I have an announcement to make… I have a folklore book coming out! Rebel Folklore: Empowering Tales of Spirits, Witches and Other Misfits from Anansi to Baba Yaga, illustrated by the fantastic Melissa Jarram, is due out in September. In this episode, find out more about the book and hear one of the chapters (spoiler:…

Church bells appear in a range of ways within folklore. Sometimes they continue to ring far beneath the waves in a church under the sea. Or perhaps their peeling in the darkness guided a lost traveller back to the path and away from danger. In some tales, they’re stolen by the Devil, or by mermaids….

You might not expect to see northern vampires among the tales of Northumberland, the Borders and Cumbria. But they’re there! William de Newburgh included three stories of revenants at Berwick, Melrose and Alnwick in his Historia rerum Anglicarum, a collection of five volumes that told a history of England from 1066 to 1198. And then…

Tales of fairies exist all over the world, and there are hundreds to choose from right here in the British Isles. Yet they often have a particular ‘flavour’ or motif that lets you group them together. One of the common motifs of folk tales in the northeast of England is that of dancing fairies. It…

Never mind canals, famous nightlife, and beautiful architecture – there is another side to the Dutch capital, one full of supernatural terrors and bizarre tales. Think 13th-century magicians, fleeing families, ghostly monks, and vengeful sisters, and you’re partway there. Let’s go and meet them in this week’s episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and…

Barcelona lies on the Mediterranean Coast in Catalonia. It’s a gorgeous city, famous for architect Antoni Gaudí, artist Joan Miró and writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón, among many others. Yet you’ll find more than a few Barcelona ghost stories amid the winding streets and Gothic cathedrals. Enjoy these 4 creepy ghost stories tales from Barcelona, featuring…