Inviting Sin-Eaters to a Funeral: Fact or Folklore?
Sin-eaters appear in Welsh records back to the 1680s. Though there is some dispute as to whether the custom was genuine, or misinterpreted by an over-zealous scholar. Were they real, or a neat snippet...
22 Feb 202014min
Cemetery superstitions: How to avoid bad luck in a graveyard
Cemeteries are either fascinating monuments to social history, or eerie gardens populated by the dead. There are also a plethora of superstitions that dictate how a burial should happen, how people sh...
15 Feb 202018min
Roses are Red: The Sinister Side of Valentine's Day Folklore
Sending mean cards? Eating mashed earthworms? Using jack o’lanterns to light medieval love banquets? They’re all surprising yet vaguely sinister ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Find out more abou...
8 Feb 202015min
Premature Burial: Lived Once, Buried Twice
Fears around premature burial were very real in earlier centuries, leading to the invention of devices like the cemetery bell. But how many of the stories are true, and how many are mere folklore? F...
1 Feb 202018min
Moths in Folklore: Bringers of Death and Letters
Moths are the darker twin of the butterfly, representing death, bad omens, and...getting letters! They're also linked to urban legends through the figure of the Mothman. But is their creepy reputati...
25 Jan 202017min
Rats in Folklore: Signs of Bad Luck and Harbingers of Doom
Many associate rats with portents of doom or incoming bad luck. But how else do they appear in folklore and superstition? Find out more about them in this episode! See the images on the blog post h...
18 Jan 202020min
Bats in Folklore: Vampires, Familiars and Death Omens
Bats are fascinating creatures and they're helpful to humans. But they fall foul of old folklore and superstitions about them - people once saw them as witches' familiars or evil death omens. Find o...
11 Jan 202018min
Boost your New Year with Twelfth Night folklore!
The presents have long been opened. No one can find anything decent to watch on TV. It feels weird to still say 'Merry Christmas' so we've all switched to saying 'Happy New Year' instead. But no matte...
4 Jan 202018min
