Icy Sedgwick's Blog, page 8

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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Rue Folklore: Warding off Poison, Plague and Pestilence

Rue was cultivated in England for its medicinal use, having been introduced by the Romans (Grieve 1995-2024). It’s more likely to be found in gardens in the British Isles, and is less likely to appear in the wild. In some ways, it’s fallen out of favour as a popular British plant. It’s also called the […]

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St John’s Wort: The Folk Magic of the Midsummer Plant

One of the plants strongly associated with the summer solstice is St John’s Wort. It often flowers around Midsummer’s Day, or the Feast of St John, hence its strong links with St John. St John’s Wort, or Hypericum Perforatum, is considered a weed in many places. Its other names include ‘balm of the warrior’s wound’, […]

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Lemon Balm Folklore: Sweet Smells & Folk Remedies

Lemon balm, or Melissa officinalis, is a member of the Lamiaceae family, along with mint, rosemary, marjoram, sage, basil, and lavender. Its popular name comes from the fact the leaves smell of lemon when crushed. Lemon balm is a perennial, growing across Europe, North America, and Asia. That gorgeous lemon smell certainly came in handy. […]

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Poppy Folklore: The Symbol of Sleep, Death, War, and…Love?

It’s somewhat surprising that of all the plants I’ve featured on this blog, I’ve never quite made it to the humble poppy. Why surprising? Orange and yellow poppies fill my garden with joy every year, and I always look forward to them popping up. Not to mention the fact poppies have amassed a range of […]

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Iris Folklore: Perfume, Remedies, and a Rainbow Goddess

Depending on where you are in the world, you might be lucky enough to see the iris bloom before it fades for the year. Where I am, they finished in mid-May, but with the changing climate, that might vary for you. The iris is one of those instantly recognisable flowers, showy and bright with its […]

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Milan Legends of Dragons, Ghosts, and the Devil

Milan first appears in the ancient record in c. 590 BC as a Celtic settlement, later conquered by the Romans. When Diocletian divided the Roman Empire, Milan was the capital of the western half. But here in the 21st century, it’s perhaps better known as a fashion capital. Or maybe as the home of AC […]

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What was the Dancing Plague of 1518 in Strasbourg?

When it comes to plague outbreaks in Europe, your mind probably doesn’t immediately jump to a so-called dancing plague. Yet that’s precisely what seemed to grip Strasbourg, France in the summer of 1518. Townspeople started dancing, seemingly against their will, and couldn’t stop for almost a month. Hundreds died of exhaustion, with contemporary commentators blaming […]

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