Queer as Folklore

Queer as Folklore takes the reader on a journey from ancient Greece to RuPaul’s Drag Race, from seashell bras to unicorn sex toys, all in a quest to uncover the story of how magical mythical monsters have always been a part of queer life.

The vampire we know today has a convoluted story, from the rebellious first wife of Adam in Eden, to the original lesbian countess and the bisexual enigma that was Lord Byron. How and why are these creatures of the night infamously queer coded?

Unicorns originated as both a sexual and religious icon, with links to fertility and the male phallus. They've been used to both elevate and insult the bisexual community. Where does this leave them today and how have ‘girly’ unicorns become sexy again?

From the ancient syrian goddess Atargatis, through to Hans Christian Andersen, the painting of Sea Maidens by Evelyn De Morgan, the burnt books of Nazi Germany and the merman in Trafalgar Square, why are mermaids so beloved by the queer community?

Once you see it, you cannot unsee it. At any Pride parade today there are papier-mâché unicorn heads trailing sequins, drag queens wearing mermaid tails, and more fairy wings and cat ears than you can shake a trident at. We haven’t just borrowed these symbols, we own them. 

Across twelve accessible chapters, Sacha Coward uncovers the secret links between queerness, folklore and myth. His original research of artefacts, collections and paintings has expanded into an exhilarating journey of hidden queer stories across centuries and continents. You'll be transported to the ancient temples of Israel, travel in time to the HIV crisis in New York, and will uncover the origin stories of superheroes, alien abductions, and the 1970s orgies.

To truly understand who queer people are today, we need to look into the stories of our past. Accompanied with images from the archives of galleries and museums around the world, Queer as Folklore is a celebration of queer history like you've never seen before.

Image credits: Design by Mecob. Book designs, cover and other images are for illustrative purposes and may differ from final design.