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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 12h

"I am thy father's spirit, doomed for a certain time to walk the night." William Shakespeare, Hamlet. (Art by William Blake) #WyrdWednesday #folklore #Shakespeare #literature #art #gothic #theatre

A tall man in armour looking down at a kneeling man at night with the moon behind clouds.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 12h

Looking for a spooky Halloween read? My new book Atlas Gothica explores 50 gothic destinations around the world, including vampiric graveyards, magical museums, mummy-stuffed catacombs & eerie libraries. Grab it here: mybook.to/atlasgothica #folklore #gothic #history #Halloween #weird #wyrdwednesday

Cover of the book Atlas Gothica, with the title embossed in silver gothic letters against a black and silver background.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Statue of the journalist Victor Noir on his tomb in Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. #Folklore asserts that if a woman kisses Victor's lips, rubs his crotch and leaves flowers in his hat, she'll conceive a child. #FairytaleTuesday #gothic #31DaysofHalloween #Halloween #graveyard

Sepia photo showing a sculpture of a man lying on a flat tombstone with a top hat lying by his side

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

A phantom black dog is said to haunt Tring, Hertfordshire. Some claim it's the spirit of a man hung then gibbetted for drowning a woman he accused of being a witch. The dog appears in a flash of flame, accompanied by the sounds of chains dragging. #folklore #spookysunday #gothic #31DaysofHalloween

Large black dog with staring eyes and its tongue out running through a field.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The haunted Ostrich Inn in Colnbrook, Berkshire. One landlord encouraged wealthy guests to sleep in a room in which the bed was bolted to a trapdoor. The landlord would release it, murdering the guest by plunging them into a vat of boiling ale below. #gothic #folklore #history #crime #Halloween

Long, white, two-storey pub with black beams.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A superstition states that if you count all the seeds within a pumpkin, you will see a ghost on Halloween night. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #weird #ghosts #paranormal #mythology

A variety of pumpkins of different sizes and colours placed together on some grass and dirt.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The Abbey Steps, leading up to the clifftop St Mary's Churchyard, Whitby. The 'benches' at the side were originally coffin rests, where weary pallbearers could lay down their caskets. Whitby Abbey is haunted by a white lady, who appears in a window. #spookysunday #folklore #gothic #ghosts #history

Stone steps with railings and a bench at the side, looking out towards a cliff, a river estuary and the sea.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

The Kiss of Death, a stunning piece of modern memento mori #art in Poblenou Cemetery, Barcelona, sculpted to mourn a youth. Featured in my book Atlas Gothica: An Alternative Guide to the World's Most Curious Destinations: www.amazon.co.uk/Atlas-Gothic... #folklore #gothic #history #weird #graveyard

Open book showing a page of text opposite a full-page colour photo of a marble carving of a winged skeleton leaning over and kissing the cheek of a near-naked youth.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, so called because its light allowed farmers to work for longer. Before reliable street lighting, certain organisations - including Masonic societies - scheduled their meetings to coincide with the full moon. #wyrdwednesday #folklore

Large, reddish full moon in a dark blue sky over a wire fence.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

When the landlord of Yorkshire's Busby Stoop Inn was due to be hanged, he sat in his favourite chair to enjoy a last pint then cursed it. Over the years, anyone who sat in the chair died soon afterwards. It is now in a museum - safely suspended from the ceiling. #mythologymonday #folklore #gothic

Former sign of the Busby Stoop pub, portraying an ornate, old-fashioned wooden chair.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

1808 mezzotint by William Turner depicting gibbetted remains on Hind Hill, Surrey. In 1786, 3 sailors robbed & beat to death another sailor who'd bought them food & drink. They were hung & their bodies then gibbetted. The site was long considered haunted. #folklore #gothic #history #art #weird

Mezzotint depicting a gibbet suspending two cages on a distant hill. The sky is overcast and sheep are in the foreground.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Launch last night for my book 'Atlas Gothica: An Alternative Guide to the World's Most Curious Destinations' (Hachette). Good turnout & great Q&A, with more requests for books today from those who couldn't make it. Check out the book here: mybook.to/atlasgothica #folklore #gothic #history #books

A white man with dark hair in a black shirt holding a book in front of an audience of seated people, with large bookshelves behind him and to his left.

