Anglo Saxon heathenism the polytheistic beliefs of the Anglo Saxons before Christianisation centred on a sacred, animistic relationship with nature, worship of gods such as Wōden, Thunaer and Frēo, and veneration of sacred groves and pillar-like objects like the Irminsul. Folk Horror draws heavily on that same soil the fear of the wild, the power of ancient gods (or at least the suggestion of them), the sense that the land itself might remember or punish, and that archaic rituals and pagan rites leave a shadow from the past.

In other words Folk Horror often dramatises a world where the pre Christian beliefs and taboos of peoples like the Saxons are not safely buried with time but instead linger in the landscape, seeping into isolated villages or forgotten woodlands. That lingering past becomes a source of dread the “folk” are not just people, but memory, land-spirits, and uncanny religious forces that refuse to die.

What Are “Anglo-Saxon Tales”?

“Anglo-Saxon” refers to the people who settled in what is now England from roughly the 5th to the 11th centuries (the Angles, the Saxons, the Jutes, etc.)
Their tales are the stories, poems, myths, legends, riddles, and heroic narratives produced by or for those people mostly in Old English.

• Oral tradition was very important. Storytellers (often called scops) would recite or sing tales to an audience, sometimes accompanied by music (like lyres).

• Only a minority of people could read and write. When tales were written, it was usually by monks in monasteries. That means many stories survive today only because someone decided to write them down much later.

A Bonus Episode: This episode tells an original story about a brave girl and the mythical little People of the forests.

In Anglo-Saxon England, the "little people" referred to supernatural beings like elves and dwarves, who were believed to inhabit the world alongside humans. These beings were not seen as inherently good or evil, but rather as forces to be respected and, sometimes, feared.

Elves Anglo-Saxons believed in elves, known as "ælfe" in Old English, who were associated with both helpful and harmful actions. They were believed to be capable of causing illness (elf shot) and were also connected to names like Ælfred (Alfred), suggesting they could also bring good fortune.

Dwarves Dwarves, or "dweorgas" in Old English, were believed to live in mountains and barrows (burial mounds). They were often depicted as skilled smiths who might assist humans if approached with respect and offerings. Other Beings Anglo-Saxon beliefs also included other supernatural beings, but elves and dwarves were the most prominent "little people" in their worldview.

These beings were not simply figures of myth; they were part of the Anglo-Saxon understanding of the world and influenced their daily lives through rituals and charms designed to appease or ward them off.