If the recent book haul is anything to go by, by the end of the decade, I will build myself a house out of fantasy novels that include the Wild Hunt #Herne'sHunt

Listeners who can’t be there in person … Zakia is happy for this to be recorded so you’ll get to hear the interview on a future episode 🙂

They call the church 'the witch's hat'. Even in their holy places they cannot help but think of us. Fear of our witchery, the appeal of our witchery, long ago seized their imagination. We live in their stories and desires, but they can never possess us. – #EmilyCBanting, 1982 #WitchSky

Currently at the 'please let me start again' stage of manuscript revisions. What happened to spending a decade on a meandering monograph?!

King Stakh's Wild Hunt (1979 soviet film based on Belarus novella). The claustrophobic atmosphere of a rural community is chilling. Technically a ghost hoax/murder mystery

Painting of a tabby cat in a summer meadow. Surrounded by dandelions and other flowers.

Cat in the Summer Meadow, Bruno Liljefors (1860-1939).

A spectacularly detailed piece of research. And the illustrations are gorgeous. I'm chuffed both ways that this book beat mine to the printing press. #Herne #HornedGod

photo of cat in tall green grass

We've had a restful Spring break, & it is full steam ahead into conference season. Catch @hexnhart.bsky.social & Sabine Slowik presenting digitally at @contemporarylegend.bsky.social Perspectives on Contemporary Legends in June: contemporarylegend.org/meetings/per... More confs to be announced!

Who's your favourite for the role of Pan's literary successor. The Sunday talk will delve into detail on this topic and on why all rebels need antlered hats. Submit your bets!

Thank you :) I'm making a call that it's AI based on style, formatting (e.g. direct speech switches between prose punctuation and script-style CHARACTER: 'speech'), and illustrations (inconsistent character design, incorrect composition, extra hands that don't attach anywhere etc)

Found a truly cursed book about the Green Man with genAI illustrations, including this one. It's not my phone, the boy's face is pixelated on the page. It is surreal to me that a book ostensibly about a nature spirit guiding people to appreciate the land can draw on genAI. An artefact of our time

Poster for Festival of Magical History with QR code

Cover of Witchland history book American edition, pink broom on black background with spectral trees

Small black and brown jack russell in tartan jumper

Festival of Magical History online weekend 11-12 April. I’ll be talking about the research for my new book Witchland! Tickets via QR code in photo 1. Please also enjoy random photo of my little dog, Friday, who might interrupt…
#history #witches #folklore

Spotted in Devon: a cat on parade, a parking ram and some assumptions about a wizard's music tastes

We have so many brilliant YA fantasy and science fiction authors' stories that deserve adaptations: Tracy Deonn, Sabaa Tahir, Holly Black, Sarah J. Maas, the list goes on.

Don't get me started on adult SFF! Very long list.

There are 1000 books I'd like to see on TV/film. Hollywood, stop rebooting!

J.R.R. Tolkien's drawing of a curled dragon.

In English folklore, some prehistoric sites were associated with dragons, including Drakestone at Stinchcombe in Gloucestershire, a natural stone by an ancient earthwork; Dragonhoard and Brokenbarrow, at Garsington, Oxfordshire; and Drake Howe at Bilsdale and Midcable, Yorkshire. #FolkloreThursday

How indeed? Come to my online talk at @folkloretodmorden.bsky.social on April 1st to find out: www.folkloremythmagic.com/event-detail...

Online Festival of Magical History! Talks on witches, ghosts, cursing, folklore and myth!
Tickets via the QR code on the poster 🧙‍♀️
@magic @history @witchcraft

Trialing some two block ‘Great God Pan’ linocut prints on green paper. I’m not sure they work…

This is the recently conserved 1753 foundation deed of the British Museum, where Hans Sloane’s executors vest his collection into the hands of the Trustees. It’s now safe to be viewed & exhibited after being permanently folded since the 1750s. Harwell have done a great job! #britishmuseum #archives

Congratulations! Looking forward to reading the publications

I'm delighted to announce that I've just been appointed by
@cambridgeup.bsky.social to edit a brand new and exciting
Elements series, 'Elements in Folklore' (with Dr Tabitha Stanmore), which will aim to publish the latest research in folklore that's 20-30k words long! #folklore 📚

a prehistoric stone circle, its stones scattered over a closely-cropped grass moor with brown tors in the distance

At StoryMachine, we think a lot about connections. Among others, connections between place and story. This is Scorhill Stone Circle on Dartmoor, a perennial feature of the landscape that still attracts tales, speculations, and imaginings. What story would you tell about it?

Have you seen the new blog posts from @storymachine-ht.bsky.social? Check out Sabine Slowik & Marie Veihelmann's conference presentation, and my intro to the project via the Wild Hunt. Follow link for more: storymachine.iisys.de/blog/

If you think now is the moment for pissing on someone’s chips, for trying to pull down something that gives a little sustaining wonder - you’re a wanker. If you think now is the time for pedantic theorising or backseat lecturing of others on the frontline - sit down and think about your numptytism.

photo of scrolls in cloth bags tightly packed on multiple shelves

A photo from @hexnhart.bsky.social's recent archive trip. A romantic set-up, but not the easiest to search. StoryMachine aims to make information retrieval fast & fluid, while leaving room for the serendipity of chancing upon just the right thing while browsing the shelves #archive #academia

At @salisburymuseum.bsky.social on a mission for @storymachine-ht.bsky.social, did not expect to run into an old friend - Herne the Hunter as featured in the GWR folklore guide

The Dartmoor Tors Festival is back again this year, celebrating art, place, and life on Dartmoor. Visit their website for the full schedule: dartmoortorsfestival.co.uk

Les Vaisseaux de Pierres - Carnac Exploration des imaginaires autour et sur les mégalithes de Carnac et d'ailleurs. L'association a pour objet l'étude des imaginaires anciens et contemporains suscités par les architectures monumentale...

If you can read French and are interested in the megalithic monuments at Carnac and elsewhere, ‘Les Vaisseaux de Pierres’ is an excellent new resource exploring how prehistoric sites in France have been portrayed in art and popular culture. #StandingStoneSunday

One step closer to the mystery of the antlered goddess in the British Museum! Come to my talk at @treadwells-books.bsky.social on March 26th to hear about Cernunnos' elusive contemporary. Tickets here: www.treadwells-london.com/events-1/hor...

they do move in herds