Fabulous Folklore with Icy

From cleaning wounds to repelling plague, lavender has had a myriad of uses throughout the centuries. It’s come to represent devotion, purity, luck, cleanliness, compassion, constancy, faith, humility, and love. Yet in the Victorian language of flowers, it also meant distrust.  Let's explore the appearance of lavender in ancient folklore, medicinal uses, and even its magickal uses in this week's e...

The Alnwick Poison Garden is the modern descendant of the medieval apothecary garden. Find out how these healing gardens found their dark side—and explore some poisonous plant folklore—in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore. Find the images, videos and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/apothecary-garden-history/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way he...

If a bouquet of flowers arrives at our door, we’re more interested in who sent them. The Victorians were more concerned with what it meant . The Victorian language of flowers, also known as floriography, was a way to send messages using specific plants and flowers. Combining different flowers allowed them to send more complex or sophisticated messages. Let's explore where the language of flowers c...

Churches in England are often portrayed as quaint, picturesque centres of their community. But given they're also often one of the oldest buildings in a town or village, it's hardly surprising that we'd have so many tales of haunted churches too. Some of these tales immortalise previous parishioners, but more usually, the tales commemorate dark deeds or criminal activity. Why not? Just look at the...

Churches used to be a centre for the community. They were open to all classes of society, and through their association with births, marriages, and deaths, often had links to each stage in an individual's life. Add to that their open commemoration of the dead, and churches became a clear focal point. So it's hardly surprising that the folklore of churches is rather common. Many of these stories he...

In this third interview-based episode of Fabulous Folklore, I chat to fellow northern Rich Blackett, chair of Asatru UK! We talk about what heathenry can often look like (because it's more flexible than you think), the importance of inclusive spiritual traditions, and common misconceptions about heathenry. So if you've had questions about heathenry...it's likely Rich can answer them! Find the Asat...

The pub is well entrenched in the cultural life of Britain. As such a hive of activity, it stands to reason that there would also be plenty of folklore about pubs around Britain. After all, the more activity there is in a place, the more opportunity there is for stories and legends to crop up about people and events. And pubs try to find all sorts of ways to differentiate themselves. Look at Brita...

The pub is well entrenched in the cultural life of Britain. As a hub of social contact and often a provider of decent food, pubs offer a central meeting point for many groups of people. Yet how often do we think about pub names and what they tell us about local history, famous figures, or half-forgotten stories? There are far more strange pub names than I can include here, but I've tried to choose...

When you say the name 'Elizabeth Bathory', a few things probably spring to mind. After all, she's widely known as the Blood Countess, so you probably imagine a woman in a bath of blood. But did she really do this? Is it fair to call her one of history's worst serial killers? Or are the legends the over-exaggerations of a family hungry to get their hands on the wealth of a powerful woman? Let's fin...

Lady Godiva has been immortalised in some strange ways, giving her name both to a brand of chocolates and a line in Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now'. Yet it's fascinating that the star of an 11th-century story continues to have an impact even now. For some, she's simply the woman who rode naked through the streets of Coventry. To others, she's an icon of selfless actions to benefit the less privileged....

Every year, panto season rolls around again, and amid the usual mixture of fairy tales and family favourites, we often find several versions of Dick Whittington around the country. Unlike Sleeping Beauty or Snow White , Dick Whittington professes to be based on a real person. Indeed, Richard Whittington was a real historical figure. But cats are mysteriously absent from his biography, and the rags...

The name 'Boudica' conjures up a range of associations, but most often we perhaps think of a flame-haired warrior standing up to the might of Rome. Freedom fighter, warrior queen, Celtic icon—she's perhaps all of these things and more. But the length of time between her lifetime and the general lack of primary evidence about her means she's become subject to a whole range of legends. Let's learn a...

New Year's Day has long been a time associated with gift-giving, visiting friends, and attempting to predict the fortunes of the year ahead. Unsurprisingly, it's also been a time of rituals and superstitions designed to influence the coming year.  Let's learn about old rituals to improve your luck and prospects in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on...

In this second interview-based episode of Fabulous Folklore, I chat to folklorist Mark Norman, host of The Folklore Podcast and author of Dark Folklore! We talk about what may lie behind the resurgence of interest in folklore, why it's important to preserve folklore, and how can you get involved in collecting folklore yourself. Find Mark's website here: http://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/ Buy Dark...

The Grey Man of Ben Macdui appears to haunt the summit of Ben Macdui in the Cairngorms—Scotland's second-highest mountain. Climbers have reported strange sounds, feelings of dread, and even glimpses of a tall figure in the mist. Who is the Grey Man of Ben Macdui? Is he a yeti, a ghost, an alien...or something else? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos...

The Will O' The Wisp appears in a range of tales across the world. With varied names like corpse candles, fox fire, Jenny of the Lantern, and ignis fatuus, it also has a variety of origin stories!  Learn about the range of Will O' The Wisp types in northern Europe in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on the blog post:  https://www.icysedgwick.com/will...

Spectral black dogs, or Black Shuck, haunt the English countryside. But the stories vary as you travel around. Some dogs are premonitions of disaster, others are linked with the Devil, while some even perform guardian roles. Learn about the range of Black Dog stories in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on the blog post:  https://www.icysedgwick.com/b...

Air travel seems fraught with potential problems—and you have little to no control over any of them! Learn about the range of superstitions and rituals people use to reach their destination safely in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on the blog post:  https://www.icysedgwick.com/air-travel/ Tefilat Haderech, The Traveler’s Prayer: https://www.myjewis...

It's hardly surprising that mariners would have a host of superstitions and folklore about seafaring. In earlier centuries, bad weather, poor communications with land, and disease could bring havoc to any journey.  Folklore both preserves ideas about what sailors feared and provides protections to keep dangers at bay. Learn more about omens related to seafaring, tales of ghost ships, and other haz...

From corpses on the tube to ghostly figures that vanish, the London Underground is full of weird lore. Learn more about it in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on the blog post:  https://www.icysedgwick.com/london-underground/ 'Ghost Train' short story: https://www.icysedgwick.com/ghost-train/ Midnight Screams at Holborn: https://pod.co/fabulous-folkl...

Phantom coaches lurk along the highways and byways of the British Isles. Learn more about their folklore and legends in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on the blog post:  https://www.icysedgwick.com/phantom-coaches/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/ Become a Patron for bonus exclu...

There have been over 350 reports of encounters with the Mackenzie Poltergeist. Who or what is Greyfriars Kirkyard's most dreaded inhabitant?  Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on the blog post:  https://www.icysedgwick.com/mackenzie-poltergeist/ Interview with Joanna Penn about English Folklore: https://www.booksandtravel.page/englis...

Old cities like London are bound to have their share of ghosts. But who is the Black Nun of Threadneedle Street?  Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on the blog post:  https://www.icysedgwick.com/threadneedle-street/ Creswell Crags Halloween traditions talk: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/trick-or-treat-where-do-our-halloween-traditio...

Plenty of theatres boast tales of resident ghosts. Few have the same pedigree as the Drury Lane Theatre Royal. Who is the famous Man in Grey? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on the blog post:  https://www.icysedgwick.com/theatre-royal/ Creswell Crags Halloween traditions talk: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/trick-or-treat-where-do-...

The Assembly Rooms and the Theatre Royal are two of Newcastle upon Tyne's glamourous Georgian buildings. Each of them boasts a Grey Lady ghost. But who are they?  Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images, videos and references on the blog post:  https://www.icysedgwick.com/grey-lady/ Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysed...