Fabulous Folklore will give you your weekly fix of fabulous folklore in fifteen minutes (or less)! Hosted by fantasy and Gothic horror writer, Icy Sedgwick, the podcast explores folklore, legends, superstitions, mythology, and all things weird, occult and unusual.
Latest episodes
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Just Hanging Around: The Gallows in English Folklore
The gallows loom large in the historical imagination. Indeed, it’s quite the staple in many Hammer horror films, emerging from the mist as a crow caws off-screen. But how does it a…
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Fabulous Folklore Helen Nde, talking about Mythological Africans!
In this seventh episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I chat with Helen Nde, Cameroonian-born researcher, writer and artist and curator of the Mythological Africans platform! In t…
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Avoid disaster in the family with these death superstitions
Death superstitions provide a common theme throughout folklore. It’s hardly surprising. Before the advent of modern medicine and health and safety, communities may have felt more a…
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“I Can Feel It In My Bones”: Skeletons in Folklore
Skeletons are a common costume choice at Halloween. But they’re the ultimate symbol of death. Let’s be honest, if I see a skeleton, then I know I’m looking at a dead body. So let’s…
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The Folklore of Seaside Plants: From Gorse to Mallow
Seaside plants have to be tough to survive in their salty, windy conditions. Learn the tales associated with a collection of coastal plants in this week’s episode of Fabulous Folkl…
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Lighthouse Legends : Missing Keepers, Storms and Ghosts
Lighthouse legends cling to these odd buildings around the British Isles. And lighthouses ARE odd places. Learn the tales associated with lighthouses in England, Ireland, Scotland…
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Grace Darling: The Victorian Folk Hero of Northumberland
Grace Darling helped save 9 people from a shipwreck in the North Sea in 1838. She went on to become a Victorian hero. And naturally, that meant a few myths sprang up about her! Let…
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The Folklore of Shells and Pearls: Scallops, Rhymes and Saints
Shells evoke days at the beach and the wonders of nature. But they are the remains of living creatures—so you can see why some people think it’s bad luck to bring them indoors! The…
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Ghosts and Witches of Appalachia with Ed Karshner
In this sixth episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I chat with Edward Karshner, Associate Professor of English at Robert Morris University! In this interview, we chat about the f…
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The Folklore of Paper: Charms, Folk Songs, and Bibliomancy
Paper is a wonderful material. It’s portable and light, and as an everyday material, charms made from paper can be easily overlooked. We can reshape it, recycle it, and completely…
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Wine and Witchcraft: A Beverage fit for Apotropaic Success
Like beer, wine has enjoyed a long and prosperous history. It’s been enjoyed by the ancients, used as a safe alternative to water, prescribed as medicine, and offered in ritual. An…
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Wine and Witchcraft: A Beverage fit for Apotropaic Success
Like beer, wine has enjoyed a long and prosperous history. It’s been enjoyed by the ancients, used as a safe alternative to water, prescribed as medicine, and offered in ritual. An…
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The Folklore of Tea: Magic, Predictions and Poison
The folklore of tea is woven through the history of this fascinating plant. Well-known for its use in fortune-telling, through reading tea leaves, it also has a range of magickal u…
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The Folklore of Tea: Magic, Predictions and Poison
The folklore of tea is woven through the history of this fascinating plant. Well-known for its use in fortune-telling, through reading tea leaves, it also has a range of magickal u…
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The Legends and Folklore of Beer: Remedies, Witches & Saints
Beer is a popular drink in many parts of the world. In the US, it’s the most popular alcoholic beverage. Throughout the centuries, beer becomes the drink of choice in eras and plac…
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The Legends and Folklore of Beer: Remedies, Witches & Saints
Beer is a popular drink in many parts of the world. In the US, it’s the most popular alcoholic beverage. Throughout the centuries, beer becomes the drink of choice in eras and plac…
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The Lily and the Lady: Plants of Purity and Protection
There are few flowers quite as recognisable as the lily. Yet despite its beauty, the lily is a toxic plant. In some ways, this goes to show the contradictory nature of the flower,…
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The Lily and the Lady: Plants of Purity and Protection
There are few flowers quite as recognisable as the lily. Yet despite its beauty, the lily is a toxic plant. In some ways, this goes to show the contradictory nature of the flower,…
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Lavender Folklore: The Tales Behind The Calming Plant
From cleaning wounds to repelling plague, lavender has had a myriad of uses throughout the centuries. It’s come to represent devotion, purity, luck, cleanliness, compassion, consta…
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Lavender Folklore: The Tales Behind The Calming Plant
From cleaning wounds to repelling plague, lavender has had a myriad of uses throughout the centuries. It’s come to represent devotion, purity, luck, cleanliness, compassion, consta…