This Dark Land

Once the world was full of the Fey folk which roamed free and untethered throughout this dark land. Concentrated in the west-country were the Pixies (Piskie's in Cornwall) who were small mischievous creatures. Have e’er you seen the Pixies, the fold not blest or banned? They walk upon the waters; they sail upon the land, They make the green grass greener where’er their footsteps fall, The wildest hind in the forest comes at their call. They steal from bolted linneys, they milk the key at grass, The maids are kissed a-milking, and no one hears them pass. They flit from byre to stable and ride unbroken foals, They seek out human lovers to win them souls. The Pixies know no sorrow, the Pixies feel no fear, They take no care for harvest or seedtime of the year; Age lays no finger on them, the reaper time goes by The Pixies, they who change not, nor grow old or die. The Pixies though they love us, behold us pass away, And are not sad for flowers they gathered yesterday, To...

Long ago all the ancient streams, rivers, fountains, wells, brooks and springs of ancient Greece came under the protection of the Naiads. These were water nymphs who looked after nature's  most sacred sites. If they weren't respected in the correct way by the mortal mankind  they would leave, taking the local wildlife of fishes and animals with them. The area would fall to ruin, the water would be poisonous, the surrounding soils infertile. The Naiads were said to resemble beautiful young women who were often found by their sacred site. Not only did they protect these areas, they also protected all girls seeing their safe passage from childhood to adulthood. People would worship the Naiads. It was said their waters had highly sought after magical properties. About the Author S.J.Budd is a writer of all things weird and creepy. Previously her tales have been featured on Deandman's Tome,  Sanitarium Magazine, Dark Gothic Resurrected, Liquid Imagination, A...

The Vikings or Northman were a breed of people whose culture was built on their love of  farming and battle. The viking warriors' idea of heaven was the great legendary hall of Valhalla where each day they would fight and feast everyday in their afterlife waiting for the penultimate battle- Ragnarok. Not everyone would be granted passage to Valhalla after death. To be able to enter they must have died in battle, and be chosen by the Valkyries, Odin's battle maidens. In the ancient Norse tales it has also been suggested the Valkyries also possessed the rather sinister ability to choose who would die in battle and join them. The Valkyries were said to be noble and beautiful creatures with long flowing corn blonde hair with skin as white as the moon. They charged into battle on steeds of clouds armed with flashes of lightning. It is aid they always appeared in groups of nine, a magical number. After the last battle cry they would swoop down along with the ravens and ha...

Located on the ancient Redmoor on Helman Tor in deep Cornwall you'll find the Logan stone which has endured a deep association with witchcraft. It has long been believed that this desolate area once served as a midnight  meeting point for witches. In the past there had been eye witness accounts of people seeing dark figures dance and leap beside the Logan stone on moonlit nights and that the cries of these witches would carry on the wind terrifying those nearby unlucky enough to hear. It is said the witches came here to brew their spell potions and charms after gathering nearby plants and flowers from the wild moors.Christian priests arriving after succeeding the druids absolutely forbade anyone to visit there due to its arcane connection to the supernatural, lest they be suspected and charged with witchcraft. There have also been many reports that a solitary crone, an ancient witch, would stand upon the stone watching ships out at sea and brewing up storms to destroy them...