Mythology - Atlas Obscura
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Mythology

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An ancient wall with a path running through it under a metal roof
Yulin, China

Shimao Relics

A massive ancient Chinese city with stone walls and evidence of human sacrifices.
Singapore

Kubur Kassim Cemetery

Old Muslim cemetery and resting place of folkloric creatures
Belgrade, Serbia

Icarus on the Air Force Command Building

An Art Deco Icarus statue adorns this abandoned gem of Yugoslav Modernist architecture.
Nymfopetres
Thessaloniki, Greece

Nymfopetra

Legends hold that these unusual rock formations were once a bridal party, or perhaps a group of hunters.
Kaneana Cave
Waianae, Hawaii

Kaneana Cave

This coastal cavern is associated with the Hawaiian god of creation.
Diana and her hunting hounds.
Madrid, Spain

Statue of Diana the Huntress

Artist Natividad Sánchez wrote a new ending for one of Roman mythology's tragic love stories.
León, Nicaragua

Museum of Traditions and Legends

Housed in a 20th-century prison, this small museum recounts local Nicaraguan myths.
Built sometime around the sixth or seventh century, this ring fort is tucked between hills and farms in a remote corner of northwestern Ireland.
fairytales

What Is a Fairy Fort?

In Ireland, fears about disturbing the fair folk have saved thousands of these mysterious ancient structures.
Sarah Durn February 2, 2023
The Milky Way and curtain-like auroras fill a clear southern sky off Nugget Point, at the edge of New Zealand’s remote Catlins. While the island nation is too far north to see the aurora australis regularly, aurora-hunters flock to the Nugget Point lighthouse area for its dark skies and unobstructed view off the South Island’s southeastern coast.
science

Aurora Hunters Capture the Wonder of the Northern (and Southern) Lights

A curated collection of images shows why this natural phenomenon has fascinated and inspired humans for millennia.
Gemma Tarlach December 21, 2022
forests

Podcast: Spooky Places

Our Places Team shares spooky legends from both Transylvania and Appalachia.
The Podcast Team October 27, 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
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
Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Alux House at San Pedro Hotel

It might look like a doghouse, but this small structure was actually built to house a spirit from Maya mythology.
The Mexican spirit known as the "Weeping Woman" has become a cultural icon.
haunted

7 Ghost Stories That Will Haunt You

From a real-life ghost buster to a murder solved with testimony from the great beyond.
Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing October 12, 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.
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