An excellent and wonderful colleague (she's not on here, but I'll namecheck her because her stuff's great - Tina Paphitis) has just sent the link to this Marburg Journal of Religion special issue on 'Fieldwork in Folkloristics and the Study of Religions: An Interdisciplinary Introduction'. It looks pretty much essential.

https://archiv.ub.uni-marburg.de/ep/0004/issue/view/321

#folklore #folkloristics

Elias Lönnrot, the folklorist, the traveler, the physician, the student, the ethnologist, the editor, and finally the rune singer, did birth one longer Kalevala, one which was as indebted to his creative process as it was to ancient songs and lore.

https://wildhunt.org/2025/06/reading-the-kalevala.html

#comics #donrosa #donaldduck #finland #folklore #folkloristics #herder #pagan #popculture

Well, this now exists in hard copy and I'm very excited. The rest of the issue looks good, too.

My article is Open Access, but even so you should consider joining @folkloresociety to support its publication.

#Folklore #folkloristics #FolkloreSociety
@folklore

Delighted that this is now published (open access) in TFH: The Journal of Folklore and History. It started life as a 90th birthday present for the great Jacqueline Simpson, and hopefully hasn't lost too much of the spirit that motivated it in the first place.

https://journals.psu.edu/folklorehistorian/article/view/17/17

#folklore #folklorists #folkloristics #FolkloreSociety @folklore

This is a great loss to the #folklore world. #GillianBennett was one of the towering figures of the discipline, and her work remains essential and accessible.

During my PhD, one of my informants told me he'd read a brilliant book on belief but couldn't remember the title offhand. I got home to his email asking 'Gillian Bennett's Traditions of Belief - do you know it?' Yes, I did (I've all but worn my copy smooth), and I admired his taste.

I was struck at the recent AFS conference just how many eminent US scholars wanted to talk about British #folkloristics and specifically asked after Gillian.

I never met her in person, but we worked closely together on a #FolkloreSociety award judging panel. She was typically brilliant and insightful, but wholly supportive and welcoming. I treasure a copy of 100 Best British Ghost Stories that she randomly and kindly sent me on publication.

My thoughts are with her family.

https://folklore-society.com/blog-post/dr-gillian-bennett-1939-2023/
@folklore

A picture I never tire of, and regularly post on #InternationalWomensDay. Here are three of the towering figures in recent British #folklore #folkloristics, all of them former Presidents of the #FolkloreSociety.

Venetia Newall (RIP), on the left, was instrumental in reorienting the FLS after a period of intellectual and scholarly torpor, mainly by turning outwards to the best international scholarship, where her contribution was enthusiastically welcomed and recognised.

She was ably supported by brilliant younger FLS members like Jacqueline Simpson (right), happily still with us.

Their work restored the FLS's intellectual status and provided a platform for excellent scholars like Marion Bowman (centre) to build on.

My discipline would not be what it is without them and their work.

@folklore

I've pinned and reboosted my #introduction, but I thought I'd have another bash round the potted summary of hashtags as I try to reconnect with stuff lost in the past few days.

#folklore is pretty much the most important to me - I'm an #academic #folklorist, do #fieldwork, think & write about #folkloristics, and really really REALLY like hanging out with/listening to other #folklorists.

I started off with #folk, #folksong, #folkmusic, ended up doing a PhD on #ghostlore #ghosts #ghost but love/am interested in all sorts of stuff, like #cannibalism, #rats, #folkhorror

Other important things:
#surrealism #fantomas #Dowland #Classics #Berlioz

Live on #isleofwight, like at the end of Day of the Triffids.