50 Items Tagged

Folktales

The misty cloud forests of Costa Rica's Cerro de la Muerte are home to several endangered species—including, say locals, spirits charged with protecting the mountain.

In Search of Nímbulos, Guardians of Costa Rica's Mountain of Death

Believers say the otherworldly protectors of Cerro de la Muerte's cloud forests face an uncertain future.

Trevor Ritland and Priscilla Palavicini October 6, 2021

Deloraine, Australia

Jimmy Possum Chair

A faceless folk hero and his legacy of comfortable, expertly-crafted chairs lives on in a small Tasmanian town.

Sedia del Diavolo

Sedia del Diavolo

According to local folklore, this Roman sepulcher was once a throne for the Devil.

Permanently Closed

Dublin, Ireland

Táin Bó Cúailnge Mosaic

This colorful and fiery mural depicts the Irish folk story of the beloved hero Cuchulain.

The moat.

Nottinghamshire, England

Fountain Dale

This muddy wooded valley and the ancient structures it hides are said to be the favored haunt of the legendary Friar Tuck.

Roche Abbey Ruins

Maltby, England

Roche Abbey Ruins

Legend has it the famous Robin Hood would attend mass at this 12th-century Cistercian abbey in Sherwood Forrest.

Bass Reeves, wearing his iconic push broom mustache.

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

A scene from Beauty and the Beast, aka ATU tale type 425C.

The ATU Fable Index: Like the Dewey Decimal System, But With More Ogres

"The Wolf Dives Into the Water for Reflected Cheese," and other highlights of folktale categorization.

Cara Giaimo June 14, 2017

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.

The new tower, just like the old one

Zabytkowa Dzwonnica (Cloud Demon Repelling Tower)

This tower in a small Polish village uses the power of a sacred bell to ward off mischievous weather spirits.

Woman Hollering Creek.

Saint Hedwig, Texas

Woman Hollering Creek

A tiny waterway named after a ghost story.

Footprints

Kgatleng, Botswana

Matsieng Footprints

Local legend has it that the first humans were created in the pools here, leaving their footprints behind in the rock.

at iceland's christmas house

Iceland's Yule Lads Are Like 13 Demented Santas and They Are Amazing

Before they were mischievous but friendly characters who came to lick your spoons, they were terrors.

Jaya Saxena December 9, 2015

Mill network at Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk, Netherlands

Windmills of Kinderdijk

Birthplace of the "Cat in the Cradle" and a cluster of iconic, original windmills that let the Dutch tame the seas.