Coffin Boffin
@coffinboffin.bsky.social
Associate Professor, University of Hertfordshire
Convener Open Graves, Open Minds Project (OGOM)
Gothicist & Botanist: Vampires, Werewolves, Gothic Fairies, Wolf Children, Angels, Yōkai. @DrSamGeorge1
Convener Open Graves, Open Minds Project (OGOM)
Gothicist & Botanist: Vampires, Werewolves, Gothic Fairies, Wolf Children, Angels, Yōkai. @DrSamGeorge1
Pinned
What to read to understand vampires | The Observer
observer.co.uk
WHAT TO READ TO UNDERSTAND VAMPIRES Thrilled that our book on John Polidori: The Romantic Vampire and its Progeny was chosen by Chris Frayling as one of three books to read to fully understand #vampires in The Observer observer.co.uk/culture/book...
WHITE RABBITS for the first of the month!! Goodbye January hello pre-spring! Fairies ride white rabbits from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Edwin Henry Landseer 1847 #February2026 #FolkloreSunday
February 1, 2026 at 11:11 AM
WHITE RABBITS for the first of the month!! Goodbye January hello pre-spring! Fairies ride white rabbits from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by Edwin Henry Landseer 1847 #February2026 #FolkloreSunday
Ooh! Thank you. I will look this out!
P.E. Browne made a stage play called "A Fool There Was” out of Kipling's poem - with the 1915 film version starring Theda Bara, the term "vamp" was coined and she became, well, immortal.
January 30, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Ooh! Thank you. I will look this out!
THE VAMPIRE by Rudyard Kipling. A haunting & macabre poem in which a hapless young man is beguiled by a female #vampire who appears in a scarlet shroud. Striking bat motif, limited edition, Boston, 1898.
January 30, 2026 at 9:42 PM
THE VAMPIRE by Rudyard Kipling. A haunting & macabre poem in which a hapless young man is beguiled by a female #vampire who appears in a scarlet shroud. Striking bat motif, limited edition, Boston, 1898.
PSYCHIC VAMPIRE STORY The Parasite is an 1894 novella by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about a psychic #vampire Miss Penelosa, a small pale creature who practices mesmerism & the evil eye & transforms into a monstrous parasite who creeps into her victim’s form.
January 28, 2026 at 6:10 PM
PSYCHIC VAMPIRE STORY The Parasite is an 1894 novella by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about a psychic #vampire Miss Penelosa, a small pale creature who practices mesmerism & the evil eye & transforms into a monstrous parasite who creeps into her victim’s form.
VAMPIRE GIG Excited to reveal that I have contributed to the programme notes for #CynthiaErivo’s stage version of #Dracula. A new adaptation by Kip Williams at the Noel Coward Theatre from February 7th. Such a cool gig for the new year draculawestend.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:26 PM
VAMPIRE GIG Excited to reveal that I have contributed to the programme notes for #CynthiaErivo’s stage version of #Dracula. A new adaptation by Kip Williams at the Noel Coward Theatre from February 7th. Such a cool gig for the new year draculawestend.com
ENCOUNTERING A FAIRY QUEEN Early poets saw MAB as the Queen of the Fae, she is usually pictured in white as if dressed for the bridal. Images by John Bauer, 1907 & Thomas Maybank, 1906 for Michael Drayton's 1627 fairy poem Nymphidia: Or The Court Of Fairy #MythologyMonday
January 26, 2026 at 4:51 PM
ENCOUNTERING A FAIRY QUEEN Early poets saw MAB as the Queen of the Fae, she is usually pictured in white as if dressed for the bridal. Images by John Bauer, 1907 & Thomas Maybank, 1906 for Michael Drayton's 1627 fairy poem Nymphidia: Or The Court Of Fairy #MythologyMonday
BLAKE'S VAMPIRE ‘The Ghost of a Flea’, a miniature painting by visionary artist and poet William Blake, is an image of vampirism in action; the flea holds a cup for blood drinking and stares eagerly towards it. It was produced in 1819, the same year as Polidori’s Vampyre #FolkloreSunday
January 25, 2026 at 4:48 PM
BLAKE'S VAMPIRE ‘The Ghost of a Flea’, a miniature painting by visionary artist and poet William Blake, is an image of vampirism in action; the flea holds a cup for blood drinking and stares eagerly towards it. It was produced in 1819, the same year as Polidori’s Vampyre #FolkloreSunday
STEAMPUNK FAIRIES
Made from C19th clock-parts these tiny #fairy sculptures act as memento mori, reminding us of the shortness of life & the fairy's connection to the butterfly through its wings. As steampunk they creatively present an alternative future, imagined from a Victorian perspective.
