• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to footer

Icy Sedgwick

Folklore & Fantasy Fiction

  • About
  • Books
  • Folklore Blog
  • Podcast
  • Free Book
  • Portfolio
    • Public Speaking
  • Non Fiction
  • The Magic & Mayhem Series
  • Short Story Collections
  • The Grey O’Donnell Series

animals

Rats in Folklore: Signs of Bad Luck and Harbingers of Doom

January 18, 2020 by Icy Sedgwick 4 Comments

Many associate rats with portents of doom or incoming bad luck. But how else do they appear in folklore and superstition? Learn more in this article.

Rats get the blame for an awful lot throughout history – usually spreading the plague. Clearly, they don’t spread the plague…but the fleas they carry do. It’s not just the plague they carried. They’d also ruin food supplies. In ancient Egypt, people believed rats represented both destruction and discernment. They’d decimate food stores, but they […]

Share this article:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading…

Filed Under: Folklore Tagged With: #FolkloreThursday, animals, folklore, rats

Did the Queen Rat of London really live in the sewers?

March 9, 2017 by Icy Sedgwick 4 Comments

Sewers are never a fun place to be. But it's worse if you're worried you might fall prey to the Queen Rat of London. Find out who - and what - she is.

If you’ve read China Miéville’s King Rat, then you’ll know dark things can stir beneath London. But perhaps it’s not a King Rat. Perhaps it’s a Queen Rat. Only those who venture into the deep, dark places would encounter such a creature. Let me introduce you to the toshers. What does a tosher do? When the River […]

Share this article:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading…

Filed Under: Folklore Tagged With: #FolkloreThursday, animals, folklore, london

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3

Footer

Connect with Me!


Icons by Icon8.

Folklore Podcast

Get your fabulous folklore fix on your favourite podcast app! Find it here or subscribe on these platforms (or your app of choice)!


goodpods top 100 history podcasts


Goodpods Top 100 History Podcasts


Listen now to Fabulous Folklore with Icy podcast

Declaration

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

My Gift to You

Policies

I do not use AI in any of my workflows. I conduct research myself using books, journals, and other sources, which are always indicated in each article, and I write and edit my articles. I also record and edit my podcast episodes myself.

Read my Privacy Policy

Or check out my Cookie Policy

Categories

Show Your Support


Who is Icy Sedgwick?

icy sedgwick

Icy is a folklore blogger and host of the Fabulous Folklore podcast. She is based in the north east of England, where she was born and raised amid the folk tales and legends of Tyneside and Northumberland. Icy is fascinated by history, cinema, art, and the occult, and griffins will always be her favourite mythical beast. She also writes dark fantasy novellas, Gothic short stories and the occasional weird Western, and she holds a PhD in Film Studies!

Copyright © 2026 · Author Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

%d