Olivia
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oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Olivia
@oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
310 followers 200 following 270 posts
Professional Storyteller. Folklore Lover. Believer in magic.
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oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Irish wake games were intended to remind the deceased they were a treasured part of society, to send them away happy, and hopefully prevent them from returning... #FolkloreThursday

🎨Nathanial Grogan
A large gathering in a timbered barn depicting an Irish Wake from a couple of centuries ago. In one corner is a storyteller holding forth to their audience. In another a group of young girls are sitting close to the large open fire. In the foreground youths are playing a game.
November 13, 2025 at 7:21 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Take a pack of cards, cut them, choose a card - make your wish. Now shuffle the cards into three piles. If your card is in the first pile, the wish will come true. If in the second, the wish will take time. In the third? It will not come true at all... #FolkloreThursday
A young woman is resting her head on playing cards spread out across the table. Her eyes are closed. A lit lamp glows.
November 13, 2025 at 6:32 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
In Polynesian tradition, kites originated in the spirit world, a way of connecting heaven with earth and sending messages to the gods... #FolkloreThursday
A group of people have gathered by the hillside. they are flying kites, one is shaped like a huge owl and the other like a dragon, smaller ones are flying in the skies too.
November 13, 2025 at 1:23 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
My wee brother is no good.
Chop him up for firewood.
When he's dead,
Cut off his head,
Make it into gingerbread.

Belfast Skipping Rhyme.
📷Shirley Baker &📷Getty Images & 📷 Harry Benson
#FolkloreThursday
Two young girls standing in the road hold a skipping rope, a third girl jumps over the rope, her ponytail flying up. a tiny child walks away down the street towards the guns of two British soldiers sticking downwards out of the doorways in the street. A young girl is carrying a tin, a loaf of bread, all held tightly to her chest walking down the road seemingly oblivious to the British solider crouched down with his gun pointing downwards looking away from her.
November 13, 2025 at 10:55 AM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
The origins of the roulette wheel and the concept of Lady Luck can be traced back to the goddess Fortuna, randomly turning her Wheel of Fortune and changing the fates of those upon it... #FolkloreThursday
The "Queen of Fortune" with red hair and a golden crown identified by the words The Queen of Fortune, helped by four other personifications, turns her wheel. As she does so, people next to her are tuning upside down too.
November 13, 2025 at 8:43 AM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Asmodeus took to his toy enthusiastically. In another week he permitted me to stroke him, producing a raucous purr, but, in order to save his face, pretending to be asleep.
― Geoffrey Household, Rogue Male
#BookWormSat
a black cat with vampire fangs wearing a vampire cape.
October 4, 2025 at 2:55 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Beware! Even if a vampire has been felled by a silver bullet, if it is left in the moonlight, it could still rejuvenate, especially if it is the light of a full moon... #FolkloreThursday
🎨Edward Gorey
A family of vampires, mainly with skull faces and huge bat wings, flock together.
September 4, 2025 at 6:28 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
The Yuracaré people interpreted the Moon's spots as a four-eyed jaguar that escaped to the skies... #FolkloreThursday
🎨Janelle Penner
A jaguar looks back over its shoulder. It sits beneath a fruit tree facing the big red sun. The painting is joyful and playful.
September 4, 2025 at 5:51 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
In Paraguayan lore the Moon's spots are actually his intestines, disembowelled, when ducks that he was trying to catch, tore him to pieces... #FolkloreThursday
🎨Olav Stromme
A large four winged creature is in flight. Behind it a gold moon and on the immediate top left a tiny gold moon. The rest of the painting is all in shades of earthy brown.
September 4, 2025 at 5:31 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Across Europe, folk once said sleeping in the moonlight resulted in insanity, lunacy, literally one would become moon-mad... #FolkloreThursday 🎨Gerard Dillon
A large harvest moon with a human face watches over a harvest scene - against a hay stack two lovers nestle, a ladder leans against another stack. The land is peaceful in the blue starry night.
September 4, 2025 at 3:16 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
I stood on the library steps holding my books and looking for a minute at the soft hinted green in the branches against the sky and wishing, as I always did that I could walk home across the sky instead of through the village

Shirley Jackson - We have always lived in the Castle
#BookologyThursday
A red haired woman in white smiles mysteriously. she stands amid the trees, the green of the grass, blue sky surrounding her.
September 4, 2025 at 12:54 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
The Milky Way has long been associated with the idea of a road. The Welsh knew it as Hynt St Ialm (St James's Way) & Heol y gwynt, the way of the wind. To Italians it was 'the holy street to Loretto' & to Anglo-Saxons the stars were "Watling Street" as in the earthly road... #FolkloreThursday 🎨Doig
The dark sky is full of stars and a long grey cloud shimmers. The sky and stars and dark green cactus and fern like plants are all reflected in a dark river.
September 4, 2025 at 11:18 AM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
In Lithuanian and Latvian folk tales, the Pleiades are often depicted as a sieve which gets stolen by the devil from the thunder god... #FolkloreThursday

