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Oakley Witch, a Witchy Wednesday article.

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  T he Witch of Oakley! W elcome to another Witchy Wednesday, this weeks WW features an article from The Newcastle Courant published on the 13th August 1737.  The following extract is of a Letter from Oakley in Bedfordshire, dated July 28th about the Trial of a Witch.  Sourced from The British Newspaper Archive.  'The People here are so prejudiced in the Belief of ' Witches, that you would think yourself in Lapland, was ' you to hear their ridiculous Stories There is not a Vil- 'lage in the Neighbourhood but has two or three. About a Week ago I was present at the Ceremony of Ducking 'a Witch ; a particular Account of which may not per- ' haps be disagreeable to you. ' An old Woman of about sixty Years of Age, had ' long lain under an Imputation of Witchcraft ; who be- ? ing willing (for her Sake and her Childrens) to ' clear herself, consented to be duck'd ; and the Parish ' Officers promised her a Guinea if she should sink: The ' Place a...
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British Vampires, a Witchy Wednesday article.

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Painting by Antoine Wiertz. Welcome to another Witchy Wednesday, this week's interesting tales are about British Vampires! Varney the Vampire!  Vampyre Henry L. Stephens, 1851   I found this video on YouTube looking into Vampires from the folklore and mythology of England, Wales, and Scotland. These creatures of the night are usually just associated with Slavic folklore, but Britain has many legends of the undead too. The tales covered are: The Melrose Vampire (Scotland) The Glamorgan Vampire Chair (Wales) The Vampire of Croglin Grange (England) The Highgate Vampire (England) The Buckinghamshire Vampire (England) The Alnwick Vampire (England) The Beobhan Sidh (Scotland) The South Shields Vampire (England) The Gorbals Vampire (Scotland) The Berwick Vampire (England/Scotland) Please visit their YouTube channel, like and follow to show support for these Vloggers. Thank you 😊 Not all vampire legends are old! Here is the scary goings on in Highgate Cemetery! In the late 1960's and...
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Big foot!

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Researchers spent years interviewing 160 Bigfoot hunters - this is what they learnt Visit BBC for full article.    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/bigfoot
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What is a Mermaid? A witchy wednesday article.

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  Chap-books of the Eighteenth Century 1882 public domain. Welcome to another Witchy Wednesday, and to follow on from last weeks theme of Folklore characters connected to the sea, rivers, ponds and lakes this weeks is an introduction into the world of Mermaids.  What is, what are Mermaids? Mermaids are legendary aquatic creatures, typically depicted with the upper body of a woman and the tail of a fish, appearing in folklore across the world as symbols of both alluring beauty and dangerous destruction. Often associated with maritime myths, they are believed to act as guardians of the sea, representing a delicate balance between humanity and nature.  The UK has a large collection of Folklore stories connected to water. Being a land surround by sea and dotted with lakes, ponds and winding rivers it's not really surprising. Anywhere associated with water was often viewed with both awe, trepidation, and danger! Deep pools of water were often seen as mysterious and other world...
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The Haunted Palace by Edgar Allan Poe.

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Click on images to enlarge.   
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Stories from the sea, rivers and lakes. The Blue Men of the Minch! A Witchy Wednesday article.

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Wood block print of a merman. Domain free image.  Welcome to my series of folk stories from the sea, rivers and lakes.  This weeks Witchy Wednesday is about the sea creatures known as The Blue Men of the Minch.  T he Blue Men of the Minch (or na fir ghorma) are mythical water-dwelling spirits in Scottish folklore that inhabit the Minch, a turbulent strait between the northern Outer Hebrides and mainland Scotland. They are described as human-sized, blue-skinned creatures with grey faces who cause storms and shipwrecks, often challenging ship captains to rhymes to avoid being sunk.  Location They dwell in underwater caves, particularly around the Shiant Isles, which is known for treacherous tides. Appearance & Behavior They have been reported as having blue skin, green or pale white beards, and long, strong arms used for maneuvering through waves and dragging ships down. When the sea is calm, they are said to be sleeping, but when they wake up they create terrible ...
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Happy Anniversary to me!

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  Happy Anniversary to me! I have been officially blogging and having an online presence as 'Witchkraftingwithkat' since 2018. I would firstly like to thank all of you who have supported and encouraged me since the beginning. Some of you have been by my side for years and years some since the beginnings of the internet! Yes I am that old! When I used to have to turn on my computer and let it warm up for 20 mins before I could tap any information online! I had originally set up my 'witchkraftingwithkat' blog with a idea to tour the country to write stories about Folklore but due to bereavement, the darn covid lockdowns and then me becoming ill my blog became more of a place for me to share my interest online whilst recovering. My health is still causing me major issues (meh) so my blog is somewhat sporadic with some weeks being thin on content and others packed! But I am still going and I plan on keep going for another 8 years!!! And hopefully beyond as it brings me much...
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