Deep in Iceland's frost-veiled Yule nights stalks Jólakötturinn—the Yule Cat, Grýla's infernal familiar.
A colossal shadow with eyes like frozen hellfire, it hunts those who fail to earn new woolen garments through diligence... but folklore whispers its sharpest hunger is for idle children, devoured whole in the howling blizzard if no fresh clothes grace them by Christmas Eve. 🎄🧣

Finish your labors—or face the beast's eternal winter maw.

Discover the chaotic charm of 'Yule mischief Makers,' from Iceland's 13 prankster Yule Lads (sons of the ogress Grýla) who sneak in gifts or rotten potatoes, to other wintry tricksters stirring up #Yuletide fun and folklore magic.

My ebook explores these timeless tales of seasonal mischief, perfect for the longest nights!
Gift a copy now and embrace the playful spirit of Winter Folktales. 🎁❄️📚
Click the link here: https://niftybucklesfolklore.fun/yule-mischief-makers
or purr-chase on Payhip
https://payhip.com/b/SXfov

#MythologyMonday 🐦‍⬛🧑‍🌾👩‍🌾
The Collared Crow #SouthAfricanFolkTale
A childless farmer and his wife, facing hunger, share their very last seeds with a flock of crows led by a wise white-collared crow.
In gratitude, the crow gifts them a magical cowskin that births healthy children and a fruit tree that bears endlessly—provided they always share seeds with the birds.

A powerful reminder:
When WE SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER, the Community flourishes forever!

📷 Ting-Wei (廷維) HUNG (洪)
Macaulay Library.

#FolkloreSunday
In old Norwegian folklore, December 13—Saint Lucia's Day—was one of the most dangerous nights of the year. ⚠️ Before the calendar shift, it fell near the winter solstice, when the veil between worlds thinned. 🌙👻
Trolls roamed, the Wild Hunt thundered across the sky, and restless spirits stirred. 🧙‍♂️🦌
People stayed indoors, marked doors with crosses ✝️, and avoided the dark 🌑.

#FolkloreSunday 🎄🕯️👻
On dark Christmas nights, the veil thins. In Victorian England, it was tradition to gather by the fire on Christmas Eve & tell ghost stories—Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the most famous survivor of this once-widespread custom. Telling “winter tales” until midnight was believed to keep evil spirits at bay while the Saviour was born.

#ChristmasGhostStories #YuleTraditions #VictorianChristmas #WinterFolklore

🎨'Scrooge and the ghost of Marley,' by Arthur Rackham.

#MythologyMonday
Frigg (or Frigga), Odin’s wise queen, is the Norse goddess of hearth, home, marriage & motherhood. Keeper of domestic fire, she spins clouds on her jeweled spindle and knows every fate—yet stays silent to protect those she loves. Friday is named after her Frigg’s Day. #Frigg

🎨 Sam Flegal

A Cuppa for a Hedgehog ☕️🦔❤️🧁

There once was a hedgehog so small,
In a tea-cosy snug as a shawl.
With a muffin to munch,
And a cuppa for brunch,
He’s the coziest prickler of all! 🦔☕️🧁

— Nifty Buckles Folklore 🦔🍂
#FolkloreSunday ☕️🦔

🎨 Emily Duffin

#MythologyMonday #TheUglyDuckling
Amid a brood of fluffy yellow ducklings, one emerges gray and gangly, a surprise #Adoption from a swan's egg slipped into the nest.
Mocked and pecked as the "ugly" outcast , he is raised by a mother duck who who is kind
Fleeing the pond's cruelty, he endures winter's bite in a frozen wild . Come spring, he spies graceful #Swans gliding like silk on water . Daring a gaze, the "duckling" beholds his reflection: no ugly fowl, but a majestic swan reborn 🦢

#MythologyMonday 🍀✨
The Irish Changeling 👶🧌
A babe thrives, then wilts overnight 🍼💨—snatched by sly Sidhe fairies in a forced #Adoption to their realm 🧚‍♀️🌌
Their wizened imp is left in the cradle, sullen and sly. 🧌

Desperate mama consults the wise 🧙‍♀️, brew foxglove by the hob, dangle iron o'er the flames. 🔩🔥
As fire roars 🔥, the #Changeling shrieks eldritch tongues 👹🗣️, crumbling to leaves 🍂.
Moonlit, the true child returns 🍼✨, safe from the fairy theft. 🧚‍♂️🚫.

🎨Warwick Goble

#FolkloreSunday 👿🌿
In Celtic crofts, where hearth fires flickered against Highland gales, Rowan Berry Amulets became the home's silent guardians.

String crimson rowan berries into a pouch or necklace—wear it close, or nestle by the mantel altar—to avert the Devil's prying gaze.

