execution Archives - Bone and Sickle

Vlad the Impaler

December 1, 2024 boneandsickle Dracula, EPISODE, execution, gothic literature, history, horror, legends, vampires

A figure of mythic proportions during his lifetime, Vlad the Impaler’s notoriety receded over the centuries only to be resurrected[…]

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A Christmas Ghost Story VI

December 23, 2023 boneandsickle Christmas, crime, criminals, EPISODE, execution, ghost stories, ghosts, holidays, Victorian

Tonight we bring you our sixth annual Christmas ghost story, a tradition particularly beloved in Victorian and Edwardian Britain. First[…]

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The Lover’s Head

February 12, 2021 boneandsickle Arthurian, ballads, Black Death, books, children's literature, crime, death, Decameron, decapitation, EPISODE, execution, fairies, fairy tales, folk music, folk tales, folklore, ghost stories, ghosts, gore, history, horror, legends, literature, madness, Middle Ages, murder, murder ballads, punishments, renaissance, Romanticism, seduction, skulls

The motif of lovers retaining the head of a decapitated partner is surprisingly widespread. In this — our romantic Valentine’s[…]

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