Lavender is apparently so soothing that it can make both lions and tigers docile.

We're looking at Maud Grieve today on Fabulous Folklore, the herbalist who wrote A Modern Herbal and did her bit for the war effort during the First World War! youtu.be/STra1cZwbbM

A blindfolded young woman should pick a rose on Midsummer Day at midday while the clock struck twelve. She should fold the rose in white paper and put it away until Christmas Day. If she did it right, the rose would still be fresh. She should put it on her bosom & her intended would snatch it away.

According to Richard Folkard, you could heal all open wounds by rubbing a piece of oak on your body before sunrise on Midsummer's Day. You just needed to do it in silence!

Ferns are heavily associated with Midsummer and there was an old belief that ferns only bloomed once a year, on Midsummer's Eve. This was the time when you could gather fern seeds, which could apparently turn you invisible or help you find treasure. (Ferns produce spores, not seeds!)

The people referring to Andy Burnham as "king of the north" have evidently not read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

the most stable figure in british politics in the last decade is the man who sets up the lectern the PMs resign from

Be really funny if he just comes out and says "It's Coming Home" and leaves again

If anyone missed my talk about the magical legends of the north east of England, I recorded it and made it available for sale to watch online - right in time for the solstice and midsummer! ko-fi.com/s/7f42dec282

We're going to meet Nicholas Culpeper in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore, who took on the medical establishment in the 17th century, and did so using a herbal. youtu.be/zwLl05nVF-E

If anyone is off to the Hoppings in Newcastle today, they make an appearance in my blog post about the Town Moor! www.icysedgwick.com/newcastle-to...

Tonight's talk venue! Telling some of Northumberland's magical legends at the Black Gate...

This month on Fabulous Folklore Presents, I'm talking to @ritualmarks.bsky.social about apotropaic grafitti, deposited objects like boots or shoes, mummified cats, and yes, you guessed it, witch marks! youtu.be/uA2MYrSXvbA?...

Early migraine onset symptoms are wild. For a second, I just confused Danny Robins with Danny Boyle and doesn't everyone just want to watch Uncanny Trainspotting now?

It's always good catching a bird in flight on my trail camera, and this shot captured a male blackbird coming in to land. At one stage, people believed blackbirds wove myrtle into their nests to ward off witchcraft!

According to Margaret Baker, if the kniphofia, also known as both the red hot poker and Devil's poker, bloomed in autumn, it foretold a death in the family...

We're meeting Northumberland's own William Turner, often called the father of British botany, on Fabulous Folklore this week. Find out why this religious firebrand and revolutionary thinker created A New Herball! www.icysedgwick.com/william-turn...

It's 9 June...so that means it's time for the Blaydon Races! But what are they, and what are their origins? Would you believe I have you covered with this blog post and podcast episode? www.icysedgwick.com/blaydon-races/

This week on Fabulous Folklore, we're looking at the bizarre story behind the creation of A Curious Herbal in the 1730s by artist, businesswoman, and all-round marketing supremo Elizabeth Blackwell! youtu.be/Eg6bvyQX4zI?...

Oh this is really sad to hear. I served him once when I worked at Costa and he was absolutely lovely.

Thrilled to be welcoming @witchofsalopia.bsky.social Always a delight to listen to! Can’t wait to hear of stories woven around fossils & practices they were incorporated into! Tomorrow, via Zoom 7pm. Replay available for all ticket holders to watch later. www.folkloremythmagic.com/event-detail...

In this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore, I'm looking at the storytelling revival of the 1980s, and what it means for folklore! This week's episode also features contributions from eight storytellers about how they discovered storytelling and why they think it's important! pod.co/fabulous-fol...

Went to see Ad Gefrin in North Northumberland, once the home of King Edwin's royal palace. Pity there's so little to see but it's still an important site at the foot of Yeavering Bell!

This month's exclusive Patreon episode of Fabulous Folklore explores the barguest and gytrash. Are they black dogs? Spectral omens? Fairy tricksters? Or all three? www.patreon.com/posts/bonus-...

