The Jewel of the Adriatic is a gorgeous wonder, filled with masks, bridges, alleyways, and mystery. But there are also ghosts in Venice, often only seen in the brief half light when daytime gives way to the night. Being the intrepid ghost hunter that I am, I went in search of them during my trip to […]
Folklore
The Fisherman, the Mermaid, and the Brick Heart of Venice
If you know where to look in Venice, you’ll find a special brick heart. But what does it have to do with a fisherman and a mermaid? Before we get to the brick heart, let’s take a look at the legend. A Fisherman gets more than he bargained for A young fisherman named Orio used […]
The Venetian Legend of the Beggar and the Levantine
If you head away from the hustle and bustle of the Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square), you’ll head into the stranger, more magical part of Venice. It’s in the tangle of narrow streets and courts that you enter the realm of Venetian legend. One such legend characterises the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo in […]
Exploring the myths of the Charterhouse Plague Pit
Watching the progress of the Crossrail construction project has been fascinating in terms of what has been unearthed. The Charterhouse Plague Pit was one such buried secret, first uncovered in March 2013. Charterhouse lies between Clerkenwell and Smithfield, just north of the City of London. The area is allegedly rife with plague pits. Research revealed […]
Explore the legend of the Laidly Worm of Spindlestone Heugh
Tales of dragons, known as worms, abound in English folklore. Last week, we looked at the Lambton Worm in County Durham. This week, we’ll head north up the coast to Northumberland to meet the Laidly Worm. The story concerns Spindlestone Heugh, near the mighty fortress of Bamburgh Castle. The tale concerns the beautiful Princess Margaret, […]
The Lambton Worm and Penshaw Monument
Many parts of the UK have tales related to dragons or giant worms. Northumberland has the Laidley Worm, while County Durham boasts the tale of the Lambton Worm. There are varying versions of the story, but I’m discussing the first version I heard. It links the Worm with Penshaw Hill, near Houghton-le-Spring. Other versions associate […]
