I just published a new article about turtles in Japanese folklore and culture including folktales, yokai, ghosts, and art. I really hope you enjoy it! 🐢 open.substack.com/pub/curiouso... #JapaneseFolklore #JapaneseArt

Selkie Saturday (Boy Band Edition 🤣) 📸 by Karl Ramsdell kellyjarviswriter.com #selkiesaturday #selkies #SelkieMoon #seals #sealife #oceanphotography #fairytale #folklore

If you see this, I IMPLORE you to post a picture from whatever device you're using without explanation.

Tsurara-onna are by their nature tragic. They are Icicle Women of Japan, formed from the minds of lonely hearts, and appear for a season of fleeting, passionate love. Then, when the snow melts, so too does the Icicle Woman, leaving only a memory. #FolkyFriday 🖼: M. Meyer

Crusader Ghost (1916) illustration by Frank Dadd from the book ‘Old Christmas’ by Washington Irving (1783-1859) #PhantomsFriday

In Norse myths, the mountain giantess Skaði married the sea god Njörðr, as he had the nicest legs. But Skaði found she hated the sea because she couldn't ski there and gulls squawked all day, while Njörðr hated the snowy mountains because they were so cold and wolves howled all night. #FolkyFriday

RIP Robert A.M. Stern. The celebrated architect, who passed away yesterday, left quite a mark on Disney over the years as the designer of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building in California and several resorts at Walt Disney World including the Yacht Club (pictured here), Beach Club, and Boardwalk.

In the dead of winter, ghosts inhabit the high alps. #folkyfriday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Dance_of_the_Dead

The Cauld Lad of Hilton (Co Durham) is as much household #fairy as he is #ghost. A tale of a murdered boy's body being hidden in a pond had him moaning 'Cauld, aye cauld, forever more!' But, in fairy-like fashion, when clothes were laid out for him, he quit the castle. #PhantomsFriday #FolkyFriday

A pirate treasure is rumored to be buried somewhere on Mississippi’s Deer Island, but it has never been found. According to local legend, this treasure is guarded by a headless skeleton who chases away anyone who gets too close to its hiding place. #PhantomsFriday

Happy Turkey Day!

Why do some Chinese dragons coil endlessly around pillars, never soaring skyward? These are Pan Long (蟠龍), the earthbound rebels who failed to ascend to heaven. Ancient records say they stretched four zhang long (about 40 feet), wielding venom so lethal it killed on contact. But 1/2

In the Portuguese legend "The Rooster of Barcelos," a falsely accused man is brought before a judge during a banquet. Seeing a roasted rooster, the man says, "It's as certain I'm innocent as that rooster will crow." The rooster comes alive and crows, so the man's life is spared. #LegendaryWednesday

The Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele tests the generosity of humans by shapeshifting into an old beggar woman or a beautiful young hitchhiker. Those kind enough to help a stranger are rewarded, while those who aren't get their homes or possessions destroyed. #WyrdWednesday

A new challenger for cutest yokai ever has arrived. Have you ever heard of the yōfuku before? It's a relatively new discovery. What do you guys think about this one? www.patreon.com/posts/yofuku...

#WyrdWednesday Lenape myth tells how, during a bitterly cold winter, Rainbow Crow sacrificed his gentle voice & colourful plumage to collect a burning branch from the Sky Spirit & save fellow animals. His feathers were charred black & his voice turned harsh & hoarse. 🎨Davina Behin Jones

The Devil is always willing to help with major public works - but he always demands a sacrifice. #wyrdwednesday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Construction_of_the_Cathedral_at_Aachen_and_the_Lousberg_Hill

A legend from Guam’s Chamoru people tells of a giant fish who took massive bites out of the island's coast. To stop it from eating the rest of the island, a group of clever maidens sacrificed their magic hair and used it to weave a net that would be strong enough to hold the monster. #WyrdWednesday

In Chinese #folklore, “猴子撈月” tells of monkeys forming a chain to rescue the moon from a well, only to grasp its reflection. A tale of unity, yes, but also a quiet warning: not everything dazzling is real. Like chasing illusions, some efforts, no matter how sincere, end in empty hands. 🎨 Victo Ngai

Cranberry sauce

I'm currently writing a Folklore of Scotland. Here's a tale of the Faerie Cup of Mingary Castle. A magical vessel stolen from local faeries. It fills with whatever liquid the bearer wishes it to. Cheers! art: Celelia

Children of hulder-maidens are known to be great storytellers. Even the trolls come out of the forest to listen to their tales ❤️🧌 📖 and 🎨 by D’Aulaires’ Book of Trolls www.fairytalemagazine.com/post/the-tro... #FairyTaleTuesday #trolls #trollseason #fairytales

Happy 15th Anniversary to Tangled! Disney's animated re-imagining of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel was first released into theaters on this date in 2010. Fans of Rapunzel visiting Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom can spot her in Mickey's Magical Friendship Faire on the Castle Forecourt Stage.

