As we’ve seen with these European cities, ancient settlements often produce a range of ghosts and legends. It’s unsurprising, with so many people living out their lives in close proximity across such a span of time. Milan’s folkloric side includes traditional cuisine, dragons, ghostly women in black veils, and even a column defaced by the…

Althaea Sebastiani is a spiritworker and religious educator whose work focuses on helping people navigate the realities of deep spiritual practice. Their work is punctuated by strong emphasis on doing the work and encourages learning through direct experience. A spirit-led witch with nearly 30 years’ experience, their personal practice is land-based and devotional, focused on…

When it comes to plague outbreaks in Europe, your mind probably doesn’t immediately jump to a so-called dancing plague. Yet that’s precisely what seemed to grip Strasbourg, France in the summer of 1518. Townspeople started dancing, seemingly against their will, and couldn’t stop for almost a month. Hundreds died of exhaustion, with contemporary commentators blaming…

As May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I’m pleased to introduce you to Kamuela Kaneshiro, who was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and is host of the Legends from the Pacific podcast.  Legends from the Pacific utilises Kamu’s cultural knowledge, and television/film background to craft stories of people, beliefs, and traditions…

Austrian capital Vienna has a long history, dating back to the 1st century CE Roman military camp of Vindobona. It’s been home to some pretty big names over the centuries. Mozart, Beethoven, Sigmund Freud, Gustav Klimt, Hedy Lamarr, Marie Antoinette and Erwin Schrödinger, among many others, have all lived in the city. Yet it’s also…

Helsinki has a lengthy history, dating back to at least the Bronze Age. Parts of the city even stand on old cemeteries.  It’s bound to have a few ghost stories and folklore, surely? Indeed it does! We’re talking haunted theatres, headless ghosts, ghosts with habits, and Finnish epics. Let’s find out more in this week’s…