The iris is one of those instantly recognisable flowers, showy and bright with its voluminous petals, able to add a splash of colour to any garden. They've been beloved by humans for millennia, apparently favoured as far back as ancient Egypt as a decorative device. So how does the iris show up in folklore? Let's find out more in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/iris-folklore/ Book tickets for my in-person Midsummer talk: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/newcastlecastle/items/528797/calendar/2024/06/?full-items=yes 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

As we've seen with these European cities, ancient settlements often produce a range of ghosts and legends. It's unsurprising, with so many people living out their lives in close proximity across such a span of time. Milan's folkloric side includes traditional cuisine, dragons, ghostly women in black veils, and even a column defaced by the Devil - among other things.  Let's find out more in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/milan-legends/ Book tickets for my Midsummer talk: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/newcastlecastle/items/528797/calendar/2024/06/?full-items=yes 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Althaea Sebastiani is a spiritworker and religious educator whose work focuses on helping people navigate the realities of deep spiritual practice. Their work is punctuated by strong emphasis on doing the work and encourages learning through direct experience. A spirit-led witch with nearly 30 years’ experience, their personal practice is land-based and devotional, focused on being responsive to the spirits of the land wherever their travels take them and doing right by the Gods Who have called them into Their service. In this chat we explore what animism is, how it relates to witchcraft, whether the gods from Earth would show up on other planets, and why the 'craft' part of witchcraft is so important! Find Althaea online: https://www.ladyalthaea.com/ Buy Alive with Spirits: https://amzn.to/4alH1qZ Sign up to Herbaria, the herbalism community by Rowan + Sage: https://school.rowanandsage.com/courses/herbaria?affcode=437598_3qokpyep 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

When it comes to plague outbreaks in Europe, your mind probably doesn't immediately jump to a so-called dancing plague. Yet that's precisely what seemed to grip Strasbourg, France in the summer of 1518. Townspeople started dancing, seemingly against their will, and couldn't stop for almost a month. Hundreds died of exhaustion, with contemporary commentators blaming the wrath of St Vitus. More recently, people have suspected ergot poisoning, religious fervour, or mass psychogenic illness. So what exactly happened, and how does it relate to 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/dancing-plague/ Book tickets for my Midsummer talk: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/newcastlecastle/items/528797/calendar/2024/06/?full-items=yes 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

As May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I'm pleased to introduce you to Kamuela Kaneshiro, who was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and is host of the Legends from the Pacific podcast.  Legends from the Pacific utilises Kamu’s cultural knowledge, and television/film background to craft stories of people, beliefs, and traditions to help promote Pacific cultures. He is also a descendant of the Hawaiian Chief Ka'iana. Kamu obtained a BA & MA in Communication from Hawaii Pacific University, studied at the University of Hertfordshire, and has appeared multiple times at San Diego Comic-Con as an invited professional panellist. He's lectured on film, television, and Batman, and wrote the “I Didn't Mean to” series, and “Genre Analysis: The Gangster, The Evolved Detective, and The Dark Knight”. He is also a magician member of the Magic Castle. We get into some Hawaiian legend, meet Samoa's goddess of bats, and talk about how popular culture can and does meet a cultural need for gods - even when people don't realise that's what they're looking for! Find Legends from the Pacific here: https://legendsfromthepacific.com/ Get your bonus episode here: https://legendsfromthepacific.com/gift 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Austrian capital Vienna has a long history, dating back to the 1st century CE Roman military camp of Vindobona. It's been home to some pretty big names over the centuries. Mozart, Beethoven, Sigmund Freud, Gustav Klimt, Hedy Lamarr, Marie Antoinette and Erwin Schrödinger, among many others, have all lived in the city. Yet it's also got a darker side. Its vast Central Cemetery is a testament to the Viennese fascination with death. Empress Elisabeth of Austria, nicknamed Sissi, apparently had a fascination with the supernatural, and some say she still roams the hallways of the Hofburg palace. Let's find out more in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/vienna-legends/ 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Helsinki has a lengthy history, dating back to at least the Bronze Age. Parts of the city even stand on old cemeteries.  It's bound to have a few ghost stories and folklore, surely? Indeed it does! We're talking haunted theatres, headless ghosts, ghosts with habits, and Finnish epics. Let's find out more in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/helsinki-legends/ 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Robin Hood is perhaps the most recognisable figure in English folklore, darting through legend in Sherwood Forest.  Yet discussions in the past tried to claim Robin as an ancient god, recast as a literary outlaw, or as one of the Good Folk, whether a local sprite or Robin Goodfellow himself. How did these writers draw the conclusion that Robin Hood was anything other than a leading character in a series of medieval ballads?  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/robin-hood-myths/ 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

The Queen of the Fairies is sometimes named Queen Mab, depending on the source material. She's also known as the Queen of Elfland, the Queen of Elphame, and Titania.  So who is Mab? Does she come from English folklore, or is Mab the name given by playwrights and poets to the Queen in 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/queen-mab/ Fairy Queens: Meeting the Queens of the Otherworld by Morgan Daimler: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/12992/9781785358333 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

For this month's episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I'm thrilled to bring you a chat with Rose Aurora! Rose is a fairy seer & sorceress, specializing in Faery, Elf, and Troll-related issues & spiritual needs. She is honoured to be part of a spiritual lineage of Celtic origin, but she is also trained in other spiritual traditions including Trolldom, of which she is a certified apprentice of Johannes Gårdbäck. Rose is a professional spiritual worker, conducting readings, spellwork, scrying coaching, and ongoing mentorship in the magical arts. She has also presented at the 2024 Salem Witch Fest.  In this conversation, we chat about elves in Germanic folklore, the links between elves and fairies in wider folklore, and how our mental image of elves is often shaped by the work of Tolkien. Buy Rose's talk on elves in Scandinavia lore here: https://www.salemwitchfest.com/product-page/in-the-mounds-of-the-stars-the-elves-in-scandinavian-lore-practice-myth Find Rose at her website here: https://www.roseauroras.com/ Follow Rose on IG at: https://www.instagram.com/roseauroras/ 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

