All articles in Folklore
19th August, 2025 in Folklore
‘Un-Disneyfying’ our folk tales
Since the 1930s, Walt Disney and the Disney corporation have brought us some of the most magical and spell binding cinema experiences of all time, with the vast majority of their films retelling traditional folk and fairy tales. As children, we all remember watching with wide-eye…
13th August, 2025 in Folklore, Local & Family History
The magical landscape of Wales
Wales holds in the popular imagination a reputation of magic, mystery, and ancient ways. A land apart from its’ neighbours, Cymru has been a destination for centuries, but more importantly it is home to a proud culture. Yet, despite the richness of its’ heritage, only certain asp…
14th July, 2025 in Folklore
Leannan Sidhe: The story of the lovesick Irish fairy
An Irish folklore story from the new book The Anthology of Irish Folk Tales Volume II out July 2025. Every county in Ireland has its own tale of the Leannan Sidhe, the fairy lover, and County Derry is no different. The story is told of a young man trying to withstand the romantic…
15th May, 2025 in Folklore
The tale of Orpheus and Eurydice
A folk tale extracted from the new book Folk Tales for Health and Wellbeing by Adam Bushnell for Mental Health Awareness Week. A famous tale from Ancient Greece is a tragic story of love and loss. Yet, it also contains the power of undying hope. It is a story of endurance and per…
31st March, 2025 in Folklore, Natural World
The Mesolithic Mermaid and the Welsh Utopia
A magical mermaid story extracted from the new book Welsh Folk Tales of Coast and Sea by Peter Stevenson. The Welsh Utopia Amser maith yn ôl / A long time ago. The shallow sea in Cardigan Bay, from Pen Llŷn in the north to Ceredigion in the west, was once a mix of forests, lakes,…
21st October, 2024 in Folklore
A Christmas tale: The Old Man and the Lamps
A winter tale for cosy season from Anna Maria Vilhelmina Hellberg Moberg author of Swedish Folk Tales. Once upon a time there was a lonely, old man who lived in a little cottage in the woods. There, the old man sat all alone, as the sun was slowly setting and darkness engulfed hi…
27th September, 2024 in Folklore
What makes a Halloween?
Prepare for spooky season by learning more about the historic origins of Halloween. Extracted from the new book Halloween Folklore and Ghost Stories out this Autumn. What is Halloween? First, the name. The general presumption is that the word ‘Halloween’ is simply a shortened for…
13th June, 2024 in Folklore, Natural World
A time traveller’s guide to watching the sunrise
To mark the Summer solstice join Dawn Nelson author of Stories of the Sun as she watches the sunrise… Come with me to a hillside where the trees face east and if you stand with them, you can watch the sunrise. Here the twilight lingers and the dew on the grass glistens in the g…
3rd April, 2024 in Folklore
Folk tales from the Scottish coastline
When it comes to folk tales in Scotland we find that the sea plays a very important role, and it’s hardly surprising. The coastline is over 11,600 miles long, taking in all the islands, both large and small. The sea dominated the lives of so many, and the old tales reflected the…
7th November, 2023 in Folklore
A Fire Tail
The relationship between fire and story goes back a long way. Since the first deliberate kindling of fire, people have been gathered into the warmth and light from the fire-side, which also assured safety from predators. To prepare for cosy season, we’re sharing a story from Chri…
20th October, 2023 in Folklore
The Storm Witches of Rocqueberg in the Channel Islands
The Channel Islands have a rich legacy of interwoven folklore, an antique tapestry full of faery creatures and mythical beasts. Channel Island Monsters, from author Erren Michaels, weaves a web of deliciously dark stories from centuries of fables and their fragments. Here we…
4th October, 2023 in Folklore
Danish Folk Tales: Why Danmark is called Danmark?
A fascinating story from Danish Folk Tales by storyteller and author Svend-Erik answering the question: Why is Danmark called Danmark? Once there was a young prince and he had nothing to do. He was the youngest of three brothers. The oldest, Øster, was going to be king of U…