Antenociticus bears the most marvellous Roman-sounding name. Yet there’s a very good chance he’s actually a local deity, adopted by the Romans once they arrived in Britain. Yet he also poses several mysteries. He appears nowhere else in Britain. A high-ranking official dedicated an altar to him. And someone broke up a statue of him […]
northern folklore
Roman gods in Newcastle upon Tyne: Neptune and Oceanus
Newcastle upon Tyne sits on an ancient site of human occupation. So it’s hardly surprising that offerings to Roman gods can be found among its archaeology. In 2018, I spotted these altars in the Great North Museum at Hancock. I’m fascinated by the way Roman gods show up in Britain, so I decided to delve […]
Dragons in Folklore: The Lambton Worm and the Laidly Worm
When you think of dragons in folklore, you might think of graceful Chinese dragons or treasure-hoarding lizards like Tolkien’s Smaug. Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud note that within the Church, dragons always represented evil. Meanwhile, in the secular world, they stood for “ferocity in battle” (2003: 98). This explains their popularity on family crests, and […]
John Dee: The Magician and the Devil in Manchester
What does an Elizabethan mathematician, a northern pre-industrial town, and Beelzebub have in common? Answer? They all appear in the tale of John Dee and the Devil in Manchester. Dee, immortalised in the opera Dr Dee by Blur’s Damon Albarn, is a fascinating figure in Britain’s occult history. He even inspired a deck of oracle cards, The […]
The Dark Side of Sheffield Folklore: Spectres and River Spirits
We’ve been moving around the north of England this month, in honour of the Great Exhibition of the North. After Newcastle, Manchester and York, we’re moving on to Sheffield folklore. Much like York, a plethora of ghost stories and sightings come up in a casual Google search. But let’s cast the net a little wider […]
Devils, Cats, Tiny Streets & Witches: York Folklore At Its Best
York folklore can be a bit tough to search for on Google. It keeps trying to direct you to New York. As if the old one doesn’t exist. Which is idiotic. The Ghost Research Foundation International even labelled York the most haunted city in the world in 2002. Every pub boasts its own ghost. But […]
