Dr Ceri Houlbrook (University of Hertfordshire) explores the tradition of children writing letters to Santa Claus. Online talk, Tuesday 13 December 2022, 18:00 This talk traces the history of the folkloric custom of writing letters to Santa Claus and other Western personifications of Christmas. When did it start? Where is it practiced? What folklore surrounds...
Dr Chris Duffin (The Natural History Museum) talks about some of the folklore and beliefs associated with fossils, which have a surprisingly diverse folklore history. Online talk, Tuesday 22 November 2022, 18:00 GMT Fossil bones and amber are the subject of a wide range of classical, local and oriental myths, including the Homeric Cyclops, the...
Doc Rowe’s film of the lecture can be watched on YouTube The Katharine Briggs Lecture on Tuesday 8 November at 18:30 at The Brockway Room, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. This year’s speaker is Katherine Langrish, author of historical fantasies and essays on folklore and fairy tales, ‘Fenrir’s Fetter and the Power...
What is Folklore? Online talk by Prof. Richard Jenkins (University of Sheffield) Tuesday 25 October 2022, 18:30 BST Folklore in Britain, and its study, seems to be in increasing danger of being understood by the public – particularly on the Internet – as ‘ghosties, ghoulies and long-leggedy beasties’…with a bit of witchcraft, paganism, and Gothic...
Dr Paul Cowdell’s online talk, Tuesday 11 October, 18:00 BST, examines why ghosts are commonly shown in sheets, though this is unrepresentative of most experiences or beliefs. All historical discussions of ghosts feature some comment on what they are wearing. Some of the most frequently mentioned imagery – like ghosts in white sheets, or images...
Dr Juliette Wood (University of Cardiff) explores the origins of the Sandman in this online talk on Tuesday 27 September 2022, 18:00-19:30 BST The Sandman has recently emerged as a popular modern fantasy character. This eerie figure who brings dreams to good children can also be a threatening bogeyman. It has become a romantic and horror...
Folklore for All One-day online Conference. Saturday 17 September 2022, 09:00-17:00 Following the great success of our ‘Open Voices’ online conference in May, we are holding a follow-up one-day conference online looking at other traditions and folk practices, including: Wellington’s cones; elf-shots, magical darts in the Amazon, fairy tales, fairy seers in Romania, re-enactment groups,...
“In the Beginning all Wisdom was with the Animals”– Exploring Native American Myths Online talk by Rosalind Kerven, author and independent researcher Tuesday 13 September 2022, 19:30-21:00 Native American and Canadian First Nations mythology includes some of the world’s most interesting and memorable narratives. They offer a totally refreshing–sometimes startling–perspective of the natural world and...