Think back to the schools you’ve attended. Did they have a Grey Lady in a disused corridor? A hell hound in a supply cupboard? A secret tunnel to a neighbouring building? The ghost of a former pupil, forever roaming the halls? Many schools end up with urban legends and folklore attached to them. In many […]
folklore
Belfast Ghost Stories: A Prison, a Market, and a Railway Station
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, and its site has been occupied since the Bronze Age. It’s been a major port since the 19th century, and the Harland & Wolff shipyard built RMS Titanic here. It’s a city of much history, both violent and industrial, so it comes as no surprise that there are […]
Exploring the myths of the Charterhouse Plague Pit
Watching the progress of the Crossrail construction project was fascinating in terms of what was unearthed. The Charterhouse Plague Pit was one such buried secret, first uncovered in March 2013. Charterhouse lies between Clerkenwell and Smithfield, just north of the City of London. The area is allegedly rife with plague pits, although if you believe […]
Meet Minerva, Goddess of Intellect, Inspiration & the Arts
Minerva is one of the most recognisable Roman goddesses, with her shield and helmet. She continues to gaze at us whenever we see depictions of Britannia. But she’s also one of my favourite goddesses because she completely defies the contemporary tendency to consider all goddesses as either mother figures or love deities. Instead, Minerva is […]
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 […]
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 […]