Made from C19th clock-parts these tiny #fairy sculptures act as memento mori, reminding us of the shortness of life & the fairy's connection to the butterfly through its wings. As steampunk they creatively present an alternative future, imagined from a Victorian perspective.
January 23, 2026 at 1:20 PM
STEAMPUNK FAIRIES
Made from C19th clock-parts these tiny #fairy sculptures act as memento mori, reminding us of the shortness of life & the fairy's connection to the butterfly through its wings. As steampunk they creatively present an alternative future, imagined from a Victorian perspective.
Made from C19th clock-parts these tiny #fairy sculptures act as memento mori, reminding us of the shortness of life & the fairy's connection to the butterfly through its wings. As steampunk they creatively present an alternative future, imagined from a Victorian perspective.
DRACULA Stage Play Tie In (New York, 1927)
Issued to coincide with the Broadway stage adaptation of Stoker’s novel in 1927. It is one of the most memorable editions of #Dracula. The play starred Bela Lugosi as the #vampire, a role which he reprised for the famous 1931 film version of the book.
Issued to coincide with the Broadway stage adaptation of Stoker’s novel in 1927. It is one of the most memorable editions of #Dracula. The play starred Bela Lugosi as the #vampire, a role which he reprised for the famous 1931 film version of the book.
January 20, 2026 at 6:15 PM
THE ENTOMOLOGIST'S DREAM This Dulac painting makes the connection between insects and butterfly-winged #fairies. The cloud of butterflies escaping from their case also provides a link to Fitzgerald's The Artist's Dream 1906 in which imaginary or dead creatures come alive by supernatural means.
January 20, 2026 at 5:49 PM
THE ENTOMOLOGIST'S DREAM This Dulac painting makes the connection between insects and butterfly-winged #fairies. The cloud of butterflies escaping from their case also provides a link to Fitzgerald's The Artist's Dream 1906 in which imaginary or dead creatures come alive by supernatural means.
BECOMING A VAMPIRE It was thought that dying unmarried, unforgiven by one’s parents, through suicide or being murdered could all lead to a person returning as a #vampire. Beware leaving a mirror (a soul trap) not turned to the wall at this precarious time #mythologymonday
January 19, 2026 at 3:54 PM
BECOMING A VAMPIRE It was thought that dying unmarried, unforgiven by one’s parents, through suicide or being murdered could all lead to a person returning as a #vampire. Beware leaving a mirror (a soul trap) not turned to the wall at this precarious time #mythologymonday
BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE by Florence Marryat, published the same year as Dracula in 1897. There is something strange about Harriet, daughter of a mad scientist & a voodoo priestess, everyone she gets close to seems to sicken or die. The blood of the #vampire flows through Harriet's veins #BookWormSat
January 17, 2026 at 5:40 PM
BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE by Florence Marryat, published the same year as Dracula in 1897. There is something strange about Harriet, daughter of a mad scientist & a voodoo priestess, everyone she gets close to seems to sicken or die. The blood of the #vampire flows through Harriet's veins #BookWormSat
Reposted by Coffin Boffin
NETSUKE (根付) DRAGONS. These exquisite miniature sculptures, popular during the Edo period in Japan, reflect important aspects of Japanese #folklore. Supernatural animals & spirits inspired by the #Dragon King of the Sea are common #AppreciateADragonDay
January 16, 2026 at 12:10 PM
NETSUKE (根付) DRAGONS. These exquisite miniature sculptures, popular during the Edo period in Japan, reflect important aspects of Japanese #folklore. Supernatural animals & spirits inspired by the #Dragon King of the Sea are common #AppreciateADragonDay
NETSUKE (根付) DRAGONS. These exquisite miniature sculptures, popular during the Edo period in Japan, reflect important aspects of Japanese #folklore. Supernatural animals & spirits inspired by the #Dragon King of the Sea are common #AppreciateADragonDay
January 16, 2026 at 12:10 PM
NETSUKE (根付) DRAGONS. These exquisite miniature sculptures, popular during the Edo period in Japan, reflect important aspects of Japanese #folklore. Supernatural animals & spirits inspired by the #Dragon King of the Sea are common #AppreciateADragonDay
HENRY JUSTICE FORD'S DRAGONS Ford (1860-1941) excelled at illustrating #dragons for Andrew Lang. Amazingly they were developed by hand from wood blocks. Green Fairy Book 1892 #AppreciateADragonDay
January 16, 2026 at 11:53 AM
HENRY JUSTICE FORD'S DRAGONS Ford (1860-1941) excelled at illustrating #dragons for Andrew Lang. Amazingly they were developed by hand from wood blocks. Green Fairy Book 1892 #AppreciateADragonDay
Love this illustration and I have a research strand on gothic pipers!
