Inari is the kami of productivity and fertility in Japan, in most ancient and most modern sense. They are a kami of extremes brought into one, representing male and female at once, agriculture and industry, all dependent on context. #FolkloreSunday

The Feathered Serpent of Mesoamerica is often quite woolly with plumage, calling to mind images of feathered dinosaurs. Such beings, like Quetzecoatl, are often associated with fertility and rain, and represents a dual nature, slithering in air and ground. #FolkloreSunday

The Dagda is the Good God, the god of plenty and of fertile earth. As large as his blessings, and in every sense, his Cauldron of Plenty is known for being endless, making him the best of hosts and the most jovial, too. #FolkloreSunday

In England it was considered polite for a visitor to greet the household cat with a kiss. #Caturday #FolkloreSunday

#FolkloreSunday: After their landing in Ireland the Milesians `marched in good order as far as Slieve Mis. And there they were met by a queen of the Tuatha de Danaan, and a train of beautiful women attending on her, and her Druids and wise men following her. Amergin, one of the sons of Miled, spoke to her then, and asked her name, and she said it was #Banba, wife of Mac Cuill, Son of the Hazel.
They went on then till they came to Slieve Eibhline, and there another queen of the Tuatha de Danaan met them, and her women and her Druids after her, and they asked her name, and she said it was #Fodhla, wife of Mac Cecht, Son of the Plough.
They went on then till they came to the hill of #Uisnech, and there they saw another woman coming towards them. And there was wonder on them while they were looking at her, for in the one moment she would be a wide-eyed most beautiful queen, and in another she would be a sharp-beaked, grey-white crow. She came on to where Eremon, one of the sons of Miled, was, and sat down before him, and he asked her who was she, and she said: "I am #Eriu, wife of Mac Greine, Son of the Sun."
And the names of those three queens were often given to Ireland in the after time. ` #Celtic
Source: Gods and Fighting Men by Lady Gregory - Project Gutenberg eBook

Crom Cruach is a mysterious Irish god who St. Patrick destroyed the shrine of, thus cementing God's power in Ireland. Often portrayed as a god who demanded human sacrifice, archeological evidence suggests he was a solar deity. #FolkloreSunday

: travellustrator

Why do we pinch people not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day? The original superstition was that green made one invisible to leprechauns and thus they could not pinch you. So don't do the leprechaun's job for them by pinching those who don't wear green! #FolkloreSunday

In Scottish folklore, if a house goblin such as a brownie is treated with disrespect, it can transform into a "bogle." This nasty goblin will devote itself to vandalizing the house and tormenting its inhabitants with the same dedication that the brownie kept things neat and tidy.

The Vestal Virgins maintained the sacred fire of Vesta, goddess of hearth and home, for the goddess was quite at home at Rome and a sacred order of women was made to maintain the fire for official sacrifices and rituals; Christians extinguished it in 394. #FolkloreSunday

Some yōkai appear as children, often demanding childlike things. The storage room child, the zashiki warashi, lives in Japanese homes and manifests as a shy child. Leave them candy and toys and you'll have a favorable house spirit; ignore them at your peril. #FolkloreSunday

The bean-nighe (Scottish Gaelic for "washerwoman") or "Washer at the Ford" is a Scottish fairy and omen of death. She appears as an old woman at some desolate stream or pool, where she is washing the blood from the grave clothes of someone who will soon die.
Katherine Soutar

#FolkloreSunday: `Levarcam, the wise woman, taught the young maiden #Deirdre all she knew. She taught her how each bird sings to its mate, each different note of thrush or cuckoo or the soaring lark; she taught her of the plants that spring towards heaven, their roots deep hidden in the yielding soil, and of their names and uses, and the way they fructified and sent out shoots, and of the fruits they bore.

The pech are Scottish goblins who have great strength despite their small size. An old, sick pech on his deathbed was able to shatter a metal cup by squeezing it. Along with the giants, the pech were said to be the builders of Scotland's ancient stone megaliths.

Found across the Celtic world but especially prevalent in Ireland are sovereign goddesses, goddesses who represent the land, power, and sovereignty to whom every monarch must swear fealty. Examples include Epona, Rhiannon, Aine, or the Morrigan. #FolkloreSunday

: R. Arbuckle

In Celtic folklore, deer often have a supernatural connection to the Otherworld and its inhabitants. Beings like the Cailleach are said to herd deer along the Beara Peninsula of County Cork in Ireland, and Welsh Arawn keeps supernatural stags. #FolkloreSunday

: D. Munroe

Not merely the horse from the Legend of Zelda, Epona is a Celtic goddess, believed to be queen of sovereignty tied to legitimacy of rule. With forms across the Celtic world, she is unique because she was adopted by the Roman Imperial Cult as its first foreign god. #FolkloreSunday

#FolkloreSunday: `The Irish Wolfhound, known as Cú Faoil in Irish (pronounced Koo-Fil), is the tallest breed of dog in the world. Originally, it was used in battle to pull enemy warriors from horse-back or chariot, and also for hunting wolves, after which it is named, wild boar, deer and some stories even say, the Giant Irish Elk.
It is a sight hound, which means it hunts by speed and sight rather than scent, as the bloodhound does.
It is said that the Irish Wolfhound is the only dog fast enough to catch a wolf, and strong enough to kill it.` #Celtic
Source: Ali Isaac | Substack

While we do not often associate dogs with witchcraft today, European folk magic has long done so, going back to Hekate, who worked with dogs alongside other animals like snakes; curiously the Underworld, her domain, is also guarded by a massive dog #FolkloreSunday

: K. Siemens

Sekhmet is the daughter of Ra, his enforcer and protector of pharaohs. The lioness-headed goddess is known as the Mistress of Slaughter for becoming so consumed with bloodlust on Ra'a behalf, she almost drowned the world in blood. #FolkloreSunday

: A. Looz