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Stephen G. Rae

@stephengrae.bsky.social

2.3K followers 730 following 870 posts

Writer of folklore and Haiku poetry; Druid, alias the Bard of Cumberland; contemporary artist; indie filmmaker at Land of Lore Films; monthly tales in Cumbria Lakeland Walker magazine.

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 17d

Out now, in print and ebook:

> Folklore of the Lake District

> Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; an encyclopedia of world folklore

> bardofcumberland.com/folklore/

#folklore #lakedistrict #booksky

Folklore of the Lake District by Stephen G. Rae

Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; an encyclopedia of world folklore by Stephen G. Rae

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 3d

I'm just about to step inside this "fairy ring", so if you don't hear from me for a few hundred years...

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 3d

Yes 😄

Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 3d

Yes, and an added 'k' in lowland Scots

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 3d

Yep, more or less

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 3d

Yes, interesting thought

Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 3d

In Cumbrian dialects, 'broc' is badger

Badger is held in high esteem and 'brocan' means wise man. In lore, badgers protect against witchcraft and other evils

more in: Folklore of the Lake District
bardofcumberland.com/folklore/

#NationalBadgerDay #folklore
art: Lily Seika Jones

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 3d

Excellent, ta

Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 4d

The #HarvestMoon is the first supermoon of 2025, rising in the UK at 18.20 GMT on 7th October, followed by three consecutive supermoons

Below, a false-colour photograph, a composite of fifteen images of the Moon taken through three colour filters, via NatGeo

#FullMoon #SuperMoon

A false-colour photograph, a composite of fifteen images of the Moon taken through three colour filters

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Reposted by Stephen G. Rae

womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 5d

Yayoi Kusama, Flowers That Bloom at Midnight, 2009 #WomensArt

Sculpture of stylised vividly coloured plant with spotty blossoms sited in a gallery space

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 5d

😄

Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 5d

someone else's shadow
walks with me today

~ Barguest, the spectral animal from folklore, often appearing in the form of a large black dog

~ more in my "Folklore of the Lake District"
bardofcumberland.com/folklore/

#haiku #bookwormsat

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 5d

Every creature in Druidry offers gifts of inner knowledge and healing. But it's a very particular kind of healing; what is often described as 'medicine' by the indigenous people.

#WorldAnimalDay #Druidry
art: Aleksandr Emelyanov

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 5d

It's the best place to be in this weather!

Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 6d

Continuing with tales from my:

"Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; an encyclopedia of world folklore"

Muki, the Pale Goblin from South America lore who lives high in the Andes, stealing unbaptised children
bardofcumberland.com/folklore/

#folklore #goblins #booksky

Muki the Pale Goblin, an illustration by Stephen G. Rae

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 6d

Goblin Ha' is under Yester Castle. Its owner, the Wizard of Yester had the castle built over an entrance to Hell, and the builders were an army of goblins

from: "Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin"
bardofcumberland.com/folklore/

#31DaysOfHalloween #booksky
art: Alan Lee

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 7d

Saddened to hear of the passing of Jane Goodall, zoologist and primatologist.

"You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make".

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 8d

Redcap is a murderous Goblin that lives in ruined castles along the Anglo-Scottish Borders, soaking its hat in the blood of its victims, giving it that distinctive hue.

"Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin"
bardofcumberland.com/folklore/

#31DaysOfHalloween #booksky

Supposed body of a Redcap, the murderous Goblin from Scots folklore

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 9d

I thought I might do a #31DaysOfHalloween starting tomorrow; tales from my new book:

Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; an encyclopedia of world folklore"
bardofcumberland.com/folklore/

#folklore #goblins #booksky

Cover of the book, Boggarts, Brownies,Hobs and their Goblin Kin by Stephen G Rae

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 9d

An excellent crop of walnuts this year. The tree isn't native to the UK, brought by the Romans.

Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 10d

Barguest, the shapeshifting spirit may appear in a number of forms: a human, animal or inanimate object; although it prefers that of a dog

more in my: "Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; an encyclopedia of world folklore"

bardofcumberland.com/folklore/

#folklore #booksky

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 11d

#InternationalAstronomyDay

For Druids the sky is an open book, where stories of our ancestors are told each night.

The stars are home to the gods and the goddesses, and animal spirit guides who were driven into exile.

Photograph of the night's sky through trees; stars and shooting stars

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 12d

#InternationalRabbitDay 🐰

in Cumbrian dialects, rabbet is rabbit; borran is rabbit warren

in lore it's often represented as a clever trickster, eventually outwitting its adversary

"Folklore of the Lake District"
bardofcumberland.com/folklore/

#folklore #lakedistrict #booksky
📷 Julian Rad

Rabbit eating red roses, a photograph by Julian Rad

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Reposted by Stephen G. Rae

The FolkLore Press @thefolklorepress.bsky.social · 13d

Did you know that "The Savages" are a race of Goblins from Scottish lore most active around Samhain.

More in: "Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin; an encyclopedia of world folklore" by Stephen G. Rae

Link: folklorepress.co.uk

#folklore #goblins #booksky

Boggarts, Brownies, Hobs and their Goblin Kin by Stephen G. Rae

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 13d

The October edition of Cumbria and Lakeland Walker is out now

It includes my regular folklore article; and given it's the month of Halloween, our vampire lore

#vampires #folklore #lakedistrict

October's Cumbria and Lakeland Walker magazine

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Stephen G. Rae @stephengrae.bsky.social · 13d

Today is the #AutumnEquilux when the day and the night are of equal length; and from this point on, the nights will become longer.

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