The weeping willow is a common sign of mourning. Willow folklore often pokes tendrils into death superstitions and sayings. Margaret Baker relates the belief that “[i]n Louisiana, […] when a willow grew large enough to cast a grave-sized shadow, a family member would die” (2011: 159). In the UK, no builders in the Fens used sawn […]
Folklore
Meet the Oak, the Favoured Tree of the Forest!
The oak tree is pretty synonymous with the British landscape. From the National Trust logo to the mighty Major Oak that allegedly sheltered Robin Hood, we’ve got a bit of a thing about them. These trees first appeared around 65 million years ago. To put that into perspective, the first homo sapiens only appeared around […]
Moving House Superstitions: Brooms, Bread, Salt and Smoke
Moving house is often cited as being one of the most stressful things you can do. After all, it’s a huge process, from actually viewing houses through to packing your stuff and moving it to a new home. It’s unsurprising that such a noteworthy life stage would have a host of moving house superstitions and […]
Something Old, Something New: British Wedding Folklore & Traditions
Weddings are often a ‘stand out’ event in many people’s lives, whether as guests or members of the wedding party. It’s hardly surprising that such an important day has accrued so much wedding folklore to ensure the marriage goes well. From the cake to the bouquet, the dress to the date itself, most elements of […]
Why do people love folklore? The people have spoken!
So what actually brought you to folklore? What got you interested in myth, legends and all things superstition based? Why do you love folklore? That was actually a question that I posed on Twitter a couple of weeks ago. The massive response amazed me, especially when you added Instagram and Facebook replies. So I’m curious! […]
Children’s Folklore: Games, Rhymes and Telling Fortunes
When it comes to ‘life stages’, childhood is the first we actually remember. It’s the time when we learn to communicate, gain our bearings, and try out hundreds of interests to see which ones ‘fit’. But how does it relate to ‘folklore’? Trying to decide what to include for this ‘folklore of childhood’ post ended […]
