Hi, located near me is a church with an older chimney/rock/keyhole shape built into its sign.

The legend goes that in the early 1800s a man lived on the property, his house burnt down and when he built the new one, he added a keyhole for witches to escape.

When the church was being built or expanded in the 70s, they tore down the house and kept the keyhole.

I found it interesting and tried to look up sources but couldn't find anything other than the house in Lenoir. Is this a real thing people did? I know very little about witch windows in New England.

Thanks.

Hi, I'm looking for herbs, crops and plants that have connections to celtic folklore.

ones that are spoken about in connection to fae or mythological creatures, like Foxglove which has a connection to the fairy folk as it was said the flowers would bob when fairies went past, and the name Foxglove used to be folkglove for fairyfolk. or how wolfsbane, also known as Aconitum, is a flower people associate with werewolves.

another type of connection to folklore I'd like to find would be things like the mandrake, which is a family of plants that have man shaped roots like Mandragora officinarum or Bryonia alba, in European folklore its said that digging it up will cause in to scream, killing anyone nearby. this is the type I think I'll not find many other plants where the folklore is easily proven wrong and is more 'fantasy' so no worries if none are found.

I've been looking for resources and information online but I sadly keep running into either "magical plant/potion ingredient generators" which I don't want as I want actual plants, but ones in folklore, not made up fantasy.

or I get sites with plants and how they were used, and the effects they gave (which while helpful and I'll look into it later, I currently want plant names to do with folklore(sorry for repeating myself so much))

thank you for any answers you all can give, I really appreciate it ❤️

Hello! I was wondering if anyone had any book/article recommendations focused around representations of the senses in folklore or mythology? Even if it is just a small part or a chapter I would be interested to read it. I am especially interested in smell and taste, but I am open to any aspects!

There are some connection between vampires and werewolves. Also Strix (Striges) from the Roman-Greek mythology.

Pricolici: A vampire with canine attribute in Romania similar to a Strigoi

Vourdalak (Wurdulac): A vampire in Russia derived from West Slavic word volkodlak meaning literally 'wolf-fur' or 'wolf-hide'. It was said that it was a former witch or werewolf that died and reanimated as a vampire.

Vrykolakas: an undead creature in Greece equated to vampires by its Slavic neighbors derived from the Bulgarian word vǎrkolak meaning werewolf.

Strigoi: undead spirits rise from the grave in Romania. Derived from latin word Strix and Striga.

Strzyga and the male variant Strzygon: demonic creatures similar to a vampire. Word derived from Strix and appears more of a were-owl. Strzyga sometimes means upior or vampire.

I love seeing lesser known creatures here, and I figured even one of the most famous french ones would still be a rarity. The Ankou is really interesting because it's one of the last, most persistent remnant of pagan faith in France, and is still very well known in Bretagne. Its real role vary a lot, sometimes he's the devil, sometimes he's the souls of the deceased made flesh, sometimes he's a warning before death. Overall a very shady figure, but no doubt important to pagan culture and surely derivated from celtic beliefs.

Just watched this. After reading the book I was intrigued to see how it would adapt to the screen.

My Co viewers, who haven't read the book were

" What the F... "

I thought it was quite a good adaptation, but IMO the book was far more enjoyable and gave the story more depth, thus making it easier to understand.

Has anyone else seen it? How do you think it compared to the book, if you have read it also.

Listen, a question has come up: what can you tell me about your folklore, myths, and monsters?

made in blender

I have been looking and looking and can't find anything about this but I'm pretty sure there is some inspo there. I would love to chat with someone who knows about sedna and has watched the show.

In his study of Moroccan customs and beliefs, Finnish anthropologist Edward Westermarck recounts a legend told by a Hyayna (a moroccan arab tribe) scribe.

The legend revolves around a jinniyah (female jinn), a type of figure commonly found in Moroccan folklore, particularly in the many versions of the Aisha Qandisha legend. Here, however, the character is an entirely different one: La-Hkima 'Oqla (الحكيمة عقلة).

She is described as a great chieftain, commanding more than 366 tribes of jinn. She is accompanied by her son 'Ayrud and her sister 'Aqesa. They haunt Oued Bouzemlane, a small watercourse in the southeastern part of Hyayna territory, which forms the boundary between the Hyayna and the Ayt/Beni Warain.

She is portrayed as extremely dangerous and always ready to attack anyone who crosses her path.

Source: Ritual and Belief in Morocco, Vol. I, Edward Westermarck, p. 406.

Persimmon seeds cut open to reveal spoon shaped embryos. Said to mean incoming snow.

Hi, I'm writing a book based, in part, on the folk culture of New Orleans. Since I want to be precise about it, do you know of any books, essays, etc. on the subject you could recommend?
Not fictionalized stories, but actual historical documents, where the culture isn't distorted and adapted to fit a few stories.

Hello there, I am a horror movie fan and I'm realizing that one of my favorite genres of horror is based on accurate depictions of how terrifying European fae folklore is. I'd like to research more stories and was wondering if there are books you would recommend?