Explore 227 Folklore Collections - Atlas Obscura
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The amphitheater.
Caerleon, Wales

Caerleon Amphitheatre

This Roman amphitheater is said to be King Arthur's legendary Round Table.
Howick Falls.
Howick, South Africa

Howick Falls

Local lore says a serpent-like beast lurks in the deep basin below the falls.
Doon Hill and Fairy Knowe.
Aberfoyle, Scotland

Doon Hill and Fairy Knowe

This enchanting hill is home to fairy lore and a sinister local mystery.
Witch window in Craftsbury, Vermont.
Craftsbury, Vermont

Witch Windows

According to folklore, Vermont's slanted windows were installed to keep witches from flying into the house.
An unmilky <em>rana temporaria</em>.
science

Can Putting a Frog in Milk Keep It Fresh?

Modern science may have an answer to this Russian folk belief.
Anne Ewbank April 19, 2018
Blatce, Czechia

Houska Castle

Folklore says this medieval fortress was plopped atop a portal to hell to trap the demons below.
Mito, Japan

Ogushi Kaizuka Park

A park built around the legend of a clam-loving giant who created a monumental midden.
A bowl of picked elderflowers.*
mountains

The Long Tradition of Folk Healing Among Southern Appalachian Women

Whether their practices are rooted in the Bible, Mother Nature, or common sense, there’s no denying that there’s something enchanted in it.
Beth Ward November 21, 2017
The headstone at the grave of Little John.
Hathersage, England

Little John's Grave

A headstone notes where the most famous of Robin Hood's legendary Merry Men is reportedly buried.
Bass Reeves, wearing his iconic push broom mustache.
crime

The Best Trick U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves Ever Pulled on a Criminal

A particularly glorious example of "fake it 'til you make it."
Eric Grundhauser August 8, 2017
Lindwurm.
Klagenfurt, Austria

Lindwurmbrunnen

The medieval "dragon" on an Austrian city's coat-of-arms comes to life in a fountain.
The coolest village sign in the UK?
Gotham, England

The Original Gotham

The storied English village that pretended to be insane inspired NYC's nickname and the fictional namesake in the DC Comics universe.
200-year-old skeleton of The King of All Whales
An Hải, Vietnam

Lang Tan Temple (Temple of the Whale)

Home to what locals claim is the largest whale skeleton in Southeast Asia, which is worshiped yearly.
It contains museums, a market, and a number of exhibits celebrating Russian art.
Moscow, Russia

Izmailovo Kremlin

Moscow's other, lesser known kremlin is a fairytale-like cultural complex modeled after Old Russia.
Tanuki figurines.
Tatebayashi-shi, Japan

Morin-ji Temple

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.
Huck Finn, Davy Crockett, and Daniel Boone in action.
politics

A Popular '40s Map of American Folklore Was Destroyed by Fears of Communism

The government saw Red when looking at William Gropper's painting of the United States.
Kyle Carsten Wyatt March 27, 2017
A drawing of a heart from the 16th century.
mythology

Medieval Europe Couldn't Quit This Story About a Woman Eating Her Lover's Heart

Her husband tricks her into eating it.
Sarah Laskow February 14, 2017
Is your home haunted by a household god?
mythology

How to Appease Household Spirits Across the World

Quit playing games with my hearth.
Eric Grundhauser December 14, 2016