In the days before air travel, travelling by sea was one of the fastest ways to travel. Yet it was fraught with dangers, such as running aground on rocks and heading into storms. In 1838, the SS Forfarshire did both in the North Sea, off the coast of Northumberland. While many of the crew and […]
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The Folklore of Shells and Pearls: Scallops, Rhymes and Saints
Seashells evoke days at the beach and the beauty of nature. In other cultures and times, people used shells as both currencies, and as decoration. Look at the Italian grottoes festooned with seashells that gave us the word ‘grotesque’. They’re also useful in other ways. Neptune’s son, Triton, used a conch shell as a trumpet. […]
The Folklore of Paper: Charms, Folk Songs, and Bibliomancy
Paper as a material first appeared around 2000 years ago in China. The earliest paper sheets were likely made from mulberry bark, rags, and hemp. The secret of papermaking travelled to north Africa and western Asia in the 8th century. In the 11th century, papermaking finally arrived in Europe via Spain and Sicily. Until this […]
[Book Review] The Hollow Sea by Annie Kirby
The Hollow Sea tells the story of Scottie, a woman struggling to come to terms with her identity. Having been adopted as a child, she has no memories before the age of 8. Yet some ghosts from the past snag her attention, and she’s called to an island chain off the Scottish coast to find […]
The Folklore of Glass: Slippers and Superstitions
Glass is a strange material. Its original source material is sand, but it needs human intervention through the application of heat and other processes to find form. We can see through it, but we can’t touch what’s on the other side. You can use it to concentrate a light source. Or it’s helpful if you […]
The Folklore of Stones: From Hag Stones to Healing
Stones are perhaps some of humanity’s oldest friends. They provided building materials and became simple tools. But they also vary in size, making some of them very portable as amulets. It’s no wonder that they’ve accrued both lore and superstition alike. For example, the heaviness and general permanence of stone slabs led to their use […]