#FolkloreSunday Many chilling tales tell of the evil dead but there are some that tell of the grateful dead. These are the dead who return from the afterlife to help a living person who helped them after had they died. Can the living help the dead, the dead help the living? Read on -

A little bit of autumn colors sneaking into the otherwise green Florida landscape.

Up the airy mountain, Down the rushy glen, We daren't go a-hunting For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather! 🪄 The Fairies, William Allingham 🎨 The Fairy Ring, George Cruikshank #FolkloreSunday #Fairytales

Hideously tinted but rather charming picture entitled 'The Fairy Circle'. It was reproduced in an edition of 'Pall Mall Magazine' in 1907 and is by Elsie Gregory. #fairy #fairies #faerie #folklore

In a folktale from the Isle of Man, a Manxman once sold his horse to what he thought was just a little man he met on the road but quickly became terrified upon witnessing the horse and its fairy buyer suddenly sink down into the earth and disappear once the deal was done. #FolkloreSunday

The tale of the boy who went out to learn what fear was is a #fairytale from the Brothers Grimm. On the first night of his adventure, giant #blackcats visit him to play cards, & he keeps them at bay when they attack. 🐾 #Caturday #cats #art

Cat and squirrel, Theodor Kittelsen. #Caturday

Zeppelin Cats soaring high on #Caturday. 1914 illustration from "American Cookery"

Happy 30th Anniversary, Toy Story! The groundbreaking movie, which was both the first computer animated feature film and Pixar's feature debut, was released into theaters on this date in 1995. 30 years later, Walt Disney World guests can visit an entire Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Heinrich Schlitt, c.1912. #FrogForFriday #FaerieFriday

#PhantomsFriday A giant ghost at Benton, Indiana, 1896. "The Weird Visitor is Eight Feet High and Wears White Robes Shooting Parties Fill It With Buckshot With Harmless Results Carries a Club and Haunts the Cemetery" "Killed by a Specter" chapter in The Ghost Wore Black, available worldwide.

Florida's Tampa Theatre is a historic 1920s movie palace that is said to be haunted by multiple ghosts including its long-time projectionist. One of his successors reported the feeling of being poked in the shoulder by an invisible hand whenever it was time to change the movie reels. #PhantomsFriday

Watch Gonzo reprise his classic song "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday" in one of the most beautifully shot Muppet videos ever. www.toughpigs.com/gonzo-back-t...

When the forest spirits of the Schömberg region abandoned their former homes, they left white sparrows behind so that the mortals would remember them. #wyrdwednesday #poland #folktale #folklore https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Forest_Spirits_and_the_White_Sparrows

Among Turkish mythology across Central Asia, the Tulpar is a winged horse, black or white in color, known to be faster than a storm and able to cross great distances quickly. The first fiddle was made from a Tulpar's hair and sinews. #WyrdWednesday 🖼: A. Santiso

If you see this, post your getaway vehicle.

#WyrdWednesday The fascinating Day and Night print by Dutch artist M C Escher.

In 1519, a long, black figure was spotted in Murder Alley of the town of Hof. #wyrdwednesday #germany #folktale #folklore https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Long_Man_in_the_Murder_Alley_at_Hof

The animated movie "The Last Unicorn" released on this day November 19th, 1982 A classic from my childhood based on a great book 🦄 here is my tribute to the film, singing as Lady Amalthea #filmsky Do you remember this one? 80s was the BEST decade for fantasy films www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u3P...

On the road from Waldwimmersbach to Dilsberg, a poodle will appear to travelers whose color changes from black to white to black again. #wyrdwednesday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Ghostly_Dog

According to Hawaiian folklore, Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, is accompanied by a white dog. Because of this, a white dog being sighted near one of Hawaii’s volcanoes is considered a warning from Madame Pele that an eruption will soon follow. #WyrdWednesday

Happy Birthday, Mickey Mouse!

A #Pembrokeshire boy, Elydir, was favoured by the Tylwyth Teg and they took him to Annwn to play with the king's son. On one of his trips home, his mother begged him to take just one of the balls of gold they played with. But the #fairies retook it and he was banned from Annwn forever. #FolkTaleWeek

Amongst the assorted curiosities described in Olaus Magnus' 1555 tome on Nordic life was the morse — a hirsute, fearsome walrus-like beast, that was said to snooze upon cliffs while hanging by its teeth: publicdomainreview.org/essay/d...

Visited the Sarasota Medieval Fair for the first time over the weekend and enjoyed it a lot! From jousting and combat to music and comedy, there was great entertainment around every corner, including a few familiar faces I knew from other festivals that it was nice to see again.

In Japanese folklore be sure you follow the appropriate protocols when building your home: if a pillar is placed upside down, the spirit of the dead tree, the sakabashira, will manifest as a luck-stealing poltergeist, moaning and causing misery. #FolkloreSunday 🖼: M. Meyer