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Icy Sedgwick

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plague

Plague Folklore: Strange Doctors, Cures, and the Black Death

August 22, 2020 by Icy Sedgwick 2 Comments

From strange remedies to theories of the cause, there is plenty of plague folklore throughout history. How much of it is true? Click here to find out.

For historians, the most devastating epidemic of all time is that of the Black Death. It reached Europe in October 1347, having affected Syria, Persia, China, India, and Egypt throughout the 1340s (History.com 2020). The epidemic went on to kill more than 20 million people. Its destruction gave rise to much plague folklore that persisted […]

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Filed Under: Folklore Tagged With: #FolkloreThursday, healing folklore, medicine, plague

Plague Exhibition at the National Library of Scotland

March 26, 2016 by Icy Sedgwick 2 Comments

plague at national library of scotland

It’s not often you get to talk about the plague in polite society. But if you should find yourself in Edinburgh between now and 29 May, might I recommend a visit to the National Library of Scotland? As a writer I’m duty-bound to recommend a visit to any house of books, but in this case, the NLS […]

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Filed Under: Adventures Tagged With: edinburgh, exhibition, exhibition review, free exhibition, history, national library of scotland, plague, Plague: A cultural history of contagious diseases in Scotland

The Plague Doctor (Free Story)

January 16, 2015 by Icy Sedgwick 18 Comments

the plague doctor

Doktor Pinaldi swept along the close, his waxed leather cloak swishing behind him. He peered through the eye holes of his moulded mask, the scent of flowers drifting up from its beak to his nose. Other medical men believed the smell warded off the plague, but Doktor Pinaldi knew that was ridiculous. He just preferred floral […]

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Filed Under: Flash Fiction, The Necromancer's Apprentice Tagged With: free fiction, friday flash, plague, plague doctor, the necromancer's apprentice, the underground city

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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!

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