Not a single thing we were told about #COVID turned out to be correct. A long thread 🧵

New episode via link in bio! Author & podcaster @icysedgwick.bsky.social joins me to talk about her new book Bring Me Love — all about love magic, divination, & the rituals people used to find (or keep) love. We journey from rosemary‑in‑your‑shoes to egg‑white fortune telling #Folklore #LoveMagic

Keen to try expanding the landscapes you write in your fiction? Why not try creating your own folklore for the features in those landscapes? My pre-recorded workshop will show you how - and it's only £6.50! ko-fi.com/s/65ab6f1b40

Here's a thread which follows my last book - Historic Building Mythbusting. Its a look at the stories we tell about ancient buildings, a debunking of some of those tales, and what we can learn about ourselves through folklore... the stories behind the stories 1/12🧵

We're exploring the story of troll dolls - and tales of trolls in folklore - over on Fabulous Folklore this week! pod.co/fabulous-fol...

Gorse blossoms throughout the year, which led to an old saying, "When kissing’s out of fashion Gorse is out of bloom." Bear in mind that, according to Margaret Baker, in Somerset and Dorset, carrying gorse into the house was a bad omen and meant that people would soon carry out a coffin!

If they can remove Andrew's titles they can remove Mandleson's.

Can't say I'm impressed with the users on Substack who comment on articles with links to their own stuff rather than engaging with the content of the article. Especially when their stuff is often wildly unrelated to whatever they're commenting on.

Coming tomorrow... Join @icysedgwick.bsky.social and me on a ghost hunt in the Scottish Borders. What would we experience on a winter's night in the darkness of Jedburgh Castle Jail. Find out in a very special FOUR-HOUR-LONG episode where you'll hear audio from that night 👻

Still feeling icky talking about self-promotion and upcoming books. But here I am: queenofswordspress.com/authors/joyc...

I'm still collecting children's folklore for my next podcast theme, and I'm getting some amazing responses - monsters, urban legends, games, even a Tin God! Still time to add yours to this Google Form: forms.gle/D8mLW7q2um5Z...

Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com

Highly recommend the Reimagined newsletter if you're not already subscribed, especially for those of you in the US; reimaginednews.beehiiv.com/subscribe?re...

The Newcastle Castle gives the city its name, and as with any castle, stories both sad and strange abound within. Let’s examine three legends in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore - including the legend of the Flying Donkey... youtu.be/Xx-lnPjm6as

A fascinating foray into Scots (via Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott) by @colingorrie.bsky.social www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/scots-engl...

We might associate February with 'love' thanks to St Valentine's Day, but love magic appears throughout the year in folklore. In my next talk at Newcastle Castle on 20 February at 6 pm, we'll explore love magic & divination involving plants & household items! www.newcastlecastle.co.uk/whats-on

January 20 is the Eve of St Agnes, a traditional time to dream of future partners. To induce such a dream, girls might put thyme in one shoe, and rosemary in the other, putting each shoe on either side of the bed, saying: “St Agnes, that’s to lovers kind, Come, ease the trouble of my mind”.

My new book, Bring Me Love, is out today! It explores how love magic and love divination appear in mostly European folklore, including a few things you can try for yourself! uk.bookshop.org/p/books/brin...

It might be Blue Monday, so here is one of my favourite blue flowers - the Agapanthus. They're native to Southern Africa and are sometimes known as the African lily in the UK. Except they are not lilies; they're in the Amaryllidaceae family! They were believed to help overcome a fear of storms!

Just had one of those obviously-written-by-AI emails, asking if I want an Amazon visibility report for a book that is traditionally published so I have no input into its appearance on Amazon. The writer claimed to be the CEO of Kobo Writing Life - yet was using a Gmail address 🤦🏻

I am incredibly excited to be doing an online talk all about my Research into Ann Morgan, The Wenlock Witch! We will be exploring the complex place the witch has in Shropshire and their cultural importance as well as exploring Ann Morgan's story in detail. www.folkloremythmagic.com/event-detail...

I assume they’re all narrated by Brian Blessed.

I'm collecting children's folklore for a forthcoming podcast theme - what do you remember believing as a kid, or what games did you play? And what do YOUR kids do for rites, games, and stories they pass on? Let me know! forms.gle/D8mLW7q2um5Z...

Look what the postie just delivered, the newest book by folklore legend (and rumoured cryptid in her downtime), the amazing @icysedgwick.bsky.social 🎉💘🔮

Few people have heard of Tyneside bard, Joe Wilson, though he was once famous for his music hall songs that told stories of ordinary life in the region. So who was he, and why is he important if we’re looking at a city through a folklore lens? pod.co/fabulous-fol...

