Bedlam, or Bethlem Royal Hospital to give it its full name, is actually the world’s oldest psychiatric institution. It began life in 1247 in the Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem, which stood where we now find Liverpool Street Station. Yet the hospital has inspired a range of books, films, and TV series. Its infamous […]
Foxes in Folk Tales: From Aesop to Reynard
Foxes appear in literature and legend across the world. Look at Brer Fox in the American South. In Rebel Folklore, I discussed the Jiuwei Hu of China, or nine-tailed fox, who drains men of their life force. Korea’s kumiho is a similar spirit, while Japan has the supernatural fox spirit, the kitsune. Scholar Al-Biruni, magician […]
Flash Fiction – Life Song
A young man sits opposite Poppy on the train, a large folder open on his lap. Poppy tries hard not to stare at him, but his old-fashioned grey three-piece suit keeps catching her eye. A poppy rests in his buttonhole, even though it is far from Remembrance Day, and a grey bowler hat sits on […]
Hedgehogs in Folklore: Witches, Familiars, and Milk Thieves
Hedgehogs are one of the stranger mammals you might encounter. They’re nocturnal, they hibernate, they’re prone to rolling into a ball when frightened, and they’re extremely vulnerable to habitat loss. While some of you will undoubtedly have first thought of Sonic, others might have thought of Mrs Tiggywinkle from the Beatrix Potter books. Either way, […]
Flash Fiction – I Thought I Knew Him
I’m sure I know the guy opposite me on the train. Only problem is, I can’t remember how or why. I pretend to read my book, but I sneak a look over the top of the pages. He has straight hair the colour of wet sand – straight except for the random kink just behind his right ear. He […]
Moles in Folklore: Folk Remedies and Weather Omens
Moles are fascinating creatures. They’re phenomenal diggers and while they weigh around 120g, they can shift 540 times their body weight of earth (BMCR 2025). Given they live entirely underground, they’re a rarely seen mammal, and we only know they’re there when we see their molehills. Surprisingly, there is more folklore about them than more […]
