Worm Moon:
On 29/3/20 there was a super worm moon visible across the UK which I thought I would try and capture, with the moon having lots of spiritual importance and connections to witchcraft.
Below are my photos of the super moon. They don't really do it justice as I didn't have a big enough zoom lens, but the moon was much bigger and brighter than usual. The pictures of the double moon where taken by the river thames with the moon reflecting in the water. It was very strange being out in the dark, in the countryside with this super moon in the sky as everything was eerily quiet, I couldn't hear any birds or animals which gave me chills and gave the whole experience a very folkhorror/haunting feel.
'March’s Moon cycle is considered the final Moon of Winter. The Spring season is upon us and with it, new life and excitement...March’s Full Worm Moon spiritual meaning is full of optimism, hope, and new beginnings.' https://www.thepeculiarbrunette.com/march-full-worm-moon-spiritual-meaning-definition-and-how-to-celebrate/
'Since the first stirrings of human civilization, the Moon has played an important role in the myths and practices of cultures around the world...Today, the Moon is still a vital presence in Wicca and other forms of modern Witchcraft and Paganism.Traditionally, Wiccan covens meet for Full Moon rituals to honor the Goddess on the Esbats , a practice adopted by solitaries as well...Unlike the Sun’s masculine, projective energy, lunar energy is feminine and receptive. This is the energy of the Goddess. This power has often been described as magnetic, which makes sense to anyone who has literally felt “pulled” in some way by the Moon. Some particularly sensitive people actually feel a physical tug in their bodies at the Full or New Moon, while others just notice a heightened sense of awareness to everything in their environment.' https://wiccaliving.com/wiccan-full-moon-ritual/
^ it might be worth looking into the meaning of the moon in Wicca and it's power, especially if it's viewed as having feminine energy - very relevant to my more feminist focused project now.
Folkhorror and pagan research around my area at home:
Folk horror and Doctor Who - The stones of blood 'Doctor: Tom Baker Writer: David Fisher Director: Darrol BlakeLocations: Rollright Stones, Oxfordshire; The Manor, Little Compton, Warwickshire Season: 16 – 4 episodes (28th October – 18th November 1978) Folk horror tropes: suspicion of outsiders; stone circle; Druid sect; priest hole; doomed campers...The Stones Of Blood serves the folk horror genre well...The Stones Of Blood was filmed at the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire, where an actual legend suggests one cannot easily count the number of stones, which lends itself well to the concept of stones “travelling”. There are believed to be 74 stones at the site but only nine were featured in the story.' https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/folk-horror-and-doctor-who-a-history/
'The Rollright Stones is an ancient site located on the Oxfordshire & Warwickshire border in England. The complex consists of three main elements, The King's Men stone circle, the King Stone, and the Whispering Knights...This complex of megalithic monuments lies on the boundary between Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, on the edge of the Cotswold hills. They span nearly 2000 years of Neolithic and Bronze age development and each site dates from a different period. The oldest, the Whispering Knights dolmen, is early Neolithic, circa 3,800-3,500 BC, the King's Men stone circle is late Neolithic, circa 2,500 BC; and the King Stone is early to middle Bronze Age, circa 1,500 BC. The Stones are made of natural boulders of Jurassic oolitic limestone which forms the bulk of the Cotswold hills. This stone has been used extensively in the region for building everything from churches and houses to stone walls. The boulders used to construct the Rollright Stones were probably collected from within 500m of the site.' https://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/stones/overview
'The ‘Suffocated Bride’ legend actually has a name. It’s usually referred to as ‘The Mistletoe Bough’, and it is generally thought to originate at Minster Lovell Hall, near Witney, in Oxfordshire.' https://www.christopherfowler.co.uk/blog/2019/06/06/the-rise-of-folk-horror/ 'The Legend of the Mistletoe Bough is a ghost story which has been connected to many old houses and mansions in Britain. The story tells how a young bride got married at Chrismas-time to Lord Lovell. After the ceremony she suggested playing a game of hide and seek to keep everyone amused, as a game that both adults and children could join in. As it was her wedding day it was decided that the young bride should be the first person to hide and off she went. It was the last time her husband, or any of the wedding guests would see her...The family house was sold to a new family and the story of Lord Lovell’s bride became legendary in the area.' http://media.freeola.com/other/24439/themistletoebough-background.pdf I think that there's quite a lot of sadness in this story, and with it having local origins I think it's definitely worth using as influence. While reading, it made me think of withered, decayed white fabric, with her dying in her wedding dress, and the whiteness of a wedding dress has a lot of meaning, originally used to express the innocence and virginity of brides, so it can be seen as a symbol of women's entrapment in marriages. This imagery is definitely something I could use in my own shoots. I'm thinking something like this at the moment:
Minster Lovell Hall:
If I get time over easter this definitely looks like the perfect location for one of my folk horror inspired shoots, especially considering that the previously mentioned 'Mistletoe Legend' apparently originated here.
Brightwell Castle - 'The castle was built in 1145 by King Stephen. At the time there was civil war known as The Anarchy between King Stephen and his cousin Empress Matilda, whose headquarters were at nearby Wallingford Castle. In 1153 the castle was destroyed by Matilda's son, who later became Henry II. A manor house now stands on the site.' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brightwell_Castle
More Folk Horror research:
Apostle:
The Witch:
^ I also watched both of these modern folk horror films this week. Story and script wise, these films weren't particularly strong, but they were definitely worth a watch in terms of cinematography. In line with the folk horror genre, both were filmed in isolated countryside and both seemed to be filmed at similar times of the year and day, both being shot in what looked like late autumn in the afternoon. The two films also had very similar colour palettes, both using lots of greens, greys, browns and oranges - all very earthy tones. I think it was definitely useful to have a visual refresher of the folk horror aesthetic, especially as I start to think about and plan my own shoots. It'll be good to come back to these film stills for inspiration.
Week 6 reflections:
This week has mainly been research focused again, but I've really enjoyed learning more about the history of where I grew up. I think if I come home again at any point during the summer term it may be worth planning in a photo shoot as I've found some really good locations around my home which would be perfect for shoots, especially Minster Lovell Hall. Watching the two folk horror films this week has also been good for visual reference for the folk horror aesthetic, taking note of the colour palettes, time of day and sort of locations used in the films will be really useful to come back to for my own shoots. As I didn't do it this week, I definitely need to start planning my first proper shoot next week, I've hired the portable lighting kit for use over Easter and a few weeks after so I really need to get on it in terms of photo production!
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