A massive wooden head with snapping jaw mechanism, real horns and hair. Photo from 1883-1891.  The Dorset Ooser has possible connections to the horned costumes sometimes worn by participants in English Mummers plays. The etymology of Ooser is also disputed, with various possibilities available, but I think it's most likely the same as the Oss, a snapping skull paraded around during midwinter. The pronunciation is very similar, and it's simply a way of saying "horse" without pronouncing the h. These teeth-gnashing heads are also known as 'obby 'oss or hobby horse.  One use of the Dorset Ooser was to strike fear into villagers who were perceived as shameful. Usually the target was an unruly wife who had disobeyed her husband by raising her voice, scolding him, beating him, or cheating on him. A woman who was perceived as a bad wife was forced to ride backwards on a donkey or horse while the angry Ooser snapped his jaw at her and a crowd of villagers beat their...

There is an interesting phrase I heard, that Britain colonised itself before the rest of the world. How can a country colonise itself? Well Britain was an island of many cultures, many nations, before the United Kingdom was created and a uniform British culture imposed on everyone here. Regional variations were extinguished, while amateur folklorists attempted to record the dying traces. What a huge sacrifice for the sake of homogenisation. To this day, we feel that one part of Britain is ruling over the rest, sucking up all of the wealth, leaving the rest of us impoverished. This is the same process of colonisation which was then inflicted upon other countries captured by the British Empire. I would say that London and the surrounding South East area is the "Imperial Core" of an Empire which still exists, although in a neo-colonial form.  Poka Laenui suggests five stages of decolonisation: Rediscovery and recovery Mourning Dreaming Commitment, and Action

I was looking at all the fantastic May Day celebrations across the country and thinking how much it benefits people to have free events for the whole community to enjoy. A friend of mine was telling me that back in her youth, there were Maypoles all along Weymouth Esplanade, and every school in town turned out a group of kids to dance around them. I think today’s kids should be taught these fun traditions, and get away from their social media to take part in physical activities like dancing and making music.  The South West of England, with its rich history of music, dance, storytelling, and seasonal customs, has seen a notable revival in folk culture in recent years. From Cornwall’s vibrant traditions to Dorset’s mummers’ plays and Somerset’s wassailing ceremonies, communities are rediscovering and reinvigorating their cultural heritage. This resurgence brings both opportunities and challenges, as enthusiasts work to keep traditions alive while adapting them for contemporary audie...

Dorset isn’t just a quiet rural county, it’s a living, breathing entity, steeped in earthy magic. From the whispering downs to the storm-carved cliffs, this land has a voice of its own, shaped by centuries of folklore, animist reverence, and a dialect as rich as the soil. If you listen close, you might even catch a few Dorset words like "dumbledore" (a bumblebee) or "harnser" (a heron)—still lingering in the air like sea mist. Giants, Witches & Hidden Folk The old tales here aren’t just stories—they’re part of the spiritual fabric of the land. Take the Cerne Abbas Giant , that rascally chalk figure some reckon was a fertility charm or an ancient god. Local lore once claimed that if a maid slept upon him, she’d be blessed with a child within the year—though these days, most just snap photos and wonder at his "gurt" (great) member.   Then there’s the witches. Dorset folk of old whispered of "cunning men" and "wise women" like Betty C...

I have applied to exhibit my work at the New Forest Fairy Festival, so I'm thinking about fairies a lot and what they mean to me. Fairies seem to have become smaller and cuter over the centuries, to the point where in the Victorian era the fairies became tiny children with insect wings. But what were fairies seen as back in the middle ages? They were scary creatures, and you could be condemned to death for consorting with the fair folk. In 1691, a Scottish clergyman, Robert Kirk, recorded popular folklore of the time in The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies: "These siths, or fairies, they call Sleagh Maith, or the Good People, it would seem, to prevent the dint of their ill attempts, (for the Irish use to bless all they fear harm of,) and are said to be of middle nature betwixt man and angel, as were daemons thought to be of old; of intelligent fluidious spirits, and light changeable bodies, (like those called astral,) somewhat of the nature of a condensed...