Frankenstein Castle, Hesse, Germany, was the birthplace of an alchemist who allegedly invented an elixir of life & conducted experiments on dead bodies. Some claim he tried to animate the bodies with lightning & that he may have inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. #WyrdWednesday #folklore #gothic

Mount Vesuvius, near Naples, was - according to Roman myth - once inhabited by a race of giant bandits. These 'sons of the earth' were subdued by Heracles, who seems to have been worshipped in the surrounding area. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #mythology #history

Lady Chatterley's Lover was 1st published privately in Florence. An attempt by Penguin in 1960 to publish an uncensored version in the UK resulted in an obscenity trial at the Old Bailey, which Penguin won. Helped by this publicity, 3 million copies were soon sold #LegendaryWednesday #booksky #books

The Greek sun god Helios driving his chariot across the sky. A fairly minor deity, Helios was maybe best known for having his cattle killed & eaten by Odysseus's men. In later antiquity, he grew in importance due to being identified with powerful solar gods like Apollo & Sol. #FolkyFriday #folklore

The elephant & castle is a traditional symbol of strength. It was used on coinage in the 1st century BC. The Romans used war elephants, including in the invasion of Britain. The South London area of Elephant & Castle likely derives its name from a pub. #FairytaleTuesday #history #folklore #London

Superstition states that if you spill salt during a meal, you should throw some over your shoulder to avoid bad luck or to keep evil at bay. This possibly links back to a time when salt was very expensive so it was considered bad luck to waste it. #FolkyFriday #folklore #history #food

#LegendaryWednesday In return for using his sorcery to enable Uther Pendragon to seduce Igraine, Merlin took the baby conceived through their liaison - Arthur - and oversaw his upbringing and education.

"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall" William #Shakespeare, Measure for Measure. #ShakespeareSunday #literature #theatre #books #gothic

'Whitechapel Bell Foundry' (from 'Odd Jobs', 1935) by Pearl Binder

@david-castleton.bsky.social Interesting read. www.davidcastleton.net/gibbets-gall...

Dozmary Pool, on Bodmin Moor, #Cornwall, is said to have been the abode of the Lady of the Lake of Arthurian #mythology. It was also said to be home to a grim giant or damned soul who could be heard howling on stormy nights. My article: www.davidcastleton.net/dozmary-pool... #WyrdWednesday #folklore

St Valentine's Keys are exchanged between lovers in Italy in the belief they may 'unlock the giver's heart'. Some also see them as a charm to ward off epilepsy, which in #medieval times was called 'St Valentine's Malady'. #FairytaleTuesday #gothic #folklore #weird

Moscow Tram Festival in Moscow 2016 (TRI-X 400). Camera: Canon EOS 55 Lens: Canon Zoom Lens EF 70-210mm Film: Kodak Professional TRI-X 400 FILM 16/04/2016 #filmphotography #blackandwhite #trix400film #trix400 #35mm #believeinfilm #streetphotography #believeinfilm #film #blackandwhitephoto #bwfilm

In addition to Loch Ness, several other Scottish lakes claim monsters. In Loch Morar lurks Morag. The first sighting is said to date to 1887. Two men in a boat attacked by Morag described her as brown, 25-30-feet long & with three dorsal humps. #SwampSunday #folklore #Scotland #weird #cryptoids

"Frame your mind to mirth and merriment, which bars a thousand harms and lengthens life." #Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew. #ShakespeareSunday #literature #books #theatre

The Greek goddess Hecate was associated with crossroads & boundaries. Some felt she had the power to unlock gates between realms. The poet Theocritus stated she could unlock the gates of death. Virgil described the entrance to Hades as 'Hecate's Grove'. #BookWormSat #folklore #mythology #art

In Frensham, Surrey, are 3 hills called the Devil's Jumps. #Folklore claims the Devil stole a cauldron from a local witch, who set off on her broomstick in pursuit. As he ran away, the Fiend made three huge leaps, throwing up mounds of dirt that became the hills. #FolkyFriday #gothic #weird

It's said that if it rains on St Swithun's Day (15th July) it will rain for the next 40 days. #Folklore claims comes from him asking to be buried outside where the raindrops would fall on his tomb. When moved indoors in 971, he expressed his displeasure with a torrential downpour. #WyrdWednesday

Jack Frost is a figure in English #folklore said to leave fernlike patterns of ice on windows & to nip fingers & toes. The 1st known reference to Jack is in the book 'Round about our Coal Fire', 1732, but he may have roots in older personifications of winter. #FairytaleTuesday #history #weird

A monster has been spotted several times in and around the St Johns River, #Florida. Descriptions have ranged from a brontosaurus to a big manatee-type creature to a dragon-like animal with a head resembling a snail's with giant horns. #SwampSunday #folklore #weird #cryptozoology

Narcissus was the subject of a prophecy - that he would only live long if he never knew himself - & a curse: that the one he fell in love with could never love him back. He fell for his own reflection in a pool & melted away from the fire of his passion. #FolkloreSunday #folklore #mythology #art

"By heaven, I will tear thee joint from joint And strew this hungry churchyard with thy limbs The time and my intents are savage, wild, More fierce and inexorable far Than empty tigers or the roaring sea." #Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet. #ShakespeareSunday #graveyard #gothic #literature #books

Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce begins and ends with the same sentence. So, after making the colossal effort to slog through the gargantuan, barely comprehensible tome, you end up right back where you started - something that probably amused Joyce immensely. #BookWormSat #literature #books #weird

Prometheus stole fire from the Greek gods & gave it to humanity, for which he was severely punished. Seen as the author of human arts & sciences, he represented the striving for knowledge. The Romantics saw him as a lone genius, whose efforts could lead to tragedy. #FolkyFriday #folklore #mythology