Copies of 'Atlas Gothica' in front of a till with an electronic screen saying '1b Books'.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Murder stones are dotted around the English landscape. These gravestone-like monuments, which mark the sites of horrific killings, feature inscriptions commemorating the victims & warning of the consequences of such acts. They were especially popular in the 1820s. #folklore #history #gothic #weird

Murder stone in a snowy, hilly landscape, commemorating a William Wood, who was murdered in 1823.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The church referred to in the rhyme 'Oranges & Lemons' is thought to be London's St Clement Danes. These fruits were once brought ashore at a nearby quay. In March, the church holds a ceremony in which oranges & lemons are handed out to schoolchildren. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #gothic #history

Coloured 1902 print of a group of children circling an orange and a lemon tree.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The official launch for my book 'Atlas Gothica: an Alternative Guide to the World's Most Curious Destinations' (Hachette) will take place at 1B Books, #Newcastle, Thursday 17th September, 6.00 pm. You can check out the book online here: mybook.to/atlasgothica #books #wyrdwednesday #gothic #folklore

A well-lit bookshop at dusk in a damp street of terraced houses.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

A cockatrice is a winged dragon-like creature hatched from a rooster's egg incubated by a snake or toad. The cockatrice can kill a person just by looking at them, but the creature can be slain by seeing itself in a mirror or by hearing a rooster crow. #mythologymonday #mythology #folklore #gothic

Green metal cockatrice affixed to a window.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Newcastle's keep has several ghosts, but perhaps the most unusual is that of a Spanish cavalier who walks across the Great Hall and is only visible from the waist down. Other spooks include a mischievous flower girl who haunts the stairs and Roman soldiers. #SpookySunday #folklore #gothic #wierd

A large battlemented keep built of grey-brown stone.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The Mug House, in Claines, Worcestershire, is a most unusual pub as it is situated in a graveyard. The pub - said to be haunted and one of only two in the country on consecrated ground - was originally a church ale house, which provided funds for church repairs. #pubs #history #folklore #gothic

Half-timbered pub seen across a graveyard with green grass, trees and worn tombstones.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Last Saturday, I wandered into a large independent bookshop in York and spotted ... my new book 'Atlas Gothica' sitting on a shelf. Strange feeling, just a little quiet 'oh' of satisfaction. mybook.to/atlasgothica #books #gothic #folklore #writing #history #mythology #writers #travel

Picture of wooden bookshelf supporting a number of books, including Atlas Gothica - with gold letters embossed on a mainly black, abstract-patterned cover.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I was wandering in the churchyard of St Mary's by the Tyne, Gateshead, today in typical early autumn drizzle, when I spotted this cute little fellow - and snapped him. Perhaps fitting for summer's end and the turning of the year? #WyrdWednesday #folklore #gothic #graveyard #skull #history #weird

Worn, dark grey gravestone in long grass with a worn skull and crossbones carved on it.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Newcastle's stunning Lit & Phil library is rumoured to have 16 ghosts, including a witchfinder who haunts the balcony overlooking the main library & seems drawn to a Victorian book on witchcraft. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #gothic #weird #ghosts

Large room in a library with skylights, floor-to-ceiling book shelves and red metal balconies overlooking the main library area.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

An interesting form of craft is the creation of memento mori memorials. This dancing skeleton, in Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh, decorates the grave of James Borthwick, Scotland's 1st professor of anatomy. #MythologyMonday #folklore #gothic #history #mythology #architecture

Somewhat damaged carving of a skeleton holding what appears to be a bible against a yellow church wall.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Wow, just looked & there's ONLY ONE COPY of my new book 'Atlas Gothica: An Alternative Guide to the World's Most Curious Destinations' left on Amazon. Seems there's quite an appetite for the dark side out there: www.amazon.co.uk/Atlas-Gothic... #folklore #gothic #mythology #history #weird #travel

Full cover of Atlas Gothica - silver letters on a black background decorated with a silvery map-like pattern

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

In the North Yorkshire village of Goathland, when an old man died in 1926, a bullock's heart pierced with pins was found in his chimney. This was a charm against witchcraft - it was thought that as the heart dried & withered so would that of the witch troubling him. #SpookySunday #folklore #gothic

The village of Goathland on the North Yorkshire Moors. A white signpost is in the foreground and a row of stone houses can be seen across the village green.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Knuckers, water dragons found in Sussex, are said to live in 'knucker holes', which are small but very deep ponds. At Lyminster Church is the Slayer's Slab, a dragon killer's gravestone said to depict a sword against a dragon's ribs. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #gothic #mythology #weird

