The notion of fairies at the bottom of the garden is nothing new. It’s partly inspired by the now infamous Cottingley fairies, created by a pair of bored sisters using a camera and fairy illustrations. The notorious fake photos of the Cottingley fairies sold for £20,000 in October 2018. But the lure of fairies in […]
folklore
Who are the Rothley fairies and what happens if you cross them?
Lots of places in Britain and Ireland feature stories of fairies that contradict the stereotypical view of them as benevolent wish granters. In the cold and sometimes unforgiving north of England, they can be particularly vindictive. We’ve discussed Northumbrian fairies before, but this time we’re going to explore two tales of the Rothley fairies. The […]
What happened when a Northumberland midwife met the fairies?
Fairies appear in a lot of the folklore of the United Kingdom. But they crop up a lot in tales from Northumberland. It’s hardly surprising – this is a wild and often mysterious part of the country. It borders Scotland and its turbulent history marks it as a contested county. Where better for fairies to […]
Beetles Folklore: Scarabs, Stags, and the Deathwatch
With the dawning of spring in the northern hemisphere, we’ve been looking at the folklore of insects. Bees and butterflies are finally out and about, doing their pollinating thing. And last week, we looked at a beloved garden critter, the ladybird. Turns out ladybirds are actually beetles, so this week – we’re looking at beetles […]
Ladybird Folklore: Good Fortune and Nursery Rhymes
Mention ‘ladybird’ to most British people of a certain age and they’ll think of the well-loved Ladybird series of small, hard-backed books. I’ve even read one of the newer series aimed at mature readers, the so-called ‘Ladybird Expert’ series. Suzannah’s Lipscomb’s volume on Witchcraft is a highly recommended read! (Affiliate link) But anyway. We’re talking […]
The Dragonfly in Folklore: Good Luck Symbol and Weigher of Souls
There’s something magical about seeing a dragonfly darting between the reeds on a spring day. With their jewel-like colours and ability to fly backward, they’re quite the aerial specialist. The dragonfly is one of the oldest of the insect species. They also represent both air and water, since their larvae often hatch out of water. […]
