Explore 171 Monsters Collections - Atlas Obscura
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In the oral traditions of the Penobscot people, a hideous, birdlike creature protects Mount Katahdin, now the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
mountains

The Transformation of Pamola, the Protector of Mount Katahdin

How a fearsome Penobscot Nation legend became a mascot of outdoor adventure seekers.
Sam Schipani October 28, 2022
Entrance to the yokai tunnel.
List

11 Museums Dedicated to Monsters

A great way to feed your curiosity but not your fear.
Jonathan Carey October 28, 2022
Despite a wingspan of up to 70 feet and legends about them from coast to coast, thunderbirds are a particularly elusive cryptid in North America.
cryptozoology

Beware the Thunderbird, Badass Cryptid of the Skies

The source of storms and an (occasional) kidnapper, the massive ancient beast has inspired muscle cars and jet fighters.
J.W. Ocker October 26, 2022
The cottage where Michael Cleary murdered his wife, Bridget, still stands in Ballyvadlea in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is shown here in an 1895 photograph.
murder

The Haunting True Story of Bridget Cleary’s “Changeling” Murder

There's more to this 19th-century crime than the dark side of fairy lore.
Sarah Durn October 21, 2022
The rougarou, the Cajun cryptid said to haunt Louisiana's wetlands, is the mascot of a conservation effort for its traditional habitat.
monsters

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.
cryptozoology

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
In a Toronto haunted house, a female actor poses for a photo.
haunted

How Sexism Haunts the Haunted House Industry

And the sociologist and actors trying to exorcise the gender stereotyping demon.
Kate Golembiewski October 17, 2022
Image of the Hill
Washington, England

Worm Hill

According to local legends, a monstrous worm once wrapped itself around this hill by the River Wear.
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.
cryptozoology

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.
mythology

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.
vampires

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.
mythology

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.
biblical

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
monsters

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
Even though Mexico's "Weeping Woman" is thought to be pre-Hispanic, today her sorry tale reflects the brutalities of colonialism.
witchcraft

6 Legends That Manifest Fears of Powerful Women

From German witches to vampiric Malaysian spirits to a real-life poisoner.
Sarah Durn April 11, 2024
Cryptozoologist Richard Freeman says we "shouldn't be surprised" if hominids like Russia's yeti (known as the almasty) exist, given that other hominids, like <em>Homo floresiensis</em>, died out just 12,000 years ago. This sculpture of an almasty is at an alpine resort in Sochi, Russia.
cryptozoology

Could 'Monsters' Exist in the Modern World?

Cryptozoologist Richard Freeman on why we should still believe in unseen animals.
Sarah Durn February 28, 2022
Cold Spring, New York

Jed's Godzilla

In Cold Spring, New York, a shrine containing Godzilla and an assortment of plastic dinosaurs stands dedicated to a teenager who died in a car accident in 1996.
'Nensie' and her baby
Leganés, Spain

Nensi the Leganés Monster

Many miles south of Loch Ness, a similarly-named sea monster stands at the center of a roundabout.