The Pea

The Pea used by royal matriarchs to test the legitimacy of potential brides, thus securing a pure royal maternal bloodline.

Seven Flies

The seven flies killed in one strike by the Valiant Tailor whose reputation was secured by this action and he went on to become a prolific giant killer.

Lock of Rapunzels Hair

A lock cut from Rapunzels head, by her captor, on the discovery of regular covert visits by the prince. The plait of hair was then used to deceive the prince.

Fragment of Red Riding Hood’s Cloak

This was the cloak that Red Riding Hood wore on her journey through the forest to visit her grandmother and in her subsequent tussle with the ‘big bad wolf’.

Thorns

Thorns from the Rose which protected Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose) during her century long sleep.

Spindle

The enchanted spindle that pricked the princess and plunged her into a century of sleep

Ashes

Ashes taken from the hearth at which Ashiepattle (Cinderella) worked during her enforced familial slavery.

Apple Pips

Pips from the poison apple which was used in the attempted murder of Snow White by her stepmother.

Golden Thread Straw

Golden thread spun by Rumplestiltskin from straw to assist a girl whose father had boasted of her spinning skills. Thus securing her a husband.

Hansels Pebbles

Pebbles dropped by Hansel on his first journey into the forest with his sister in order to facilitate their swift departure.

Swan Feather

Feather ripped from the god Zeus when he was disguised as a swan. A disguise assumed in order to pursue and rape Leda.

Rudolf II – Imperial Collection

Daedulus' wing feather

A feather taken from the wings Daedulus made to escape Crete. Unfortunately, the wings worn by Icarus, his son, were lost with their wearer.

Pegasus Wing Feather

A feather from the winged horse who Bellerophon rode when he defeated both the Chimaera and the Amazons.

Penelope's Shroud

A fragment of a shroud woven by Penelope for her father in law Laertes. The shroud was unravelled every night in order to fool the suitors that pestered her whilst her husband, Odysseus, was away at the siege of Troy.

Golden Fleece

A fragment of the Golden Fleece that Jason and the Argonauts were charged with finding, which hung on an oak in a far off kingdom guarded by a hydra.

Hair from Beauty's Beast

Hair taken from the Prince before he was returned to his natural un-bewitched form by the love of Beauty.

Munin's wing feather

A feather dropped from Odin’s raven, Munin, the raven of memory. Odin, the Norse god of wisdom, carried two ravens, one on each shoulder.

A Lock of a Mermaid's Hair

The delicate blonde hair appears to have matted from its continual immersion in salt water.

Unicorn Hair

Hair from the tail of a Unicorn.

Ariadne's Magic Thread

Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, helped Theseus by giving him a magic ball of thread to guide him in the Labyrinth. He successfully killed the Minotaur.

Emperor's New Clothes

A fragment of embroidered collar taken from the Emperor's new clothes designed and made by the Gentlemen Weavers.

Baba Yaga's Broom

A fragment of a broom used by a Baba Yaga: a child eating Russian witch.

Sandman Sand

A sample of the sand used by the sandman to send people to sleep.

Blue Beard's Forbidden Key

The key used to test the honesty of his brides and to secure the bloody corpses of his previous wives. The bloodstain had faded and can only be seen under ultra violet light.

Lott's wife

A sample taken from the pillar of salt. When Lott and his wife fled from Sodom and Gomorrah, they were told not to look back but his wife did and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Hope

The last thing contained in Pandora's Box was Hope.

Styx Water

A sample taken from the river Styx: the river that a person must cross before entering the underworld.

Boreas

Boreas is the Greek god of the north wind and father of horses: a character that plays a part in many stories.

Cap'o'rushes

A knotted rush fragment from the cap or cloak of a noblemen’s daughter who told her father she loved him as much as meat loves salt.

John Dee Collection

Robin Hood's Bow

A fragment of Robin Hood's bow. The complete artefact can be found in Kirklees' Abbey, Yorkshire.

Jack the Giant Killer’s Cloak of Darkness

A fragment of the cloak given to Jack to aid in his assassinations of giants, which had the power to make him invisible.

Jack the Giant Killer’s Rope

 After a prolonged fight, Jack managed to get behind Blunderbore, and loop the rope over the giant’s head, swiftly killing him.

String for raising winds

String knotted by a witch, whilst whistling, which was believed by sailors to raise sea winds.

Jack’s Beans

Beans received by Jack in payment for his mother’s cow, which subsequently grew into a giant beanstalk.

Tooth from the Stoor Worm

A tooth that fell from the monstrous Stoor worm when it was vanquished by a Danish hero. The worm’s teeth helped to form the Orkney Islands.

Witch Bottle

Bottle containing pins and an ill person’s urine, which was heated for a long period in a witch’s fire. This was believed to cure the person of any ailment.

Soil from Avalon

A sample of soil collected on the mysterious isle of Avalon, the last resting place of King Arthur

Transylvanian Blood

Blood dropped by a vampire as it fed.

Charles II Acorns

Acorns that were acquired shortly after Charles II had hidden in the hollow trunk of what was subsequently called the Royal Oak.

A lock of Black Bess’ Tail

The faithful horse of infamous highwayman, Dick Turpin.

Puss in Boots’ Boot

A leather fragment from the boot of the Puss that helped elevate his master into the upper echelons of society.

Scourings from Uffington’s White Horse

During this and adjacent centuries it was the custom to scour the Uffington White Horse: to remove over grown grass and renew the horse to it’s pure white state.

Elder Witch

A piece of the witch who transformed herself into an Elder tree after turning a king, his knights and his men into stone at Rollright in Oxfordshire.

Wish Hound Hair

Wish hounds are believed to haunt Dartmoor and to be part of the Devil’s hunt.

Flowers from Jay’s Grave

Flowers from the grave of a poor pregnant servant girl who committed suicide and was buried at a crossroads on Dartmoor. To this day, the flowers on her grave are replaced daily by a mysterious anonymous figure.

Rowan Knot

A rural amulet used as a protective talisman against witchcraft and the evil eye.

Seashell Talisman

An amulet against the evil eye. The shell was said to split when the evil eye was turned upon the house in which it lay.

Rain stone

Used by medicine men to conjure up the rain in times of drought.