One old country belief saw hedgehogs apparently able to steal fruit if it got stuck to their prickles. B. at The Irish Penny Journal tried to see if he could make it work himself. He could not #FolkloreThursday (My image)

💧🦄💧A Unicorn's spiral horn (alicorn) was said to be an antidote to every poison - and that Unicorns would kneel down and dip their horns into fouled streams to purify them, so that wild animals could safely drink. #FolkloreThursday #FolkyFriday #FolkWitchFriday #FolkloreSunday

Has anyone used a reMarkable? What's your experience been like? Let me know!

The Chillingham Cattle are a wild herd in the grounds of Chillingham Castle. According to one legend, they descend from the cattle that roamed across Britain when the Saxons arrived. In another, the Vikings brought them when they arrived (Img: Thomas Bewick, Public Domain) #FolkloreThursday

In this episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I'm chatting to Dr Steph Lay about her Revenants on the Redway project, the beauty of collecting supernatural experiences, why places don't need to be old to be haunted, and the attraction of parapsychology. youtu.be/RBdb9WaLCjY

The shapeshifting tanuki of Japanese folklore often disguises itself as a monk and can do calligraphy. In one tale, a visiting monk's writing was odd enough to raise suspicions, making his host think, this seems like the sort of thing a tanuki would write. #folklorethursday

I'm talking all things divination with Linda and John on the Getting Witchy Podcast! www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyqZ...

Enjoy this new episode with @icysedgwick.bsky.social aboutwitchhunts.com/episode/the-...

How does it keep up with the news like that?

YOU’RE LISTENING TO SISYPHUS FM, THE HOME OF NON-STOP ROCK

This week, I'm looking at four films by legendary French filmmaker Georges Méliès, including The Trip to the Moon, to see how he depicted figures from folklore and myth. Can we see the strange world inside the moon as a version of Fairyland? youtu.be/sxCi3nokBh8

An unfortunate quality of the online witch scene is the pressure to *not* be a beginner and to reach a point of expertise that sets us apart from others with a title. A great example is the title “high priestess.” We’ve all seen how frequently it gets added to someone’s bio. 1/ #WitchSky #PaganSky

When I look at Wes Streeting, all I can see is Wellington Paranormal's Officer Parker.

Ever looked at a fossil and thought, “hang on… is that an ammonite?” 👀 For this week’s Fossil Friday, Chris is showing us how to spot the difference between an ammonite and an ancient nautilus relative, and it’s one of those details you’ll notice forever once you’ve seen it.

It’s Friday and you deserve otters. #otters

There's a wonderful origin myth for the harp that ascribes its invention to the wife of an Irish chieftain! And yes, I'm covering the folklore of stringed instruments this week over on Fabulous Folklore... pod.co/fabulous-fol...

Readers don’t realize how much they can change an indie author’s entire week with one small thing. One review. One recommendation. One repost. One “I stayed up late reading this.” While marketing is vital, real reader enthusiasm is still the most powerful kind of promotion. #AuthorSky #BookSky

Fascinating thread!

Remember when one of Wesley's junior Ministers led us to believe Palantir couldn't access identifiable patient data? Turns out that wasn't true.

Learn more about the ghost light! I'm also diving deep into theatre superstitions over on Fabulous Folklore this week - with a bonus chat with delightful actor @mateooxley.bsky.social about theatre superstitions still in use! youtu.be/EquVK87eZKY?...

If you enjoyed my Fabulous Folklore Presents chat with @drcummins.bsky.social about geomancy (that wonderful form of divination), then you can learn to do it yourself with his Geomancy Foundations bundle, currently on sale! alexander-cummins.squarespace.com/talks/geoman...

Come and join us for another evening of storytelling online! Wednesday 6 May, 7 pm BST!

I had three art-related episode requests, so May will be Folklore and the Arts Month. We’ll explore a supposedly cursed painting, an apparently haunted portrait, and a painting at the heart of a weird urban legend in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! youtu.be/gtuBZ4vVoyk

Happy May Day!

Pleased to announce my new book, Fate or Fortune: The Art and Folklore of Divination, is now out in the US! It explores methods of divination found in folklore, from weather omens to playing cards, and animal omens to using plants for prophetic dreams! www.crossedcrowbooks.com/shop-crossed...

We're looking at divination using symbols in the air, in fire, and in dreams in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! pod.co/fabulous-fol...