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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · 5d

FEAR IN THE FENS FESTIVAL Woo hoo I will speaking on ‘Becoming Wolf: The English Eerie and History of the UK Werewolf’ Sat 25th October, 3.00 at fearinthefens.com in Kings Lynn. There will be a showing of An American Werewolf in London #31DaysOfHalloween

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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · 10d

JACK-O-LANTERNS Before the grinning pumpkins of #Halloween the folkloric versions or Jack-o-Lanterns, named after the Irish myth, were terrifying; carved from turnips or beets they had the appearance of shrunken heads, warding off uninvited guests

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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · 18d

#AUTUMN BEAUTY I was struck by the unsettlingly dark beauty of the #Bronte family home & churchyard when I visited Haworth. Shrouded in mist among the #autumn leaves it was clear no coward soul could live here. Glorious in its gothic gloom.

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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · 16d

AN ANCIENTE MAPPE of FAIRYLAND newly discovered and set forth. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1918. I have a copy of this map of fairyland by Bernard Sleigh in my study to ponder other worlds. It's filled with awe and wonder.

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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · 10d

THE SPOOKY SEASON IS HERE at last! I will be taking part in #31daysofhalloween again from 1st October. Some vintage #Halloween #cats to celebrate! Black cats are lucky not unlucky of course! Can't wait to see all the #Halloween posts!

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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · 10d

GOTHTOBER I encountered the perfect gothic scene on my way to teach Romantic Origins and Gothic Afterlives. Walking through the churchyard on the way to the station it was completely shrouded in mist! #31DaysofHalloween

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Hellebore @helleborezine.bsky.social · 13d

The folkloric belief that reflections, portraits and shadows contain part of a person’s soul influenced two of the greatest Gothic novels of the 19th century.

Read more in @coffinboffin.bsky.social ‘s piece for The Mirror Issue. Pre-order on helleborezine.com

Sam George
THE VAMPIRE'S
LOST REFLECTION
In 1890, Sir James Frazer recorded in The Golden Bough the belief across many cultures that reflections, portraits and shadows were thought to contain part of a person's soul. These folkloric notions influenced two of the greatest Gothic novels of the 19th century: Dracula and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Bram Stoker's Dracula, the most enduring of all fictional vampires, is a creature with virtually no representation: he doesn't have a reflection, his likeness cannot be painted, and he cannot be photographed.
Some modern vampires do have a reflection, but Dracula's lack of representation makes him a profoundly unsettling figure.
Linked with the realm of shadows, he remains the embodiment of an ancient evil who cannot be comprehended nor captured

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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · 19d

THE HOLLY KING regains power at the #AutumnEquinox. His strength peaks during Midwinter, at which point the Oak King is reborn. His reign tells us #Autumn is finally upon us.

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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · 23d

Excited to reveal I have a piece on the vampire's lost reflection in this issue on The Mirror. The artwork looks fantastic, and I can't wait to read the other contributions.

Hellebore @helleborezine.bsky.social · 24d

Ready for a new issue? Pre-orders for The Mirror Issue are now open worldwide! ✨🪞✨

Mirror magic, ritual masks, films that cast a spell, doppelgängers and fetches, changelings, evil portraits, spirit traps and much more.

👉🏼 helleborezine.com

Cover of Hellebore: The Mirror Issue, showing a woman with eyes closed and her reflections in two mirrors, both with open eyes

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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · 22d

GHOST APPLES The uncanny name for when freezing rain settles on the fruit & ices over creating a frozen coating. The apple defrosts before the ice does & the rotting apple falls out of the bottom leaving its gothic icy 'ghost' behind! #FolkyFriday

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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · 22d

Wo hoo the IGA is in Yorkshire this year and there's rumoured to be a trip to Whitby. Count us in!

International Gothic Association @igagoths.bsky.social · 22d

The next IGA conference will be at the University of Hull, England on 28-31 July 2026!

