227 Items Tagged

Folklore

Salida, Colorado

Salida Fur-Bearing Trout

The trout that grew a winter coat is mounted in its Colorado hometown.

Watertown, Connecticut

The Old Leatherman's Cave

The rocky occasional overnight accommodations of a Connecticut folk legend.

Trolltrappan

A mysterious stone staircase deep in the Swedish woods, said to have been made by trolls.

North Canaan, Connecticut

Carl 'Great' Barrington Memorial

A small memorial dedicated to a man purportedly killed when a meteor the size of an SUV crashed into him.

Ljungby, Sweden

Museum of Legends

A museum dedicated to the stories and folklore of Småland, Sweden.

Steðji / Staupasteinn

A goblet-shaped rock that, according to lore, is the home of an elven hermit.

Dug-out Dan poses for a picture.

The Curious History of New England’s Hermit Tourism

From Revolutionary War-era recluses to 1920s roadside attractions, meet the solitary figures who turned isolation into a destination.

Ryan Shea June 13, 2025

Lille Skensved, Denmark

Heksens Hårbånd (The Witch’s Headband)

Legend says an angry old witch’s hair ribbon turned to stone, now streaked across the rock she threw at the church.

Tōno City, Japan

Denderano

According to local legend, elderly villagers were once brought to this hill and left to die.

San Cibrao, Spain

Estatua de Maruxaina

This mermaid sculpture commemorates a Galician legend and an annual trial.

Kirishima, Japan

Sanada no Osada

According to Japanese mythology, the first rice paddy in history was created here many aeons ago.

Perhaps due to Japan's temperate climate, the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu is more gentle and benevolent than some other sun deities.

space exploration

How Can Myths Help Us Understand the Stars? AO Wants to Know.

Astrophysicist and folklorist Moiya McTier teaches science through storytelling.

Andrew Coletti March 20, 2025

Umeda Kitamuki Jizo

A rare north-facing Ksitigarbha statue enshrined in a passageway off Osaka’s busiest area.

Aalborg, Denmark

Bell Chamber of Budolfi Church

This bellfry was once said to be the Devil’s lair—or perhaps the home of a mischievous gnome?

Hirosaki, Japan

Demon Oak Tree of Onizawa

A mountain demon once helped a local villager construct a canal, after which he sat on this oak tree to rest.

Tomb of the Nue

The tomb of an infamous chimeric monster whose corpse once washed ashore in Osaka.

Amazake-babaa

This statue of a deified “hag” is said to protect children from the common cold and coughing fits.

Demon’s Hand Prints in the Rocks

According to local folklore, a demon left his handprints on these boulders, which became the prefecture’s namesake.