Fabulous Folklore with Icy Icy Sedgwick

Lemon balm, or Melissa officinalis, is a member of the Lamiaceae family, along with mint, rosemary, marjoram, sage, basil, and lavender. Its popular name comes from the fact the leaves smell of lemon when crushed.


In contemporary witchcraft, balm makes a popular ingredient in incense used for healing, reducing grief, or boosting the memory. It's also a plant that appears in folk remedies and herbalism alike, without accruing much folklore as an actual plant.


Let's find out more in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!


Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/lemon-balm-folklore/


Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/


Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595


Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore


Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick


Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop


Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7


Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick


'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/


Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social


Tweet Icy at https://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Poppy folklore isn't just full of Remembrance Sunday or sleep charms. It even has links to love and honouring the dead! 


Let's find out more in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!


Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/poppy-folklore/


Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/


Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595


Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore


Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick


Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop


Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7


Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick


'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/


Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social


Tweet Icy at https://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

The iris is one of those instantly recognisable flowers, showy and bright with its voluminous petals, able to add a splash of colour to any garden. They've been beloved by humans for millennia, apparently favoured as far back as ancient Egypt as a decorative device.


So how does the iris show up in folklore?


Let's find out more in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!


Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/iris-folklore/


Book tickets for my in-person Midsummer talk: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/newcastlecastle/items/528797/calendar/2024/06/?full-items=yes


Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/


Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595


Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore


Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick


Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop


Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7


Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick


'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/


Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social


Tweet Icy at https://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

As we've seen with these European cities, ancient settlements often produce a range of ghosts and legends. It's unsurprising, with so many people living out their lives in close proximity across such a span of time.


Milan's folkloric side includes traditional cuisine, dragons, ghostly women in black veils, and even a column defaced by the Devil - among other things. 


Let's find out more in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!


Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/milan-legends/


Book tickets for my Midsummer talk: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/newcastlecastle/items/528797/calendar/2024/06/?full-items=yes


Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/


Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595


Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore


Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick


Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop


Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7


Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick


'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/


Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social


Tweet Icy at https://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

Althaea Sebastiani is a spiritworker and religious educator whose work focuses on helping people navigate the realities of deep spiritual practice. Their work is punctuated by strong emphasis on doing the work and encourages learning through direct experience.


A spirit-led witch with nearly 30 years’ experience, their personal practice is land-based and devotional, focused on being responsive to the spirits of the land wherever their travels take them and doing right by the Gods Who have called them into Their service.


In this chat we explore what animism is, how it relates to witchcraft, whether the gods from Earth would show up on other planets, and why the 'craft' part of witchcraft is so important!


Find Althaea online: https://www.ladyalthaea.com/


Buy Alive with Spirits: https://amzn.to/4alH1qZ


Sign up to Herbaria, the herbalism community by Rowan + Sage: https://school.rowanandsage.com/courses/herbaria?affcode=437598_3qokpyep


Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/


Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595


Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore


Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick


Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop


Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7


Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick


'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/


Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social


Tweet Icy at https://twitter.com/IcySedgwick

When it comes to plague outbreaks in Europe, your mind probably doesn't immediately jump to a so-called dancing plague. Yet that's precisely what seemed to grip Strasbourg, France in the summer of 1518. Townspeople started dancing, seemingly against their will, and couldn't stop for almost a month.


Hundreds died of exhaustion, with contemporary commentators blaming the wrath of St Vitus. More recently, people have suspected ergot poisoning, religious fervour, or mass psychogenic illness.


So what exactly happened, and how does it relate to folklore? Let's find out in this week's episode of Fabulous Folklore!


Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/dancing-plague/


Book tickets for my Midsummer talk: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/newcastlecastle/items/528797/calendar/2024/06/?full-items=yes


Get your free guide to home protection the folklore way here: https://www.icysedgwick.com/fab-folklore/


Become a member of the Fabulous Folklore Family for bonus episodes and articles at https://patreon.com/bePatron?u=2380595


Fabulous Folklore Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/fabulous_folklore


Enjoyed this episode and want to show your appreciation? Buy Icy a coffee to say 'thanks' at: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick


Pre-recorded illustrated talks: https://ko-fi.com/icysedgwick/shop


Request an episode: https://forms.gle/gqG7xQNLfbMg1mDv7


Get extra snippets of folklore on Instagram at https://instagram.com/icysedgwick


'Like' Fabulous Folklore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabulousfolklore/


Find Icy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/icysedgwick.bsky.social


Tweet Icy at https://twitter.com/IcySedgwick