English folklore
28 entries in the English Folklore compendium.
Bastian PagezFrench servant and entertainments designer for Mary, Queen of Scots.Beating the boundsAncient custom of walking boundaries to preserve communal memory.Blackbeard in popular cultureNotorious English pirate of the early 18th century.Bottle-kickingAnnual Leicestershire folk sport with pagan origins.Brazen headA legendary automaton that answered any question put to it.The Buried MoonA fairy tale of a moon trapped in a bog.CharivariA folk custom of noisy mock parades to shame community norm-breakers.Charmer (folklore)English folk healers who refused fees and avoided witchcraft cases.Chime hoursFolklore of special powers granted by birth hour.Church grimGuardian spirit of churches, often a spectral black dog.The Crying BoyMass-produced print linked to a fire curse urban legend.Cunning folk in BritainProfessional folk magic practitioners in Britain from medieval times.Dark heart of DunwichA once-major port lost to the sea through storms and erosion.Denham TractsA collection of folklore pamphlets by Michael Aislabie Denham.Devil WhaleLegendary whale-like monster that swallows ships and mimics an island.Dorset OoserA horned wooden head used in Dorset folk customs and moral humiliation.The dragon (Beowulf)First fire-breathing dragon in English literature.The Dream of the RoodOld English dream poem about the Crucifixion from the Cross's perspective.Dun CowA grey-brown cow of English folklore, tied to heroes, saints, and pubs.Earl BrandPseudo-historical English ballad of doomed lovers.Elf-arrowPrehistoric arrowheads used in folk magic and medicine.ElfshotA supernatural ailment from elf arrows causing sudden pain.English Folk Dance and Song SocietyOrganisation promoting English folk music and dance since 1932.FairylandMythical realm of fairies, ruled by a queen, in folklore.Father ChristmasEnglish personification of Christmas, later synonymous with Santa Claus.Katherine FerrersEnglish heiress and alleged highwaywoman known as the 'Wicked Lady'.FlibbertigibbetA Middle English term for a flighty or gossipy person.John FranklinBritish Arctic explorer who died on his final Northwest Passage expedition.
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