A Charm from Cheltenham A charm from Cheltenham is given to a young RAF flier who immediately recovers his lost nerve and, despite many crashes, lives a charmed life
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
July 10, 2018
in Ephemera , Folklore , Fortean Mysteries , News , Occultism/Magic , Prophecies , Social History , Strange Lives , War
and tagged A Charm from Cheltenham , A. Cosgrave George , First World War , Great War , Great War aviator , pilot mascot , RAF Centenary , RAF fly-over , RAF lucky charm , RAF pilot lucky charm , Royal Air Force , soldier lucky charm
Playing a Spirit A girl who played a spirit for a famous Spiritualist medium tells All.
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
June 30, 2018
in Crime , Interesting People , News , Psychic Research , Social History , Spiritualism , Strange Lives
and tagged Amanda M. Cowan , mediums , Playing a Spirit , seance room fraud , Spiritualism , Spiritualist confederate , Spiritualist confessions , spiritualist exposure , spiritualist fraud , spiritualist mediums , The Girl Who Played a Spirit , Victorian spiritualism
Vampire Varieties A variety of vampire posts for World Dracula Day.
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
May 26, 2018
in Folklore , Fortean Mysteries , Ghosts , Grim and Grewsome , News , Occultism/Magic , Social History , Strange Lives , vampires
and tagged blood drinkers , blood-suckers , Croglin Grange Vampire , haunted furniture , New York vampire , vampire furniture , vampire superstitions , Vampire Varieties , vampires , Welsh ghosts , white death
Five Skeletons Five skeletons — all victims of a fiend’s ghastly revenge.
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
May 22, 2018
in Crime , Death , Ephemera , Grim and Grewsome , News , Strange Deaths , Strange Lives , Victorian
and tagged female serial killers , Five Skeletons , Gothick Horror , Louis Lemberg , murder Marie Bleirs , serial killers , Vienna , World Goth Day
Fairy Crowns of Scandinavia Stories of fairy crowns taken from the huldre-folk of Scandinavia.
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
May 18, 2018
in Costume History , Fairies and Elemental Spirits , Folklore , News , religion , Social History , Strange Lives , Victorian
and tagged brudekrone , brudekroner , Fairy Crowns of Scandinavia , fairy gifts , hulder , hulder-folk , huldre-folk , huldrekall , Melbostad , Norway , Norwegian wedding crowns , Numedal , Royal Wedding , Scandinavian wedding crowns , Swedish wedding crowns , wedding crowns
The Dark Man Remember the Dark Man, the changeling… A story for St Patrick’s Day.
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
March 17, 2018
in Fairies and Elemental Spirits , Folklore , News , Short Story , Social History , Strange Lives , Victorian
and tagged abducted by the fairies , blind man , changeling , changelings , fairy fiddler , Ireland , Irish changeling , Irish fiddler , Liscannor , Moher , St Patrick's Day , The Dark Man
Ashes a la carte Ashes of the dead eaten by the living.
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
January 6, 2018
in Crime , Death , Ephemera , Folklore , Grim and Grewsome , Interesting People , Mourning Customs and History , News , Strange Lives , vampires , Victorian
and tagged Ashes à la carte , brushing teeth with human ashes , cremains , cremation , eating human ashes , human ashes , Mark Twain , Matilda Francefort , mistakes with human ashes
A Spot of Bother: Jack the Ink-Slinger Jack the Ink-Slinger had a fetish for spraying purple ink on ladies’ dresses.
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
September 23, 2017
in Crime , Ephemera , medical oddities , News , Panics , Social History , Strange Lives , Victorian
and tagged A Spot of Bother: Jack the Ink-Slinger , Jack the Ripper , New York , panics , salirophilia , sexual fetishes , spoiling women's dresses with ink , Victorian crime
Eating Holy Clay A disturbing ritual from Ireland where clay from graves is eaten to protect against disease and sin. Unfortunately more was ingested than just clay.
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
September 9, 2017
in Animal Tales , Death , Ephemera , Folklore , Grim and Grewsome , medical oddities , Mourning Customs and History , News , Occultism/Magic , religion , Social History , Strange Lives , Victorian
and tagged Carolina clay-eaters , clay , eating clay , eating grave dirt , Eating Holy Clay , geophagy , grave dirt , holy clay , Ireland , magic charms , pica
The Phantom Carriage at the Eddy House The Spiritualist Eddy Brothers and their family see a phantom carriage sent as an omen of a death in the family.
Posted by
Chris Woodyard
on
July 15, 2017
in Death , Fortean Mysteries , Ghosts , News , Prophecies , Psychic Research , Spiritualism , Strange Lives , Victorian , Wonders and Curiosities
and tagged death coach , Eddy brothers , Henry Steel Olcott , Horatio Eddy , materialization mediums , mediums , People from the Other World , phantom coach , Spiritualism , spiritualist mediums , The Phantom Carriage at the Eddy House , Vermont , William Eddy