Milk Stealers: Paleolithic or Neolithic? November 21, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Ancient, Prehistoric
It is a snakey week and here is a second snake post in almost as many days. There are many legends about snakes and other reptiles taking milk from nursing mothers, there are also many legends about snakes and other reptiles (and sometimes birds) taking milk from cattle. Beach has given examples of these tales […]
Bosom Lizards in Ireland September 2, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Contemporary
Beach has recently run across an incredible folklore and forteana resource: the transcripts of the 1930s Irish Schools survey where local traditions were written down by budding students and their teachers: thanks to Stephen D for sending it in. There is a lot to get excited about but first off here are three bosom serpent […]
Bosom Serpents and False Operations January 20, 2016
Author: Beach Combing | in : Ancient, Contemporary, Modern
Bosom serpents refers to the belief that an animal, typically a reptile or amphibian has taken up residence in a human body. Two truisms to start with. First, there is no way that these animals could live in a human body. Second, if the patient believed in the BoS, the doctor had to deal with […]
The Stone of Oo: High Weirdness from Southern France May 27, 2015
Author: Beach Combing | in : Ancient, Medieval
Oô in southern France has two things going for it. First, that name, I mean what…?! And second the pierre d’Oô one of the weirdest objects to emerge the last three or four thousand years of human endeavour: a sculpture of a lady and her pet. At this point, readers should take a moment and […]
True Bosom Serpents April 5, 2015
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern
The bosom serpent is the useful term to refer to the folklore notion that animals (particularly reptiles) find a way into the human body and cause illness there. Stories of this kind seem to be practically universal and to date back to the earliest times: we are dealing with a proto-myth or even part of the […]
