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Folklore and Cinema: The Trick Films of Georges Méliès
Visionary film director and stage magician Georges Méliès is perhaps the earliest filmmaker who saw the visual potential of folklore. Among others, m…
12 hours ago
The Folklore of Stringed Musical Instruments: The Viola, Irish Harp, Violin, and Guitar
Musical instruments appear scattered throughout various folktales. A drum lies at the centre of the Tedworth Drummer story. Pipers and drummers try t…
1 week ago
Theatre Superstitions: Whistling, the Ghost Light, and Macbeth
Going to the theatre can often feel like a magical experience. You sit in the dark, watching a story unfold in front of you, with your imagination fi…
2 weeks ago
Cursed Artworks: Three Haunted Paintings and their Superstitions
Folklore and the arts are almost natural bedfellows. As we saw with the work of Newcastle-based painter Ralph Hedley, artists can capture local tradi…
3 weeks ago
Divination Using Clouds, Flames, Ashes, and Dreams
Studying the shapes of things is a popular means of divination, relying on human pattern recognition abilities. Look at reading tea leaves and coffee…
4 weeks ago
Random Chance Divination: Casting Lots and Throwing Dice
Divination is a beautifully varied practice, with a plethora of tools and practices designed to give insight into situations. Practices like reading …
1 month ago
Pendulum Dowsing: From the Sieve and Shears to Looking for Love
Last week, we looked at the use of dowsing to find treasure or criminals. Like water dowsing, this method requires the use of a rod that twitches in …
1 month, 1 week ago
The Scottish Fairy Courts with Morgan Daimler
Morgan Daimler is a witch who has been a polytheist since the early 1990s. Following a path inspired by the Irish Fairy Faith blended with neopagan w…
1 month, 1 week ago
Dowsing for Treasure and Criminals: Extra Uses for Divining Rods
Dowsing is often used to find water, minerals, or even lost items. Where divination usually seeks to provide information, here the information is of …
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Walnut Trees in Folklore: Evil Shade and Helpful Remedies
When it comes to the walnut tree, we're probably more familiar with their produce than the actual tree. Walnuts are easily recognisable, and present …
1 month, 3 weeks ago