'...he took the flute from the wall, and played a few notes on it, and suddenly a number of elves appeared, and with every note that he sounded one more came. Then he played until the room was entirely filled.'
-Brothers Grimm
🎨Arthur Rackham
-Brothers Grimm
🎨Arthur Rackham
January 15, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Love this illustration and I have a research strand on gothic pipers!
RED HAIR is supposedly an indication of someone who is susceptible to becoming a #VAMPIRE after death. The myth originates in oral tales from Poland, Russia, Germany Sweden etc. Image: Yankelevitch, 1895. Munch's red-haired Vampire, 1895 perpetuates the myth!
January 15, 2026 at 7:40 PM
RED HAIR is supposedly an indication of someone who is susceptible to becoming a #VAMPIRE after death. The myth originates in oral tales from Poland, Russia, Germany Sweden etc. Image: Yankelevitch, 1895. Munch's red-haired Vampire, 1895 perpetuates the myth!
DRACULA Bram Stoker found Wilkinson's book on Wallachia & Moldavia in Whitby Library in which he first located the name #Dracula. His typed research notes show it was the name's connection with the devil that interested him. This source is essentially Dracula's birth certificate.
January 14, 2026 at 7:47 PM
DRACULA Bram Stoker found Wilkinson's book on Wallachia & Moldavia in Whitby Library in which he first located the name #Dracula. His typed research notes show it was the name's connection with the devil that interested him. This source is essentially Dracula's birth certificate.
Reposted by Coffin Boffin
STAGING FAIRYLAND British popular theatre from mid C19th onwards was inspired by fairyland. #Fairies became fixtures of pantomime, burlesque, musical extravaganza & Romantic ballet. Favourite stage fairies down the years: Vivien Leigh & Anna Pavlova🖤
January 9, 2026 at 6:08 PM
STAGING FAIRYLAND British popular theatre from mid C19th onwards was inspired by fairyland. #Fairies became fixtures of pantomime, burlesque, musical extravaganza & Romantic ballet. Favourite stage fairies down the years: Vivien Leigh & Anna Pavlova🖤
VICTORIAN GOBLIN NOVELS ‘The Princess and the Goblin’, a fantasy novel by George MacDonald published in 1872, a key influence on Tolkien, and ‘Davy and the Goblin’, a novel by Charles Carryl, 1885. I feel lucky to have these beautiful books in my library #FairytaleTuesday
January 13, 2026 at 6:41 PM
VICTORIAN GOBLIN NOVELS ‘The Princess and the Goblin’, a fantasy novel by George MacDonald published in 1872, a key influence on Tolkien, and ‘Davy and the Goblin’, a novel by Charles Carryl, 1885. I feel lucky to have these beautiful books in my library #FairytaleTuesday
Fangs for the shout out. This looks great!
Just officially launched this wonderful @sidekickbooks.bsky.social anthology which I contributed to... it's perfectly stocking-sized, just right for the vampire lover in your life! sidekickbooks.com/booklab/book...
Ten Poets Spend the Night in a Vampire's Castle - Sidekick Books
An anthology of vampire poetry, featuring erotic writing, horror, romantasy and paranormal romance.
sidekickbooks.com
January 12, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Fangs for the shout out. This looks great!
DECAYING DEMON SCULPTURE built in an abandoned mausoleum in Poland and left to rot in a place called Park W Maciejowej. A giant symbol of our fascination with the weird & macabre; also the fact that we live in gothic times #MythologyMonday
January 12, 2026 at 6:45 PM
DECAYING DEMON SCULPTURE built in an abandoned mausoleum in Poland and left to rot in a place called Park W Maciejowej. A giant symbol of our fascination with the weird & macabre; also the fact that we live in gothic times #MythologyMonday