Icy Sedgwick's Blog

If you’ve ever read any Charles Dickens novels, especially Great Expectations, then you’ll have run into Newgate Prison. The hulking, notorious jail loomed large in London’s history before its demolition in 1902. While accurate execution statistics are difficult to find, there’s a suggestion that over 1000 people faced capital punishment at the prison between 1790 […]

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Bedlam, or Bethlem Royal Hospital to give it its full name, is actually the world’s oldest psychiatric institution. It began life in 1247 in the Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem, which stood where we now find Liverpool Street Station. Yet the hospital has inspired a range of books, films, and TV series. Its infamous […]

The post How did popular culture add to Bedlam’s fearsome reputation? appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.

Foxes appear in literature and legend across the world. Look at Brer Fox in the American South. In Rebel Folklore, I discussed the Jiuwei Hu of China, or nine-tailed fox, who drains men of their life force. Korea’s kumiho is a similar spirit, while Japan has the supernatural fox spirit, the kitsune. Scholar Al-Biruni, magician […]

The post Foxes in Folk Tales: From Aesop to Reynard appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.

A young man sits opposite Poppy on the train, a large folder open on his lap. Poppy tries hard not to stare at him, but his old-fashioned grey three-piece suit keeps catching her eye. A poppy rests in his buttonhole, even though it is far from Remembrance Day, and a grey bowler hat sits on […]

The post Flash Fiction – Life Song appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.

Hedgehogs are one of the stranger mammals you might encounter. They’re nocturnal, they hibernate, they’re prone to rolling into a ball when frightened, and they’re extremely vulnerable to habitat loss. While some of you will undoubtedly have first thought of Sonic, others might have thought of Mrs Tiggywinkle from the Beatrix Potter books. Either way, […]

The post Hedgehogs in Folklore: Witches, Familiars, and Milk Thieves appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.

I’m sure I know the guy opposite me on the train. Only problem is, I can’t remember how or why. I pretend to read my book, but I sneak a look over the top of the pages. He has straight hair the colour of wet sand – straight except for the random kink just behind his right ear. He […]

The post Flash Fiction – I Thought I Knew Him appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.

Moles are fascinating creatures. They’re phenomenal diggers and while they weigh around 120g, they can shift 540 times their body weight of earth (BMCR 2025). Given they live entirely underground, they’re a rarely seen mammal, and we only know they’re there when we see their molehills. Surprisingly, there is more folklore about them than more […]

The post Moles in Folklore: Folk Remedies and Weather Omens appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.

Otters are some of the most charming mammals you might encounter. Sometimes nicknamed the “water sausage” by the internet, otters are playful, intelligent, and capable of using tools. They also appear in popular culture, most notably in Tarka the Otter and The Wind in the Willows. Yet in reality, they’re incredibly elusive. They might live […]

The post Otters in Folklore: Brave Helpers or Fearsome Monsters appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.

When we think about folklore, we often think about the characters involved: King Arthur, Queen Mab, Lady Godiva, and more. Yet folklore has an intrinsic link with place, too. Even the most throwaway comment about a place can reveal stories linked with them. Such stories can reveal how we feel about places, especially when human […]

The post Creepy Listener Tales of Space and Place appeared first on Icy Sedgwick.

English folklore is full of peculiarities. The legends of the so-called screaming skulls are definitely among them. These are skulls kept in mansions and farmhouses, sometimes considered to be guardians of the property. Legends abound of the violent deeds done to the owners of the skulls. But many of these stories come with hauntings attached […]

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