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
Coffin Boffin
@coffinboffin.bsky.social
· Aug 20
KEYNOTE 'The luck of the Ningyō: Hybridity and the rise of the fake museum mermaid'. Looking forward to sharing my research with all the wonderful attendees at #SeaChanges
@britishlibrary.bsky.social #GothicMermaids
@britishlibrary.bsky.social #GothicMermaids
THE SNOW QUEEN belongs to a line of quest narratives involving perilous journeys and wonders. Andersen's tale is unusual in that it has eight or more main characters who are female while the victim who must be saved is a boy.
1885 edition illustrated by T. Pym (a pseudonym for Clara Creed).
1885 edition illustrated by T. Pym (a pseudonym for Clara Creed).
November 23, 2025 at 4:56 PM
THE SNOW QUEEN belongs to a line of quest narratives involving perilous journeys and wonders. Andersen's tale is unusual in that it has eight or more main characters who are female while the victim who must be saved is a boy.
1885 edition illustrated by T. Pym (a pseudonym for Clara Creed).
1885 edition illustrated by T. Pym (a pseudonym for Clara Creed).
WIDDERSHINS means moving counter clockwise; this inversion of the natural order was associated with the devil and witchcraft. In this image Witches delight in flying widdershins around North Berwick church with their broomsticks #FolkloreSunday
November 23, 2025 at 4:51 PM
WIDDERSHINS means moving counter clockwise; this inversion of the natural order was associated with the devil and witchcraft. In this image Witches delight in flying widdershins around North Berwick church with their broomsticks #FolkloreSunday
JACK FROST A sprite-like variant of Old Man Winter, responsible for nipping fingers & toes & painting fern-like patterns on frozen windows. He appears as a character in Frank L Baum's 'The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus', in 1902. 🎨Tomislav Tomic; Margaret Tarant
November 17, 2025 at 5:11 PM
JACK FROST A sprite-like variant of Old Man Winter, responsible for nipping fingers & toes & painting fern-like patterns on frozen windows. He appears as a character in Frank L Baum's 'The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus', in 1902. 🎨Tomislav Tomic; Margaret Tarant
Reposted by Coffin Boffin
A few people have asked, so here’s a link to the playlist I created for Hellebore’s Cave of Mysteries at Tate Britain.
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
November 9, 2025 at 6:53 PM
A few people have asked, so here’s a link to the playlist I created for Hellebore’s Cave of Mysteries at Tate Britain.
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
FAIRY RINGS are a reminder of just how magical #autumn is but upon entering an elf ring or sorcerer's circle of mushrooms you may become invisible and be made to dance until you die of exhaustion! #FolkloreSunday
🎨woodland fairy ring; Cruikshank's twilight fairy ring 1855
🎨woodland fairy ring; Cruikshank's twilight fairy ring 1855
November 9, 2025 at 5:38 PM
FAIRY RINGS are a reminder of just how magical #autumn is but upon entering an elf ring or sorcerer's circle of mushrooms you may become invisible and be made to dance until you die of exhaustion! #FolkloreSunday
🎨woodland fairy ring; Cruikshank's twilight fairy ring 1855
🎨woodland fairy ring; Cruikshank's twilight fairy ring 1855
SPOOKY STORIES Join us in #StAlbans on 9th Nov for a FREE FAMILY EVENT in the haunting setting of Sopwell Nunnery. A professional storyteller will be sharing stories of werewolves, dark fairies & local folklore based on research by myself Ceri Houlbrook & Kaja Franck for #BeingHumanFestival
November 7, 2025 at 7:44 PM
SPOOKY STORIES Join us in #StAlbans on 9th Nov for a FREE FAMILY EVENT in the haunting setting of Sopwell Nunnery. A professional storyteller will be sharing stories of werewolves, dark fairies & local folklore based on research by myself Ceri Houlbrook & Kaja Franck for #BeingHumanFestival
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.
November 7, 2025 at 7:39 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.
THE #VAMPIRE RABBIT OF NEWCASTLE is a mysterious grotesque which has perched above the door of the historic Cathedral Buildings for over a hundred years; no one is quite sure why the fanged blood-sucking rabbit was created back in 1901
November 6, 2025 at 7:04 PM
THE #VAMPIRE RABBIT OF NEWCASTLE is a mysterious grotesque which has perched above the door of the historic Cathedral Buildings for over a hundred years; no one is quite sure why the fanged blood-sucking rabbit was created back in 1901
OGOM HALLOWEEN NEWSLETTER www.opengravesopenminds.com/newsletter/o...
