63 Items Tagged

Folktales

Mazatlán, Mexico

La Cueva Del Diablo (The Devil's Cave)

While walking down Mazatlan's historic boardwalk, visitors are surprised to find their ocean view interrupted by a gateway to hell.

Temecula, California

Historic Jail

The “jail” hidden away in Old Town Temecula that was never actually a jail.

London, England

186 Fleet Street

The (fictional) address of Sweeney Todd's bloody barbershop.

Prague, Czechia

The Devil's Column

According to local legend, the devil shattered this column after losing a bet.

Leesburg, Virginia

Glenfiddich House

The house where Robert E. Lee planned the Battle of Antietam is said to be haunted by the ghost of a Civil War soldier.

Zagreb, Croatia

The Museum of Lost Tales

A fantastical display of Croatian folklore, mythology, and myths.

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

Copenhagen, Denmark

‘Liden Gunver’

A somber statue commemorating a Danish merfolk-tale.

Hirosaki, Japan

Iwakiyama Shrine

An atmospheric shrine of mountain worship that is home to a number of curious folk tales.

In Mexico, today's <em>teyollohcuani</em> is a terrifying, shape-shifting, vampire-like witch, but the figure has deep precolonial roots and a complex evolution.

Mexico's Vampire Witch Has a Twisted Origin Story

The terrifying teyollohcuani is a shape-shifter of ancient indigenous lore, dark colonial history, and pop culture.

Roxanne Hoorn October 23, 2024

Who Were the Mysterious Moon-Eyed People of Appalachia?

Tales of strange, nocturnal people haunt the region—and so do theories about who they were, from a lost Welsh "tribe" to aliens.

Hadley Meares October 22, 2024

The black-eyed children, first described in Texas in the mid-90s, have since been seen around the world.

Death as a Child: The Modern Legend of the Black-Eyed Children

First described in Texas in the mid-90s, what are these disturbing figures—and what do they want?

Emma Cieslik October 16, 2024

Vanishing hitchhiker legends are just the latest version of a folktale that may go back millennia—and continues to spread and evolve.

The Vanishing Hitchhiker Legend Is an Ancient Tale That Keeps Evolving

The classic creepy story—a driver offers a lift to a stranger who is not of this world—has deep roots and a long reach.

Mark Hay October 10, 2024

In Sardinian folktales, the accabadora was an older woman who slipped into the homes of those lingering near death to send them on their way.

Death as a Woman: The Accabadora of Sardinia

In Sardinian folktales, an older woman gives those at death's door a nudge. But was she real?

Emma Cieslik October 2, 2024

Few folk figures have endured like Baba Yaga, who has been described as witch, mentor, villain, trickster, and now, perhaps, a feminist icon.

Who Is Baba Yaga?

Trickster, mentor, probable goddess—Slavic folklore's most famous villain is so much more than a witch.

Kris Spisak September 30, 2024

This colored wood engraving shows the pig-faced Miss Atkinson.

Regency Londoners Were Obsessed With Pig-Faced Ladies

In 1815, the obsession with swine-ish, upper-class ladies reached a fever pitch.

Sarah Crocker August 6, 2024

Museo Historico-Etnologico (Mijas Folk Museum)

Step into the past of this Andalusian town through exhibits with traditional tools, local crafts, and cultural artifacts.

Coventry, England

‘Sir Guy and the Dun Cow’

This oft-overlooked public artwork depicts another Warwickshire legend.