Women have always faced judgement, and have had disproportionate emphasis put on their relation to men; labelled as virgins or whores, nurturing mothers or wicked stepmothers, dutiful wives or cheating Jezebels. Heaven forbid we should just be allowed to exist in our own right.

Do you remember when we went on a witch-hunt? I spoke of folklore being a huge sub-section of English myth – at least when comparing our tales with different, perhaps more prevalent, mythologies.

Honeymoon’s first began in 19th century Britain. Newlyweds would travel to visit various relatives who had been unable to attend the wedding, which sounds dreadful and certainly not as relaxing as lying on the beach in the Maldives.

The veil originates from brides wearing them in ancient Rome to protect them from evil spirits. And the garter? Traditionally tossed as “proof” that the couple have consummated their marriage...and worse, the groom has to stick his head up the bride’s dress to remove it with his teeth in front of everyone. I mean, I consider myself pretty sexually liberated, but I am not sure that I want my family and, specifically, my husband’s family to see that.

I am the kind of person who hears a thud in the night and automatically goes to poltergeist instead of burglar. If I need to use the loo in the wee hours of the morn (pun intended), then I try to wait until after 4am. This is because I once heard that ghosts are most likely to appear between midnight and 4 o’clock in the morning.

Millennia ago, Britons – also known as Celts – shared what is now the UK with other peoples like the Romans, Vikings, and Anglo-Saxons. Theirs was a Pagan society; spiritual lives centred on the natural world. Different bodies of water, for example, were valued for their healing properties and viewed as portals to the Otherworld.

Happy Holiday Season, everyone! From Halloween to Hanukkah and beyond, we're well into the annual period of wintry festivities. Whichever you choose to celebrate, I hope you enjoy yourselves and stay safe. For Christmas, I'm looking at some familiar tropes of this time from across English culture. Join me as I travel through history, exploring the folklore behind some of our favourite traditions.

There are over 200 types of magic mushrooms in the world, now that is a lot of magic mushrooms! If you’re not familiar with the nature of magic mushrooms, you’re probably wondering what makes a magic mushroom, magic? The key to this mind altering/expanding little group of fungi, is its grouping.

English myth is a curious being. Compared to, say, that of Ancient Greece, which gives origin stories to real-life flora and fauna from across the world, our tales often involve more local variations.

As more and more people embrace being a cat lover, in this article Julie-Anne Thorne, Holistic Cat Therapist, explains how cats can mirror our emotions and even health conditions.