Claire Slack

A photo of Silbury Hill, a grass covered chalk mound in Wiltshire, surrounded by an orangey red sunset

Today I did a radio interview with BBC Wiltshire about local traditions and finished off with co-leading a guided folklore and archaeology walk around West Kennet. I have no idea how I became this person but it's magnificent

An image of a decorate heart shaped pin cushion with text reading un/Common People

It was an absolute dream to launch this fantastic exhibition last night at @wiltshiremuseum, having played a very small part in making it happen. Couldnt be prouder of our team and the amazing folk at Wessex Museums and the Museum of British Folklore.

You've raised your Tiny Son incredibly well by the sounds of it 😁

A picture of a baby scan with a babygrow that reads disturber of the peace next to it. Text overplayed reads "a new adventurer joins the party"

Now the key people know, I suppose I better fess up why I've been so absent from socials these last few months. Baby mossgoblin coming September 2025.

A green booklet called Wiltshire Folklife on a wooden table

Deep in 1980s folklore journals today. We've got black dogs, dark sky omens, dubious folk cures (snail broth anyone?) and saint sightings a plenty at @wiltshiremuseum.bsky.social

Still my biggest claim to fame

The year is on its knees, waiting for the blade of ice. We roast ale. We roast cider. Rough music fills the air. The Bone Horse dances the night #WinterSolstice

A sun set from the top of an iron age hill fort with green fields for miles around

A man in front of a single tree taking pictures of the view from the top of an iron age hill fort

A twilight image of a tree of top of an iron age hill fort with fields visible below

Happy solstice from Oliver's Castle where @martinb-archaeo.bsky.social had to pull me out of the mud when I stacked it but we caught a rather magnificent sunset.

A vinyl sticker on a museum wall featuring folk images from across Wessex with the name Un/Common People across the top.

A pile of crates with folk images on the front sitting in front of a display wall with a giant key and a panel with text about the Un/Common People exhibition

An image of a museum gallery with images of stonehenge and a Piper cartoon. A case in the foreground is filled with old shoes

A person with long red hair and glasses stands in front of a text panel about Stonehenge and Avebury as sacred sites

Had a nice little adventure out with some of our team today to explore the Un/Common People exhibition at Museum & Art Swindon before it heads on to @wiltshiremuseum.bsky.social. A gorgeous exhibition with some great folky objects from across Wessex (and a tiny weeny feature from yours truly)

Was said mystic trying to prevent Loki gaining access to his toenails to build Naglfar during Ragnarok like an ex-boyfriend of mine once did 🤣

They don't really rise, more like shaped flat breads. They are quite tasty!

No but I have had the displeasure of smelling garum before and I don't think I fancy tasting it haha

I'm far from an expert on historic wine making but I imagine they'd be using the wild yeasts that are found naturally on fruits and some plants. So yes add something sweet and let it do its thing. Don't quote me though!

*or hold me responsible if experimental wine making goes very wrong haha

A ceramic bowl filled with small baked breads

Are you even in museum work if you don't casually bake historic recipes like Ancient Roman Libum on your lunch breaks? All tested for Saturnalia

Hey! We’ve compiled a starter pack of museums, galleries, archives and libraries in the UK who are right here on Bluesky 🦋 go.bsky.app/9o1sRWp

A tiny cup of hot chocolate being held in the foreground. An abbey and stalls are out of focus in the background

A grave in an abbey with flowers and feathers on it. The sign states it is maybe the grave of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere

A day drinking hot chocolate with 14th century spices and doing my usual pilgrimage to see the things on King Arthurs grave

That is fascinating and wonderful and far weirder than the things I've seen there on my studies 🤣

Now that's a long barrow I'm very familiar with! Any good offerings on the stones today?

It really has been an honour to play a small part in making this incredible exhibition happen. Hope the pre-launch went amazingly!

A green view from the top of a grass covered barrow. You can see the legs of the photograph in black trousers with sun, moon and stars print

Take me back to lazing around on long barrows instead of unpacking a thousand boxes into our new house please

A couple stand next to a neolithic stone circle

A white rose on a stone

Some pennies tucked in the cracks on a stone

Some bits of plants in a hole in a stone

Take your folks to your nearest stone circle day (featuring things hidden on stones)

As archaeologists, we are also storytellers. For the stones are lithic libraries, batteries which store tales. Some recite from their volumes of folklore, I find as much enchantment in sharing with others the narratives of the Long Neolithic. – Dr. K. Brophy #StandingStoneSunday

Thanks Bill. Only taken us a year to properly get settled in Wiltshire 😅

I'm in the middle of moving to a new house so I feel I don't have much to say to my lovely new followers at the moment but please enjoy this little glimpse into what being an ethnographic researcher into British sacred sites looks like (minus broken boots, sheep poo covered notes and zero sleep)

I am overwhelmed with notifications and the fact people care about my weird adventures 🤣🤣🤣

A character in a mask and sack costume is places on a donkey by two men in military style red coats with colourful pointy hats. There is a green hill and a church tower in the background and many people standing around

1k followers absolutely deserves a throwback to my adventure to see the Hunting of the Earl of Rone in May where I walked many, many miles with @meikle25.bsky.social and got to hang out with the fool and some other lovely people like @folklorepod.bsky.social

Diolch Delyth! I'm still at duolingo shouting at me for not being able to spell cerddoriaeth on demand stages but I'm making slow progress 💪

But most of all you'll like it here if you too are team #FolkloreAgainstFacism forever

I've got lots of new followers here so a quick intro is due! You'll like it here if you are down for folklore, magic, walking the landscape, terrible attempts at the Welsh language, morris dancing, spoon carving, mushroom hunting, all things #phdlife and weird things in museums.

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