“I shall go into a hare.” An integral part of the C17th witchcraft confession of Isobel Gowdie in Scotland, who claimed to shapeshift into a hare, a practice believed at the time to be an essential part of a witch’s skillset, enabling them to travel freely. #FolkyFriday

#ThoughtForTheDay 💚 "Animists are people who recognize that the world is full of persons, only some of whom are human" ~ Graham Harvey #animism #naturespirits #druidry art: Christof Roos

We know historically that there were female Druids, often termed 'Druidess'. Tacitus mentions female Druids in Wales called Banduri; in Ireland, Baduri and Banfilid; and a famous Druidess was Queen Boudicca #legendarywednesday #druidry art: Armand Laroche

"often I stop and look back" is a selection of sixty Haiku, narrating the changing seasons and the changing mind; by Stephen G. Rae Stephen G. Rae Buy: amzn.eu/d/7ucxTHZ Info: bardofcumberland.com/poetry/ #haiku #poetry #poetrycommunity #bookstore #lakedistrict #cumbria

Please help secure Skiddaw Forest, it's such an extraordinary opportunity for our flora and fauna in Cumbria, via CumbriaWildlifeTrust #nature #biodiversity #lakedistrict cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/skiddaw-forest

I'm off to find that pot of gold 🌈 an autumnal hue on the #lakedistrict fells this afternoon

At St. Bees, beware a watery end whilst following the haunting melody from rocks where the Merfolk bask in the sun. The singer is a Sea Witch, lamenting her own children lost to the sea #folklorethursday #cumbria art: "Sea Witch" by Frank Frazetta

"Oak, Man" twig, leaf, acorn; chlorophyll flows root, branch twig, leaf, acorn; hardened skin cracked, misshapen twig, leaf, acorn; cellulose heart oak, man bardofcumberland.com/poetry/ #poetry #trees #druidry #illustration by me

"Now, if you're sitting comfortably, I shall tell you why you must not be afraid to die" #folkhorror #horror #comedy The Lair of the White Worm, 1988 Dir. Ken Russell

The art of Boris Groh, "Bait"

It's #Friday13th, so walking in the path of a black cat could mean bad luck if you're superstitious in Cumbrian dialect, 'chitty' is cat there's a lot of other cat superstition: they can predict the weather; steal a dead person's soul; but they are also terrible gossips, so be

#ThoughtForTheDay 💚 "Let us remember that animals are not mere resources for human consumption. They are splendid beings in their own right, who have evolved alongside us as co-inheritors of all the beauty and abundance of life on this planet" ~ Marc Bekoff #animism #wisdom

.Land of Lore Films is the telling of folk tales and tall tales through the medium of short film bardofcumberland.com/landoflore/ #folkyfriday #ghosts #folklore #indiefilm #lakedistrict #cumbria

I've no idea how it happened, but upon opening my bag of original Ogham sticks, they were riddled in woodworm 🙁 So rather than making a new set, I bought them, and they are fabulous Ogham, the 'language of the trees' used Druids to encode their wisdom #ogham #trees #druidry

My favourite time of the year 🍂 Art by Zosara

I love this quote by J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan's 'dad' ~ "Every time a child says I don't believe in fairies there is a fairy somewhere that falls down dead" #fairies #peterpan 🖼 Hilda T. Miller

Green Man - Winter in his winter gown guardian of the wild wood is frozen in time bardofcumberland.com/poetry/ #haiku #greenman #mythology illustration by me

Our first Local Legends interview of Series 5 is OUT NOW, for which Martin gathered round the campfire for a good deep chat with Stephen G. Rae, a.k.a. Stephen G. Rae! Listen and learn more here: threeravenspodcast.com/podcast #history #folklore #podcast #cumberland #cumbria #druidry

race against time poppy buds dance on autumn winds ~ from my new book of Haiku poetry: "often I stop and look back" Buy: amzn.eu/d/7ucxTHZ Info: bardofcumberland.com/poetry/ #haiku #poetry #folkloresunday

In Cumbrian dialect, 'black-kites' is bramble in lore, the first crop of juicy autumn fruit belongs to the faeries, and mice 🐭 #folkloresunday #cumbria art: Arthur Rackham