The history of witchcraft and the centuries of persecution that it has aroused have been explored in a new book focusing on 13 of the most infamous cases from around the world.
Witchcraft: A History in 13 Trials covers a 700-year time span that encompasses some of the earliest witch trials in Europe to the very modern ‘witch hunt’ of Stormy Daniels in Donald Trump’s America
How to Spot a Witch... Find Out If She Annoyed a Powerful Man! also reviews this book. One thing you'll learn is that Shakespeare's cauldron recipes were inspired by real-life Scottish witch trials.
(Photos courtesy: Skansen)
After a long and dark winter, Sweden sings, dances and drinks during Midsummer, a three-day celebration to mark the start of summer.
The white cloth-clad table is groaning under the weight of a delicious buffet, the likes of which I have only seen on Pinterest. Sill (pickled herring) take the starring role, buoyed by a strong supporting cast: gravlax (salmon), new potatoes with dill, sour cream and chives, skagenröra (a mix of prawns, mayonnaise, crème fraiche, lemon, and dill), västerbottenpaj (a cheese quiche), and new strawberries with whipped cream. Buntings, paper lanterns, fresh flowers, green leaves and vines create a rustic and romantic setting created with one aim: to eat and drink, laugh and enjoy, all in the company of friends and family.
Morris dancers flexing en masse at this year’s Brit Awards; artist (and one half of The KLF) Jimmy Cauty summoning cloaked acolytes for megalithic rituals in South East England; the pastoral terrors of folk-horror flicks, resurgent in the past few years: there’s a strange sort of sorcery bedeviling the isles over on this side of the Atlantic...
From the longform drones of Lankum and Brìghde Chaimbeul to the ensorcelled hymnals of Burd Ellen and Hawthonn and the twisted nature songs of Lisa O’Neill, there’s a welcome harvesting of folk music’s darkest elements filtering into some of the most innovative sounds being produced across the UK and Ireland.
A certain charm oozes from Deconstructeam's tarot-builder and narrative adventure game, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood. And today's latest trailer where we meet some of its cast only solidifies that. Seeking freedom, Fortuna makes a dangerous pact with a forbidden creature—the mysterious and ancient Abramar—who grants her the ability to craft magic-infused tarot cards.