Germany Archives - Bone and Sickle

Rolling Hells and Land-Ships

May 22, 2025 boneandsickle Carnival, celebrations, EPISODE, Germany, history, holidays, Middle Ages, pagan, paganism, renaissance, Schembartlauf

During the 15th-century, citizens of Nuremberg, Germany, experienced spectacular Carnival parades highlighted by the appearance of floats known as “hells.”[…]

Spirits of the Corn

October 2, 2022 boneandsickle Austria, ballads, EPISODE, folk customs, folklore, Germany, Grimm, harvest, history, monsters, Noonday Witch, Rye Aunt, Scarecrows, superstition

Spirits of the corn (grain) fields from the United Kingdom to Russia have been imagined as embodiments of the harvest[…]

America and the Old, Dark Christmas

December 4, 2021 boneandsickle America, American lore, Belsnickel, Christmas, EPISODE, folklore, Germany, history, holidays, New Year, Santa Claus, Twelve Days of Christmas

In earlier centuries, Americans partook in many of the same dark Christmas traditions that gave birth to Europe’s Krampus. This[…]