The Things People Put in Walls to Keep Witches Out
Shoes, bottles, dead cats, scratched circles, and the private magic of the English home. If you renovate an old house in Britain,
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The archive
Fiction, poetry, essays, reviews and art in one reading room.
Why Do We Cover the Mirrors when Someone Dies?
Come with me into a house where someone has just died. It's an ordinary house, those types that existed by
Chang'e, Weighing the Vial
Hou Yi hid it under the bed, wrapped in cloth, further back than a wife should reach. I raced ahead of the
First Wife
1:1 This is the version no one tells at synagogue, she was made from the same dirt as him, not a
Riding
Miss Odell says the reason we paint our porch ceilings blue is on account of the haint can't cross water,
A Washer at the Ford
My aunt said never stop if you hear washing at night. Not singing. Washing. She was particular about that. There’s a
The Problem With Calling Witchcraft a Trend
Modern witchcraft has become very easy to photograph. That may be part of the reason it has become so easy to misunderstand.
Why Do We Leave Coins With the Dead?
Charon’s fare is the famous answer. It is not quite the whole one. The Greek underworld was not disorganised: On the
Why Are Crossroads So Dangerous in Folklore?
Gods received supper there. The unwanted dead were buried there. Magicians left things there. Musicians supposedly met the Devil there. There is
Modern Folklore Today: House Blessings, Wedding Superstitions, and Holiday Rituals
We like to think modern life has made us terribly sensible. We have smart meters, online banking, video doorbells, and tiny computers