Explore 227 Folklore Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Maysville, Colorado

Angel of Shavano

This distinctive snowfield on the slopes of a Colorado fourteener has several legendary origin stories.
List

13 Places to Find Little Legends and Compact Cryptids

From grumpy water goblins to tiny trolls.
Jonathan Carey January 26, 2024
Tokyo, Japan

Tamon-ji (Tanuki Temple)

Home to a legend of the supernatural raccoon dog, a rare wooden structure of Edo, and witnesses of the Tokyo bombings.
The Bell Witch continues to scare us today: <em>The Blair Witch Project</em> was partially inspired by her story.
haunted

Our Favorite Ghost Stories of 2023

From haunted grocery stores to ancient demons on TikTok, it was a great year for supernatural exploration.
Sam O'Brien January 4, 2024
Swimmers on Coney Island prepare for a plunge on January 1, 1914.
cars

7 Surprising Traditions to Celebrate the New Year

Welcome 2024 with a (lemon) pig or a polar bear (plunge).
April White December 29, 2023
The Yule Cat (or Jólakötturinn) serves as a warning for children to not misbehave, much like the threat of coal for naughty children on Christmas.
vikings

Beware the Yule Cat, Iceland’s Child-Eating Christmas Monster

But if you’re wearing new clothes, you have nothing to fear from Jólakötturinn.
Suzie Dundas December 22, 2023
Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Fairy Flag of Dunvegan Castle

Inside a Scottish castle hangs the tattered remains of a flag with murky origins and supposed magic powers.
Klåveröd, Sweden

Snuvestuan (Cottage of the Hulder)

This cave at the base of an unusually shaped cliff is said to be inhabited by a mythical forest enchantres from Scandinavian folklore.
Newport, Kentucky

Newport Fairy Doors

Dozens of tiny doors dot Newport's Mansion Hill neighborhood.
Stretching between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Scottish witch trials were among Europe’s longest and most deadly.
witchcraft

Isobel Gowdie and the Untold History of the Scottish Witch Trials

Some experts estimate as many as 3,000 people were accused and executed for witchcraft in Scotland.
Sarah Durn October 31, 2023
Soap Sally was always lying in wait to snatch idle children and turn them into soap and candles, according to regional folklore in Appalachia and the American South.
fairytales

Soap Sally, a Villain of Appalachia and the American South, Echoes Old World Evil

The wicked washerwoman, child murderer, and entrepreneur has parallels to Baba Yaga and other classic European folk figures.
Emma Cieslik October 30, 2023
This 1962 cover of <em>Official Detective</em> features a Halloween candy poisoner at work.
poison

Why Halloween’s ‘Poison Candy’ Myth Endures

Even though we know better.
Jennifer Byrne October 19, 2023
The Cailleach shrine can determine if locals have a good year or not.
rocks

Moving Stones Has a Magical Effect at This Secret Shrine in Scotland

Don't let the Cailleach curse your autumn.
Daniela Castillo Gómez October 17, 2023
San Rafael, Mexico

Nahualac Pond

A shrine in the middle of this pond represents a Mesoamerican creation myth.
In 2018, artist Marisela Barrera fielded calls as San Antonio's ghostly Donkey Lady.
haunted

Why Are There So Many Female Ghosts?

Female ghosts seem to dominate the afterlife. Whether the spirits are real or not, the reasons for the disparity could be revealing.
Nathaniel Scharping October 6, 2023
List

16 Real-World Places Steeped in Mythology

From a legendary river of the dead to a long-burning fire, reality and myths merge in these places.
Jonathan Carey September 22, 2023
Michael Cleary claimed the human Bridget had been abducted when walking through a nearby "fairy fort," like this one in County Roscommon.
murder

Podcast: The "Changeling" Murder of Bridget Cleary

In March 1895, a husband murdered his wife after accusing her of being replaced by an evil fairy.
The Podcast Team September 12, 2023
New Delhi, India

Feroz Shah Kotla

The ruins of a medieval citadel believed to be haunted by a ministry of wish-granting djinns.