Beachcombing takes us back to 1857 and “fortune-tellers and their dupes,” focussing on The Manx Wizard (presumably, though not mentioned, because he was a “Manxman,” i.e. from the Isle of Man) and his advice to the love-lorn. At around the same time, Liverpool’s near-neighbor had its own weirdness in the shape of Nut Nans, boggarts […]
Not recently of course, since UK trains are more likely to be disrupted by “leaves on the line” and “the wrong sort of snow” (two of the most infamous excuses for delays given by the rail companies). In Victorian times the culprit was of the ethereal, spooky variety, and Dr Beachcombing takes a look back […]
Doctor Beach is back (!), and here he presents us with a seasonally appropriate report on leprechaun madness from around the turn of the 20th century. Seems everyone wanted that pot of gold, and apparently rainbows were in short supply because one could be arrested and sent to a workhouse for simply being tiny and […]
Beach starts us out this week with a look at an old subject that has enjoyed rebirth thanks to pop culture: Doppelgangers. Hearkening back to Victorian times, this tale plays up the concept of “evil twin” quite nicely, with a surprise plot twist at the end. (Who knew a dopp had a conscience?) Beach wants […]
Fairy’s been an epithet for gay dudes for the longest time, but Dr. Beachcombing wants to find out why. Four theories are floating around, and a friend of the blog provides a fifth which may shed light upon Beach’s thesis. And if fairies were cowboys, they’d certainly ride unicorns which brings us to Brent Swancer’s […]
A sweet tooth is the downfall of many a mortal, but it seems that even fairies have a weakness for confectionery, according to this old tale from Staffordshire. Which prompts the question Who are the Little People? Have a listen to the attached interview with “a professor of Folklore” down-under to see if there’s an […]
Are ghosts admissable as a witness to their murder? In the 19th century, Dr. Beachcombing discovers judges allowed amicus briefs, courtesy of living witnesses, from beyond. Skeptical? Read the court transcripts for yourself. While the supernatural is woven in the woof of British culture, the same can not be said of Red China. Every so […]
Beach outdoes himself in this four part series devoted to a 19th century paranormal affair that comes with all his favorite anomalous trimmings. In part one, Beach combs through a tale from 1880 in which a poor woman took a fit amid strange noises in her house, which should have been no surprise if she […]
Dr. Beach takes us back to a report from the early 1800s, location unknown, of what may or may not have been a mermaid off the coast of somewhere in about 40 feet of water. Essentially what it comes down to is a group of fishermen who really wanted to believe that something fantastic had […]
We’re all clear that the stories of mermaids being beautiful are untrue, correct? Then you shouldn’t be too shocked to read about what may be the ugliest example to ever see light in mermaid claims. Seriously–ewww. And now suddenly this next report also courtesy of Beach doesn’t seem so morbid. Coming to us from the […]