Long flat gravestone fixed to an interior church wall. It is very worn, but the 'sword' can just about be made out.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Linton, Yorkshire, boasts the ghost of a headless horseman dating from the Civil War. Entrusted with an important letter, the Royalist rider was ambushed & decapitated by Parliamentarians, but somehow managed to get his message to Linton's curate. #spookysunday #folklore #gothic #weird #ghosts

Linton's village green with a sundial on a pillar in the foreground and a large stone building at the green's end.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

When Lizzie Siddal, wife of the Pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was exhumed from her Highgate Cemetery grave, it was said her splendid red hair had grown metres long. She apparently exuded a deathly glow, making her even more beautiful. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #gothic #art #weird #history

Portrait of Lizzie Siddal by Rossetti, from 1860, showing her thick, long, coppery-red hair.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

In Ancient Egypt, pillows of wood and stone were used as headrests. They were placed under the heads of the deceased as the human head was seen as sacred and considered the essence of life. #MythologyMonday #folklore #history #mythology #gothic

Curved Ancient Egyptian wooded pillow on a base carved with inscriptions.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Lovers of the eerie should check out my new book 'Atlas Gothica' (Hachette). A guide to 50 spooky destinations, such as vampire-infested graveyards, witch-haunted caves, Dracula's Whitby, the real Frankenstein's castle & more: mybook.to/atlasgothica #SpookySunday #folklore #gothic #mythology #weird

Cover of the book 'Atlas Gothica: An Alternative Guide to the World's Most Curious Destinations'. Silver gothic font on a black and silver background with an abstract pattern.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

My new book 'Atlas Gothica' (Hachette) is out now! A guide to 50 Gothic destinations around the world, including vampire-plagued graveyards, mummy-stuffed catacombs, haunted English libraries, Dracula's Whitby & more. Get it here: mybook.to/atlasgothica #gothic #folklore #history #weird #mythology

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Some of the strangest English legends concern screaming skulls. Usually seen as belonging to former residents of a house, they emit horrifying screams if anyone tries to remove them. One Derbyshire skull screamed to announce the birth of farm animals & family deaths. #folklore #gothic #weird #skull

Painting of a skull on a table resting on books and surrounded by scientific instruments and an extinguished candle.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Rahu, an Indian demon, illicitly swallowed the nectar of immortality. The moon & sun saw him & told the gods, who decapitated Rahu. The severed head now chases these celestial orbs, sometimes catching them & causing eclipses. #wyrdwednesday #folklore #mythology #eclipse

13th-century statue of Rahu - a fanged entity, he clutches two cresent moons.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Leviathan is a Biblical sea monster which can represent chaos, the material world or the Hebrews' Babylonian enemy. In Gnosticism, it encircles those too attached to material things, blocking them from spiritual fulfilment. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #mythology #history #gothic #weird

The Destruction of Leviathan, by Gustave Dore, 1865. This engraving shows God standing in the clouds, pointing a sword at a large serpent-like dragon thrashing in the sea.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Cantre'r Gwaelod is a mythical Welsh land said to lie beneath the waters of Cardigan Bay between Ramsey Island in the south and Bardsey Island in the north. Legend says a drunkard prince carelessly left open some floodgates, allowing this fertile land to be submerged. #MythologyMonday #folklore

Sunset over a beach on Cardigan Bay. The rocklike objects in the sand are the remnants of a submerged forest.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Mortsafes in Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh. These iron cages were placed around freshly dug graves to deter body snatchers. After a few weeks, when the corpse had decayed enough to no longer interest the resurrection men, the mortsafe was removed. #spookysunday #gothic #folklore #history #weird

Black iron cages topped with stone slabs in front of a path and church wall

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

My new book 'Atlas Gothica' (Hachette) is now on pre-order! A guide to 50 Gothic destinations around the world, including vampire-plagued graveyards, mummy-stuffed catacombs, haunted English libraries, Dracula's Whitby & much more. www.amazon.co.uk/Atlas-Gothic... #gothic #folklore #history #weird

Image showing front and back cover and spine of 'Atlas Gothica: An Alternative Guide to the World's Most Curious Destinations' by David Castleton. The book title and blurb are in silver lettering on a mainly black background with a map-like image picked out in silver highlights.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Morgan Le Fay is an ambiguous figure in Arthurian legend. Seen as Arthur's sister or half-sister, & depicted as a powerful enchantress, she often schemes against Arthur & his knights. However, they eventually reconcile & she accompanies him on his last journey to Avalon. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore

Morgan Le Fay depicted in Pre-Raphaelite style. With long bushy hair and colourful robes, she seems to be working a spell.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

