After taking a break last month (and most of this month) I have finally published a new article about nushi, the spirits of ponds, lakes and rivers in #JapaneseFolklore. I've included several folktales, some yokai, and plenty of #JapaneseArt. I hope you enjoy it.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouso...
New piece, in which Iβm tracing the origins of the little people and tiny worlds tradition back to the early modern period (with Tolkienβs βOn Fairy-stories as a touchstone)
dimitrafimi.substack.com/p/little-peo...
@tolkiensociety.org @folkloresociety.bsky.social
A group of dead farmers regularly meet at a crossroads near Mettmann in order to continue their bowling games as they did in life.
And since they lack proper bowling gear, they use their own bones instead.
#MythologyMonday
https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Bowling_Farmers
Ready for springπ
π¨Chris Dunn
Photo of a banner advertising The Animation Experience at Conservation Station featuring Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh
Today is the final day for The Animation Experience at Conservation Station, but there's no need to be too gloomy. A similar drawing class is expected to open later this year at Disney's Hollywood Studios while Bluey experiences will arrive at this corner of Disney's Animal Kingdom over the summer.
22.02.2026 21:01 β π 3 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.
~Kahlil Gibran
π¨Jane Crowther
Illustration of frog presenting fairy in green gown and holding a green fan with a bouquet of flowers, hedge in background.
πΌοΈ Ida Rentoul Outhwaite #FrogForFriday #FaerieFriday
20.02.2026 05:32 β π 113 π 24 π¬ 2 π 0
A water horse by Johann Egerkrans, Swedish artist. It shows a black horse with glowing red-orange eyes, a white mane and tail, lilypads on its back, and standing on a massive stone over presumably a foggy lake; a glowing fairy flies in the background of the fog.
A kelpie of Barra turned into a man to seduce a young lass, but she took off his silver necklace, turning him back into his horse form. For a year the kelpie worked her father's land, and at a year she returned the necklace and they married. #FolkloreThursday
πΌοΈ: J. Egrekrans
Once a Selkie finds its skin again, neither chains of steel nor chains of love can keep her from the sea.
~Rosalie K. Fry
art by Tristan Elwell
#FolkloreThursday #BookologyThursday
A herd of water horses in a lake. A painting by Jaimie Whitbread.
The ceffyl dΕ΅r is a Welsh fairy horse that inhabits mountain pools and waterfalls. In south Wales, it is often benevolent. However, in north Wales, this horse likes to get someone to ride it, fly into the air, and then become mist, so that the rider falls to their death.
#FolkloreThursday
A small stream flows between two green grassy banks, with raised sides and trees on the top.
The Irish alp-luachra - Joint Eater - preys on weary travellers sleeping beside streams or rivers. This newt-like fairy spirit slips down the throat and settles in the stomach, eating any food that enters while the unsuspecting host slowly wastes away. #FolkloreThursday (Image: John Horner)
19.02.2026 11:38 β π 41 π 16 π¬ 1 π 0
A large bloated toad like creature with huge baleful eyes, shells are stuck to its skin. It is partly submerged within a grim pool.
Scottish water-sprite Shellycoat is covered in shells that clatter as it moves. Often more mischievous than deadly, it once fooled two travellers into thinking it was drowning; as they followed the river to help, they heard the Shellycoat laugh and burst into applause...! #FolkloreThursday π¨Alan Lee
19.02.2026 12:08 β π 34 π 14 π¬ 0 π 0
Drawing of a kappa sitting by the water
Kappa are reptilian yokai from Japanese folklore that dwell in rivers and lakes. While they can sometimes be friendly (especially if given an offering of cucumber, their favorite food), there are also tales of them drowning and even eating humans who enter their aquatic homes. #FolkloreThursday
19.02.2026 12:15 β π 13 π 7 π¬ 1 π 0
Photo of a four-piece jazz band playing in front of Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom
Happy Fat Tuesday! For those of us who can't make it to New Orleans for the big day, Nola and the Eighth Notes Band brings the sounds of Mardi Gras to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom all year round.
17.02.2026 21:11 β π 4 π 0 π¬ 1 π 0
Photo of painting depicting Cinderella and Prince Charming about to kiss in a carriage after their wedding that decorates the Prince Charming Regal Carousel at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
"And they lived happily ever after..."
