folk belief Archives - Page 7 of 13

Bird-Women of Greece and Russia

September 18, 2021 boneandsickle Aeolus, Alkonost, antiquity, bestiaries, Bird-Women, classical music, folk tales, folklore, Gamayun, Greece, Greek myth, harpies, legends, mermaids, monsters, opera, pagan, paganism, Russian, seduction, sirens, Sirin

Bird-women hybrids of Greek legend and Russian folklore are uniquely ambivalent, sometimes bringing death and destruction and at others, prophetic wisdom[…]

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.[…]

Witches, Healers, and Hex Cats in Old Pennsylvania

June 12, 2021 boneandsickle America, Braucherei, EPISODE, folk magic, folklore, grimoires, Hex Cats, Hexerei, history, legends, local legends, Pennsylvania, Pow-Wow, witchcraft

Stories of witchcraft and folk-healers in early Pennsylvania are surprisingly plentiful. In this episode, we examine the state’s German-American tradition[…]