Stories - Atlas Obscura

California, Through Your Eyes

Our California Dream Art Show has concluded; the submissions will inspire you to book a trip, pronto.

In Poland, Drowning the Pagan Goddess Marzanna Ushers in Spring

A straw effigy of the winter goddess is burned and then submerged in chilly waters.

rites of spring

How to Keep a Medieval Ghost Town Ghostly

Step 1: Buy it. Step 2: Maybe a poetry reading?

Podcast: Okomfo Anokye's Sword

In a courtyard in Kumasi, Ghana, you’ll find a sword planted in the ground more than 300 years ago.

Argentina’s Loch Ness Monster Lurks Beneath a Patagonia Lake

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

To Banish Winter in This Tiny Wisconsin Town, Burn a Swiss Snowman

The burning of the Bӧӧgg is like a fiery version of Groundhog’s Day, but with fireworks and sausages.

rites of spring

How to Make Mystical 'Fairy Butter'

This historical sweet spread has supernatural ties.

rites of spring

The Elusive, Maddening Mystery of the Bell Witch

A classic ghost story has something to say about America—200 years ago, 100 years ago, and today.

Podcast: Hurricane Hunters

We go on a bumpy ride with the Hurricane Hunters, who fly into storms in the name of science.

Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake

This May Day, make Beltane bannock, a simple snack with a long history of superstition and divination.

scary spring stories

Welcome to the Dark Side of Spring

The sun is out and the monsters are here.

Was a May Day Attack by Pilgrims a Practice Run for a Massacre?

One historian of early New England sees the event as a harbinger of deadly violence.

aboriginal australians

The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australia’s Wetlands

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

Puzzle Monday: War Heroes Crossword

Podcast: Distant Relatives

Tried and true barbecue favorites meet unexpected spices and flavor profiles.

Manuela Beltrán Is a Colombian Hero. What If She Never Existed?

Historians have found little evidence of the revolutionary icon.

The Strange Tale of SS Warrimoo, the Ship That Existed in Two Centuries at Once

On New Year's Eve 1899, the captain of this Pacific liner steamed into history. Or did he?

Beltane Is About More Than Fire and Fertility

The ancient “Celtic” start of summer is rooted in animal husbandry—and it’s not on May 1.