Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 6mThis is a lovely book, 'Green Women', in which I have a short story - along with many more fantastic women writers and of course the illustrations of the iconic Brian Froud whose wonderful idea it was. I can't wait to read all the others... 010
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Open letter to Ed Miliband on settlement trade stoptrump.org.uk/settlement-t...stoptrump.org.ukOpen letter to Ed Miliband on settlement tradeStop Trump Coalition 000
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Tell all governments: Defend Greenland actions.eko.org/a/tell-all-g...actions.eko.org 020
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 21/07/2026With all the Olympian fervour around Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey', here's a long-ago piece from my blog 'Seven Miles of Steel Thistles', about rowing and sailing with Tim Severin's crew on the good ship Argo. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2011/11/myst...steelthistles.blogspot.comMystical Voyages (9) ...Or Were They Real?Argo's sail against the light Well, what if they were real? What if some or any of the Mystical Voyages I've been talking about during ... 010
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 22/05/2026Lovely to discover that 'Writing the Magic' - a book of essays on writing fantasy edited by Dan Coxon - has been shortlisted for the British Fantasy Awards! I'm proud to have had an essay in it, on writing fantasy for children. 020
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 11/04/2026Here's a link to a post about 'Naming and Identity in Myths, Legends, Fairy Tales & Fantasy' - it starts with Adam and Eve and goes on to examine Earthsea, the summoning of fairies in Tudor times, fairytales, Irish legends and more. Naming is important... steelthistles.blogspot.com/2023/04/nami... 111
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 23/03/2026Thrilled to have contributed to this lovely book, 'Brian Froud's Green Women', along with many distinguished writers, some of whom are friends. It'll be published 6th October this year, and fans of Brian Froud will love it - as will anyone who loves fantasy. More at Brian's website: bit.ly/4cOoxUT 0144
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 13/02/2026On a dismal February day what could be better than a fairy tale? Here is a Breton story, with a hapless hero and a determined heroine bent on rescuing her sweetheart from - The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok! steelthistles.blogspot.com/2020/03/fair...steelthistles.blogspot.comFairy Tale Heroines #4: THE GROAC’H OF THE ISLE OF LOKThis lively fairy tale comes from Brittany (the Isle du Loch is a real island off the Brittany coast, and as the name sugges... 000
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 15/01/2026The Government is planning to send King Charles to the US to celebrate with Trump. Giving him a royal visit right now sends a terrible message that his behaviour is acceptable. We can stop this if enough of us speak up. Will you add your name to the petition? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ca...you.38degrees.org.ukCall off the King’s visit to the US for the 250th anniversary of America's independenceWith the current political chaos in the US and Trump’s failure to adhere to international norms, and given his apparent obsession with the Monarchy, calling off this visit would send a powerful messag... 022
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Another post from the archives which I look in detail at the Grimms' fairy tale 'Maid Maleen' and investigate its emotional depth as a story that delves unusually deeply for fairy tales into the trauma caused by abandonment and suffering. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2019/06/maid...steelthistles.blogspot.comMaid Maleen: a fairytale study of trauma?This essay was originally published nearly two years ago in the 12th issue of Gramarye, Winter 2017 (It will take you a while to read! 😊 )... 010
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 28/12/2025'The elders told how in the ‘white night’ of the Arctic summer a rope would be stretched between two trees to signify a gateway to the sky, and as the sun rose the gateway would be filled with aromatic smoke from two bonfires...' steelthistles.blogspot.com/2020/12/flyi... 020
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 23/12/2025 Happy holidays, everyone! steelthistles.blogspot.com/2020/12/flyi...steelthistles.blogspot.comFlying Reindeer, Little Gerda, and the different histories of Father Christmas and Santa ClausRe-reading Hans Andersen’s ‘The Snow Queen’ recently, I noticed how in this lovely illustration by Errol le Cain the reindeer turns it... 010
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 17/12/2025A wintry Russian fairy-tale of an ill-used maiden, her cruel stepmother and step-sisters, and the spirit of winter himself - Father Frost! steelthistles.blogspot.com/2021/12/fath...steelthistles.blogspot.comFather Frost: a winter fairy taleThis wintry Russian fairy tale is my loose adaptation of ‘Morozko’ (‘Frost’), collected by Aleksandr Afanasiev and translated by... 031
