How intriguing! One thing occurs to me -- this ought to be reported to the editors of the OED, because they do not limit themselves to *literary* sources only....
A brief web search shows that the word 'nome' appears in the Auchinleck Manuscript (National Library of Scotland). There appear to be two instances where it...
Peter, If you want to pursue this Scottish lead, I suggest you contact my friend Dr Priscilla Bawcutt, who has worked a lot on medieval Scottish texts. Email: ...
Sorry, this may not have been clear. I mean that as a noun meaning 'hostage' it doesn't feel right to me; as an alternative spoelling for 'gnome', fine. What ...
Cancel both my previous messages! I have just remembered why the name 'Auchinleck MS' was familiar to me way back in my student days! Although it is a Scottish...
Such a flurry of activity overnight! If nothing else then at least my web search provided food for thought. Sorry to mislead by mentioning Scotland - I'm...
Can anyone please help with the idea of particular precious stones being linked to particular months, and therefore to particular birthdays. All popular books...
Steve, I see that there is a birthstone postcard for sale on eBay right now (item number 230186641226) and it is dated 1907. Since that date is the earliest...
Philip, thanks for that (I've bid on the card) - I think you're right about 'emerging' fashion, 1907 is also the earliest date for 'birthstone' in the OED. I...
Steve, I have a little book entitled 'The Power of gems and Charms, by George H Bratley, 1907. Ther is a chapter entitled 'The Planets and Birth-Month Stones,'...
Thanks Jacqueline Well, 1907 seems a pretty significant date! The OED quotes the Ladies Journal for that year, but they may well have been quoting a recent...
Steve, The references in the Bible (the twelve stones in the breastplate of the High Priest in Exodus 28, 17--20; the covering of the King of Tyre in Ezekiel...
New book just out some of you might be interested in. Sorry for blowing my own horn here, but hey - If I don't, who will, eh? The Scarecrow Press, Inc. NEW ...
Call for Papers One-day seminar on Encounter charms / Begegnungssegen May 9th 2008, Tartu, Estonia Organised by the Committee on Charms, Charmers and Charming...
The Ritual Year And Gender Conference 2008 CALL FOR PAPERS The Societé Internationale d´Ethnologie et de Folklore (SIEF) Ritual Year Working Group announces...
I am interested in the changing iconography for pub signboards for pups called the Green Man. The oldest versions were variations on the Wild Man heraldic ...
Dear Jacqueline I've just uploaded to the Photos section a picture of the image used by the pub on the corner of Plashet Grove/Katherine Road in London E6...
I am new member, just joined. I am doing research for a paper on witch bottles. If anyone in this group has any knowledge of such or can point me towards a...
Further to Caroline's email, it would be worth contacting Chris Wingfield, a researcher on a major ESRC funded project to examine the English collection at the...
I've been off message for a while, but catching up with the earlier discussion on headless ghosts - I've paid some attention to it in my recent book The...
There is a good discussion of witch bottles in Ralph Merrifield 'The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic' pp. 163-75, illustrayed by examples of the classic ...
We all know the numerous legends of religious devotees and other significant personages founding holy wells by striking the ground in some way, but in this...
I am also new to posting on this group (though I confess to having been lurking -if that’s the right word- since the end of August). My research area is...
I have no idea of the real age of the leap year joky custom, but I do know that journalists are fond of saying it arose from St Bridget proposing to St Patrick...
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