Bone and Sickle

Bone and Sickle


Latest Episodes

Dark Fairy Tales I: The Girl with No Hands
June 30, 2022

The Girl with No Hands is the name of a a folk-tale motif shared by a number of gruesome fairy stories in which thethe amputation of the heroines hands allows her to escapedeath, the Devil, or a

Electric Fairy Rings and the Slime from Space
May 29, 2022

The folklore of fairy rings and star jelly is strangely connected to celestial phenomena, including lightning and shooting stars. We begin with a description of a folkloric fairy ring and its dancin

The Seeress: Germanic Tribes, Vikings, and Witches
May 13, 2022

In pagan Germanic cultures, the seeress played an extremely important role, not only as a clairvoyant, but also often fulfilling the role of a priestess, wisewoman or witch. We begin with a short clip

The Hellfire Clubs, Part Two
April 18, 2022

The best known of the 18th-century Hellfire Clubs, one founded by Francis Dashwood, is largely remembered today because of the theatrical settings in which they were said to gather, namely a ruined ab

Hellfire Clubs, Part One
March 30, 2022

The Hellfire Clubs of 18th-century Great Britain were gatherings of upper-class libertines dedicated to hedonism, blasphemous jests and taboo activities expressing a cultural and political opposition

Grottos, Caves of Wonder
March 05, 2022

Grottos are a peculiar subset of caves, usually small and picturesque, and oftenassociated with wonders both otherworldly and manmade. NOTE: Details on our Patreon raffle for the 15-disc set, All The

The Dead Lover’s Heart
February 13, 2022

Whether freshly removed or strangely preserved after death, the dead lovers heart occasionally has continued to be embraced as a repository of intensely shared romantic experience.This Valentines D

Myth and Magic of the Smith
January 24, 2022

Folklore of the blacksmith portrays him as a semi-magical figure, a wily opponent of the Devil,a mythic creator inclassical and biblical narratives, and an embodiment of occult wisdom within certain

A Christmas Ghost Story IV
December 20, 2021

In keeping with the old tradition of whiling away the nights of Christmas telling ghost stories, we bring you a tale published in 1912 by E.F. Benson. Read by Mrs. Karswell, complete with sound FX an

America and the Old, Dark Christmas
December 04, 2021

In earlier centuries, Americans partook in many of the same dark Christmas traditions that gave birth to Europes Krampus. This episode examines our untamed holiday history. The most obvious example