Every year, panto season rolls around again, and amid the usual mixture of fairy tales and family favourites, we often find several versions of Dick Whittington and His Cat around the country. Unlike Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, Dick Whittington professes to be based on a real person. Indeed, Richard Whittington was a real historical […]
fairy tales
Can You Stop Faeries Swapping Your Kids for Changelings?
Imagine you live in the 17th century. After surviving the ordeal of childbirth, you now have to find enough food for your family and keep a roof over your head. You might think that’s plenty to worry about on its own. But for some families, the extra worry of changelings was very real. alt=”In folklore, […]
Why are riddles and wordplay so important to folklore?
Riddles and wordplay feature strongly in a lot of the English folklore I’ve read. So I’ve handed over the reins of my blog to Charlotte Bond, who’ll explain the fascination with riddles, and just why they appear so often in folklore! Riddles in folklore I’ve been fascinated by riddles and word games in stories ever since […]
#FridayFlash – Homemade Gods
This story is now out for submission! This flash was inspired by a comment from Nerine Dorman about a misspelling, turning homemade goods into DIY deities!
Are magic and fantasy important?
The Great North Museum (formerly the Hancock) is currently running their Magic Worlds exhibition, dedicated to fantasy and illusion. It’s on until 22nd June but I decided to pop along before the school holidays in the hope it would be quiet (aside from a noisy group of schoolchildren, one of whom even questioned whether or […]
