Amanda Edmiston, Botanica Fabula

Verbena Books (@verbenabooks)

A secret chapter from the Time Traveller’s Herbal has been revealed on Substack…

#timetravellersherbal @verbenabooks.bsky.social

Postcard showing two figures under water with diving helmets and oxygen tanks with a giant squid-like creature to the side. One person is attacking the creature with a spear.

Today's #FolkloreThursday was brought to you by:
@willowwinsham.bsky.social
@botanicafabula.bsky.social
@mythcrafts.bsky.social
@crystalponti.bsky.social
@shanonsinn.bsky.social
Thanks to all for a fabulous day, and we'll see you all next month!

A scary dragon-like monster (called the Leviathan) swims on the surface of the water with water bubbling around it. Its eyes look evil and angry and its mouth is open showing a lot of sharp teeth. There is a very small amount of sky at the top of the image, showing a horizon that is far away.

That's the end of an epic #FolkloreThursday 🦈

Today's theme was "Water Spirits & Shape-Shifters: Creatures of Lakes, Rivers and Seas”

This is @shanonsinn.bsky.social signing off - your very last host today! Wishing you a happy Lunar New Year 🌙

1908 Arthur Rackham

River merrow: salmon tailed merfolk, seaweed lore and the history of a loric beach dwelling wulver coil through my next book Collected Curiosities which is now available to preorder www.botanicafabula.co.uk/collected-cu... #folklorethursday friends may well enjoy😊✨🌿📚🐺🌊

“Nature Holds the Answers”
Ya don’t say

Hello #FolkloreThursday and thank you to @botanicafabula.bsky.social for hosting the last hour of watery folklore- this is @mythcrafts.bsky.social here for the next hour fishing for your tasty folklore tidbits!
Img: Siren statuette from The Met

Back to the mill for me 😂 albeit a magical one on the banks of a 'healing' river, this is @botanicafabula.bsky.social saying thanks for the water lore on today's #folklorethursday, handing over to @mythcrafts.bsky.social for the next hour 🌊💚✨
Pic the Old Mill at Killin on the River Dochart Scotland.

A New Charm for an Ancient Tradition — Botanica Fabula A New Charm for an Ancient Tradition

Every year the stones given by StFillan to the Old Mill at Killin are washed in the falls on the river Dochart and rebedded in river wrack, shaped like body parts they are said to have the power to heal, you can find out more on my website www.botanicafabula.co.uk/heritage-arc... #folklorethursday

Completely understandable 🤣I’d have done the same! Lovely to see you too😊

Hello #folklorethursday friends~huge thanks @willowwinsham.bsky.social 🌊
This is @botanicafabula.bsky.social here to host til 12~stepping in from the banks of Loch Tay~named after Scottish river deity Tatha the silent one, the Loch created by the feet of An Cailleach as she strode across the land💫

The Spirit of the Water Lily by John La Farge. A water spirit in human form wearing a green dress, with small wings showing behind and arms raised and bent behind head, standing next to a large water lily.

What a great start! @willowwinsham.bsky.social handing over to @botanicafabula.bsky.social now for more fabulous folklore of water Spirits and Shape-Shifters: Creatures of Lakes, Rivers, and Seas! #FolkloreThursday 🎨The Spirit of the Water Lily by John La Farge

The Spirit of the Pool - George William Russell. A water spirit with a purple petaled headdress and green flowing gown reclines on rocks by the side of a pool. Three shadowy figures watch from the other side of the water. The sky is dark with the moon in the background.

Good morning #FolkloreThursday! @willowwinsham.bsky.social here for the next hour of folklore of Water Spirits and Shape-Shifters: Creatures of Lakes, Rivers, and Seas! 🎨The Spirit of the Pool, George William Russell

Really looking forward to hosting and the theme…it’s going to be a good one! 🧜🏼‍♀️🌊

Theodor Kittelsen: The Water Sprite.A dark, misty pond with lily pads, reflecting trees, and a large creature with glowing blue eyes partially submerged, creating ripples in the water.

The theme for the hosted #FolkloreThursday 19th Feb is Water Spirits and Shape-Shifters: Creatures of Lakes, Rivers, and Seas! Our hosts will share your posts to the hashtag at these times GMT:
9am-1pm
3.30-4.30pm
6.30-7.30pm
Don't forget to join us 1-2pm for: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/water-spir...

