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Legends

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Nara, Japan

Nekodan (Cat Stairway)

According to local legend, anyone who falls on these temple steps will turn into a cat.
Zhongpu Township, Taiwan

Wu Feng Temple

A shrine for a once-beloved historic figure, whose mythology has been discredited.
Potsdam, Germany

Altwarengeschäft Remlinger

A second hand shop that enabled the plan of Germany's most iconic conman.
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.
Castle Ruins
Cardinale, Italy

Castle of Baroness Scoppa

Castle ruins of the not-so-chaste baronessa whose lovers mysteriously disappeared.
Çanakkale Trojan Horse
Çanakkale, Turkey

Çanakkale Trojan Horse

The legendary wooden horse that stands in modern Troy is a prop from the 2004 Wolfgang Petersen film.
Mikladalur, Faroe Islands

Marjun’s Lifting Stone

A woman facing death for bearing a child out of wedlock lifted this massive stone as her legacy.
Muncie, Indiana

Benny

Campus sculpture has earned a reputation for responding to the hopes and dreams of those passing by.
London, England

186 Fleet Street

The (fictional) address of Sweeney Todd's bloody barbershop.
A raven at the Tower of London
birds

The Disappearance of Merlina the Raven

Legend says the fate of Britain depends on the seven Tower of London ravens.
The Podcast Team October 13, 2025
Madrid, Spain

Fuente de San Isidro (St. Isidore's Fountain)

Legend has it that the water from this fountain has miraculous healing properties.
Kalsoy, Faroe Islands

The Seal Woman (Kópakonan)

This statue commemorates the tale of the fisherman who captured a Kópakonan by stealing her skin while she was transformed as a woman.
Tintagel, England

Tintagel Dark Age Settlement

Before construction of the famous Tintagel Castle, this site in Cornwall was likely a prosperous Dark Age trading port.
The Loretto Staircase.
churches

The Miraculous Loretto Chapel Staircase

The Sisters of Loretto prayed nine days for this staircase—and on the ninth day, it came.
Ljungby, Sweden

Museum of Legends

A museum dedicated to the stories and folklore of Småland, Sweden.
The Codex Gigas (the Devil’s Bible) open to the portrait of the devil.
monks

Codex Gigas: Who Drew the Devil in This Massive Medieval Bible?

The Codex Gigas, also known as the Devil’s Bible, is the largest medieval manuscript still in existence—with an even bigger legend behind it.
The Podcast Team July 15, 2025
People paddling in their wooden canoes on one of the lakes near the Allagash Waterway in the north woods in Maine
aliens

The Allagash Abductions: This State Park’s Most Famous Visitors ... Are Aliens?

In 1976, four men saw a UFO while visiting the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. A decade later they started remembering more details.
The Podcast Team June 6, 2025
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
national parks

Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs

Removing items from national parks is illegal—and at these sites, legend says, it can also come with paranormal consequences.
Ellery Weil May 16, 2025