Claire Cock-Starkeyさんのイラストまとめ

In Finland the northern lights are known as 'fox fires' because it was believed the bright colours were caused by the fire fox's flaming tail casting sparks into the air as it runs through the dark forest. #FolkloreThursday

A 'chime child' is a baby born as the clock strikes 3, 6, 9 or 12. They might be unlucky in life but they will have the gift to see things others cannot. #FolkloreThursday

Dolmens were often thought of as gates to the Otherworld and so offerings of bread or cakes were often left at the entrance to appease any visiting fairies. #folklorethursday

It was said that large patches of groundsel grew where witches had gathered. Groundsel growing on a thatched roof indicated that a witch had landed her broomstick there. #FolkloreThursday

Because cuckoos usually arrive in April they are seen as harbingers of spring. In Wales it was believed that a child born on the day the first cuckoo call of the season is heard will be lucky for their whole life. #folklorethursday

Goats were thought to absorb evil so farmers across Europe often kept a couple of goats with their flocks of sheep or cattle to ensure any misfortune was attracted to the goats and not to the valuable livestock. #FolkloreThursday

Currant buns were a popular treat in Cambridgeshire. Many bakeries would sell their unsold day-old buns to poor children, earning them the nickname 'burnt bricks'. #FolkloreThursday

Writing about the folklore of fungi today and love this bit of Lithuanian lore: Mushrooms were thought to be the fingers of Velnias, the Baltic god of death, reaching up from the Underworld and offering his fungi fingers as food for the poor. #Folklore

The wounds of a murdered person will begin to bleed again if they are touched by the murderer, revealing their guilt. #FolkloreThursday

An English tale tells of a baker’s daughter who used a tiny bit of dough when baking for the poor. When she put the loaf in the oven it expanded massively. She was so surprised she said ‘hoo hoo’ and turned into an owl as a warning to be generous to the poor. #FolkloreThursday