A Herbal Storytellers Guide to Seduction? #folklorethursday @folklorethursday.bsky.social friends might enjoy!🥰💫🌼💚🌿

Do join us during the #FolkloreThursday hashtag day break for this FREE ONLINE event this February!

Imagining the Enchanting World of Margaret Baker Take a walk through folklorist Margaret Baker's enchanted life with this vignette by Amanda Edmiston, author of The Time Traveller's Herbal.

Coasting the bleak January weather by reading, writing and preparing for the launch of Collected Curiosities my next book…if you fancy taking a step into my folkloric world you might enjoy this piece substack.com/@verbenabook... where I read between the lines to discover the world of Margaret Baker

Amanda Edmiston~BotanicaFabula | Substack Herbal storyteller, writer and artist, creating interdisciplinary interactive story and folkore led immersions into the world of plants and author of The Time Traveller's Herbal🤗💚✨🌱

There are also hidden stories each chapter which I’m exploring in my Substack substack.com/@botanicafab... because the dark days of December call for stories! #botanicafabula

I love how green the moss is as the rest of the landscape becomes grey and brown as it rests~this inspired me to write Moss Lights my journey into the C9th in The Time Traveller’s Herbal + share the story of this beautiful stone~said to have once been a woman www.botanicafabula.co.uk/time-travell...

The Norse mythological witch Lussi…who led a tribe of supernatural beings (a little like the wild hunt) kind of merged with St Lucia of Sicily and Sankta Lucia has beautiful elements of both stories!

Oooh fab! Thanks DeeDee, I’m following a story trail so that might be a perfect mood setter! ❄️✨

Loved every minute of it, thank you so much for inviting me back to be part of it😊💚💫🌲✨❄️hope everyone has a lovely cosy restful Christmas xxx

Vintage postcard showing Santa flying through the air in a flying balloon with presents in a sack next to him in the balloon basket.

And that's a wrap! The last #FolkloreThursday of 2025 was brought to you by:
@folkloretodmorden.bsky.social
@willowwinsham.bsky.social
@botanicafabula.bsky.social
@mythcrafts.bsky.social
@crystalponti.bsky.social
@shanonsinn.bsky.social
Thanks for a fabulous day, we'll see you in 2026!

Twelfth Night Cake - a circular shaped cake, richly decorated with pink icing and a filigree of white icing in the shapes of princely feathers, thistles, ribbon bows and topped with two golden crowns

A painting - artist unknown - of a group of people celebrating Twelfth Night - the centre figure is an older man chosen as King of the Bean, wearing a white paper crown. He is surrounded by men and women and a dog and baby who is sitting on the lap of young mother. Most are seated around a table full of food and wine. Everyone is smiling and laughing.

☃️ADVENT-DAY 11 Twelfth Night Cake 🎄

This was a rich fruit cake served on Twelfth Night, the last of three sumptuous feasts celebrated over Christmas in medieval and Tudor times. The cake was richly decorated and mixed in were three essential ingredients – a bean, a pea and a clove 1/2.

😊and you!🌲✨❄️

Hello #FolkloreThursday! Thank you to @botanicafabula.bsky.social for hosting the last hour. This is @mythcrafts.bsky.social for some festive cheer!
Img from Wikipedia: Sinterklaas, the evolutionary link between St Nick and Santa

I’m literally blowing the picture up with clear instructions and putting it on the wall🤣along with Lussi and any other advocates of pleasant behaviour 🤣

Illustration from The Story of Witches by Willow Winsham. Art by Katie Ponder. Showing Perchta, a hooded hag-like figure with long hair and hooked nose. She is holding a sword-like knife and dropping a coin into a shoe. There is a border of candles, stars and snowflakes.

Perchta from Germanic folklore visits houses during the 12 Days of Christmas. She leaves silver coins for those who have been good, and slits the bellies of those who have not, stuffing them with straw. #FolkloreThursday

Huge thanks to everyone for an enchanting hour of seasonal festive #folklorethursday stories~This is @botanicafabula.bsky.social off to tell a Yule tale or two~handing over to the wonderful @mythcrafts.bsky.social who will be your next host🌲Pic: The book of Christmas Hervey, Thomas Kibble 1799-1859

Sankta Lucia is this coming Saturday, I love that it celebrates light…and a fearsome witch who leads a procession of supernatural beings~we were also overjoyed to have been able to take in the full magic of Edinburgh Luciakör at Hexham Abbey this week…SO beautiful ✨ #folklorethursday ✨