Toxic Trees: Folklore of Juniper, Laburnum and Oleander

Birds of prey have an interesting relationship to humans, having been both competing predators and avian companions for leisure pursuits. They've provided omens through the practice of augury, or divi...

10 Aug 202420min

Thersa Matsuura, an American author living in Japan, explores lesser-known aspects of Japanese culture, folklore, superstitions, and myths. Fluent in Japanese, she uses her research to write stories a...

8 Aug 202438min

Few watery scenes are quite complete without birds in the picture. Ducks drifting across a country pond. Gulls wheeling in the sky above the beach, before they divebomb an unsuspecting tourist for the...

3 Aug 202420min

Sunderland began life as three separate settlements on the River Wear. A fishing village called 'Soender-land', or land that is cut asunder' existed by 1100. By the 18th century, Sunderland had replac...

27 Juli 202431min

Marion Gibson writes accurate, engaging books about witches and magic in history. She’s been interested in witches for over thirty years, since she read the words of women accused of witchcraft in Eli...

25 Juli 202449min

Carlisle began life as Luguvalium, a Roman settlement that grew out of the fort on the site. It was the capital of an ancient British kingdom. Both Vikings and Saxons captured the city. Over time, it...

20 Juli 202428min

While York is often considered one of England's most haunted cities, other strange and unusual tales lurk in its narrow snickleways. There are stories of premature burial, printer's devils, cats that...

13 Juli 202419min

There is much of the strange and haunting in Sheffield's folklore. Does that make it a haunted place? There are stories of water gods in the River Don, demanding annual sacrifices, boggards in boggar...

6 Juli 202416min