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Superstitions

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Memphis, Tennessee

The Beale Street Hoodoo History and Folklife Museum

The only museum in North America dedicated to Memphis hoodoo history.
Nara, Japan

Nekodan (Cat Stairway)

According to local legend, anyone who falls on these temple steps will turn into a cat.
Pisa, Italy

Scratches of the Devil

The mysterious “claw marks” said to be left by the Devil on Pisa’s famous cathedral.
Ipswich, Massachusetts

Ipswich Devil’s Footprint

According to legend, the Devil left a footprint behind after an epic showdown with a traveling priest.
Belleville, Kansas

The Witch House of Belleville

A real haunted house with an extensive history going back to 1893.
Lightning strikes the hand of the Christ the Redeemer statue that stands on a mountaintop above Rio de Janeiro.
climate change

In Rio, a Reincarnated Spirit Can Chase Away the Rain

Cacique Cobra Coral is often tapped by officials to keep weather from ruining important events.
Constance Malleret February 13, 2025
Tokyo, Japan

Mujinazuka at Kenshō-ji

A legend of a mysterious phantom train haunts this grave.
Årsgång is the Swedish tradition of a solitary, night-time walk in the forest is just one of many spooky folk stories surrounding the New Year.
witchcraft

Spooky Winter Holiday Lore: Our Favorite Reads

From Christmas goblins to a New Year’s ghost-horse, these creepy tales are sure to keep you in the holiday spirit.
Roxanne Hoorn December 27, 2024
A 1914 illustration by John Bauer from the Swedish fairy-tale collection <em>Bland Tomtar och Troll</em>, meaning "Among Gnomes and Trolls."
witchcraft

The Real-Life Origins of Taboo Fairy Romance

Long before <em>A Court of Thorns and Roses,</em> 17th-century Swedish courts investigated supernatural love.
Andrew Coletti December 17, 2024
View of the Lucky Frog
List

13 Places to Get Some Good Luck

On a traditionally unlucky day, ward off evil at these fortune-filled locations.
Roxanne Hoorn December 13, 2024
Comet C/2023 A3, or Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, nearly 100 million miles from Earth, seen from the International Space Station on Sept. 22.
astronomy

Long Seen as Omens, Comets Do Tell Us Something About Ourselves

For thousands of years, comets have fascinated us, filled us with dread, and, in some ways, made us who we are.
Rebecca Boyle November 20, 2024
The Cù Sith, an otherworldly hound of Scottish folklore, and its Irish counterpart the Cù Sidhe are sometimes described as green, the color associated with magic—and misfortune.
animals

Death as a Dog: The Cù Sith of Scotland

The spectral, terrifying dog of Scottish folklore has inspired many a nightmare for centuries—and likely for millennia.
Emma Cieslik October 9, 2024
Tokyo, Japan

Shibarare Jizoson

A bizarre object of worship believed to grant wishes to those who tie it up with a rope.
Fujisawa, Japan

Ryuren no Kane

A romantic escape inspired by the legend of a child-eating five-headed dragon.
List

20 Statues to Rub for Good Luck

From toes to testicles, these well-loved monuments may bring fortune or grant wishes.
Roxanne Hoorn August 2, 2024
<em>Approaching Storm</em> by German landscape painter Julius Bergmann shows a cowherd bringing his animals to shelter.
science

Can Thunderstorms Spoil Milk?

The answer eluded scientists for centuries.
Andrew Coletti July 30, 2024
Venice, Italy

Uncini della Fortuna (Hooks of Fortune)

Despite their macabre past, these hooks are said to bring good luck to those who touch them.
Kamakura, Japan

Seimei Stone

Associated with Japanese folklore's most eminent sorcerer, this slab of rock is said to be both a blessing and a curse.