I’VE WRITTEN A BOOK ✴︎
It’s finally happening guys! Across this wild career of storytelling so many of you have approached me and asked: “When are you writing a book?”
A year ago, after an email from @greenfinch_books the seed was planted and we started growing something truly magnificent. A team of dedicated and brilliant women helped to shape and tend my overgrown hedgerow of ideas, and now the printers are currently working their alchemy to turn this creation into a real-life object which I hope will adorn many of your bookshelves in the year to come 💛
In this collection of tales from across the North, we’ll journey from snowy mountain peaks to wild forests and stormy coastlines, as we observe the moon phases, find folkloric treasures and meet an array of strange and mysterious creatures. Sprites, trolls, mythic beasts and witches await you between the pages, accompanied by hand carved lino-print illustrations.
Seasonal Folktales will be arriving into the world on August 6th! It’s available to pre-order now from your chosen retailer ~ find the link in my bio!
I’ve truly never worked on something so hard in my life, and I can’t wait to share more with you in the run up to publication this summer. Stay tuned for tour dates, sneak peaks and illustration previews ⋆˚꩜｡
Something is coming…
I’ve been a busy bee for quite a while, watching the seasons pass as I forage for the many tales I hold in my brain and find them a home in the pages of a book.
MY book - a creation of myth, magic and folklore which will be arriving into the world on August 6th 🌿
4 chapters - 1 for each season, and a multitude of tales, rituals and moon phases from Scotland to Scandinavia.
Available to pre-order now at the link in my bio ~ I can’t wait to share this with you all. I hope you’ll love it as much as I do 💛
@quercusbooks / @greenfinch_books
#seasonalfolktales #morverngraham #hachette
Wishing you all a blessed Spring Equinox - May your wildflowers be abundant and your weather be warm this day!
This seems like the perfect occasion to share this illustration from a super secret project, which will be arriving into the world very soon 🌸
Ahead lies a new season, full of new beginnings. How will you be welcoming in this chapter of the year?
#springequinox #springfolklore #illustration
Ahoy! Today @ffern.co and I are exploring the quaint fishing villages of the UK coastline, and uncovering some strange sea superstitions 🌀
If you ever head out on a fishing boat there are a set of unspoken rules you must abide by - lest ye invite the wrath of the sea to swallow your boat whole! From words you shouldn’t say to bizarre rituals and routines which vary across the UK, seafaring is a superstitious business.
Bourne from a time when sailors were less likely to return safely from their perilous journeys, these rules show us the respect we once had for the sea, and the trepidation we took when gaining resources from her.
Are there any strange sea superstitions from your corner of the world? Tell us in the comments! ⛵️
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#ffern #folklore #seafolklore #storytelling #storiesofinstagram
Join @ffern.co and I by the coast in the pale winter sunshine☀️ let’s head down to the tideline and explore the folklore hidden amidst the salty fronds of seaweed which scatter the British shores
The waves crash noisily against the rocks, and we stuff our hands into wool gloves and scramble across the rock pools to see what we can discover. The salty wind greets us with enthusiasm, so we find a sheltered spot to lay out our findings and record the events of the day on our trusty dictaphone.
In this season’s fragrance, Ffern has incorporated black tang seaweed as a base note - giving Winter 26 the bracing scent of sea air honeyed with accompanying cardamom and mimosa ✨
#ffern #seasonalfolklore #seafolklore #storytelling #bard
A postcard from @thegrandislandhotel where I set up a mossy burrow in the woods to carve some inspiration for this charming island renovation 🌱
Catch episode 5 ‘Folk Tales’ on @bbcscotland tonight at 10pm - or binge watch all episodes now on BBC iPlayer. Tonight Banjo tackles the master suite bedroom with much antics and Grandpa the dog dazzles at the local island show…there may even be a flying bathtub involved.
Have you watched yet? ⋆˚꩜｡
#bbcscotland #thegrandislandhotel
Blessed Imbolc my dear friends ⋆˚꩜｡
This day marks the halfway point to the Spring Equinox, and signals a gradual shift in the land as the days grow longer and the earth begins to reawaken after a long winter rest. This cross-quarter festival is an all important reminder that the wheel of the year is turning - even during the grey, stormy chapters.
Change is afoot, but for now we hibernate a little longer in our winter nests, whilst joyfully greeting the occasional bulb and new sprout we see on our winter walks.
How are you celebrating Imbolc? 🕯️
#imbolc #celticfestival #folklore #celticfolklore #seasonalfolklore
"We all need a little bit of magic and enchantment in our lives."
Banjo enlists a folk laureate to spark inspiration for a special room at the hotel.
Watch Banjo & Ro’s Grand Island Hotel on @BBCiPlayer .
#BanjoandRoGrandIslandHotel
Along the Eastern shorelines of Scotland, Donald the lighthouse engineer sits down to enjoy his lunch…when an unexpected creature pays him a visit ꩜
The Shelly Coat is a fearsome figure of Scottish folklore - thought to have been displaced from his home when the Leith docs were built in the city of Edinburgh during the 1800’s. As his name suggests he flaunts a handsome coat made entirely of shells & seaweed, which makes an awful racket wherever he goes!
Whether he’s friend or foe, who’s to know? According to archival records, an old Scots rhyme used to be chanted whilst walking the shoreline to protect yourself from the Shelly Coat’s clutches:
“Shellycoat, shellycoat, gang awa hame, I cry na yer mercy, I fear na yer name”
So what do you reckon. Would you be friends with the ShellyCoat? 🐚
This film is a part of my storytelling residency with @ffern.co Follow along to discover more seasonal folklore as 2026 unfolds ✨
#ffern #folklore #scottishfolklore #seafolklore #folkfilm
On the tiny island of Ulva in the Inner Hebrides - two intrepid Australians are embarking on the ultimate renovation mission: to turn a dilapidated manor house into the grandest hotel in the Hebrides.
In need of some fresh inspiration for the first guest suite transformation, Banjo calls upon the power of storytelling and sends out a magical summons from coast to coast 💫
It was such a joy to be a little part of this beautiful (and utterly crazy) project, and gift a folktale to the island of Ulva for @thegrandislandhotel
All episodes of Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer - and will be hitting your tv screens over the next few weeks 🔥 you’ll spot me in episode 5 - Folk Tales
Thanks for inviting me and my stories @banjo.beale
#banjoandrosgrandislandhotel #ulva #hebrides #islandfolklore #nordicfolklore
Have you knitted any Christmas gifts this year? 🧶
Whether it be socks, hats or an entire woolly jumper, make sure you protect your creations from the fiendish ways of the Kikimora!
Our final festive folktale from myself and the wonderful @ffern.co what a magical year of tales it’s been! We’re halfway through our storytelling residency, and shall be back in 2026 to uncover more folklore from across the shores of Britain and beyond ✨
With enormous woolly thanks to @pickoneweave for letting us film in their gorgeous studio space!
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#ffern #ffernperfume #folklore #storytelling #folktales
Happy Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere! ❄️🕯️To honour this magical moment, @morvern.studios shares her favourite winter books that invite you to slow down, cocoon, and revel in stories that leave you enchanted by the magic of the season.
Snuggle up with that cup of tea! 🫖
The cover image is a lino-print by @morvern.studios of winter goddess Frau Holle / Mother Holda 🌨️
