Icy Sedgwick's Blog, page 6

Lindisfarne Legends: St Cuthbert, Ghostly Monks and the Petting Stone

Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, lies some 11.5 miles to the southeast of Berwick-upon-Tweed, just off the coast of Northumberland. Only accessible at low tide, the island still possesses a mystical air, no doubt from its time as a Christian pilgrimage site. Probably most famous as the production centre of the Lindisfarne Gospels, or the island […]

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Legends of Mythical Birds: From the Phoenix to the Firebird

It’s easy for mythical birds to capture the imagination, whether it’s the phoenix rising from the ashes, or Aethon eternally pecking Prometheus’ liver. And let’s not forget Odin with his ravens, Huginn and Muninn, or Memory and Thought. In Norse myth, they travelled out into the world and flew back to Odin to report on […]

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Folklore of Ornamental Birds: From Holy Birds to Death Omens

Humans have found a whole range of uses for birds over the centuries. Hunting with them, keeping them for their song, using them for food or divination—and as ornamental birds, because some of them are uncommonly pretty. Look at the magnificent peacock with its elaborate tail or the sweet little goldfinch with its black and […]

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The Folklore of Garden Birds: Blackbirds, Sparrows, Wrens & Robins

It’s often easy to overlook what we see every day, or at least regularly. Perhaps that’s why we overlook our humble garden birds in favour of majestic eagles or mischievous ravens as our favourite birds. Yet the commonality of these small, yet often noisy, garden birds explains why there is a comparative wealth of folklore […]

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The Folklore of Birds of Prey: Companions and Competition

Birds of prey have an interesting relationship with humans, having been both competing predators and avian companions for leisure pursuits. They’ve provided omens through the practice of augury, or divination by flight pattern. They appear in heraldic badges or become associated with deities in mythology. But they also have links with ordinary people who shared […]

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The Folklore of Aquatic Birds of Cliffs, Lakes and Rivers

Few watery scenes are quite complete without aquatic birds in the picture. Ducks drifting across a country pond. Gulls wheeling in the sky above the beach, before they divebomb an unsuspecting tourist for their chips. Kingfishers flashing along a river, a bright dazzle of colour against the water. They’re so much a part of the […]

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Sunderland Ghost Stories: Grey Ladies, Serial Killers & Poltergeists

Sunderland began life as three separate settlements on the River Wear. While there is evidence of activity in the area long before, these settlements date to 674. King Ecgfrith of Northumbria granted land to Benedict Biscop, who founded Monkwearmouth Monastery in the area. Later, the Bishop of Durham gained these lands and they became Bishopwearmouth. […]

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Carlisle Legends: Ghosts, Secret Tunnels, and The Cursing Stone

Carlisle began life as Luguvalium, a Roman settlement that grew out of the fort on the site. Its next name, Caer Luel (the fortified place belonging to Luel) gives us the beginnings of the name ‘Carlisle’. Vikings captured the town in 876, before the Saxons took it in the 10th century. Over time, it took […]

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Devils, Cats, Tiny Streets & Witches: York Folklore At Its Best

York folklore can be a bit tough to search for on Google. It keeps trying to direct you to New York. As if the old one doesn’t exist. Which is idiotic. The Ghost Research Foundation International even labelled York the most haunted city in the world in 2002 (Crawford 2014). Every pub boasts its own […]

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The Dark Side of Sheffield Folklore: Spectres and River Spirits

Sheffield is indeed a strange and haunting place – or should that be haunted place? Much like York, a plethora of ghost stories and sightings come up in a casual Google search. A black dog with large eyes lopes around Bunting Nook, turning into mist if threatened. A maid haunts Ashdell Grove House after her […]

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