David Castleton (Author)

My new book 'Atlas Gothica' (Hachette) is out now! A guide to 50 Gothic destinations around the world, including vampire-plagued graveyards, mummy-stuffed catacombs, haunted English libraries, Dracula's Whitby & more. amazon.co.uk/Atlas-Gothica-A… #folklore #gothic #history #mythology

Group of children with a Guy Fawkes effigy in Caernarfon, Wales, 1962. Their sign reads 'Penny for the Guy' in Welsh. Over the years, riotous & violent #BonfireNight celebrations gradually became more child & family centric. #folklore #history #mythology #GuyFawkesNight

In Greek myth, the nymph Daphne turned into a laurel tree to escape the amorous attentions of Apollo. Thereafter, this tree was sacred to the god; hence, the laurel wreaths given to victorious generals, athletes, poets & musicians. #WyrdWednesday #folklore #mythology #history

In Greek #mythology, Night is seen as one of the first deities to exist. She is depicted as a black-robed figure who drives through the sky in a horse-pulled chariot. Her home stands at the underworld's entrance, wrapped in dark cloud. #MythologyMonday #folklore #gothic #history

In #Wales, it was believed that a gruesome spirit in the form of a black sow would chase children home from Halloween fires, trying to snatch the hindmost. Some accounts have the sow sitting on stiles waiting for victims. #Halloween #31DaysOfHalloween #folklore #gothic #mythology

This #WhitbyGothWeekend I'll be signing copies of my book Atlas Gothica at The Whitby Bookshop. The book explores 50 #Gothic destinations worldwide, from vampiric graveyards & haunted libraries to Dracula's Whitby. I'll be there Sun afternoon 1st Nov. #folklore #Halloween #books

In parts of Scotland, it was customary at Halloween to light Bonfires to scare away fairies & witches, believed to be particularly active on that night: "Brave bonfire burn a, Keep the fairies a awa." #31DaysofHalloween #folklore #gothic #history #Halloween #weird #mythology

A #Halloween custom in Wales was to place stones in a bonfire. Each stone represented a family member & if any stones were missing when the fire had burnt down, it was believed that person would die in the coming year. #WyrdWednesday #gothic #folklore #31DaysofHalloween #history

#Halloween was a night for divination. One custom involved peeling an apple, whirling the peel three times around the head & throwing it over the left shoulder. The letter the peel formed was the first letter of the name of your future spouse. #gothic #folklore #FairytaleTuesday

Medea by Evelyn de Morgan (1889). Medea was an Ancient Greek sorcerer, practitioner of magical medicine and high priestess of the goddess Hecate. When her husband abandoned her, she murdered his new wife with a poisoned robe. #MythologyMonday #folklore #art #arthistory #mythology

My book Atlas Gothica - perfect as #Halloween approaches & the nights draw in. 50 #gothic destinations around the world, including vampiric graveyards, haunted libraries, magical museums & Dracula's Whitby. Grab it here: mybook.to/atlasgothica #folklore #history #books #weird

Atlas Gothica - the travel guide for the season! #gothic #folklore #books #Halloween #travel

In Hexham, Northumberland, in 1971, 2 carved heads were unearthed. People who kept the heads in their houses experienced poltergeist-like phenomena & glimpsed a figure described as half-man, half-beast. The heads were thought to be of Celtic origin #SpookySunday #folklore #gothic

The old terminus of the London Necropolis Railway, which shipped mourners & coffins (tickets had to be purchased for both) out to Surrey's Brookwood Cemetery. Trains & waiting rooms were segregated by class & a steam-powered lift took coffins up to the platforms. #gothic #history

The town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, was once haunted by a Mothman - a flying, red-eyed humanoid. Seen as a harbinger of doom, Mothman was blamed for a bridge collapse. Read more in my book Atlas Gothica: mybook.to/atlasgothica #folklore #history #gothic #Halloween #weird

Trick or treating may have evolved from 'souling', a custom in which poor people would go around the neighbouring houses on holy days asking for food & drink. Many soulers were masked - a way to, literally, save face when asking for charity. #MythologyMonday #folklore #Halloween

Ornate Saxon cross shaft, in All Saints' Churchyard, Bakewell, Derbyshire. I doubt the smiley face at the top was intended to look that way. #folklore #history #churches #architecture #gothic #medieval #Derbyshire

Peak Cavern, Derbyshire - also called the Devil's Arse - leads to a cave network with infernally named features like Pluto's Dining Room & the Inner Styx. Its more vulgar name probably comes from its gaping entrance & the flatulent noises of draining floodwater. #folklore #gothic

Mother Shipton was a #Yorkshire witch & prophetess said to have predicted the Reformation, Anne Boleyn's beheading & iron ships & railways. Her cave had a spring that turned objects to stone. Read more in my book Atlas Gothica: mybook.to/atlasgothica #folklore #gothic #Halloween

An infamous London witch was Mother Damnable, whose cottage allegedly stood on the site of Camden Town Tube. She's said to have poisoned one lover & baked another in an oven. On the day of her death, locals witnessed the Devil strolling into her house. #WyrdWednesday #folklore