Orpheus is a poet of Greek #mythology whose songs could charm wild beasts & make rocks & trees dance. He visited the underworld & even won over Hades. After he was torn apart by followers of Dionysus, his head - still singing - floated down the River Hebrus. #BookologyThursday #folklore #poets

#London legend claims that the Celtic Queen Boudicca is buried beneath Platform 10 of Kings Cross Station and that she made her last stand against the Romans at nearby Battle Bridge on the now-buried River Fleet. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #weird #psychogeography

"It is far harder to kill a phantom than a reality." Virginia Woolf. #BookwormSat #literature #books #writing #reading #authors

25th Jan - St Paul's Day - was a day for predicting the weather for the year: "If Paul's be fair & clear, we shall have a happy year, But if it be both wind & rain, dear will be all types of grain ... If clouds & mist do dark the sky, great store of birds & beasts shall die." #FolkyFriday #folklore

According to #folklore, anybody born on Christmas Day would be exceptionally lucky, would never see spirits or ghosts, and would never die by drowning or being hanged. #FolkloreThursday #weird

Some say St James Garlickhythe, City of #London, is haunted by Dick Whittington's cat. Whittington was buried at nearby St Michael Paternoster Royal & a mummified cat was found during a search for his grave, but #folklore insists his cat haunts St James's. #FairytaleTuesday #weird #gothic #cats

A Boxing Day custom was 'hunting the Wren', though these hunts made so much noise it's unlikely many wrens were caught. At most times of year, it was unlucky to kill the 'King of the Birds' - this may be an example of a taboo act being allowed on special days. #folkloresunday #folklore #weird

When Lord Byron was told he couldn’t keep a dog in his room at Cambridge University, his response was to acquire a different pet – a bear. As the regulations made no mention of bears, the university had to accept Byron’s unusual roommate. #Bookwormsat #literature #poets #poetry #Romantics #weird

Some dark superstitions concerned hats. Hanging a hat on a doorknob meant that anybody present would die. Anyone who put on a hat owned by a person in mourning would be in mourning themselves by the year's end. #WyrdWednesday #folklore #gothic #hats #weird

The idea that if the ravens leave the Tower of London England will fall may date back no further than World War II. However, #medieval legend tells of the head of the giant & king Bran the Blessed being buried on Tower Hill as a protective talisman. 'Bran' means 'raven'. #FolkloreSunday #folklore

“I sung of Chaos and Eternal Night, Taught by the heav'nly Muse to venture down The dark descent, and up to reascend ...” John Milton, Paradise Lost #BookWormSat #Literature #books #poetry #folklore #poets #poems #art

winter walk

Around Plough Monday - the 1st Monday after 6th Jan - 'plough lights' burned in churches to bless farmworkers' efforts. Sometimes the village plough - loaned out to those who couldn't afford their own - was kept in the church & presumably benefitted from the blessings too. #FolklyFriday #folklore

In Aconbury, Herefordshire, #folklore claimed that at midnight on 12th Night (5th-6th January) the waters of St Ann's Well bubbled furiously & gave off a blue haze. Locals competed fiercely to get the first bucket of this liquid, which was believed to cure eye problems. #FairytaleTuesday #weird

In the Middle Ages, people bent coins when making a wish, seeking a cure, or making a vow. While bending the coin, one had to remember to offer it to a saint. #MythologyMonday #folklore #history #medieval

Some versions of Sleeping Beauty have a 2nd part after the prince & princess have married. An ex of the prince, jealous of his new family, hires a cook to kill his children & serve them in a meal. However, the plan is thwarted & the ex suffers a similar fate herself. #BookWormSat #folklore #weird

Around New Year, people toured their neighbourhoods bearing 'wassail' bowls filled with mulled, spiced cider or ale. They'd call at houses, offer this drink, sing a song & get food, money or more drink in return. To drink from the wassail bowl brought luck. #FolkyFriday #folklore #history

Donskoy Monastery. Necropolis. Noir sketches Taken with a KitCam camera 3 Jun 2013 #donskoymonastery #kitcam #noir_shots #blackandwhite #monochrome #noir #snap_bnw #emotional_dark_pictures #bnwzone #necropolis #cemetery #graveyard #gravestatue #cemeterysculpture #KitCamApp #dark #bnw_dark #bnwmood

The Wild Hunt - a #folklore motif in which dead or damned souls rampage across the sky. The hunt could be led by witches or by figures as diverse as Odin, the Devil, King Arthur or Cain. The hunt was most common in winter & could be an omen of disaster or death. #FolkloreThursday #gothic #weird

A custom common around #NewYear - especially in Yorkshire & the north east - is the sword dance. Dancers move in circular patterns before intertwining their blades & raising them to the sky in a 'knot' or 'rose'. My article: davidcastleton.net/strange-chri... #LegendaryWednesday #folklore #history

A very #HappyNewYear to all my readers, followers and friends. To celebrate this special day, I'm sending you a #Victorian New Year card showing a gigantic beetle pointing a telescope at the moon. #NewYear #NewYearsDay #gothic #history #folklore #weird

Book Cover of the Day:

A #NewYear custom in Scotland & northern England is first footing. The New Year is 'let in' just after midnight, usually by a dark-haired man bearing items symbolic of fuel, prosperity & food, such as coins, notes, wood, coal & Christmas cake. #Folklore #history #NewYearsEve #FairytaleTuesday

New Year's Eve is the night of the Allendale Tar Bar'ls - a fantastic New Year tradition in Northumberland

🎄 #GothicAdvent #HappyNewYear2025