An entertaining and engrossing collection of British customs, superstitions and legends from past and present. In this beautifully illustrated book, Dee Dee Chainey tells tales of mountains and rivers, pixies and fairy folk, and witches and alchemy.

Did you know, in Cumbria it was believed a person lying on a pillow stuffed with pigeon's feathers could not die? Or that green is an unlucky colour for wedding dresses? In Scotland it was thought you could ward off fairies by hanging your trousers from the foot of the bed, and in Gloucestershire you could cure warts by cutting notches in the bark of an ash tree. You've heard about King Arthur and St George, but how about the Green Man, a vegetative deity who is seen to symbolise death and rebirth? Or Black Shuck, the giant ghostly dog who was reputed to roam East Anglia?

She explores how British culture has been shaped by the tales passed between generations, and by the land that we live on. As well as looking at the history of this subject, this book lists the places you can go to see folklore alive and well today. The Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival in Cambridgeshire or the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance in Staffordshire for example, or wassailing cider orchards in Somerset.

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Treasury of Folklore - Seas and Rivers : Sirens, Selkies and Ghost Ships
by Dee Dee Chainey (Author) , Willow Winsham (Author)
Format:Hardback 192 pages, 40 woodcut Illustrations
Publisher:Pavilion Books
Imprint:Batsford Ltd
ISBN:9781849946599
Published:4 Mar 2021
Classifications:Oceans & seas, Folklore, myths & legends, Sea life & the seashore
Readership:General (US: Trade)
Weight:478g
Dimensions:144 x 200 x 23 (mm)
Pub. Country:United Kingdom
For sale in: All countries
Description
Enthralling tales of the sea, rivers and lakes from around the globe. Folklore of the seas and rivers has a resonance in cultures all over the world. Watery hopes, fears and dreams are shared by all peoples where rivers flow and waves crash.

This fascinating book covers English sailor superstitions and shape-shifting pink dolphins of the Amazon, Scylla and Charybdis, the many guises of Mami Wata, the tale of the Yoruba River spirit, the water horses of the Scottish lochs, the infamous mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, and much more.

Accompanied by stunning woodcut illustrations, popular authors Dee Dee Chainey and Willow Winsham explore the deep history and enduring significance of water folklore the world over, from mermaids, selkies and sirens to ghostly ships and the fountains of youth. With this book, Folklore Thursday aims to encourage a sense of belonging across all cultures by showing how much we all have in common.

An entertaining and enthralling collection of myths, tales and traditions surrounding our trees, woodlands and forests from around the world. From the dark, gnarled woodlands of the north, to the humid jungles of the southern lands, trees have captured humanity's imagination for millennia. Filled with primal gods and goddesses, dryads and the fairy tales of old, the forests still beckon to us, offering sanctuary, mystery and more than a little mischievous trickery.

From insatiable cannibalistic children hewn from logs, to lumberjack lore, and the spine-chilling legend of Bloody Mary, there is much to be found between the branches. Come into the trees; witches, seductive spirits and big, bad wolves await you. With this book, Folklore Thursday aim to encourage a sense of belonging across all cultures by showing how much we all have in common.

A fascinating look at the myths, folklore and botany behind over 70 British wildflowers. From hedgerows to meadows, wildflowers can be found throughout our green and pleasant land. In this book, journalist and garden writer Rosamond Richardson traces the history and myths behind each flower to discover the fascinating ways in which the plants were used.

Discover which flower used as a medieval lie-detector to test the innocence of suspected criminals, or stuffed in the shoes of Roman centurions to prevent damage to their feet as they marched. From periwinkles, beloved of Chaucer, and the oxlips and 'nodding violet' growing in the forest of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the book celebrates the important role wildflowers have played in literature, as well as their uses in food and medicine, and the history, myths and tales behind each species. The nineteenth-century poet John Clare wrote, 'I love wildflowers (none are weeds with me)'.

This book is a celebration of the bountiful history behind Britain's beloved wildflowers and is perfect for anyone with an interest in gardening, history or the natural world.

This lovely book will enable the reader to identify Britain's trees and enjoy reading the rich folklore and traditions connected with them. From hawthorn to holly, from beech to blackthorn, each of Britain's 40 or so native trees are illustrated and a text weaves together the fascinating natural history, folklore, traditions, and remedies connected with them. The stories of some of Britain's oldest and most beloved trees, some dating back thousands of years, are included too.

As well as a fascinating book to dip into, the illustrations mean it also functions as a handy identification guide.

Inspired by the history of Britain, from the tree under which the first trade union was formed to the branches from which outlaws were hanged, The Great British Tree Biography details the fascinating stories associated with trees throughout the history of the British Isles. How much did you know about the Glastonbury Hawthorn? A tree on the site of Glastonbury Abbey that flowers on Christmas Day, and is believed to descend from an original thorn planted on the grounds by Joseph of Arimethea. And then there's Oswald's Tree where the dismembered body of Oswald, the Christian King of Northumbria was said to have been hung by Penda, King of Mercia, as a warning to others - and from where the town of Oswestry takes its name.

There is the lime that grows stubbornly on a cricket pitch in Kent, the ash tree surrounded by 19th-century gravestones in St Pancras churchyard and the Knole Oak, immortalised on the page in Virginia Woolf's Orlando and in the video for The Beatles song Strawberry Fields Forever. From the from oak on Isle Maree in Scotland said to provide release from madness to visitors who offer coins to the tree, to the beeches in Wiltshire that inspired Tolkien, and the sycamore in London where Marc Bolan met his untimely fate, this beautifully illustrated book tells the unique history of the British Isles through its diverse collection of trees and forests. Journalist Mark Hooper also investigates the influence of British trees in folklore, art, literature, music, legend and myth, weaving a fascinating tale of Britain's woodlands through the stories of the individual trees.

The beauty and power of the world's trees is timeless. Our appreciation of one of the oldest forms of life is particularly relevant in our age of climate concern. Immerse yourself in the world of trees with a tree a day - illuminating tree folklore, botany, tree uses, beauty and history.

From the strength of Alder trees (they can become as strong as stone, when old, and the cities of Amsterdam and Venice are held up by Alder pillars) to the biology behind the autumn colours of New England. From folkloric medicines in tree sap to villagers dancing inside a huge oak tree, From Shakespeare's Birnam Wood to eating Eucalyptus leaves. This book is a wonder for all nature lovers and tree enthusiasts who can dip into a fascinating and beautiful book with a tree every day.

Forest bathing from your bed, you will know more about tree biology, folklore, history and geography than ever before. Author Amy Jane Beer, a nature writer for The Guardian, provides botany, poetry, folklore and history in a variety of trees, from Gingkos to Birnam Oaks. From rubber trees in Asia to the giant sequoias of California, Klimt's Birch trees to Australia's Eucalyptus.

Learn how leaf veins work, the Sacred power of the Bo Tree in Sri Lanka, and reading tree rings. All wonderfully illustrated with award-winning photography, art, and illustration.