Ynys Enlli in north Wales is also known as Bardsey Island, and it’s been a pilgrimage destination since the 6th century. The island lies at the north end of Cardigan Bay, just off the tip of the Llŷn peninsula. Archaeological evidence shows human habitation on the island for at least four millennia. But where does […]
Islay Folklore: Giants, Fairy Changelings, and the Water Bull
Islay is an island to the west of Scotland, at the entrance to the Firth of Lorn. It’s 25 miles north of Northern Ireland. Archaeological evidence shows people lived here from 8000 BCE, with evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age tombs and burial sites. Columba and his missionaries brought Christianity to the island, which Norse […]
Lindisfarne Legends: St Cuthbert, Ghostly Monks and the Petting Stone
Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, lies some 11.5 miles to the southeast of Berwick-upon-Tweed, just off the coast of Northumberland. Only accessible at low tide, the island still possesses a mystical air, no doubt from its time as a Christian pilgrimage site. Probably most famous as the production centre of the Lindisfarne Gospels, or the island […]
Legends of Mythical Birds: From the Phoenix to the Firebird
It’s easy for mythical birds to capture the imagination, whether it’s the phoenix rising from the ashes, or Aethon eternally pecking Prometheus’ liver. And let’s not forget Odin with his ravens, Huginn and Muninn, or Memory and Thought. In Norse myth, they travelled out into the world and flew back to Odin to report on […]
Folklore of Ornamental Birds: From Holy Birds to Death Omens
Humans have found a whole range of uses for birds over the centuries. Hunting with them, keeping them for their song, using them for food or divination—and as ornamental birds, because some of them are uncommonly pretty. Look at the magnificent peacock with its elaborate tail or the sweet little goldfinch with its black and […]
The Folklore of Garden Birds: Blackbirds, Sparrows, Wrens & Robins
It’s often easy to overlook what we see every day, or at least regularly. Perhaps that’s why we overlook our humble garden birds in favour of majestic eagles or mischievous ravens as our favourite birds. Yet the commonality of these small, yet often noisy, garden birds explains why there is a comparative wealth of folklore […]