Reposted by Katherine LangrishDavid Moloney @hernebooksed.bsky.social · 20/11/2025A gorgeous paperback edition of the superb FROM SPARE OOM TO WAR DROBE: TRAVELS IN NARNIA WITH MY NINE YEAR-OLD SELF by kathlangrish.bsky.social ‘The best book ever about why we love Narnia!’ Francis Spufford. Available now: www.hernebooks.com/product-page... #Narnia #CSLewis 1146
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 14/11/2025Lovely on a very wet morning to receive copies of the paperback of my book about the Narnia stories - 'From Spare Oom to War Drobe' published by Herne Books and available from UK bookstores and Amazon. As you can see, I'm very happy. 163
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 12/11/2025I love this wonderful, teasing and spooky summer tale! It's the work of the Norwegian writer Jonas Lie, who was a contemporary of Henrik Ibsen, and it tells the tale of a drummer boy who climbs up into the Blue Mountains and meets some troll girls... steelthistles.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-...steelthistles.blogspot.com'The Homestead Westward in the Blue Mountains' by Jonas LieJonas Lie was a contemporary of Ibsen, born 1833 at Hvokksund, not far from Oslo, but spent much of his childhood at Tromsø, inside the ... 041
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 12/11/2025stoptrump.org.uk/petition-bbc/stoptrump.org.ukPetition: Defend BBC independence from Trump’s interferenceStop Trump Coalition 010
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 28/09/2025From the archives, a post about the Wild Hunt and the Fairy Rade. And when did ordinary people stop being afraid of the fairies? steelthistles.blogspot.com/2021/03/from...steelthistles.blogspot.comFrom the Wild Hunt to the Fairy RadeSir Joseph Noel Paton: 'The Fairy Rade: Carrying Off A Changeling - Midsummer's Eve' This account from an unnamed 'old woman’ of Nithsda... 020
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 20/09/2025We want the media and politicians to recognise that there is a large number of women who are supportive of the trans+ community. We call on them to report truthfully about the sources of violence against women and to address the systems that perpetuate harm. notinourname.org.uk/petition/not...notinourname.org.ukNot In Our Name: Women in support of the trans+ community - Not in our name 030
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 18/09/2025I just wish to add that the 'adult content' is Botticelli's beautiful painting, The Birth of Venus! 010
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 18/09/2025A post for lovers of C.S. Lewis's adult novels as well as of the Narnia series - an investigation of how his characterisation of women evolved over the years. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-...steelthistles.blogspot.comThe Green Lady, Jane, Orual and other adult women in the novels of C S LewisI will begin with the Green Lady, Perelandra’s unfallen Eve, although the novel has very much the quality, simplicity and large theme ... 110
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 10/09/2025Thankyou - it's a great cover and some interesting writers! 000
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 10/09/2025I have some good news; there's an essay of mine (called 'The Door in the Mound' in this book: 'Writing the Magic: Essays on Crafting Fantasy Fiction' published 18th of this month by Dead Ink. Contributors include Juliet E McKenna, Francesco Dimitri, Hannah Kaner & many others. I love the cover! 181
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 08/09/2025The Silver Apples of the Moon, The Golden Apples of the Sun Why are apples so evocative? Why was the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil assumed to be an apple? Why did golden apples of immortality grow in the Garden of the Hesperides...? steelthistles.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-... 160
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 29/08/2025Is a young girl still sleeping in a sunken ship under the sea? steelthistles.blogspot.com/2021/11/folk...steelthistles.blogspot.comFolklore Snippets: The Ship Beneath the WavesFrom Le Folk-Lore de France , Paul Sebillot (1904), this tale is an odd twist on 'The Sleeping Beauty'. "Sailors seldom talk about... 020
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 24/08/2025An old post about some very much older stone heads. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2019/03/haun...steelthistles.blogspot.comHeads in walls and wellsOn a brief trip to visit friends and relations in Yorkshire and Manchester last October, I began encountering an unsettling numb... 010
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 10/08/2025A rather lovely elfin poem by Lord Dunsany. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-...steelthistles.blogspot.com"The Enchanted People": a poem by Lord DunsanyIt came, it came again to the scented garden, The call that they would not heed, A clear wild note far up on the hills above t... 093
