The common images of spinning in folklore reflect its status as both a craft and form of industry. Most cultures have a figure related to spinning, from North America’s Spider Woman to the Norns of the Norsemen. As Freyalyn Close-Hainsworth points out, spinning is our oldest textile skill (2017). Being able to make rudimentary string […]
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Weaving in Mythology: Creating Fate and Fantastic Images
Where crafts appear within stories and folk tales, they’re often more than just a craft. Weaving in mythology and legend tied into ideas around fate and creation. Take ancient Egypt. Some consider Neith to be the first creator of ancient Egypt (though Ptah, the god of smiths we briefly met last week, also held this […]
Blacksmith Gods: Making Magical Items of Myth and Mayhem
Blacksmithing looks like a magical art at the best of times. Take metal from underground, apply fire and pressure, and create something wonderful – or deadly. It’s hardly surprising that so many cultures would have blacksmith gods among their deities. From Ptah in ancient Egypt to Vulcan in ancient Rome, these creators were also often […]
Blacksmiths of Legend: Wicked Wizards of Metal and Flame
Blacksmiths have long been held up as having supernatural abilities – either for good or ill. In Ireland, smiths held such a high status that people thought they had magic powers (Doyle 2010: 11). Notice I say ‘smiths’ at this point. The term does refer to metalwork, and it breaks into specialisms like silversmiths, blacksmiths, […]
Weather Lore: A Tale of Portents and Omens
Is there a difference between lore and superstitions when it comes to the weather? Surprisingly, yes, there is. Superstitions are widely defined as being irrational beliefs. But weather lore? Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud explain that “[l]ore about the weather consisted mainly of practical information and advice, based on observation of nature, and transmitted orally” […]
Persephone: Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Dead
Spring has well and truly sprung, with plants popping up here in the British Isles and lambs gambolling around in the fields. If you’re a follower of Greek myth, then you know we have Persephone to thank for this renewal of spring! But how much do we really know about this dual deity, both goddess […]
