Depending on who you ask, Juno is either a NASA space probe studying Jupiter, or she’s the Roman queen of the gods, wife of Jupiter, god of thunder. As the Roman counterpart of Hera, the wife of Zeus in Greek mythology, she’s often characterised as a jealous, bitter, and vindictive wife, often punishing the nymphs […]
Meet Silvanus, Roman god of the wild and nature
Roman mythology offers plenty of gods associated with the natural world – just look at Neptune and his dominion over the sea, or Luna’s role as goddess of the moon. Yet it also offers a god of nature itself in the form of Silvanus. But he was also so much more than a nature god. […]
What Are Redcaps And Why Should You Avoid Their Lair?
For the unwary visitor to their lair, redcaps can be deeply dangerous creatures. These malevolent little folk are classified ‘goblins’ and that’s a word that’s rarely attached to anything positive. While they do appear in northern European folklore, they’re most often found in Border folklore. In many ways, it’s hardly surprising. The Border region is […]
What is the legend of the Brinkburn Bells in Northumberland?
Church bells appear in a range of ways within folklore. Sometimes they continue to ring far beneath the waves in a church under the sea. Or perhaps their peeling in the darkness guided a lost traveller back to the path and away from danger. In some tales, they’re stolen by the Devil, or by mermaids. […]
Tales of Northern Vampires: Ancient Revenants in the Borders and Cumbria
A lot of northern folklore includes the figures you’d expect to see – fairies, ghosts, brownies, and black dogs. But you might not expect to see northern vampires among the folk tales and legends. Yet three tales about vampires in the north, most notably in Berwick, Alnwick, and Melrose, occur in the historical record Canon […]
Are the Dancing Fairies of Northumbria Benign or Malevolent?
Tales of fairies exist all over the world, and there are hundreds to choose from right here in the British Isles. Yet they often have a particular ‘flavour’ or motif that lets you group them together. One of the common motifs of folk tales in the northeast of England is that of dancing fairies. It […]
