Candles are a common item around the modern home. We use them for emergency lighting during a power cut. Or we light them to alter the mood during a romantic dinner or a pampering bath. They’re also synonymous with magic – think of wishing on your birthday cake or lighting candles for a spell! Today […]
folklore
How to make easy witch bottles to protect your home!
Witch bottles date to at least the 1600s in both England and the US. Despite the name, witches did not make the bottles. Rather, ordinary people made them to repel a witch’s power. If you thought a witch had cast a spell against you, then you’d create one of these to counteract it. In this post, […]
What time is the witching hour and does it even exist?
If you’ve hung around folklore for long, you’ve probably heard of the witching hour. In occult terms, it’s apparently that time when witches (and demons) are at their most powerful. It’s sometimes referred to as a ‘chime hour’. The phrase does also have uses in different areas. So the time your baby might cry every […]
February favourites: Do snowdrops appear in folklore?
Seeing snowdrops pop up is one of the first signs that spring is on the way. So named for their appearance soon after (or even during) the January snow, snowdrops are a perennial favourite among flower fans. Some fans take their love to such extremes that they’re known as galanthophiles…which is a bit weird but […]
Take a walk along the old Corpse Roads
Corpse roads might conjure up weird mental images of highways paved with the dead, or possibly byways only used by them. But they’re actually more straightforward than they sound. In days gone by, remote communities often had nowhere nearby to put their dead. Only the churches held burial rights, but they could be miles away […]
Can You Stop Faeries Swapping Your Kids for Changelings?
Imagine you live in the 17th century. After surviving the ordeal of childbirth, you now have to find enough food for your family and keep a roof over your head. You might think that’s plenty to worry about on its own. But for some families, the extra worry of changelings was very real. alt=”In folklore, […]
