folk custom Archives - Page 5 of 11

America and the Old, Dark Christmas

December 4, 2021 boneandsickle America, American lore, Belsnickel, Christmas, EPISODE, folklore, Germany, history, holidays, New Year, Santa Claus, Twelve Days of Christmas

In earlier centuries, Americans partook in many of the same dark Christmas traditions that gave birth to Europe’s Krampus. This[…]

Transylvanian Vampires

November 20, 2021 boneandsickle Bram Stoker, death, Dracula, EPISODE, evil eye, folk customs, folk magic, folklore, ghosts, history, horror, legends, literature, moroi, strigoi, Transylvania, undead, vampires, Victorian, witches

Transylvania’s vampire lore inspired the setting of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, if not the character of the Count, and encompasses not[…]

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[…]