Traditional Legends

I thought again of the stories told by those who once feared the cold more than the dark. They said that every home kept a spirit: a quiet watcher who tended the fire when no one else could. They went by many names — Domovoi in the east, Brownie in the western isles, Tomte beneath the snowbound rafters of the north.

There’s a saying in the hills: “If you hear your name called from the woods, don’t answer.”

Mourning rituals were rigidly structured. One of the most intriguing and personal expressions of grief came in the form of mourning jewelry.

Ghostly figures roaming the shore, phantom ships appearing in the fog, and disembodied voices carried on the wind.