The Headless Horseman is a strange figure. He stands astride several categories at once; phantom, urban legend, folklore character, and film icon. The most famous Headless Horseman of all is perhaps the one immortalised by Washington Irving in ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. His original story (spoiler alert) implies that human agency is behind the […]
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Why does a London pub hang hot cross buns in the bar?
Go to Devons Road in London and you’ll find a pub with hot cross buns hanging above the bar. I know, it’s pretty weird – even for a pub. But a legend has grown up around The Widow’s Son in Bromley-by-Bow. Every year, a sailor arrives on Good Friday and places a hot cross bun in […]
Did the Queen Rat of London really live in the sewers?
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 […]
Did treasure once lie in the Wizard’s Cave of Tynemouth?
Tynemouth Castle & Priory stand on a lonely promontory intruding into the savage North Sea. But local legends claim a mysterious Wizard’s Cave lies hidden in the cliffs below the ruins. Scholars believe Edwin of Northumbria founded Tynemouth Priory in the early 7th century. And tales abound of ghostly monks loitering among the ruins. But we’re […]
What is the legend of the Brinkburn Bells in Northumberland?
According to local legend, the Brinkburn Bells now ring in Durham Cathedral. Or do they? As with any legends, other versions exist that place the bells in the river Coquet. Perhaps the water carries the ringing of bells as it winds its way through Northumberland. Either way, several tales of the Brinkburn Bells resound through […]
Should you buy Accused: British Witches Throughout History?
Should you buy Accused: British Witches Throughout History? In a short word, yes. But that wouldn’t be much of a review if we left it at that, would it? Written by #FolkloreThursday‘s own Willow Winsham, Accused examines the stories of 11 British witches. Winsham starts in Ireland in 1324, while our final witch is as recent as 1944! […]