It's Penguin Awareness Day 🐧 A devious penguin plans a grand theft. It involves putting Wallace in danger. Will Gromit stop the feathered fiend? The Wrong Trousers, 1993 dir. Nick Park

It's National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 Cheese-loving Wallace and his dog Gromit find their fridge empty. Knowing that the moon is made of cheese, they build a rocket and fly there Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out, 1989 dir. Nick Park

In Cumbrian dialects, 'pyat' is magpie: One is for sorrow, but two for mirth, three's for a wedding, four for a death, five for heaven, six for hell, but seven's the divil's oan sel more in my: 'Folklore of the Lake District" #folklore #lakedistrict #booksky art: Christian Schmidt-Ramussen

Wishing Tom Baker, the fourth Doctor a very Happy Birthday; #botd 1934

Promo shot of Tippi Hedren #botd 1930 for Hitchcock's 'The Birds'.

Let's head to Scotland for #BlueMonday and discover 'The Blue Men of the Minch', beings from folklore who inhabit a stretch of water between the Outer Hebrides and mainland Scotland, looking for sailors to drown and stricken boats to sink.

In Cumbrian dialects, dandelion is dog-posy or pissibed The floating seeds are called 'faeries' and it's lucky to catch one more nature lore and dialect in my "Folklore of the Lake District" #nature #folklore #booksky art: Adam Oehlers

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping... ~ from The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, #botd 1809 art: The Raven by Gustave Doré

📚 Tales of over 200 goblin and goblin-like characters from world folklore "Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; a encyclopedia of world folklore" by Stephen G. Rae more: folklorepress.co.uk #bookologythursday #booksky

📚 Why not come on a magical journey in folklore through the Lake District and its surrounding counties "Folklore of the Lake District" by Stephen G. Rae more: folklorepress.co.uk #bookologythursday #booksky

In Cumbrian dialects, 'sweetmart' is pine marten in lore, pine martens are believed to plait horses’ manes during the night more: "Folklore of the Lake District" bardofcumberland.com/folklore/ #nature #folklore #lakedistrict art: Robert E. Fuller

In Cumbrian dialects, 'mowdiwarp' is mole In lore, if you hold a dying mole in your hands until it passes, your hands will acquire the power of healing from: Folklore of the Lake District bardofcumberland.com/folklore/ #nature #folklore #booksky art: Fern Forest Fables

"For just across the Lune's broad stream, A man once lived could solve a dream" local wizard, William Fairer's 'Book of Black Art' was too dangerous to open and went missing after his death more: "Folklore of the Lake District" bardofcumberland.com/folklore/ #bookologythursday #booksky

20 top selling books @samreadbookseller.bsky.social Top 5 were: 1. Rory Stewart, Middleland 2. Polly Atkin, The Company of Owls HB 3. Esther Rutter, All Before Me 4. David Nicholls, You Are Here 5. Stephen G Rae, Folklore of the Lake District #bookologythursday #booksky

Stikini, from Seminole myth. Witches that transform into giant owls. By day they resemble people; at night they vomit up their internal organs and hang them in a tree, to become these owl monsters that feed on human hearts. art: Mary Metzger

Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; a encyclopedia of world folklore" by Stephen G. Rae tales of over 200 goblin and goblin-like characters from world folklore more: folklorepress.co.uk #folklore #goblins #booksky

Why not come on a magical journey in folklore through the Lake District and its surrounding counties Folklore of the Lake District by Stephen G. Rae more: folklorepress.co.uk #folklore #lakedistrict #booksky

The lonely road between Bardsea and Rampside is haunted by a 'Dobbie' and his companion a white hair Read more in: "Folklore of the Lake District" by Stephen G. Rae #bookwormsat #folklore 📷 Land of Lore Films

📚 "Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; a encyclopedia of world folklore" by Stephen G. Rae tales of over 200 goblin and goblin-like characters from world folklore more: folklorepress.co.uk #folklore #goblins #booksky

📚 Why not come on a magical journey in folklore through the Lake District and its surrounding counties "Folklore of the Lake District" by Stephen G. Rae more: folklorepress.co.uk #folklore #lakedistrict #booksky

Fairy Rock is associated with a Fairie Queen who falls in love with a human. The Fairies would dance in the moonlight to entice handsome young men into their grotto more in my: "Folklore of the Lake District" art: The Fairy Dance by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach

"Animists are people who recognize that the world is full of persons, only some of whom are human" ~ Prof. Graham Harvey art: Ed Org

From Stephen's "Folklore of the Lake District" : Crab apple is 'scarb' in Cumbrian dialects Our original apple, and sacred to the Druids: its flowers have five petals, a revered number; cut the apple in half to find a pentagram; used to journey into The Otherworld #bookologythursday #folklore

Delighted to announce that Stephen G. Rae will be joining the likes of Simon Armitage, Lee Child, Penny Mordaunt, Val McDermid at "Words by the Water" in March 2026 to give a talk on his book, "Folklore of the Lake District"

📚 Why not come on a magical journey in folklore through the Lake District and its surrounding counties "Folklore of the Lake District" by Stephen G. Rae more: folklorepress.co.uk #folklore #lakedistrict #booksky

