According to legend, in the early 17th Century a young girl by the name of Anne Cope was married to Lord Hugh Bethell at Bramshill House in Hampshire, England. When it was time to take to the marital bed, Anne suggested a quick game of hide and seek first. Her husband and guests obliged and… Continue reading The Darkest Days – The Mistletoe Bride
I’m a bit ashamed about how little I know of Celtic folklore, especially considering I have roots in Scotland. But who better to start my exploration with than the Celtic goddess of Winter. The Cailleach – also known as ‘The Veiled One,’ ‘Lady of Beasts’ and ‘Goddess of the Cold’ – determines the length of… Continue reading The Darkest Days – The Cailleach
Embarking on The Darkest Days project has opened up my world to dark lore I may never have otherwise encountered. With each passing day of researching and capturing with my camera the folklore, superstitions and traditions of this haunted time, I find myself becoming all the more ravenous for new knowledge, the darker and more… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Frau Perchta
More or less everything I create is centered around my sacred North. So it felt most strange today to be portraying Yuki Onna, a Japanese spirit of the snow. Strange, but ever so special. My knowledge of Japanese folklore is poor at the best of times, so it was thrilling to dig around a little… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Yuki Onna
There is an eerie feeling to this time of year. An uneasy energy in the air. It's something I've felt since the days when I still believed in Father Christmas. I lived for that feeling, for that energy. When I could feel it start to gather in the last days of November, a change would… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Winter Ghost Stories
As the days grow colder and the nights longer, the dead gather closer. During this most haunted time, candles are lit to drive away evil spirits and lure back the sun. In ages past, it was considered extremely unlucky to light the Yule candle before dusk on Christmas Eve. It had to be lit just… Continue reading The Darkest Days – The Yule Candle
The Icelandic, child-eating ogress Grýla is, I think, one of the most fascinating figures in northern folklore. It's been about twelve or thirteen years since I first heard her name and became attached to the ancient mountain dweller. Though despite thinking about her on a pretty regular basis, there's still so much I need to… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Grýla
There is always a nervous energy coursing through me whenever I start a new project. Even more so on this occasion because it has been. so. god. damn. long. since I have done an actual project with actual deadlines and actual goals. And because today I was challenging myself to capture the 'essence' of a… Continue reading The Darkest Days – Skaði
Bloody hell. It feels strange to be blogging. I decided to start typing before my anxiety got the better of me. Folks who have been coming here for a while will know that quite a long time ago - about 18 months - I went into a depressive episode and started to lose my ability… Continue reading The Darkest Days – A Photography Project
Celebrating the strange and the shadowy, the damned and unseen 