You can find the CFP and more information at hullgothic.wordpress.com

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Melissa Edmundson @melissae.bsky.social · 22d

📚 Now available! 📚 THE TIGER SKIN AND OTHER TALES OF THE UNEASY, published by @blpublishing.bsky.social

I’ve wanted to bring Violet Hunt’s supernatural fiction back for a while now, so am happy to see these stories reach a wide audience again.

Please share!

Yellow and black front cover of The Tiger Skin and Other Tales of the Uneasy by Violet Hunt. Published by The British Library.

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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · 26d

Thank you. Lovely to see you!

Betsy Cornwell @betsycornwell.bsky.social · 29d

Thank you so much — I had such a great time, and the whole conference was fabulous.

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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · Sep 11

Thanks to all the wonderful delegates who attended our OGOM Project #SeaChanges event at the British Library. I particularly enjoyed seeing all the mermaid images on the screens for 'today at the library'. It gave me a real buzz to see our event get underway! Loved it!

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Coffin Boffin @coffinboffin.bsky.social · Sep 11

Check out the new Open Graves, Open Minds Project page on @manchesterup.bsky.social Gothic MUP site. It gives an overview of the project, our publications & our forthcoming book on Gothic Fairies @hertsresearch.bsky.social ttps://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/the-open-graves-open-minds-project/

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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · Sep 10

A big OGOM thank you to our star keynote @catherinespooner.bsky.social for bringing sparklefication to our discussion of #GothicMermaids #SeaChanges and for being such a wonderful long standing supporter of our research project for over 15 years!

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Marion Troxler @mar-trx.bsky.social · Sep 9

On my way back from the fantastic #SeaChanges conference organised by @ogomproject.bsky.social. Best opportunity to present my project on #mermaids before I go into hiding for the last stretch of writing

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Katie Garner @kgarner.bsky.social · Sep 9

So grateful to @ogomproject.bsky.social for bringing us together for the dream mermaid conference. A brilliant three days thinking about submarine fantasies 💦🧜‍♀️🩵

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Manchester University Press @manchesterup.bsky.social · Sep 9

Although we couldn't attend the #seachanges conference this week, delegates can find out more about our @ogomproject.bsky.social books, and take advantage of a special 30% discount here...

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/the-open-gra...

@billbloodyhughes.bsky.social

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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · Sep 10

A big OGOM thank you to #SeaChanges keynote ‪@kgarner.bsky.social‬ so much helpful advice on humanities funding seamlessly interwoven with her research into Scottish #mermaids and Romanticism. We are sharing the slides with all our delegates. Wonderful to have you!

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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · Sep 10

A big OGOM thank you to @betsycornwell.bsky.social for her insight into the Selkie myth and how it can be adapted into fiction and memoir #SeaChanges. A beautiful and memorable reading for everyone attending the online day. So glad you could stay for days 2 & 3 Betsy!

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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · Sep 9

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/the-open-gra...

The Open Graves, Open Minds Project - Manchester University Press

The Open Graves, Open Minds Project began by unearthing depictions of the vampire and the undead in literature, art, and other media, then embraced werewolves (and representations of wolves and wild c...

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk

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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · Aug 27

X is for XANA
Nymph-like beings that inhabit rivers & lakes in Northern Spain. Part of Asturian folk tradition, their legacy endures today. XANA emerge on Saint John's Eve & they can use magic to shapeshift into dragons or Cuélebre. Image: P. Swan, Water Nymph 1907 #Seachanges

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OGOM Project @ogomproject.bsky.social · Aug 9

C is for CEASG
In Scottish folklore the CEASG is #mermaid with the tail of a salmon. Said to grant three wishes to anyone who can catch her. She can be found in Scottish streams and rivers #SeaChanges #GothicMermaids 🎨Waterhouse's Mermaid 1900 has a silver salmon tail

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Katie Garner @kgarner.bsky.social · Sep 7

Great day 2 at the Sea Changes conference @britishlibrary.bsky.social! #seachanges

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