Humans first domesticated horses in around 3500 BC (Tallis 2012). Since then, they’ve pulled our chariots and carts, carried royalty and soldiers, worked on farms, and been steadfast companions. Horses are actually a prey animal, which perhaps explains their vulnerability to supernatural attack by witches and fairies. Yet as the stories in this article will […]
folklore
Dogs in Folklore: Loyal Companions and Witches’ Familiars
Britain is supposed to be a nation of animal lovers, especially when it comes to pet dogs. According to the PDSA, 29% of UK adults own a dog, which gives an estimated population of 10.6 million pet dogs. By comparison, 24% of UK adults have a cat, but because cat owners often have more than […]
Deer Folklore: Omens, Cults, and White Stag Legends
Human relationships with deer stretch back thousands of years. Archaeologists uncovered red deer skulls at Star Carr in Yorkshire which are 11,000 years old. No one knows what they were used for, if they had practical applications or were used in shamanic rituals. But it suggests some kind of relationship between humans and deer, even […]
The Tedworth Drummer: Haunting or Hoax?
Certain cases loom large in the history of the supernatural, especially in relation to the investigation of the supernatural. The 20th century provided the likes of the Enfield Poltergeist. Even Willington Mill in the 19th century offered an earlier opportunity. Yet the Tedworth Drummer offered an opportunity to explore a haunting in the 17th century. […]
The Mysterious Haunting at Willington Mill, Wallsend
We might think of ghost hunts or investigations as a predominantly 20th and 21st-century endeavour. Yet the legend of the ghosts at Willington Mill shows that people were trying to unearth the supernatural even in the first half of the 19th century. Spectral figures and unearthly noises plagued those living at the miller’s house, with […]
Lore of the Aran Islands: Saints, Ancient Forts, and Sweaters
The Aran Islands lie in Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland. They’re made up of Inis Mór, Inis Meáin, and Inis Oírr. People have likely lived on the islands since c. 3000 BCE. Late Bronze Age and Iron Age ruins scatter the islands, alongside old churches and holy wells. After the era of […]