🌿Victorian lore whispers of their "blood-red sacrifice," locking evil beyond the threshold. A talisman of rooted protection, turning house to haven. 🏡🕊️

#FolkloreSunday 🏡🪵🔥❄️#Hearthlore
In Scottish Highland hearths, the Yule log twists fierce: Chalk the Cailleach Nollich—"Christmas Old Lady"—onto its bark, then set her ablaze.
This rite derives from sketching a female effigy directly onto the log. As the blaze intensified, the woman's traced form would dissolve in the heat, "Charring the Old Wife," this mocking pyre scorches winter's crone.

#ScottishFolklore 🏴󠁧 🪵🔥
#CharringOldWife 🪵

Source: https://cailleachs-herbarium.com

📸Scott Richardson-Read

#BookwormSat 🍂🧚‍♀️🐈 #Caturday
#Autumn is the time when the veil thins, #Cats can see throught it.
Cats were thought to be able to see through the magical illusions, or "glamour," of the Fae.

This allowed them to discern a Fairy's true form, making them natural protectors against deceitful or malicious spirits.🐈🧚‍♀️
#Fairylore 🧚‍♂️🍂

🎨"Cat Among the Fairies,"
Art by John Anster Fitzgerald (1819 -1906)

#BookWormSat 🧹

Did you know that #Brownies also know n come from Scottish folklore?

These charming household hobgoblins are known for their helpfulness, tackling chores when no one is watching.

Leave out some milk or cream and they may lend a hand around your home. 🧹
#ScottishFolklore 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

🎨 Arthur Rackham circa 1917.

#BookWormSat 🧚‍♀️⚰️

Discovered in 1836 near Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh’s mysterious #FairyCoffins remain an enigma.

Thirteen tiny coffins with carved figures lie hidden beneath the earth—mystery surrounds them.

They’re not linked to fairy rites; rumors suggest witchcraft and secret gatherings on the hill.

#BookwormSat 🧝‍♂️🧝‍♀️🧝
In Icelandic folklore, the Huldufólk (“hidden people”) are mystical beings said to dwell in rocky mounds and hills, unseen by most humans. ⛰️
They live in harmony with nature, shaping customs & landscape lore. 🌄
The #Huldufólk are a living legend of Iceland’s heritage.
#IcelandicFolklore 🇮🇸 #Elves 🧝‍♂️🧝‍♀️🧝

📸 in Public Domain

November's Veil: Folklore Frights Await 👻
As Samhain shadows linger 🌙, let Nifty Buckles Folklore haunt your reads 📚

✨ Samhain's Veil – Poetry and dark Celtic tales blurring the worlds of the living and the lost. (E-book)
👻 The Spooky Day of Skip MacDougall – Kid-sized ghostly giggles 😄 and devilish delights! (E-book)

Shop at https://niftybucklesfolklore.fun/shop

#BlackFriday
#NovemberHaunts #SamhainsVeil #SpookySkipMacdougall #NiftyBucklesFolklore #Books

#RemembranceDay My dad, Marshall Hopkins —19-year-old signalman in the Royal Canadian Navy. For 6 years, he signaled from warships, escorting merchant convoys through U-boat wolfpacks in the Atlantic, vital supplies for Britain. Amid RCN's tragic losses 2K, his Morse lit the way—miracle he survived. Honoring his heroism and the other men with him. #BookWormSat. #WW2

Waves to wire's desperate plea,
Dots defy the stormy sea.
Shadows flee as light holds fast,
Father's code: peace at last.

Unveil the Shadows!
Samhain's Veil E-Book! #SamhainsVeil
As the dark season deepens, step into ancient Celtic mysteries with Samhain's Veil: Folklore, Poetry and the Spirit of the Dark Season

This haunting e-book weaves ghostly tales, atmospheric poems, and ancestral omens into an eerie tapestry of thinned veils and whispering winds.

Perfect for ages 12+, it's gothic poetry that chills and enchants.Embrace the spirits—get yours at http://niftybucklesfolklore.fun!

#TheSpookyDayofSkipMacdougall
Spooky Shenanigans Await with my New Book, The Spooky Day of Skip Macdougall!

Join brave little Skip with The Spooky Day of Skip Macdougall, a delightfully rhyming e-book poem starring his whirlwind of winking pumpkins, a cheeky ghost, and backyard bewilderments.

Bursting with giggles, gentle scares, and feel-good magic, it's crafted for ages 4-8—ideal for tiny trick-or-treaters craving cozy chills.
Buy it on my site at http://niftybucklesfolklore.fun!

FolkyFriday #BookWormSat
and friends! 🎃🧡🍂

Wishing You All a Happy #Halloween and blessed #Samhain

TODAY is the BIG LAUNCH of my NEW Site and my two NEW E-BOOKS:
SAMHAIN'S VEIL AND For Children A Fun Poem ──THE SPOOKY DAY OF SKIP MACDOUGALL 👻🐩👦

Check them out here...
niftybucklesfolklore.fun