While hiking the Dolomites, be wary of tiny, mysterious footprints. Wanderers may encounter the Mazaròl. He knows all of the secrets of butter and cheese making, but at the cost of a mortal's memories of their former life. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore Image: Anita Stizzoli

Oomancy, or egg divination, was (and still is) sometimes performed on people believed to have received the Evil Eye. The egg is passed over the person's body to absorb negative energy and then cracked to see if the energy has left the body. #BookologyThursday Art by Anton Pieck

Early Medieval bestiaries have perpetuated the myth that cranes on sentry duty for their flock will hold a rock. If they fell asleep and dropped it, they would be startled awake. During this period of time, cranes were a symbol of vigilance and loyalty. #MythologyMonday

Alice (1988) is a surrealist dark fantasy film by Czech film director Jan Švankmajer. It follows Alice as she wanders around a Wonderland full of bones, puppets, and taxidermy animals. #WyrdWednesday

Hares in folklore are sometimes considered unlucky, as they are often associated with witches. It is especially unlucky to kill a hare before dawn. A witch could take revenge on the hunter for destroying their animal body. #BookologyThursday

Soucouyants are described as female vampires in Caribbean folklore, shedding their skin by night and traveling as a ball of flame to hunt. If a person finds their skin before dawn and rubs salt and pepper on it, the Soucouyant is destroyed. #WyrdWednesday Art: Horrorpedia

Mo'o of Hawaiian legend are aquatic dragons that often appear as beautiful women, geckos, and giant lizards. In one tale, volcano goddess Pele sends her younger sister, Hi'iaka, on an errand to slay three mo'o and rescue her mortal sweetheart. #BookologyThursday Art by ArkaEdri

The gargoyles of Notre Dame Cathedral are also called "grotesques" or chimeras. They are built to resemble monstrous human-animal hybrids. Some function as water drainage, while others are purely ornamental and contribute to the imposing atmosphere of the church. #WyrdWednesday

🌿'Fairies and Elves dancing with Mr. Mouse' by Dorothy P. Lathrop

The Witch-Cat Trial of 1719 William Montgomery, a mason by trade, had his house overrun by many cats. One night, he found five cats by the fireside, and a servant told him that they were "speaking amongst themselves." #BookologyThursday

🍀🐇🍀To see a hare when setting out on a journey was believed to be a bad omen - but the danger could be countered by turning back and starting the journey again. #FolkloreThursday #FolkyFriday #FolkloreSunday

In a Dutch folktale, a man cursed the sun. He never left his house and walked around with an umbrella in his home when the sun shone. When he died, his body was sealed in 3 coffins and entombed in a dark crypt. The sun got him as the crypt split open, and sunlight touched his body. #WyrdWednesday

Kitsunebi are fire orbs created by fox spirits, a sign that other yokai are nearby. Malevolent foxes sometimes create them to lure travelers off of forest paths, and also during the night parade of one hundred demons. #WyrdWednesday Hiroshige, New Year's Eve Foxfires (1857)

The Demon Hour, or Witching Hour, is the time at night between 3:00am-4:00am when demons are said to be at their most powerful. #WyrdWednesday Art: Dragan Bibin

🌿An Elfin Dance by Richard Doyle, 1870.

A collection of illustrations from A Midsummer Night's Dream (1800s) #InternationalFairyDay 🌿

During Midsummer, bonfires are lit as a symbol of renewal. One custom in Denmark is to burn witch dolls made of hay. The fire would dispel their magic and cast their spirits away to the mountains. #FolkyFriday #Midsummer P.S. Krøyer, Midsummer Eve Bonfire on Skagen’s Beach, (1906)

"If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumbered here While these visions did appear." - Puck, A Midsummer Night's Dream #BookologyThursday

Want to meet your true love? At 12am on Midsummer Eve, run through a churchyard while spreading rose petals and chant “Rose leaves, rose leaves, rose leaves I strew, He that will love me, come after me now.” #WyrdWednesday A Midsummer Night's Dream, Gustav Doré (1870)

500,000 English Bluebells in our Ancient Woodland They are the same, but uniquely different, more so than other wildflowers It is the increasing number of bells through maturity, and the subsequent droop in the stem through weight that gives them their character & beauty

#FairyTaleTuesday "Summer Solstice" Līgo is a Latvian Midsummer celebration, people collect herbs to decorate homes and weave garlands. They bathe in the creek and sing Līgo songs in massive choirs. Watch me singing LĪGO here ↘️ youtu.be/8zt6X52njyI?...

In #ChineseMythology, in the blazing heart of the Kunlun Mountains, where fire meets the dark waters of the Weak River, a mythic ecosystem thrives. Beasts and plants endure the flames, and from their bark, fibers, or fur comes a fire-resistant cloth—a marvel of the ancient world. 1/2 🎨 -蘇俺-

Wyrdlings! Start crafting your flower crowns and join us for an early celebration of 🌸🌷Midsummer traditions and folklore🌺🌼 Get ready to dance around the maypole with us this #WyrdWednesday! See you then!

