Callaly Castle stands around 9 miles west of Alnwick. It’s a Grade I listed building, although there’s no public access. Architects divided the house into private apartments in 1987, and it has been a private residence ever since. Yet the castle features an odd history, as many castles in the north east of England do. […]
Folklore
Brownies in Folklore: Household Help or Hindrance?
For many in the UK, brownies recall troops of girls clad in brown and yellow, earning badges in a prelude to joining the Girl Guides. Yet they reference the helpful fairies that apparently did housework overnight to help their chosen households. Katharine Briggs considers the brownies as one of the “most easily described and most […]
The Barguest: Demon Dog, Silly Sprite or Spectral Hound?
The barguest is a fascinating creature, most often found in the folklore of northern England. Folklorist William Henderson noted the barguest tales covered Northumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire (1879: 274). That said, some appearances also crop up in Lancashire and Cumbria. In many tales, the barguest was most popularly a death omen. In a most fitting […]
The Northumberland Silky: Mischievous Fairy or Lonely Ghost?
Many lonely and remote parts of the British Isles echo with tales of local spirits. Whether they’re fairies, remnants of older mythologies, ghosts, or Land Spirits decked out in another guise, their stories live on. The north east of England has one such spirit known as Silky. William Henderson lists Silky among the ‘local sprites’ […]
Cider Folklore: Wassailing and the Apple Tree Man
We’re finishing the Folklore of Drinks theme with cider folklore. Cider has a long history, especially here in Britain. When the Romans arrived in Britain, they discovered the locals drinking a beverage made from apples. It wasn’t quite cider yet, and no one knows how long this drink existed prior to this point. Cider then […]
Meeting The Devil’s Drink: Coffee Folklore in Legend and Ritual
Like its hot beverage sibling tea, coffee is an incredibly popular drink all over the world. Director David Lynch reportedly said, “Even a bad cup of coffee is better than no coffee at all” (James n.d.). Here in the UK, we imported £780 million worth of coffee in 2020 (Ridder 2022). And, like tea, coffee […]
