Folklore - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

159 Items Tagged

Folklore

Share Tweet
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
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
cemeteries

Podcast: Lake Lanier

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team July 19, 2022
Tooth Stone
Port Charlotte, Scotland

Tooth Stone

It's said taking a hammer and nail to this stone relieves a toothache.
Saudi Arabia

Wadi-e Jinn

A phenomenon that appears to make gravity work in reverse has been attributed to jinn, supernatural spirits from Arabian folklore.
Closeup of the sculpture
Munich, Germany

Wolfsbrunnen

Oddly enough, a pair of Wolfs funded the construction of this Little Red Riding Hood sculpture.
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
Trees in Dering wood
Pluckley, England

Dering Wood

A woodland close to England's "most haunted village" has been the site of many unexplained events and deaths.
La Segua, from Costa Rica.
collections

An Artist's Journey Through a Thousand Mythical Creatures

Dive into Iman Joy El Shami-Mader's collection of disembodied limbs, chimerical monstrosities, and unicorn cats.
Winnie Lee October 28, 2021
A witch cake from the village of Bempton, which collector William Clarke dated to 1850.
objects of intrigue

Remembering ‘Witch Cakes,’ the Evil-Fighting Baked Goods of the 1600s

Are these cakes weapons against dark forces or just “spiky bagels”?
Sam O'Brien October 21, 2021
What a dragon is, and how it interacts with humans, varies widely by culture and era.
dragons

The Historian of Hell and the Undead Takes on Dragons

Medieval expert Scott Bruce delves into the darker—and sometimes more hopeful—corners of human imagination.
Gemma Tarlach October 20, 2021
Long before vampires were cartoon characters and even love interests, they were seen as diseased, demonic creatures.
vampires

Disease, Demons, and Discord—How the Vampire Myth Was Born

Modern vampires may be dashing, but that's not how the legendary bloodsuckers started out.
Stanley Stepanic October 18, 2021
The misty cloud forests of Costa Rica's Cerro de la Muerte are home to several endangered species—including, say locals, spirits charged with protecting the mountain.
mountains

In Search of Nímbulos, Guardians of Costa Rica's Mountain of Death

Believers say the otherworldly protectors of Cerro de la Muerte's cloud forests face an uncertain future.
Trevor Ritland and Priscilla Palavicini October 6, 2021
Rottingdean, England

Rottingdean Wishing Stone

According to local folklore, this odd face on a wall of Rudyard Kipling's former home can bring visitors a bit of luck.
Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center
Fairmont, West Virginia

Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center

The center preserves and houses artifacts ranging from the colonial era to modern times from across Appalachia.
Nocturnal and reclusive, the aye-aye lemur is considered a harbinger of evil by some communities on Madagascar, the only place the animal can be found in the wild.
folklore

Loved or Loathed: Can Madagascar's Aye-Aye Survive Superstition?

Understanding how locals really view the world's weirdest primate may be key to protecting it.
Bridget Alex March 23, 2021