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Dr Icy Sedgwick

@icysedgwick.bsky.social
7.2K followers 2.2K following 2.1K posts

Host of the Fabulous Folklore podcast/blog. Researcher & writer for hire. Gothic author. Crafter. PhD in haunted house films.

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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Thoroughly enjoyed seeing @robinince.bsky.social at The Stand this afternoon. As per the poems about The Moomins and crochet, I made these two for my best mate!
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Thunder and lightning are one of nature's cinematic spectacles, but people once saw them as something terrifying. They tried to ward off lightning and predict events using storms. Hear more thunder and lightning folklore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! youtu.be/9CGBAC8SGqc
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This is the Bamburgh Beast, dated to 590-650 CE. It's a piece of solid gold, found by archaeologist Brian Hope-Taylor in 1971 while excavating at Bamburgh Castle. Stylistically, the Beast follows a zoomorphic style, similar to the decoration seen among the Sutton Hoo and the Staffordshire Hoards.
A narrow slice of solid gold, decorated with an unidentified animal with sinuous limbs that are twisted together.
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South-East London for Europe (Selfe) @selfe.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Fantastic news Latest records show that #RNLI donations have increased by 5000% over the past couple of weeks after far-right backlash. The RNLI is on track to record its highest annual fundraising total in its almost 200-year history. Donate here rnli.org/support-us/g...
rnli.org
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The autumn equinox falls on 23 September (in the northern hemisphere in the UK, at least), and, as I'm looking at the Folklore of the Skies on Fabulous Folklore this month, I wanted to know...is there any folklore associated with the autumn equinox? Turns out...yes! youtu.be/yWZjkslpcsQ
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I'm joined by writer @charliecreed.bsky.social in this episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, to chat about his new book, The Faery Rules. We talk about why fairies in folklore aren't lovely, ways to protect yourself, and unusual beliefs around all things fairy-like! youtu.be/sdL6E6jEgxc
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
When you were younger, how did adults describe/explain the sound of thunder? e.g. was it "the angels rearranging the furniture" or something similar? Let me know!
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Much online discussion of the moon focuses on the new and full moons. Yet the plethora of superstitions about the moon in folklore reveals they weren’t also that positive in previous centuries! Let’s explore the moon in folklore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! youtu.be/NK2C9uOWQx4
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
If you're an "AI researcher" do not email me asking if I'll pay you to produce research for me. Doing the research is 60% of why I do the work I do, I'm not going to outsource that. Maybe don't write your opening emails with AI, either.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
As we’re focusing on the Folklore of the Skies this month on Fabulous Folklore with Icy, it seemed only right to start with a celestial phenomenon that becomes a lot easier to see as the nights draw in. Yes, we’re looking at the northern lights, or aurora borealis! youtu.be/TZemfHCQ64E
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
You know how families often have a TV show they all sit down to watch together? In our house, it's A House Through Time. We love a spot of Prof @davidolusoga.bsky.social .
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London Fortean Society @forteanlondon.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The Haunted Landscape 2026: Magic, Fairies and Old Gods Saturday 21 November 2026 10 am - 5 pm @conwayhall.bsky.social and online Line up below, books, coffee and more on the day. Details and tickets: forteanlondon.blogspot.com/2026/07/the-... 1/9
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Birches are one of Britain’s oldest native trees, having been the first to move northwards after the last Ice Age. People in the Hebrides hung birch over cradles to protect infants from fairies, while in Wales, people might make the cradle from birch.
A silver birch with four trunks growing out of one crown. It is festooned with green leaves.
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That Immigrant Witch 🏳️‍🌈🇹🇷🇻🇪 @elhoimleafar.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Pagan Portals MARIA LIONZA 💛💙♥️ If you’re into exploring many different faces of the Goddess, Indigenous pagan spirituality, or South American Folklore, this book was made with ❤️ 4U 🔥 thepagancollective.com/2026/09/02/p... @moonbooksci.bsky.social #Venezuela #Goddesses #BookSky
thepagancollective.com
Pagan Portals Maria Lionza by Elhoim Leafar
Queen María Lionza is a central and revered figure in the diverse landscape of Venezuelan spirituality, often regarded as a foundational figure for many spiritist practitioners.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
I'm doing an episode on the folklore of the northern lights so I'm curious! Has your family ever had a nickname for the aurora borealis? If so, where are you? Thanks in advance!
static.klipy.com
Stunning Aurora Borealis Northern Lights Display
Alt: Stunning Aurora Borealis Northern Lights Display
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
According to Mrs Burke's 1867 Language of Flowers dictionary, poison hemlock meant 'You will be my death'. The plant appears in history, but how does it appear in folklore, if at all? Let’s find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! pod.co/fabulous-fol...
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Last week, we looked at deadly nightshade as part of August's Folklore of Poisonous Plants theme on Fabulous Folklore! pod.co/fabulous-fol...
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I grew up listening to Dolly Parton. This will always be my favourite song of hers. What a clever, funny, kind legend. Be more Dolly. youtu.be/w_-YbWHs6DE?...
youtu.be
Dolly Parton - Coat Of Many Colors
YouTube video by gussie5555
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I'm teaching a session as part of the Summer Scares writing school on non-traditional haunted houses, drawing examples from folklore and horror cinema! My workshop is on 27 August, starting at 6:30 pm BST. Tickets for the whole course: www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-sca...
A black graphic with a blue hydrangea on it, with text that reads: Summer Scares, Melanie Arkinson, Kayleigh Dobbs, Kerry Hadley-Pryce, Kev Harrison, Amanda Mason, Icy Sedgwick. Six-week online horror writing school. Starts August 20th.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
This week, we're looking at aconite as part of August's Folklore of Poisonous Plants theme! youtu.be/NPNoUXrtOtw
youtu.be
Aconite Folklore: From the Underworld to the Poisoner's Cabinet
YouTube video by Icy Sedgwick
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Getting married on the day of an eclipse meant your life would be full of sorrow. Dreaming of eclipses could indicate sorrow on the way, or a loss of money. (I made the image in Adobe Fresco!)
A digital painting of a total solar eclipse.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Has anyone watched Pompeii: Out of Time? Who knew Tom Hiddleston spoke Latin?
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Given the host of folk names for foxgloves, their association with witches, and their appearance in legend, it seems only right that we dig into their folklore in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! pod.co/fabulous-fol...
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Lise M. Dyckman @lisedyckman.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
This is a huge issue for scholarship, not just for library collections. We can’t keep ebooks, etexts, ejournals, only rent them. Which means: - paying over & over again to achess the same titles, & - no guarantees of finding the same works later; they can be yanked at any time.
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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A little Roman octopus to wish you a happy week! 🐙❤️ From a Roman villa mosaic at Villaquejida, León, Spain. Limestone, AD 100-200. Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid 📷 by me #MosaicMonday #Archaeology
My photo shows a mosaic fragment from the floor of a Roman villa in Spain, dated AD 100-200s. It depicts a stylised octopus using red, yellow, white, and black limestone tesserae, against an off-white background. The front-facing octopus appears almost cartoon-like, with a large red and white head and body outlined in black. Its yellow circular eyes are outlined in black with a central black dot which stare out at the viewer. Below the head and body are eight writhing arms.

