Firelei Báez review – bring on the furry ciguapas: magnetic visions of diaspora
The Dominican Republic-born artist’s first UK solo show is a thrill, her works combining mythology, botany and female agency in beautifully realised imagery and installation
June 2024
Australian book reviews
Psykhe by Kate Forsyth review – a cosy escape into Greek myth
Rewriting the myth: experts doubt griffin was inspired by dinosaurs
The nature of ...
A cat: ‘They smoked pipes, played dice’
Helen Sullivan
Making sense of it
We should embrace our inner goddess – but let’s not create another test for women to fail
Jackie Bailey
April 2024
There are many ways to deal with grief. But few as full-on as this …
Nell Frizzell
According to the myth of Baubo, the best way to comfort a bereaved goddess is to lift up your skirts and flash her. Would it, asks Nell Frizzell, work for mere mortals?
March 2024
Country diary
Country diary: Myth and inspiration spring forth from this spot
Glenthorne, Devon: Many before me have passed this lush spot with its marble-basin fountain – the cross is a clue to one particular passerby, according to folklore
February 2024
Shock of the old
Shock of the old: nine shrivelled hearts to celebrate the day of love
Richard the Lionheart, Robert the Bruce, Queen Marie of Romania … a whole who’s who of historical figures have had their hearts removed after their death. Meet the gang!
A Song for Ella Grey review – Orpheus casts a fateful spell over teenage dreamers
David Almond’s young adult novel is brought to life in a soulful production that weaves its mythical elements with imagination
Folk album of the month
Milkweed: Folklore 1979 review – tantalisingly strange folk vignettes
My best shot
The very furry goat-men of Bulgaria: Charles Fréger’s best photograph
Shock of the old
Shock of the old: nine creepy and chaotic carnival rites to welcome spring
January 2024
Book of the day
Magus by Anthony Grafton review – spellbound
A serious yet accessible history of learned magic, from Ficino to Faustus
December 2023
From Jim Henson to Patricia Piccinini: Brisbane’s Fairy Tales exhibition is spooky, perverse and delightful
Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art’s summer blockbuster harks back to the eldritch roots of classic folk tales – so think twice about taking the kids
November 2023
Witches, shamans and grims: why the occult is on the rise in the art world
Dreams, surreal visions and pagan rituals play a central part in works now filling galleries and in high demand around the world
Viking procession brings Yorkshire poets’ Beowulf to streets of Huddersfield
New version of the Anglo-Saxon epic features a massive cast of singers, actors and members of the community taking to the streets
Branwen: Dadeni review – epic musical is a landmark in Welsh theatre
Cheese-rolling, straw bears and weird rituals galore: one man’s mission to record all of British folklore
Turn the stone to keep the devil away: Bonfire Night in a Devon village
October 2023
Every witch way: a spooky walk in Germany’s Harz mountains
This 60-mile trail through northern Germany takes in eerie folklore, industrial heritage and forests recovering from a devastating pest
