Crystal Ponti

Seamus Heaney’s poem "Digging" opens his first major collection and reflects on Irish rural life. The image of a pen replacing the spade becomes a metaphor for literary inheritance. #BookologyThursday

Bram Stoker, the Dublin-born author of Dracula, grew up hearing ghost stories and Irish folklore. Some scholars see echoes of Irish vampire legends like the Dearg Due in his famous novel. #BookologyThursday

Skellig Michael, off Ireland’s County Kerry coast, holds a 6th-century monastic settlement perched above the sea. Visitors climb 600 steep steps to reach ancient beehive huts. Today the island is also known for puffins and its role in 'Star Wars'. #WyrdWednesday

Image: Jerzy Strzelecki

In Victorian flower language, peonies carried a complicated meaning. They symbolized beauty, but also bashfulness...the idea that something truly beautiful sometimes hides behind its own petals. A flower that reminds us that even beauty can be a little shy. #LegendaryWednesday

Image: Annie Spratt

The Curious—and Creepy—Origins of 'Cat Got Your Tongue?' | HISTORY Three creepy theories attempt to explain the phrase’s origins.

A piece I wrote for the History Channel just published yesterday about the curious (and slightly creepy) origins of the phrase “Cat got your tongue?” 🐈‍⬛ It turns out the story behind it is a lot stranger than you might think.

Some travelogues describe destinations so strange they feel half-real. Foggy islands, abandoned towns, and forests where the map seems uncertain. #WyrdWednesday

Art: Guido Borelli

In old folklore, marigolds were believed to follow the sun. Because of this, they became symbols of loyalty and devotion... a flower that always turned toward the light. A quiet reminder that sometimes the secret is simply knowing where the light is. #LegendaryWednesday

Art: Elena Ivanova

In Slavic folklore, Koschei the Deathless often keeps enchanted animals as guardians—hawks, wolves, and horses who hold clues to his hidden soul. In these stories, animals are often the key to defeating monsters. #FairyTaleTuesday

Art: Tatyana Kupriyanova

In many fairy tales, the beast is not the villain. The real danger is cruelty, pride, or greed. Sometimes the monster is the only one capable of love. #FairyTaleTuesday

Art: Warwick Goble

Beauty and beasts appear in folklore across the world, not just as monsters and maidens, but as reminders that the line between human and animal has always been thin in storytelling. In many tales, kindness to a creature reveals its hidden magic. #FairyTaleTuesday

Art: Rackham

In many traditions, building a house required ritual blessing. Foundations were seen as sacred spaces connecting land, family, and future generations. #MythologyMonday

Art: Bigelow's Illustrations

In Japanese folklore, small household spirits known as zashiki-warashi were said to live in old homes. Their presence was believed to bring good fortune to the family. #MythologyMonday

In Roman myth, the household itself had guardians. The Lares and Penates were protective spirits believed to watch over the home, ensuring safety, warmth, and prosperity for those who lived within its walls. #MythologyMonday

Even today, literature returns again and again to idyllic landscapes. The dream of a quiet, balanced world remains deeply human. #BookologyThursday

Art: Thomas Kinkade

The Greek poet Theocritus helped shape the pastoral idyll with poems about shepherds, fields, and rural song. His verses imagined a countryside both simple and poetic. #BookologyThursday

Art: Henry Harris Lines

The idyll in literature is a place where time slows down. Meadows stretch wide, shepherds sing, and the world briefly feels balanced and gentle. #BookologyThursday

Art: Walter Langley

In the Temple of Dendera in Egypt, relief carvings depict unusual elongated shapes sometimes called the “Dendera lights.” Their exact meaning is still debated among archaeologists and historians. #WyrdWednesday

Tree frogs glowing bright green in rainforest canopies became symbols of life thriving in hidden places. Some species seemed almost jewel-like. #LegendaryWednesday

Art: Arsen Galikeev

The Kensington Runestone, discovered in Minnesota in 1898, claims to record a 14th-century Scandinavian expedition deep into North America. Scholars still argue whether the inscription is authentic or an elaborate hoax. #WyrdWednesday

Sailors returning from distant seas often brought stories of creatures that seemed almost mythical. Bright parrots, giant tortoises, and shimmering fish turned the edges of the world into living legends. #LegendaryWednesday

Art: Anne Shingleton

Whether feared, revered, or romanticized, the moon, stars, and sun remain humanity’s oldest storytellers. Their patterns shaped calendars, crops, and countless myths. #FairyTaleTuesday

Art: North Art

The phrase “once in a blue moon” persists because rarity fascinates us. The sky reminds humanity that not all cycles are predictable. #FairyTaleTuesday

Art: Michael Frank

The full moon has been blamed for everything from madness to miracles. The word “lunatic” itself comes from the Latin "luna," reflecting an old belief that the moon could tug at the human mind just as it pulls the tides. #FairyTaleTuesday

Art: Karen Wolfe

Mythology-based novels frequently explore the gray areas between heroism and flaw. Gods themselves make mistakes that ripple across entire worlds. #MythologyMonday

Art: Mountain Dreams

Epic myths like the Iliad and the Ramayana remain powerful because they focus on human choices as much as divine intervention. Heroes are never entirely controlled by fate. #MythologyMonday

Hidden treasure in folklore often lies guarded by curses or spirits. Wealth beneath the surface rarely comes freely. #BookologyThursday

Art: Rembrandt (possibly)

Sea monsters like the Kraken embody humanity’s fear of what cannot be mapped. Vastness itself becomes a creature. #BookologyThursday

Art: Biz Boston

Medieval courtly love traditions celebrated distant admiration. Emotional intensity grew in the absence of closeness. #LegendaryWednesday

In many myths, the world begins more than once. Floods recede. Fires cool. Ash settles. Renewal is not rare. It is expected. #WyrdWednesday

Art: Lumina Art

Unrequited love often transforms into art. Poetry, songs, and stories give shape to what cannot be possessed. #LegendaryWednesday

Art: Unrequited Love by Miki De Goodaboom