Open Graves, Open Minds: Halloween Newsletter 2025
Welcome to the Open Graves Open Minds Newsletter for October. We’re delighted to bring you our news and activities for the 2025 spooky season. We are trying out a new way of publishing the newslett…
www.opengravesopenminds.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:29 PM
OGOM HALLOWEEN NEWSLETTER www.opengravesopenminds.com/newsletter/o...
SPOOKY READING Don't forget to browse the MUP
Spooky reading List for #31daysofHalloween and access the intros to all three of our @OGOMProject books for FREE
Spooky reading List for #31daysofHalloween and access the intros to all three of our @OGOMProject books for FREE
October 31, 2025 at 4:03 PM
SPOOKY READING Don't forget to browse the MUP
Spooky reading List for #31daysofHalloween and access the intros to all three of our @OGOMProject books for FREE
Spooky reading List for #31daysofHalloween and access the intros to all three of our @OGOMProject books for FREE
#HALLOWEEN As the veil grows thinner between our world & the spirit world & the witching hour approaches I'd like share my photos of the most uncanny landscape I know. This spookiness is entirely real. Cross Stone Graveyard in Yorkshire is unsettling & sublime #31daysofHalloween
October 31, 2025 at 3:45 PM
#HALLOWEEN As the veil grows thinner between our world & the spirit world & the witching hour approaches I'd like share my photos of the most uncanny landscape I know. This spookiness is entirely real. Cross Stone Graveyard in Yorkshire is unsettling & sublime #31daysofHalloween
THE DEVIL'S MUSEUM or Žmuidzinavičius is in Kaunas, Lithuania. It holds sculptures of devils from all over the world. In 1966 it consisted of 260 devils but visitors have left their own & there are now 3,000 devils #31DaysofHalloween
October 30, 2025 at 5:33 PM
THE DEVIL'S MUSEUM or Žmuidzinavičius is in Kaunas, Lithuania. It holds sculptures of devils from all over the world. In 1966 it consisted of 260 devils but visitors have left their own & there are now 3,000 devils #31DaysofHalloween
VICTORIAN VAMPIRE BATS Dracula (1897) as bat scaling the walls of his castle (Constable Book Covers, 1901, 1916); a large Vampire Bat in flight from Hooker’s Illustrated Natural History 1864; 1866 Vampire Bat, British Library, showing these gothic connections #FolkloreSunday
October 26, 2025 at 10:54 AM
VICTORIAN VAMPIRE BATS Dracula (1897) as bat scaling the walls of his castle (Constable Book Covers, 1901, 1916); a large Vampire Bat in flight from Hooker’s Illustrated Natural History 1864; 1866 Vampire Bat, British Library, showing these gothic connections #FolkloreSunday
GOTHIC FUNGI Candlesnuff Fungus has tiny ghostly hands & the creepily named Dead Man's Fingers is equally uncanny & gothic! If like me you are open to the spectral mysteries of mycology you will see a ghost and a vampire in fungal form! #31daysofhalloween #FolkloreSunday
October 26, 2025 at 10:25 AM
GOTHIC FUNGI Candlesnuff Fungus has tiny ghostly hands & the creepily named Dead Man's Fingers is equally uncanny & gothic! If like me you are open to the spectral mysteries of mycology you will see a ghost and a vampire in fungal form! #31daysofhalloween #FolkloreSunday
VAMPIRE PUMPKIN IDEAS I am a turnip/swede lantern retro person but I do love these!! They have almost converted me to pumpkins - but not quite! Counting on gothic types to keep the Halloween tradition alive.
October 24, 2025 at 8:38 PM
VAMPIRE PUMPKIN IDEAS I am a turnip/swede lantern retro person but I do love these!! They have almost converted me to pumpkins - but not quite! Counting on gothic types to keep the Halloween tradition alive.
SPOOKY SEASON READING LIST
This is full of great reads ahead of #HALLOWEEN including 3 books I co-authored with @billbloodyhughes.bsky.social for @ogomproject.bsky.social on vampires & werewolves. Put your SPOOKY24 code in for your discount. Link below!
This is full of great reads ahead of #HALLOWEEN including 3 books I co-authored with @billbloodyhughes.bsky.social for @ogomproject.bsky.social on vampires & werewolves. Put your SPOOKY24 code in for your discount. Link below!