So I've been talking about doing Fabulous Folklore merchandise for a while, but question is... Would anyone actually want any?

Happy birthday to Fabulous Folklore, which turns SEVEN today! Not bad for a podcast I started by accident!

Blue skies over Stanton Drew Stone Circles, Somerset, July 2023. In folklore, the stones were believed to drink at night from the river Chew. #StandingStoneSunday

So, ArtSky - I'm looking for a good digital art app on Android for drawing or painting. Any suggestions or recommendations? (Do not suggest Procreate, I don't use Apple)

Not all chronic illnesses are life-threatening — but many are life-altering. The impact isn’t always visible, and people deserve understanding and support without having to “prove” how hard it is.

This week's episode is about the Tyneside sporting anthem, 'The Blaydon Races'. We'll explore what the races were, and why they ended up being the subject of a music-hall song in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! pod.co/fabulous-fol...

March 7th — I'm giving a free online talk for #RomancingTheGothic on Mary Roberts Rinehart, "the American Agatha Christie," with special focus on her supernatural mysteries and the inspirations behind them Tickets: www.tickettailor.com/events/roman... or www.tickettailor.com/events/roman...

Help please! I'm putting together a big research proposal that will involve investigating C19th-early C20th burials in Liverpool, Dublin and NYC. If anyone knows of anyone in Dublin & NY who would be helpful for me to talk to/work with, or specific locations of interest, pls drop them here?! 🪦

#NollaignamBan The first woman admitted to the all-male Royal Astronomical Society, Agnes Mary Clerke's analyses were so reliable, thoughtful & wide reaching that she became a revered authority. The Clerke lunar crater was named to commemorate her. www.dib.ie/biography/cl... #DIBLives

DELL EXEC: Consumers are “not buying based on AI. In fact I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome." @pcgamer.com #CES www.pcgamer.com/hardware/del...

This week on Fabulous Folklore, I'm starting a month-long focus on finding folklore via urban local history. We're looking at three of Newcastle upon Tyne's disasters, how they appear in city legends and what they can tell us about the city here in the 2020s! youtu.be/_vPPgYi1ItU?...

Love this from Guillermo del Toro

For a twelfth night treat there's a new episode of Weird in the Wade available! The Prestonville Horror. What could be haunting late Victorian and Edwardian Brighton? Listen wherever you get your pods.Postcard from private collection of Wolfgang Sauber (Xenophon), Public domain, via WikiCommons

It's Twelfth Night, so time for more folklore shenanigans... www.icysedgwick.com/twelfth-nigh...

I'm pretty sure it's ridiculously hard to take a decent photo of the moon. In the Roman calendar, the full moon, or the Ides of the month, were sacred to Jupiter.

Let's explore a spot of bibliomancy for a New Year's Day divination! youtube.com/shorts/UOEfe...

New Year fast approaches, so I've dug out my podcast episode about New Year traditions, divinations, and rituals! pod.co/fabulous-fol...

An image a day for December 2025 no. 31. First footing gear. I've got an article on first-footing, but this is what I use when first-footing. Whisky for good cheer, coal for warmth, a silver coin for money, and the mince pies to ensure enough to eat all year! www.icysedgwick.com/first-footing/

A cold and frosty morning to end this year

👻NEW EPISODE👻 Following on where the Christmas special left off, I bring you one final dose of How Haunted? for the year. 90 minutes of listeners' ghost stories and more special polterguests as I'm joined by @icysedgwick.bsky.social, @stephlay.bsky.social and @hauntedupnorth.bsky.social

Following on from this brief thread on Ella Mary Leather and Herefordshire folklore generated by a recent podcast by the wonderful @icysedgwick.bsky.social I thought I'd even things up across the county border with a post about Charlotte Burne's work in #Shropshire

An image a day for December 2025 no. 30. Clematis. Clematis montana is more eye-catching in late spring in full bloom, but even its winter leaves have an ornamental charm. The plant comes from the Himalayas, China, and Tibet. 'Clematis' is Greek and comes from 'klema', meaning 'vine shoot'.

An image a day for December 2025 no. 29. Fungus. Fungi were originally considered plants, but were identified as part of the Fungi Kingdom in the mid-20th century. According to Kew Gardens, fungi shared a common ancestor with humans around 1.3 billion years ago!

Part two is coming on New Year's Eve. More ghost stories from listeners, and you'll hear me talking to some very special poltetguests as we hear scary experiences from @stephlay.bsky.social, @icysedgwick.bsky.social and Victoria from the @hauntedupnorth.bsky.social podcast 👻