32 Items Tagged

Monster Mythology

Sighișoara, Romania

Casa Vlad Dracul

This is the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler Vlad III Dracul.

The legend of the Snallygaster appears to have been an invention of local newspapers, but one that carried a dark threat.

The Unsettling Legend of Maryland's Native Cryptid, the Snallygaster

A strange, scary farce that brought together Old World legends and racist scare tactics.

Colin Dickey October 27, 2023

The 1984 film <em>Gremlins</em> was inspired in some ways by wartime gremlin stories (Roald Dahl's in particular), but put another modern spin on the older tradition.

military history

How Gremlins Went From Fairy Stories to Warplanes to Hollywood Legend

Meet these slippery, mischievous reflections of our anxieties about technology.

Hadley Meares October 24, 2023

The 2012 film <em>The Possession</em>, starring Natasha Calis, was based on the legend of the "Dybbuk Box."

The Modern Resurrection of the Dybbuk, Demon of Jewish Folklore

How a superstition goes from the Talmud to TikTok.

Anya Gruber October 10, 2023

Miniwashitu is described as a frightening-looking creature with an important job: breaking up the ice on the Missouri River with its saw-like backbone.

In North Dakota, the Hideous Miniwashitu Ushers in Spring

The Madan people knew the Missouri River could bring both salvation and destruction.

April White May 5, 2023

Some residents of western Kenya consider night runners to be supernatural menaces. Others consider them an annoyance.

The Mysterious, Naked Night Runners of Western Kenya

"When the wind blows you run away because you think it’s a night runner.”

Joel Balsam May 4, 2023

The fossegrim might just be the most diabolical violin teacher you’ll ever meet.

This Norwegian Water Spirit Just Wants to Teach You How to Fiddle

But make sure you bring the fossegrim the proper offering—or else.

Diana Hubbell May 3, 2023

A long-necked, plesiosaur-like creature, known as Nahuelito, has been spotted from the banks of Nahuel Huapi Lake in Patagonia for millennia.

Argentina’s Loch Ness Monster Lurks Beneath a Patagonia Lake

Nahuelito’s plesiosaur visage can be found all over the small town of Bariloche.

Juan Relmucao May 2, 2023

There are many depictions of the bunyip, but one common iteration is a cow-sized, aquatic wombat-like creature.

The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australia’s Wetlands

But its complex Aboriginal Australian origins have today been commodified and suppressed.

Sarah Durn May 1, 2023

Ipswich, England

The Ogre of Eagle Street

This monstrous face has watched over passersby for centuries.

The rougarou, the Cajun cryptid said to haunt Louisiana's wetlands, is the mascot of a conservation effort for its traditional habitat.

The Rougarou, Beast of the Louisiana Bayou, Gets a Makeover

One man hopes to turn the wolfish cryptid into a mascot for saving the state's imperiled wetlands.

Joel Balsam October 19, 2022

Whether you call it shunka warak'in, the Rocky Mountain hyena or simply the beast, a mysterious canid preyed upon livestock in Montana in the late 1880s.

Beware Montana’s Shunka Warak’in, the 'Rocky Mountain Hyena'

Is one of these crafty cryptids on display in a small museum?

J.W. Ocker October 19, 2022

While details of its appearance vary over time and across geography, the Wendigo is always a symbol of hunger and desperation during the coldest season. And Winter is coming.

Beware the Wendigo, the Frostbitten Flesheater of North America’s Chilly Heartland

This terrifying creature has evolved over millennia—but never lost the need to feed.

J.W. Ocker October 12, 2022

"Mamu (Spooky Spirits)," a 2006 painting by Nura Rupert.

Mapping the Many Monsters of Aboriginal Australian Lore

A "terrifying pantheon" of ogres, sorcerers, and malevolent mermaids reflects a diversity in geography and environment.

Christine Judith Nicholls October 10, 2022

Through the centuries, the vampire myth has taken many different forms.

Five Vampire Stories You Haven’t Heard Yet

From Dracula’s Indian inspiration to just how long it would take these mythical bloodsuckers to annihilate humanity.

April White October 5, 2022

Skinwalkers are not hapless victims who fell prey to dark magic—they want to be monsters.

Beware the Skinwalkers, Werewolf Witches of the American Southwest

These canine-humanoid shapeshifters travel between worlds using magical doors.

J.W. Ocker October 5, 2022

‘David with the Head of Goliath and two Soldiers,’ from 1615. Found in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collections.

Monsters Are Everywhere in the Bible—And Some Are Even Human

Scholars are learning what bestial and depraved characters can reveal about ancient authors and cultural attitudes.

Madadh Richey October 3, 2022

Podcast: The Honey Island Swamp Monster

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team August 18, 2022