Midsummer is when the Holly King is victorious in battle over the Oak King, and rules the remaining half of the year. He will lose his crown again at Yule. #FairyTaleTuesday #Folklore Art: Yule King, Michael Kerbow

New things I’ll have this weekend at A2CAF! I’ve got a page in this super cute washi-themed zine put together by the Washi Station , and I finally printed the third year of Weekly Bun comics!! 😘

Periwinkle! In Mrs Burke's 1867 Illustrated Language of Flowers dictionary, white periwinkle meant 'pleasures of memory' and blue periwinkle meant 'early friendship'.

Visitors to the fairy realm should not touch food or drink unless they want to remain a part of that world forever. Sometimes, people are sent back home to wither away from being unable to eat anything. #BookologyThursday Art: The Goblins' Market, Margaret W. Tarrant

Show respect for the Fae by leaving regular gifts outside for them. They love milk, honey, alcohol, bread, and fresh fruit from the garden. #WyrdWednesday Art: Tuesday Riddell

As a kelpie submerges under the water of a riverbank, a clap of thunder is sure to follow. The wailing of this demon horse will warn of an approaching storm. #BookologyThursday Art by CapeKelpie

‘Look but don’t make it obvious’ Me:

Many superstitions surround the mercurial behavior of cats. When one washes behind its ears, it will soon rain, and if a black cat strolls across your path in England, it’s a sign of good fortune. In Welsh folklore, cats are said to bring good luck to a house. #folkloresunday

From one of the greatest stop-motion films of all time: A Midsummer Night's Dream (1959), dir. Jiří Trnka, Loutkový Film Praha

Mayflowers 🫠

I wrote about the gorgeous Sigurd cross here in Lancashire with a little bit of plant based folklore/mythology too for the Beltane issue! It’s free to read so please consider giving it a browse 👍🙏🖤 www.pagansofthenorth.co.uk

Vila Amalka (Amalka the Fairy) #bookologythursday #Beltane

Witch bottles were a folk magic practice in England and the United States that involved burying bottles to counter against witchcraft. They were often prepared by a folk healer and filled with urine, pins, needles, hair, red thread, and red wine. #WyrdWednesday #Walpurgisnacht

The next online talk with @folkloretodmorden.bsky.social is by @edkarshner.bsky.social! 'On Haints, Premonitions and Tricksters: Appalachian Folklore in Time and Place' will explore the practical wyrd-ness of an Appalachian “Haintology.” 7 pm BST on 7 May (replay available). Tickets: bit.ly/42vLoh5

In European folklore, it was believed that witches would transform into hedgehogs to steal milk and spy on neighbors. #WyrdWednesday

🎙New Episode 🎙 Our latest episode is a deep dive into Victorian, Edwardian, and modern beauty—exploring how ideals have evolved and their impact on us today. media.rss.com/the-shropshi... #BeautyHistory #VictorianEra #Podcast #Victorians #Shropshire #History #Folklore #Edwardians #Podcastsky

Book Cover of the Day:

Fairies floating downstream in a Peapod by Amelia Jane Murray (1800-1896) #WyrdWednesday

A Flemish superstition says that you must always crush crab shells before casting them into the sea. It was thought that the shells would transform into a boat otherwise, and witches would use these crab-boats to sail along a ship at night and doom the vessel. 🎨Federico Barocci #WyrdWednesday

The ouroboros is a symbol of a reptile that eats its own tail. Sometimes, it is described as a large serpent that encircles the world. It is common in many different cultures and often used to represent infinite cycles, such as death and rebirth. #WyrdWednesday

A great way to invite fairies into your garden is to plant a ring of flowers. However, if you find a ring of mushrooms, be careful not to step into it. Humans disappear into the fairy realm because of their own curiosity, and not because they have been tricked. #WyrdWednesday #LegendaryWednesday

Wyrdlings! Spring is in bloom...and so are the allergies! Join us this #WyrdWednesday for: 🌲Scents and Aromas🌸 Bring us the good, the bad, and the most downright pungent smells you can muster. See you then!

Happy #WorldBookDay 📚 everyone

Salamanders were once believed to both create and extinguish fire. When firewood was brought inside someone's home and burned, the sudden appearance of the hibernating animals rising from the ashes (escaping the flames) contributed to the myth that they are elemental spirits. #WyrdWednesday

Building inclusive #communities is key to a thriving future. Join @folkloresociety.bsky.social @folklorepod.bsky.social @superstitionsam.bsky.social and #CathBannister to talk about inclusive #engagement. Questions you'd like them to answer on the day? Post them below! Tickets: buff.ly/3COVz7A

In England it was said to be bad luck to pick a foxglove, as it would make the fairies angry. #WyrdWednesday 🎨 by Cicely Mary Barker, from 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴

According to a Flemish folktale, a brother murdered his sister during a walk. A blue flower started to grow at the place where he had buried his sister. One day, a merchant plucked the flower and it sang the song of how she ceased to be. 🎨Pauline Jamar #WyrdWednesday