If we head to the Siebengeberge uplands in Germany, we’ll find a hill named the Drachenfels near Königswinter. It stands at 321 m and the name translates as Dragon’s Rock, named after a dragon that allegedly lived on its slopes. It’s also not far from the Lorelei Rock, so named for the seductive water nymph […]
folklore
Fairy Legends of the Bannau Brycheiniog
We’re off to the gorgeous surroundings of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) this week for the Folklore of Mountains and Hills. There’s also a lovely link with my focus on Northumberland last week. Where the Northumberland National Park and most of Kielder Water & Forest Park are an International Dark Sky Park, the Bannau Brycheiniog […]
The Folklore of the Cheviots: Ghosts, Fairies & Smugglers
There’s something both primal and ancient about mountains. Beautiful and remote, they can provide a harsh and unforgiving environment for those who venture into their territory. Sometimes linked with sleeping giants, mountains are also a reminder of the Earth’s formation, with rock contorted into fantastic shapes by immense geological pressures. We’re heading into Folklore of […]
Haunted Prisons: Ghosts of Joliet, Shepton Mallet, and Barlinnie
While schools and universities boast urban legends alongside ghosts, prisons tend to be more like hospitals. You find tales of hauntings, but little in the way of folklore. It’s probably due to the concentration of human life in one place – and the brutality that runs alongside it. Haunted prisons somehow don’t seem so surprising. […]
Haunted Hospitals: Porters, Matrons, and Past Patients
If you go looking for ghost stories, you very quickly stumble across haunted hospitals. In fact, it was finding so many tales about Cardiff Royal Infirmary that prompted this post in the first place. And not all of the stories are necessarily sad. The resident ghost at St Nicholas Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne is […]
University Folklore: Ghosts and Exam Failure Curses
In a lot of ways, it’s hardly surprising there is a lot of university folklore. People are away from home, often for the first time, in a strange environment with a lot of new places. They’re also often in old buildings where who only knows what has happened in the past. So it’s easy for […]
