Folklore

The Old Corpse Road Folklore Collective provides a resource for people interested in folklore, paganism, mythology, legend and all related matters. The site is aimed at those wanting to connect with other like-minded individuals and groups and allows us to share and enjoy the fruits of our past. We also extend our interests to all related matters such as black and folk metal, traditional folk music, artwork and local and worldwide events. If we sound like your type of people then join us. We accept all people into the collective as long as you respect one another…

Please support the The Old Corpse Road Folklore Collective by creating an account and helping build this superb resource.

Register and join the The Old Corpse Road Folklore Collective – Please send us an email if you are interested in contributing

Animal Lore

Folktales

Plant Lore

Creatures

Ghost Lore

Water Lore

Dates

Legends

Weather Lore

Hole of Horcum and the Giant Wade

One of the most well-known local tales surrounds the vast natural hollow of the Hole of Horcum. Legend has it that the Hole was made by a giant called Wade who scooped a lump of earth to throw at his wife Bell during an argument, creating the nearby hill of Blakey...

Lake Gormire

Lake Gormire – the only natural lake in the North York Moors – is cloaked in mystery with some believing it to be bottomless and others that its dark depths hide a submerged town, the rooftops of which can sometimes supposedly be seen by passing walkers.

The Devil and Sutton Bank

The devil makes an appearance in many tales connected to the dramatic landscape of Sutton Bank, be it racing on horseback along the escarpment edge against a Knight, standing astride the gap between Roulston Scar and Hood Hill (known locally as the Devil’s Leap or...

Traditions of Wells

Yorkshire Legends and Traditions of Wells England Springs and wells of water have, in all lands and in all ages, been greatly valued, and in some regarded with a feeling of veneration little, if at all, short of worship. They have yielded their treasure to the...

Wells

BUTTONS, BRAS AND PINS (The Folklore of British Holy Wells) By Rowan First published at Lughnasa 1996 Our ancestors were much given to undertaking visits and pilgrimages to various wells, springs and other bodies of water which were reputed locally (and in some cases...

Henbane

Henbane is one of the legendary "witch" plants, renowned in folklore for its claimed magickal qualities and it features in many of the recipes for witches' flying ointments which have been preserved in the records of the witch trials in an various other sources. The...

Alder

The alder is a very ancient tree that has grown in the British Isles for thousands of years. The January tree is easily recognized by its regularly spaced branches and its conical shape. Like the willow, it is a water-loving tree. The timber is oily and...

Apple

All apple trees are descended from the crab apple, which was likely the tree mentioned in the tree Ogham, as it grew wild in the British Isles and across much of Europe during the time of the Druids. The apple represents choice and the letter Q (Quert) in the druidic...

Ash

N~Nuin~Ash The ash tree has deeply penetrating roots and tends to sour the soil, which makes it hard for any other plants to grow around it. Its branches are thick and strong . The ash can grow to one hundred and thirty feet high. The March tree has distinctive black...

Betony

Stachys is a genus of about 300 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants and shrubs in the family Lamiaceae. The distribution of the genus covers Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia and North America. Common names include Heal-all, self-heal, woundwort, betony,...

Lake Gormire

The Devil and Sutton Bank

Traditions of Wells

Wells

Henbane

Alder

Apple

Ash

Betony

Birch

The silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) is the most common tree in much of Europe. It is one of the first trees to grow back in an area after a mature forest is cut; this is probably a large part of its symbolic connection with new beginnings. Description When the huge...

The Devil and Sutton Bank

Traditions of Wells

Wells

Henbane

Alder

Apple

Ash

Betony

Birch

Blackthorn

The blackthorn has a long and often sinister history, associated with witchcraft and murder, but it is also associated with the concept of the cycle of life and death and protection not to mention its practical physical uses. Prunus spinosa. Deciduous. Family Rosaceae...