Month: August 2020

Folk-a-pa-lore-za Part 1 of 2

Welcome to this special edition of Fabulous Folklore – the 2020 Folk-a-pa-lore-za! In August, 12 folklore podcasts from the UK, US, and Australia (including Fabulous Folklore) met up on Zoom to put forward their favourite tales from folklore and myth. And then we decided which was the best! In this episode, hear us each put forward…

Read More

Sleep Folklore: Demons, Poppies, and Saving Your Soul

Sleep is a mysterious process, yet it’s also when we’re most vulnerable. For centuries, people have developed ways to protect themselves, get a good night’s sleep, and even keep others awake.   How did they do it? Let’s find out in this episode of Fabulous Folklore. See the images or get the blog post transcript here:…

Read More

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

From strange remedies involving live pigeons to supernatural theories of its cause, there is plenty of plague folklore throughout history.  How much of it is true? Let’s find out in this episode of Fabulous Folklore. See the images or get the blog post transcript here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/plague-folklore/ The myth of the Charterhouse plague pit: https://www.icysedgwick.com/charterhouse-plague-pit/ Get…

Read More

The Tooth Fairy: Buying Teeth Since 1900

The loss of your first tooth is a pretty important event in your life. Providing you carefully place the tooth under your pillow and leave it for the Tooth Fairy, it can also be your first experience of earning money.  But who is the Tooth Fairy, and where did she come from? Let’s meet her,…

Read More

Elf-Shot: Old English Medicine and Magical Remedies

People often believe Old English medicine would be primitive or superstitious. Yet one remedy found in a 9th century medical text can cure MRSA. What did people believe called illness in this era? How did their remedies work? Let’s find out in this episode of Fabulous Folklore. See the images or get the blog post…

Read More

Need healing? You Need Aesculapius, Roman God of Medicine

Aesculapius was the Roman God of Healing and Medicine (Asclepius in Greece). But who is he and why is he such a fascinating figure in the study of ancient Greece and Rome? And what does he have to do with Ophiuchus, the ‘missing’ 13th star sign? Let’s meet him in this episode of Fabulous Folklore….

Read More