In St Mary the Virgin's Church, Woodford, Northamptonshire a preserved human heart was discovered in a pillar during restoration work. Some suspect it belonged to a monk, whose ghost has been sighted in the church and, apparently, photographed by holidaymakers in the 1960s. #spookysunday #folklore

Church seen from a river across a meadow with cows grazing. The church is in the gothic style with a pointed spire.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The Isle of the Dead by Arnold Bocklin. The painting is partly based on the English Cemetery in Florence, near where Bocklin worked & where his daughter is buried. It may have also been inspired by Pontikonisi near Corfu, an islet with a cypress grove & small chapel. #PhantomsFriday #art #folklore

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

William Blake's poem 'The Tyger' explores the more horrific & terrifying aspects of creation: "In what distant deeps or skies, Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dare seize the fire?" #FairytaleTuesday #poetry #folklore #mythology #poems #poetry #poets

Blake's engraving of a Tyger, in front of the lines of poetry: "Tyger, Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night: What immortal hand or eye, Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?"

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The Roman Smith god Vulcan had a limp, the consequence of being hurled off Mount Olympus as a child. Vulcan later had his forge under Mount Etna. Though hideously ugly, he married Aphrodite - whenever she was unfaithful, he became so angry the mountain would erupt. #MythologyMonday #folklore

Fresco depicting Vulcan from Pompeii. The bare-chested god grasps a hammer and holds up a shield he has presumably forged.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Old cannon repurposed as a bollard outside St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate, London. London still has a few such cannon bollards, mainly taken from defeated French warships. Newer bollards were made in the style of cannons. #history #folklore #London #architecture #weird #psychogeography

Rusty metal cannon-shaped bollard on a pavement

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The Northern Line ticket hall in Bank Tube Station was once the crypt of St Mary Woolnoth's Church, which was cleared of bodies & reinforced when the station was built. Passengers often feel a sense of desolation & some have smelt putrid odours wafting through the tunnels. #PhantomsFriday #folklore

London Underground emblem on a plinth outside a somewhat boxlike church topped with a Greek-temple style portico

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Morpheus was a Greek god associated with sleep and dreams. One of the thousand sons of Sleep, his job was to appear in dreams in human form. Ovid stated, "no other is more skilled than he at representing the gait, the features & the speech of men." #wyrdwednesday #mythology #folklore #weird

Painting of Morpheus showing a near-naked man with wings slumped asleep.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Cadbury Castle, Somerset. This Bronze & Iron Age hillfort is seen by some as a possible site of King Arthur's court, Camelot. It was reused between 470 & 580, with excavations of a 'great hall' suggesting it may have been home to a powerful leader. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #mythology #history

Large mound surrounded by trees in a flat, green landscape of fields.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Davy Jones's Locker is the mythical resting place of drowned sailors. The phrase's origins are uncertain. Some think it's named after an incompetent mariner; others claim it refers to the prophet Jonah, who got cast overboard. #mythologymonday #folklore #gothic #mythology #history

'Punch' cartoon of 1892, showing a skeletal-looking sailor seated on a chest at the bottom of the sea.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Satan in His Original Glory, by William Blake. Notice the smaller spirits emanating from the larger one, a common theme in Blake's work. #gothic #art #arthistory #history #folklore #poetry #Romanticism #mythology #poetry #poets

Water colour painting of a crowned, winged being with red hair clutching an orb and sceptre surrounded by smaller spirits holding scrolls and playing musical instruments.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Birthdays in China are sometimes celebrated with 'longevity noodles', long noodles that symbolise long life. Tradition says they shouldn't be broken before the birthday boy/girl eats them. The earliest written record of noodles is from a Han Dynasty book dated 25-220 AD. #FolkloreThursday #folklore

Chinese chef dressed in white handling long strings of noodles.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Eros has a brother, Anteros. While Eros ignites fiery desire, Anteros is about affection that is mutual. He acts as a balancing force in relationships, but can punish those guilty of rejecting the love of others. #FairytaleTuesday #folklore #mythology #history

Golden statue of Anteros at Piccadilly Circus, London, against a blue sky.

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David Castleton (Author) @david-castleton.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

For medieval peasants, Cockaigne was a mythical land of pleasure, idleness & gluttony. The skies rained cheese, houses were made of cakes, roads were paved with pastries, grilled geese flew directly into one's mouth, and wine freely flowed. #MythologyMonday #folklore #history #mythology

Painting by Pieter Bruegel showing the land of Cockaigne (1567). Three men lay around a table in a stupor while a pig runs past with a knife in its back to allow easy carving.

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