been sharing real-life supernatural experiences from Fabulous Folklore listeners for the past couple of weeks. It's been brilliant to see how vulnerable people have been in sharing these, since talking about such things can often earn you a strong amount of scorn.  But I really think it's important to preserve these stories, a) to honour the experience itself, and b) to create a space where people who've had them can feel less alone. It's also been very fascinating to see how the experiences are rarely outright terrifying, but instead are just unsettling enough to disrupt normality.  So let's hear about the last lot of these experiences in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/supernatural-experiences-3/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

In this episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I chat to Scott Richardson-Read of Cailleach's Herbarium about Scottish cosmology, discuss the differences between Scottish folk magic and folk magic practices elsewhere in the British Isles, and talk about the value of ancestor work in Scottish folk magic. Scott is an independent researcher, published author, and activist with several master's degrees in research, social sciences, and psychology. His academic background helps him explore Scottish folklore, customs, and traditions, uncovering their relevance today while grounding them in a rich historical and social context. His next book is launching in Spring 2025 “Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread” exploring these topics in a new way. Combining academic research, archival work, and hands-on experience, Scott explores the historical roots of Scottish folk practices. With his "in the world, off the page" approach, he encourages people to take an active role in preserving Scotland's cultural and intangible heritage. Through his work with the Woven Land Network, Scott curates events that bring together experts in Scottish folk magic, music, storytelling, and traditional practices, making these traditions meaningful and accessible today. Scott's passion for activism is shaped by a lifelong commitment to social justice. He works alongside minority groups, helping to influence legislation, policy, and practice in Scotland, and advocates for marginalised communities to ensure their voices are heard where it matters most. Find Scott's website: https://cailleachs-herbarium.com/ Find Scott on IG @cailleachsherbarium Support Mill Dust & Dreaming Bread - Reviving Scottish Folk Belief on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/from-dust-to-light/mill-dust-and-dreaming-bread-reviving-scottish-folk-belief Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

If you listened the real-life supernatural experiences I shared last week, you would have noticed two things. First, not all experiences are terrifying. Some can be affirming, or so regular as to have become commonplace. Second, they don't need to be full-on light and sound shows to deeply affect someone. We're likely to pay attention to a poltergeist dismantling a room or notice a crisis apparition of a loved one. But we might also overlook the humble, subtle experiences that are part of the fabric of everyday life. They can still be unnerving, but they can also be oddly comforting. Let's hear about some more of these experiences in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/supernatural-experiences-2/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

If you believe the movies, supernatural experiences are big, brash and bold - or they're just so bone-chillingly terrifying that you're completely unable to do anything. I'm looking at you, 1963 version of The Haunting.  But in reality? They can be far more subtle - but no less bizarre, scary, or unsettling, getting under your skin and taking root as a peek into another world that overlaps with our own. Let's hear about some of these experiences in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/supernatural-experiences-1/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

In this episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I chat to the legend that is Lilith Dorsey! We talk about tarot, some New Orleans lore, and why the city has such an unusual reputation, and why people are so drawn to love magic!  Lilith Dorsey M.A., hails from many magickal traditions, including Afro-Caribbean, Celtic, and Indigenous American spirituality. Their traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University, and the University of London, and their magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is also a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation,' co-host of The Pop Occulture Show on youtube, and choreographer/performer for jazz legend Dr. John's “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show. They have long been committed to providing accurate and respectful information about the African Traditional Religions and are proud to be a published Black author of such titles as 55 Ways to Connect to Goddess, The African-American Ritual Cookbook, Love Magic, Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens, Water Magic, the newly re-released Voodoo and African Traditional Religion and Tarot Every Witch Way now available. Buy Tarot Every Witch Way: Unlock the Power of the Cards for Spellcraft & Magic: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9780738776323 Find Lilith online at: https://lilithdorsey.com/ Catch up with Lilith on Instagram at: https://instagram.com/lilithdorsey Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

Certain cases loom large in the history of the supernatural, especially in relation to the investigation of the supernatural. The 20th century provided the likes of the Enfield Poltergeist. Even Willington Mill in the 19th century offered an earlier opportunity. Yet the Tedworth Drummer offered an opportunity to explore a haunting in the 17th century. Our investigator was Joseph Glanvill, a Somerset vicar who juggled his religious belief in ghosts and witches with a passion for science. He defended the reality of the supernatural, and supported his defence with accounts of ghosts, witchcraft, and the devil. He even investigated such cases himself. The Tedworth Drummer has become his most famous account…but what was it all about? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/the-tedworth-drummer/ Tell me your supernatural encounter: https://forms.gle/hpcscensrDzVcKLk7 Mutual Aid Disaster Relief: https://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/ Grassroots Aid Partnership: https://www.grassrootsaidpartnership.org/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

We might think of ghost hunts or investigations as a predominantly 20th and 21st-century endeavour. Yet the legend of the ghosts at Willington Mill shows that people were trying to unearth the supernatural even in the first half of the 19th century. Spectral figures and unearthly noises plagued those living at the miller's house, with witnesses even seeing the ghosts from the street. Despite the fascinating tales of haunting reported by people who visited the house, it's the story of the midnight vigil that has become more famous. So let's explore the tale of the haunting of Willington Mill, and try to sort some fact from fiction in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/willington-mill/ Tell me your supernatural encounter: https://forms.gle/hpcscensrDzVcKLk7 Book tickets for my Ghosts of Newcastle talk: https://www.newcastlecastle.co.uk/tickets-booking Snag your place at my online Graveyard Lore talk: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cemetery-lore-grave-markers-folk-cures-and-graveyard-ghosts-tickets-1000779637837?aff=oddtdtcreator Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

The Aran Islands lie in Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland. They're made up of Inis Mór, Inis Mearn, and Inis Oírr. People have likely lived on the islands since c. 3000 BCE. Late Bronze Age and Iron Age ruins scatter the islands, alongside old churches and holy wells. After the era of saints and pilgrimages, Elizabeth I unlawfully seized ownership of the islands in 1565 and in 1588, she sold them to the Lynch family. Oliver Cromwell took them back and passed them to his supporters. Absentee English landlords owned the islands until 1922. They boast such fascinating sights as the Wormhole, believed to be the home of a giant serpent, and the remains of the ancient forts. The Aran Islands are also the home of the world-famous Aran sweaters! Let's find out more about saints, ancient forts, and knitting lore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/aran-islands-folklore/ Tell me your supernatural encounter: https://forms.gle/hpcscensrDzVcKLk7 Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick

Hello, friends! Our October theme for the podcast is (unsurprisingly) the supernatural. So I wanted to dedicate at least one episode to people's supernatural encounters, rather than focusing on what's in books or newspapers! You can remain anonymous if you want, but if you choose to submit a story, I will need to know a few things about the encounter, like when and where it happened. It doesn't have to just be ghosts, either! It can be anything you deem to be supernatural. I'll be reading the most fascinating or strangest ones on the podcast! I'm not going to debunk anything, either - we're simply sharing the supernatural or weird things that have happened to us! Click here to tell me about your encounter: https://forms.gle/hpcscensrDzVcKLk7

Ynys Enlli in north Wales is also known as Bardsey Island, and it's been a pilgrimage destination since the 6th century. The island lies at the north end of Cardigan Bay, just off the tip of the Llŷn peninsula. Archaeological evidence shows human habitation on the island for at least four millennia. But where does it get its mysterious name of the Isle of 20,000 Saints? How is it linked with King Arthur and Merlin? And could it be the true location of Avalon? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/bardsey-island/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595 Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7 Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick 'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/ Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social Tweet Icy at https://x.com/IcySedgwick