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Adwell Fairies, a Witchy Wednesday article.

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  T he Dancing Fairies of Adwell!  Dancing Fairies. Hand painted Lokta paper stamped using a dancing fairy from Lavinia Stamps.  Welcome to another Witchy Wednesday, this week it's about the dancing fairies of Adwell Cop. About Adwell. Adwell lies on sloping ground that rises from 299 feet to over 490 on Adwell Cop which is crowned with a Bronze Age barrow. Plot observed entrenchments on the south-east side and erroneously attributed them to the Danes. (fn. 6) This tumulus is probably referred to in the name Copinghemewey which occurs in a document of about 1230. (fn. 7) It means 'the way of the people at the Cop'. The Cop was for long the object of local folklore. It was associated with fairies and the 18th-century antiquary Delafield records the story of the traveller who saw them dancing there and singing: 'At Adwell Cop there stands a cup. Drink the drink and eat the sop, And set the cup on Adwell Cop.'  Taken from A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 8,Lew...
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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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