New Year’s Day is perhaps one of the longest-running days to be celebrated since we’ve had a calendar. Marking the end of one year and the beginning of another, it offers a secular reason for people to celebrate together. It’s been a time associated with gift-giving, visiting friends, and attempting to predict the fortunes of […]
folklore
Who is the Grey Man of Ben Macdui?
If you think of mountains and mysterious creatures, your mind probably turns to the Abominable Snowman. Especially if you’re thinking about humanoid figures half-glimpsed in treacherous conditions. Yet you may not immediately think of the Grey Man of Ben Macdui. Ben Macdui (also spelt Ben MacDhui) is the second-highest mountain in Scotland after Ben Nevis. […]
Will O’ The Wisp: A Fairy, Ghost or Guardian?
For people of a certain age, Will O’ The Wisp refers to a TV cartoon character voiced by Kenneth Williams. Yet for everyone, the Will O’ The Wisp is a somewhat tricksy figure, an amorphous term from folklore all over the world. We’re going to stick with northern European folklore here, where one of the […]
Black Dogs and Englishmen: Black Shuck in English Folklore
One of the most pervasive figures from English folklore is that of the spectral black dog. In some parts of the country, the dogs act as death omens. Elsewhere, they represent the Devil. And in other legends, they’re even protective of travellers. Plenty for us to dig our teeth into then! Traditionally, the black dog […]
London Underground: Corpses on the Tube & Other Lore
The London Underground is a much older system than we often give it credit for. As Peter Ackroyd points out, it’s old enough that it’s congruent with figures we consider ‘historical’ like Jack the Ripper (2012: 112). Given it’s such an old system, burrowing through the very clay on which London stands, it’s hardly surprising […]
Is the ghost at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane a good omen?
Theatres attract tales of ghosts and hauntings like few other types of building. The Theatre Royal in Drury Lane is no exception. The current Theatre Royal in Covent Garden dates to 1812. It’s actually the fourth incarnation on the site since 1663. You can even find 18th-century foundations below ground level. The third incarnation of […]