To some, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Great Park. He haunts the tree where he died, rattling his chains and raging against...well...something. Elsewhere, Herne is portrayed as a demonic force tearing through the forest at speed, scooping up souls in the Wild Hunt. Some tales see him riding a coal-black horse with burning eyes. Others see him as a phantom stag that prefers to chase than be chased.  Is he simply an invention of Shakespeare, or does he have a basis in reality? And why do the legends about him vary so wildly? 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/herne-the-hunter/ 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Few figures loom as large in British legend as King Arthur. Noble king, fair-minded monarch, mighty warrior - Arthur ends up taking on all of these roles at various points, and often a few more besides. How did ordinary people relate to him? How does he appear in folklore and the popular imagination outside of the world of the Arthurian stories? Let's find out how Arthur appears in folk traditions in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore. Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/king-arthur-folklore/ What Is The King In The Mountain Folklore Trope? https://www.icysedgwick.com/king-in-the-mountain/ 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

The hill figures of southern England are enigmatic artworks, standing out with their stark white lines against the green grass of their home slopes. They're mostly found on chalk hills, where the chalk provides the white outlines.  Countless figures have been lost. Yet four in particular remain famous even now, while a fifth is famous precisely since it no longer exists. Folklore naturally accrues to these figures as people seek to explain their presence in the landscape. Let's find out what kind of folklore is attached to these hill figures in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore. Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/folklore-of-hill-figures/ Get tickets for my April Fool's Day: The Folklore of Pranks, Games and Japes talk: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/april-fools-day-the-folklore-of-pranks-games-and-japes-tickets-841370380457?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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Whether we're looking at barrows, cromlechs, or dolmens, ancient burial sites hold a certain fascination. They're linked with all manner of supernatural beings, from giants to fairies, gods and ghosts, and naturally, the Devil. Let's find out what kind of folklore is attached to these prehistoric grave sites in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore. Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/folklore-of-barrows/ Get tickets for my April Fool's Day: The Folklore of Pranks, Games and Japes talk: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/april-fools-day-the-folklore-of-pranks-games-and-japes-tickets-841370380457?aff=oddtdtcreator Irish Pagan School: https://irishpaganschool.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 Tweet Icy at https://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

For this month's episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I'm thrilled to bring you a chat with Sian Ingham! Sian Ingham is a writer and editor, best known for writing We Don't Go Back: A Watcher's Guide to Folk Horror. Find their work at https://www.patreon.com/Room207Press, https://bsky.app/profile/parthenoid.bsky.social and https://www.room207press.com/. In this interview, we're going to talk about myths of Atlantis and where they came from, the darker side of those myths, Madame Blavatksy, and the lost continent of Lemuria! 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Mention stone circles to many people, and they'll think of people gathering at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise. Or hulking megaliths looming out of the mist on a lonely moor, the sheep being careful to only graze outside the circle. They're certainly evocative, if nothing else. As with the standing stones that we covered last week, we know very little about them. We don't know why our ancestors built them or how they used them. Naturally, legend rushes in to fill that vacuum. Or does it? Let's take a look at the folklore of stone circles in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore. Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/folklore-of-stone-circles/ Get tickets for my April Fool's Day: The Folklore of Pranks, Games and Japes talk: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/april-fools-day-the-folklore-of-pranks-games-and-japes-tickets-841370380457?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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

There's something awesome yet eerie about encountering a standing stone in the landscape. Why is it there? Who put it there? And how did they put it there? The fact we can't often answer these questions helps add to their mystery. That absence of knowledge creates a vacuum that folklore is only too happy to fill. Speculation runs rife with these stones. Let's take a look at the folklore of some of these standing stones in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore. Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/folklore-of-standing-stones/ 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Archaeological evidence reveals a close relationship between people and the spiritual world back to the Bronze Age, often enacted through water. Springs often reveal ritual deposits, such as those found at the head of the Seine. It’s unsurprising that humans would continue this water-based relationship via wells. For some scholars, wells had either a patron deity or a guardian spirit, which was later replaced by a saint or angel. For example, there is a suggestion that the Celtic water goddess Alauna became St Helen. But wells took on multiple functions, used to heal, curse, make wishes, and even divine. And, of course, people used them as a water source.  Let's take a look at some of these wells across the British Isles in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore. Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/folklore-of-wells/ 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Forests are ambivalent places, both beautiful and tranquil, yet also dangerous to the unwary. They've always been a source of resources for people, which is either embraced or exploited. As a result, there is a whole class of folklore involving forest protectors, spirits who guard the woods and all the animals within. These protectors ensure that humans never take more than they should, and keep the forest in balance.  Let's learn more about the legends of the Leshy, the Wood-Wives, and even pangolins as forest protectors in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore. Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/forest-protectors/ 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Mushrooms have captured humanity's attention for thousands of years. But they still confuse us. Mushrooms spring up overnight, many of them are dangerous if you confuse them for their safer cousins, and they have an array of fantastical names. Witness the Destroying Angel, Spit Devil, Satan's Bolete, Witches' Butter, and Death Cap. Let's learn more about the folklore of fungi in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore. Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fungi-folklore/ Myths and Legends of the British Highwayman with the Last Tuesday Society: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-myths-and-legends-of-the-british-highwayman-icy-sedgwick-tickets-794055881517?aff=ebdsoporgprofile 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://twitter.com/IcySedgwick