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 31/07/2025A guest post by Garth Nix who very kindly wrote me this piece for my blog quite a few years ago - entitled 'Where The Monsters Lurk' and exploring his remarkable world - the Old Kingdom! steelthistles.blogspot.com/2018/10/wher...steelthistles.blogspot.com"Where the Monsters Lurk"- a guest post by Garth NixWhile on tour a couple of years ago to promote his Old Kingdom novel "Goldenhand", Garth Nix generously took time out to write Ste... 041
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 18/07/2025Thankyou so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. 000
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 18/07/2025A lovely guest post by science-fiction writer Gwyneth Jones, who also writes for children as Ann Halam, on 'The Princess as Role Model'. Her book for children, 'Snakehead', is a wonderful reimagining of the Perseus and Andromeda legend! steelthistles.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-...steelthistles.blogspot.comThe Princess as Role ModelA guest post by Gwyneth Jones I’ve always been attracted to fairytales. I knew I was a storyteller long before I knew I’d be a writer: I too... 033
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 10/07/2025Friend and fellow-blogger Cathrin Hagey posts an interview we did together a few years back - all about fairy tales, magic and enchantment. www.cathrinhagey.com/an-interview...cathrinhagey.comAn Interview with Katherine Langrish: Author and Folklorist - Cathrin HageyKatherine Langrish is the creator of the award-winning blog Seven Miles of Steel Thistles and gave the 2022 Katharine Briggs Memorial Lecture. 021
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 07/07/2025It's a bit of a shock, isn't it! Yet somehow I wasn't surprised... 110
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 28/06/2025On clocks and clockmakers. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2019/01/time...steelthistles.blogspot.comTime and the HourMy husband's Uncle Bill Dilger was a watch and clockmaker-cum-repairer, and his workshop, a small back room in his Victorian Manchester hom... 010
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 17/06/2025Is Lewis Carroll's Alice really 'an ordinary' little girl? steelthistles.blogspot.com/2025/06/alic...steelthistles.blogspot.comAlice, Creator and DestroyerI once read, I think in an essay by C.S. Lewis – that to have weird or unusual protagonists in a fantasy world was gilding the lily. Simply ... 140
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 05/06/2025Early Eowyns? An old ballad tells how the daughters of a wronged knight become shieldmaidens and take revenge on his murderer. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2019/05/sist...steelthistles.blogspot.comSisters with SwordsI have a very old book of Scandinavian ballads, ‘Ballad Stories of the Affections’, edited and translated by Robert Buchanan. ... 020
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 27/05/2025So this isn't topical; it isn't Hallowe'en, but good ghost stories are always welcome... aren't they? steelthistles.blogspot.com/2021/10/true...steelthistles.blogspot.comTrue Ghost Stories'The Ghosts' by Lord Dunsany, illustrated by Sidney Sime There is a great difference between a supposedly true ghost story and a fiction... 121
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 20/05/2025On springtime, The WInter's Tale, and Shakespeare's flowers steelthistles.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-... 050
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 10/05/2025A post about the May morning celebrations in Oxford, ten years ago now! steelthistles.blogspot.com/2021/05/may-... 020
Reposted by Katherine LangrishThe Guardian @theguardian.com · 03/05/2025‘Trans women have never felt like a threat’: women’s refuges grapple with supreme court rulingtheguardian.com‘Trans women have never felt like a threat’: women’s refuges grapple with supreme court rulingUK gender decision ignites debate among professionals working in the domestic abuse and rape crisis spheres 1418031
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 30/04/2025In which I channel Dylan Thomas and consider the art of writing. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2020/02/our-...steelthistles.blogspot.comOur Craft or Sullen ArtIN MY CRAFT OR SULLEN ART In my craft or sullen art Exercised in the still night When only the moon rages And the lovers lie... 030
Katherine Langrish @kathlangrish.bsky.social · 18/04/2025"There is a line of Homer, which I forget, which tells of mules going up a mountain pass: and you can hear the clatter of their hooves..." Lord Dunsany on poetry - part 2: steelthistles.blogspot.com/2022/08/lord... 010
Reposted by Katherine LangrishHelen Day @lbflyawayhome.bsky.social · 14/04/2025That feeling when you are ready to swap your first-born for a really crisp lettuce (Rapunzel, 1968) Artist: Eric Winter 1135741