paganism Archives - Page 5 of 11

Slavic Mermaids: Water Ghosts and Goblins

May 29, 2020 boneandsickle classical music, death, demons, EPISODE, fairies, fairy tales, folk customs, folk music, folk tales, folklore, ghost stories, ghosts, Green Christmas, history, horror, legends, literature, mermaids, movies, mythology, opera, pagan, paganism, Romanticism, rusalia, Rusalka, Russian, Semik, Slavs, vodnik, Whitsunday

Quite distinct from their Western equivalent, Slavic mermaids might better be described as water ghosts, as they are almost always[…]

Banshees

March 17, 2020 boneandsickle banshee, Celts, curses, EPISODE, fairies, folklore, ghosts, history, Ireland, mummies, pagan, paganism

Banshees are spirits of Irish folklore, who warn of impending deaths. Originally considered fairies, their Irish name, bean sídhe, means “woman of the[…]

Frau Perchta, the Belly-Slitter

December 9, 2019 boneandsickle Austria, Christmas, EPISODE, folk tales, folklore, Germanic, Germany, Grimm, history, holidays, Krampus, legends, Middle Ages, mumming, mythology, pagan, paganism, Perchta, Twelfth Night, witchcraft, witches

Frau Perchta, sometimes known as “the Belly-Slitter” for the trademark punishment she’s said to inflict on disobedient or lazy children,[…]