There are literally hundreds of different Christmas beings and spirits all over the world. Most notably, Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas and his helpers. Sometimes he’s accompanied by elves or his wife Mrs. Claus, and sometimes his sidekicks are a little more terrifying like the Christmas ...
Some of my favorite things during the holidays give a nod to the past. Bobbing for apples is one of the old-timey Halloween customs that most of us have no idea where it originated. In this Samhain article, we’ll talk about the history and origins of bobbing for apples, why apples were a ...
A shrill neigh fills the air around you. A thick green mist envelopes you and blurs your vision of the path before you. You only had to make it down to the water and back home with a bucket full. But now it’s too late. The dangerous creature your mother and grandmother warned you about is ...
In the late nineties, stories were raging in the American South about a creature that attacked livestock and drank blood. At the time, living in the North, I didn’t worry about it too much. Even though we indeed lived on a livestock farm. Sure the stories were creepy, but I didn’t ...
Few African mythical figures have crossed oceans and not only survived the centuries but have thrived and evolved like ANANSI. He’s the archetypical trickster. A spider god. And a hero to African peoples across the globe. Known by a dozen or more names, Anansi’s origins are strong ...
As a child, I was obsessed with fairy tales and nursery rhymes. They took me out of this world and into a realm of magic and fantasy. Into a world where witches existed…both good and bad. As I grew older, I realized there are witches in fairy tales for a few reasons. One, because they ...
The first time I heard of the skunk ape, I laughed. I had the image of a large ape with the black and white coloring of a skunk running through my head. But as I lived longer in the state of Florida, I realized this regional cryptid is more than just a figment of people’s imaginations. ...
Beltane approaches in the Northern Hemisphere on May 1st. And in the Southern Hemisphere on October 31st. We prepare for the fire of Summer rising within our hearts and souls. Beltane calls us to purify, protect and prepare ourselves and our practices for the Summer season ahead. It’s an ...
There’s something otherworldly about butterflies, don’t you think? How do they capture our attention and imagination so easily? The butterfly has a long history of captivating humans, including as omens and signs. Our ancestors had some strong feelings towards these beautiful winged ...
Hag stones, also called holey stones, are curious little charms found in Celtic lore that in modern times are gaining popularity in the magical community. You might have heard them called holey stones, Odin stones, or even fairy stones. But they are all technically the same thing. In this ...