October 24, 2025 at 8:31 PM
SPOOKY SEASON READING LIST
This is full of great reads ahead of #HALLOWEEN including 3 books I co-authored with @billbloodyhughes.bsky.social for @ogomproject.bsky.social on vampires & werewolves. Put your SPOOKY24 code in for your discount. Link below!
This is full of great reads ahead of #HALLOWEEN including 3 books I co-authored with @billbloodyhughes.bsky.social for @ogomproject.bsky.social on vampires & werewolves. Put your SPOOKY24 code in for your discount. Link below!
HALLOWEEN FAIRIES - by yours truly
Fairies weren’t always cute – they used to drink human blood and kidnap children
theconversation.com/fairies-were...
Fairies weren’t always cute – they used to drink human blood and kidnap children
theconversation.com/fairies-were...
Fairies weren’t always cute – they used to drink human blood and kidnap children
The ‘Disneyfication’ of fairies has helped us forget their darker origins.
theconversation.com
October 24, 2025 at 8:13 PM
HALLOWEEN FAIRIES - by yours truly
Fairies weren’t always cute – they used to drink human blood and kidnap children
theconversation.com/fairies-were...
Fairies weren’t always cute – they used to drink human blood and kidnap children
theconversation.com/fairies-were...
Reposted by Coffin Boffin
If you look closely you will see my article on the vampire's lost reflection. Thank you to @helleborezine.bsky.social for the wonderful Mirror issue. Readers of these articles on fetches, changelings, doppelgangers and vampires will never look in the mirror in the same way again! #31daysofhalloween
✨🪞IT’S HERE!🪞✨
Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered The Mirror Issue. Shipping begins now!
✨ Get your copy from helleborezine.com ✨
Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered The Mirror Issue. Shipping begins now!
✨ Get your copy from helleborezine.com ✨
October 13, 2025 at 12:47 PM
If you look closely you will see my article on the vampire's lost reflection. Thank you to @helleborezine.bsky.social for the wonderful Mirror issue. Readers of these articles on fetches, changelings, doppelgangers and vampires will never look in the mirror in the same way again! #31daysofhalloween
Reposted by Coffin Boffin
SPOOKY NETSUKE (根付) White bats resemble ghosts in exquisite miniature sculptures popular during the Edo period in Japan. Reflecting important aspects of Japanese #folklore bats are often associated with good fortune #31DaysofHalloween
October 16, 2025 at 10:17 AM
SPOOKY NETSUKE (根付) White bats resemble ghosts in exquisite miniature sculptures popular during the Edo period in Japan. Reflecting important aspects of Japanese #folklore bats are often associated with good fortune #31DaysofHalloween
Reposted by Coffin Boffin
LOCATING A VAMPIRE GRAVE according to folk belief, you should lead a WHITE HORSE around the graveyard. Horses are thought to be sensitive to spirits thus the horse will refuse to step over the grave of a VAMPIRE. Ideally, a virgin boy should ride the horse! #31DaysOfHalloween #FairytaleTuesday
October 21, 2025 at 3:58 PM
LOCATING A VAMPIRE GRAVE according to folk belief, you should lead a WHITE HORSE around the graveyard. Horses are thought to be sensitive to spirits thus the horse will refuse to step over the grave of a VAMPIRE. Ideally, a virgin boy should ride the horse! #31DaysOfHalloween #FairytaleTuesday
Reposted by Coffin Boffin
I'm in #KingsLynn tonight ahead of the SOLD OUT #fearinthefens festival. Looking forward to sharing my research on UK werewolf myths with film goers on Sat 25th at 3.00. Come and say hello if you have a ticket! there! #31DaysofHalloween @hertsresearch.bsky.social
October 24, 2025 at 7:57 PM
I'm in #KingsLynn tonight ahead of the SOLD OUT #fearinthefens festival. Looking forward to sharing my research on UK werewolf myths with film goers on Sat 25th at 3.00. Come and say hello if you have a ticket! there! #31DaysofHalloween @hertsresearch.bsky.social
I'm in #KingsLynn tonight ahead of the SOLD OUT #fearinthefens festival. Looking forward to sharing my research on UK werewolf myths with film goers on Sat 25th at 3.00. Come and say hello if you have a ticket! there! #31DaysofHalloween @hertsresearch.bsky.social
October 24, 2025 at 7:57 PM
I'm in #KingsLynn tonight ahead of the SOLD OUT #fearinthefens festival. Looking forward to sharing my research on UK werewolf myths with film goers on Sat 25th at 3.00. Come and say hello if you have a ticket! there! #31DaysofHalloween @hertsresearch.bsky.social