📷Haocheng Li and Runwei Xu
Constellation of stars in the blue night sky.
September 4, 2025 at 9:42 AM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
In Hungarian legend, the Milky Way is called Hadak Útja - The Road of the Warriors. The stars are sparks from the horseshoes of the horses of heavenly Prince Csaba & his warriors... #FolkloreThursday
A white horse emerges from swirling clouds, starlight illuminates its flowing mane. Set against a deep indigo sky filled with glowing galaxies and purple nebulas. decorative borders frame this magical scene.
September 4, 2025 at 9:15 AM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
In Finnish mythology, migrating birds travelled along the Milky Way to the edges of the Earth and "Lintukoto" where they lived during winter. They were guided by the goddess Lindu, queen of the birds and daughter of the sky... #FolkloreThursday 🎨Jan Brueghel the Elder
Against a blue sky small birds of all colours fly. Green birds, small blue and yellow parrots and a little black and white bird perch amongst other birds on a small bare branch below.
September 4, 2025 at 8:26 AM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
In Northern England the dogs of the Wild Hunt are known as the Gabriel Hounds. They make an eerie whistling or crying in the night sky. It may be the angel Gabriel hunting souls and the noise the lash of his whip as he urges them on... #MythologyMonday 🎨Malmström
The god Odin, long beard flying in the cold wind is on horseback, galloping through the sky. In front of the horse two fierce snarling dogs leap. A woodcutter muffled against the snow in a long, warm coat turns aside.
August 25, 2025 at 6:42 AM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
I think we were all a little bit in love with Terence Stamp, weren't we?

#RIPTerenceStamp
white man, dark short hair, fringe swept to one side, sultry good looks and piercing blue eyes.
August 17, 2025 at 4:07 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Goodbye #RayBrooks - Mr. Benn. The shopkeeper has appeared, as if by magic, to take you on to your next adventure. You will be very much missed...
Bowler-hatted man waving ans smiling as he steps out of the fancy-dress shop. cowboy, clown and pirate outfits are all on display.
August 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Fairy Robin Goodfellow (Puck) hid on lonely roads to misguide way-farers. He could take the form of a will o' wisp or talk in what would sound like a familiar voice. Once he had abandoned folk on a far-off hillside or stuck in a marsh, his laughter would echo... #FolkloreThursday 🎨George Romney
A young actor in role as Robin Goodfellow. He has long brown hair and is wearing a green leaf garland on his head. His fingers are pointing to his cheeks, a soft mischievous expression.
July 3, 2025 at 6:07 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Celtic goddess Epona was able to unlock the gateway to the Otherworld. All riders, warriors and heroines on quests, as well as ordinary travellers, worshipped her. Her patronage of journeys linked spiritually with the journey of the soul from life to beyond life... #FolkloreThursday 🎨Rachel Arbuckle
A goddess holding apples in her lap is surrounded by four horses as she sits beneath an apple tree in leaf and apples.
July 3, 2025 at 5:50 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
A tattoo of a swallow indicated a sailor had travelled more than 5,000 nautical miles. And if the sailor drowned, the swallow would carry their soul to heaven...⚓️ #FolkloreThursday 📷Todd Walker
A family of American circus performers. A mother and her three young children. All appear to be heavily tattooed. The mother looks proud and no-nonsense, an expression her blonde daughter also shares. The boy sitting cross-legged on the floor is smiling and the baby on his mom's knee looks somewhat puzzled. Behind them is a poster that reads Circus and shows two cartoon lions.
July 3, 2025 at 5:39 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Both Zephyrus, god of the West Wind, and Apollo loved Hyacinthus. He chose Apollo. And so when a jealous Zephyrus caused the death of Hyacinthus, a mourning Apollo took his lover's ebbing blood and transformed it into a blue flower, the hyacinth, so that he would live on forever...
#MythologyMonday
Hyacinths, some pink, others yellow, blue, white, even black and lush green stalks.
June 30, 2025 at 11:57 AM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
In Bulgarian lore, folk could change gender by walking underneath a rainbow or drinking water from either end of the rainbow...🌈🏳️‍🌈

I wonder where the belief originated? I find it very gentle and inclusive. #MythologyMonday
A goddess spreading the rainbow appears to terrify a woman sitting on a rock. The frightened woman is shielding her eyes from the rainbow goddess and twisting her body.
June 30, 2025 at 10:28 AM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
Midsummer is when selkies shake off their bewitchment and become human again, dancing until dawn on the shore, before returning to their seal skins and swimming away... #FolkyFriday 🎨John Duncan
A seal skims the water as up above two brightly winged and golden haloed angels carry a young girl in white. Her hands are clasped in prayer.
June 27, 2025 at 12:13 PM
oliviaarmstrong.bsky.social
One Chinese summer event is Yue Lan or the Hungry Ghost Festival during Hungry Ghost Month (August/September). The gates of hell are most open on this summery night when hungry and wayward ghosts are released to roam the world and visit the living... #FolkyFriday #PhantomFriday
🎨Luo Ping
A dozen ghosts with dishevelled hair are running around in the rain.
June 27, 2025 at 11:32 AM