📚 "Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; a encyclopedia of world folklore" by Stephen G. Rae tales of over 200 goblin and goblin-like characters from world folklore more: folklorepress.co.uk #folklore #goblins #booksky

In Cumbrian dialects, 'thimble-flower' is foxglove, 'bummel' is bee, and 'tod' is fox in lore, fox carries a magical pearl, that brings good luck to whomever finds it more: "Folklore of the Lake District" bardofcumberland.com/folklore/ #nature #folklore #booksky 📷 Alan McFadyen

Thanks to @thefolklorepress.bsky.social for bringing to my attention these quirky illustrations by Slovak illustrator Peter Klúcik for an unpublished edition of The Hobbit. They’re simply delightful! It’s as if Roald Dahl grew a very long beard and relocated to Middle Earth! #TolkienDay

Huan, the Hound of Valinor, was a great wolfhound, one of the hunting dogs of Oromë the Hunter. It was prophesied that Huan could not be killed, unless by a werewolf. #BookWormSat #TolkienDay

Peter Klucik's illustration for an unpublished version of "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien #botd 1892 #TolkienDay #TheHobbit

The first full moon of 2026 will illuminate the skies on 3 January. Known as the #WolfMoon, it will be the fourth supermoon in a row; and the first of 13 full moons this year. Named by both Europeans and Indigenous Peoples due to the lupine howling that haunted midwinter.

I'm currently writing a folklore of Scotland: "Not the seed of Adam are we, Nor is Abraham our father, But of the seed of the Proud Angel, Driven forth from Heaven" In the Highlands, there was a belief that faeries were fallen angels. #faeriefriday #folklore #booksky

The January 2026 edition of 'Cumbria and Lakeland Walker magazine' is out now It includes my regular article on Cumbrian folklore, and this month, ghost stories cumbriamagazine.co.uk #folklore #ghoststories #Cumbria

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year 💚 May the warmth of the sun, nurture you; The cool waters, cleanse you; Nature's bounty, replenish you; The song of the trees, comfort you; The knowledge of the bees, guide you. ~ Druid Blessing by Stephen G. Rae

Scottish Wildcat, or the Highland Tiger A Wildcat lives in The Underworld, he's called Little Cat and guards a vast treasure. For any would-be thief, Little Cat transforms into a flaming arrow reducing said thief to ashes! #bookologythursday #folklore 📷 Tony Hamblin

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year 🎊 Thank you for following us and for all the book purchases. Coming in 2026 is a Folklore of Scotland, so as they say north of the border: "Lang may yer lum reek!"

What a year, and many thanks to all who have supported my writing endeavours Especially @samreadbookseller.bsky.social and @bookendscarlisle.bsky.social 💚 #folklore #lakedistrict #booksky

Our 20 top selling books at Sam Read's for 2025 look like this! Top 5 were: 1. Rory Stewart, Middleland 2. Polly Atkin, The Company of Owls HB 3. Esther Rutter, All Before Me 4. David Nicholls, You Are Here 5. Stephen G Rae, Folklore of the Lake District

Christmas tales from Cumbria and beyond; based on Stephen's folklore books

"Deep Peace to You Deep peace of the running wave to you Deep peace of the flowing air to you Deep peace of the quiet earth to you Deep peace of the shining stars to you" ~ Irish Druid blessing #WinterSolstice

It's #RobinDay 💚 At the #WinterSolstice, Robin (the new sun) kills his father the Wren (the old sun), and that's now Robin got his red breast, from the blood of his father. 📷 Andrew Howe

Stephen will be joining the likes of Simon Armitage, Lee Child, Penny Mordaunt, Val McDermid at "Words by the Water" in March 2026 #BookWormSat #BookFestival

Want to know more of the Kallikantzaroi, the Christmas Goblins? Read: "Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; an encyclopedia of world folklore" by Stephen G. Rae Link: folklorepress.co.uk #BookWormSat #folklore #books

Here's a Festive treat, a 1810 recipe for Fig Sewe: chopped figs bread cut into small cubes boiled in ale seasoned with treacle and nutmeg more: 'Folklore of the Lake District' bardofcumberland.com/folklore/ #bookwormsat #folklore

Trow live in mounds called Trowie Knowes, venturing out at dusk to play music. The best fiddle music has been gifted by the Trows "Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; an encyclopedia of world folklore" by Stephen G. Rae #booksky #folklore #goblins art: Stephen G. Rae

Brownies, hairy household helpers who come out at night to do chores; most common in Scots lore, but tales exist in Cumbria also "Folklore of the Lake District" by Stephen G. Rae #booksky #folklore #lakedistrict art: Stephen G. Rae

Delighted to announce that I shall be giving a talk at "Words by the Water" next year

In the Lakes for a holiday and picked up this little wonder by @stephengrae.bsky.social at the lovely @samreadbookseller.bsky.social in Grasmere. Really looking forward to reading some local tales on a wet December night.

Furness Book Fair, 2026 Open to an indie authors and indie bookshops in the South Lakes area. Contact me for more details.

The "Luck of Edenhall" is a glass goblet given as a gift by local faeries. In reality, the butler stole it from the faerie folk more: 'Folklore of the Lake District' by Stephen G. Rae #bookologythursday #folklore 📷 V&A London