Happy Valentines Day! Seems like a good day to share this decoration from the Prince Charming Regal Carousel at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
Photo of Miss Piggy dressed as a queen with Kermit the Frog in a tricorn hat peeking his head in from the bottom left corner
The Muppet Show has returned with a new special featuring Sabrina Carpenter! Watch it now on Disney+ or tonight at 9pm on ABC! To celebrate this momentous occasion, here's a #throwback to the Great Moments in American History show The Muppets use to put on at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.
04.02.2026 21:15 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Statue of one of Toy Story Pizza Planet Aliens driving a flying saucer in Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios
Happy 40th Anniversary, Pixar! The groundbreaking computer animation studios behind Toy Story and so many other classic animated features and shorts was founded on this date in 1986.
03.02.2026 21:01 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Photo of the Aladar the Iguanodon statue in from of the Dinosaur attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom with yellow flowers in the foreground
Soon the only way to experience DinoLand USA will be to invent a real-life time rover because what's left of this Disney's Animal Kingdom land, including the Dinosaur attraction, is set to close permanently at the end of the day. Farewell, DinoLand!
01.02.2026 21:06 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Photo of a dinosaur weather vane at Disney's Animal Kingdom with the moon in the background
Only a few more days until what's left of DinoLand USA permanently closes at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The land featured so many quirky dino-inspired details, and while I'm looking forward to the Tropical Americas area that'll replace it, DinoLand's kitschy charm will be missed.
29.01.2026 21:00 β π 5 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
The top of a meerkat's head peeking up from a hole in sandy ground
A cautious meerkat peeks up from their hole for a look around in the recently-refurbished meerkat exhibit at Busch Gardens.
11.01.2026 21:20 β π 2 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Photo of the PizzeRizzo billboard at Disney's Hollywood Studios featuring an image of Rizzo the Rat holding a pizza while wearing a chef outfit with the text "The City's Top Rated Pizza: Pizzerizzo"
The final photo I took of the PizzeRizzo sign prior to its recent removal. I'll miss your rat pizza, Rizzo.
04.01.2026 21:02 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Troll sitting on top of a hill, head hanging down, looking dejected.
βTrolls simply detest the very sight of dwarves (uncooked).β
π J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
πΌοΈ T. Kittelsen, The Troll Who Wondersβ¦
#BookWormSat #fantasy
πΆππΆ"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
πJ R R Tolkien
#HappyBirthdayTolkien #BookWormSat
Screenshot of the phrase "there lived a Hobbit" being written into a book
"Do we walk in legends or on the green earth in the daylight?"
"A man may do both," said Aragorn. "For not we but those who come after will make the legends of our time."
- J.R.R. Tolkien, 'The Two Towers'
Happy Birthday, Professor Tolkien! #BookWormSat
Photo of Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland with the Peoplemover and the Tomorrowland Speedway in the foreground.
The Future has arrived... or at least 2026 has arrived. Happy New Year!
01.01.2026 19:15 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
While visiting Belle at EPCOT earlier this Holiday Season, she wanted to show off the giant golden bow on the back of her Christmas dress, so here it is! #EpcotHolidays
28.12.2025 21:19 β π 1 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Moosweibchen, the moss people, are gentle folk from the forests in the heart of Europe.
But the Wild Hunt is out to get them. And the Wild Hunt rides tonight.
Read what happens to a group of Moosweibchen in our 26th #yulefolklore tale below.
π¨ Brian Froud
Photo of the 65-foot tall Christmas tree in the Town Square of Walt Disney World's Main Street USA
Merry Christmas!π
25.12.2025 17:35 β π 2 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0
Photo of Gonzo's Charles Dickens costume displayed next to an image of Gonzo and Rizzo from the film in a glass case at Disney's Hollywood Studios
Have a Merry One More Sleep 'til Christmas! What better day to admire Gonzo's Charles Dickens costume from The Muppet Christmas Carol, which is currently on display at Disney's Hollywood Studios as part of a special seasonal exhibit inside Walt Disney Presents? #ChristmasEve
24.12.2025 21:01 β π 2 π 0 π¬ 0 π 0"Show me how your 2025 went."
15.12.2025 15:38 β π 23 π 5 π¬ 0 π 5