Category: Folktales
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British Folklore and Customs Related to the Sycamore Tree
Are you a lover of trees, by chance? I am! Here in Southern California, where we are now fully into autumn, many trees are changing colors with the season. My favorite is the California sycamore tree (Platanus racemosa). The wilderness area near our home where I like to walk is heavily wooded with sycamore trees,…
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The Magical Birds of Rhiannon
The birds of Rhiannon are magical birds referenced in the Mabinogion, a collection of medieval Welsh tales. As their name implies, these birds are linked to Rhiannon, an otherworldly woman who plays a prominent role in the Mabinogion. A Brief Description of the Mabinogion The Mabinogion includes eleven Welsh tales that originally appeared in two manuscripts: the White Book…
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Welsh Ghosts With Unfinished Business: A Helpful Guide
We’re continuing with our two-part series on Welsh ghost folklore. In June, we looked into the history of collecting ghost folklore in Wales. This month, we’ll explore the characteristics of Welsh ghosts with unfinished business here in the mortal world. We’ll also look at a spirit sighting account of the same nature in order to…
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The Noson Weu: Bringing Together Knitting and Folk Tales
Are you a knitter? Or perhaps you like to crochet? My maternal grandmother taught me how to crochet a chain when I was young, but that was about as advanced as I got. I do remember that she and my great-grandmother crocheted blankets—some they kept, some they gave to family, and some they sold. I…
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Faerie Morality and Its Influence on Humans
In researching faerie folklore for my creative writing, I have discovered that faerie morality was quite complex. Not only did faeries follow their own belief system, they also expected the humans they interacted with to follow it as well. Faerie-approved behavior was often rewarded, but mortals needed to take care not to upset the faeries,…
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Changelings in European Folklore
One of the oldest aspects of European faerie folklore is the belief that faeries desire human children and often steal them away from their mortal parents, replacing them with changelings. Early changeling stories appear in medieval texts and continue through the 20th century. Unlike fairy tales, stories involving changelings are considered to be legends: the…
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A Tale of Petrified Lovers
Petrification (when organic matter is turned to stone) is a common theme in folklore. Stories concerning petrification date back to ancient times and can be found in many different cultures. In some tales, petrification is caused by otherworldly or mythological beings, or can be a result of a consequence or punishment. Other times, the stories…