United States Archives - Bone and Sickle

Spirit Boards

October 17, 2024 boneandsickle America, American lore, EPISODE, folklore, ghosts, history, Ouija boards, pop culture, Spiritualism, United States

Ouija boards, or more generally, “spirit boards” have antecedents going back to the very first days of the Spiritualist movement.[…]

Read more

Hex Murders and Madness in Old Pennsylvania

June 29, 2021 boneandsickle America, black magic, crime, criminals, EPISODE, folk magic, folklore, Germanic, Hex, homicide, horror, local legends, madness, murder, Pennsylvania, Pow-Wow, superstition, True Crime, United States, witchcraft, witches

Cases of madness and even murder were associated with Hexerei, a form of witchcraft brought to Pennsylvania by German immigrants.[…]

Read more

Dead Teeth: Fairies, Rats, and Worms

February 28, 2020 boneandsickle curses, EPISODE, fairies, fairy tales, folk customs, folklore, history, horror, Middle Ages, movies, rats, saints, skulls, teeth, Tooth Fairy, United States, witch trials, witchcraft, witches, worms

Explore the folklore of the Tooth Fairy and teeth, particularly dead teeth — those lost by children or adults, and[…]

Read more