This octopus and other fragmentary animal mosaics were discovered in the 19th century at the Hermitage of Santa Colomba, Villaquejida, León, which had been built on the site of a Roman villa.
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Nat Doig @weirdinthewade.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
It's here the latest episode of weird in the wade, Black Death in Bedfordshire. Covering everything from plague hag legends, to plague abandoned places in Bedfordshire, Cainhoe Castle's plague story and even some exciting genetics news related to the plague! Listen wherever you get podcasts
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Dr Gillian Kenny @medievalgill.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Do you want to read about the last known trial by combat held in the middle of Dublin during the sixteenth century? Great. Here you go open.substack.com/pub/medieval...
open.substack.com
Blood in the Castle Yard
The last recorded trial by combat in Ireland took place in Dublin Castle between two O’ Connors of Offaly. What does it tell us about the Tudor conquest of Ireland?
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Pops @pops131.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I picked up almost as much from the library as I did from school—real history, not that polished nonsense we were fed!
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Just watched Superman (1978). I still enjoy that film.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
How did people use arum/lords-and-ladies/cuckoo pint for both mundane and magical purposes? Let’s find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore! youtu.be/A8a36msVj-g?...
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Dr Sam Hirst @romgothsam.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Are you interested in Ann Radcliffe? Women in Gothic and Horror? Trans horror? Writing workshops with amazing people? You can get it all for one online event. Come to as much or as little as you like! 22nd and 23rd August www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1993974113...
eventbrite.co.uk
'More Terrors Than Her Reason Could Justify': An Online Gothic Conference
On 22nd and 23rd August we celebrate 200 years of Ann Radcliffe's posthumous publications and marginalised genders in the Gothic!
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Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 28/07/2026
Jason Arday is the youngest Black professor in Cambridge's history – and now rightwing newspapers are trying to smear him with untrue accusations of plagiarism. Not on our watch. Add your name in solidarity with Jason here: goodlaw.social/jg0w
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
On Fabulous Folklore this week, I'm joined by Dr A. D. Manns to explore the life and work of Roma Lister, a collaborator of Charles Godfrey Leland. We chat about 19th-century Florence, Roma's work collecting folklore from Italian witches, and how she may have influenced Aradia. youtu.be/MYZREZe_X0A
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
People keep asking what they can use instead of Substack as if blogs haven't existed for years.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Marketing emails have gotten even more patronising since people started writing everything with AI. If you're going to address potential users like they're just toddlers with a WiFi connection, then I don't imagine you'll get many takers
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Sardonicus @sardonicus.eu · 18/07/2026
Small figure of a man made from putty, apparently used as a love charm, with two dried roses. Inside of a straw work box with a lid. Found circa 1897 at Hereford. prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-...
putty figure in a box with two dried roses
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National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 18/07/2026
Please enjoy this magical sight 🦦 The gardeners at Bodnant have known for years there are otters onsite, but they have remained hidden... until now. This critter was spotted enjoying the river Hiraethlyn near the Old Mill. 🎥: An otter flowing gracefully down a stream surrounded by lush greenery
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
In this episode of Fabulous Folklore, I chat to @witchesetc.bsky.social about Helena Scheuberin's witchcraft trial in 1485 in Innsbruck, how her clash with Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer led to the Malleus Maleficarum, and how the book contributed to later witch trials... www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM8o...
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
In this month's episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I talk to Dr Andrea Wright about the fairy tale film as a concept, Jim Henson's career in film and television, the influence of the Muppets on fairy tales on screen, and what Jareth would have made of Miss Piggy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwvN...
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The Press @thepress.co.nz · 13/07/2026
Sir Sam Neill, who died in Australia aged 78, is being remembered for speaking up about issues he cared passionately about, particularly those affecting the environment in his beloved Central Otago.
dlvr.it
Sir Sam Neill: the activist
Sir Sam Neill, who died in Australia aged 78, is being remembered for speaking up about issues he cared passionately about, particularly those affecting the environment in his beloved Central Otago.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Captured (and safely released) this moth earlier. My Goth heart loves the fact it's a Dark Arches.
A close up of a moth with iridescent pale silver and brown patterns on its wings.
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How Haunted? Podcast @howhauntedpod.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Great night tonight taking a group of brave souls on the Newcastle After Dark ghost walk. They were a fantastic group of people and made it all worthwhile. Special guest appearance from @icysedgwick.bsky.social joining us too. (Photos by Icy)
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
According to Miss Carruthers, the rose first appeared on England's great seal during the reign of Edward IV, and it first appeared on coins during the reign of Henry VI.
A peach rose with petals fringed in red, against a bare earth background.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Did I need to rewatch the Jack Reacher movie? No. Did I leave it in just to watch the car chase? Yes.
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hookland.bsky.social @hookland.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
As promised to link to my first actual Hookland book. It is only small, but covers a lot of the ghost soil. If enough of you buy it and like it there will be a Volume Two. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1068598123 It will also be available in an actual bookshop soon.
The coverplate of the book HOOKLAND FRAGMENTS VOLUME ONE by David Southwell featuring a picture of the Ghost Bear of Hookland by Maria Strutz and the following blurb:

I firmly believe David Southwell’s Hookland to be one of the great 
imaginative achievements of our age. One that will one day be 
spoken of the way Lovecraft’s Mythos is now. Hookland is the 
folklore of the county that exists on the edge of our vision, an 
unseen but sensed Britain that is at once familiar and strange. 
It is the land just to the left of where we live. David’s work is 
made even more remarkable by his open invitation for all to 
come and play there. Though of course visitors to Hookland 
must be wary, the county exacts its price from us all. – R.J. 
Barker, award-winning author of bestsellers such as The Bone 
Ships and Gods of Wyrdwood.

As a visitor I am more frequently in Hookland than the barrows 
and chalk downs of my childhood. – Roger Clarke, best-selling 
author of A Natural History of Ghosts.

Hookland is gold standard eldritch world building. – Ian 
Simmons, Fortean Times news editor.

This a shimmering place of deep time, cold wars, old gods and 
ever renewing mysteries.The heartland and home county of the 
restless and the outsider, a lamp glow to welcome the lost, a 
pole star for those who dare to step into the dark and follow its 
glorious glowing ghostlight. – Rose Ruane. Artist and writer of 
Birding and This Is Yesterday.

Hookland has been called many things. Psychic shrapnel 
embedded in place. A re-wilding of folklore. The English Eerie 
told in strange fragments. According to its creator David 
Southwell, nothing in Hookland is made up, just remembered 
differently.

Hookland Fragments Volume One offers both an introduction to 
Hookland and an exploration of its agenda of re-enchantment 
as resistance.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Yarrow! According to Richard Folkard, you could make a nosegay of coloured flowers, rue, and yarrow taken from a grave to dream of your destiny. Sprinkle the plants with oil of amber using your left hand, bind them around your head under your clean linen nightcap, and see what you dream about!
A cluster of white yarrow flowers against a background of green.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
In Dorset, people called Red valerian kiss-me-quick. In Cornwall, its name was Padstow Pride, while in north Wales, it went by the name ‘cherry noses’. It was also called Devil’s Beard, Jupiter’s Beard, and Fox’s Brush. It deterred witches, attracted love, and acted as an aphrodisiac.
A spike of red flowers clustered together on a green stem.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
I'm joined for our first Witches episode in July by @aboutwitchhunts.bsky.social to talk about the Salem Witch Trials! We discuss the context of the trials, possible causes, the aftermath of the trials for the accused, and ongoing witch hunts around the world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g20...
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
There's something desperately unclassy about supposedly professional sportspeople throwing tantrums.
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Dr Icy Sedgwick @icysedgwick.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
It's always funny being at design festivals where everyone looks chic, cool, or stylish, and I look like I got dressed in the dark. I'm not fishing for compliments, either. I genuinely find it funny.
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