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Folklore

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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.
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
Saratoga, Texas

Light of Saratoga

This eight-mile stretch of road gets its name from a local legend about a lost soul searching for his head.
saints

Detangling the Devilish Origins of Scandinavia's St. Lucia Buns

The story of this saffron-hued swirl has become as twisted as its dough.
Sam O'Brien December 11, 2020
christmas

The Danish Christmas Porridge That Appeased a Vengeful 'House Elf'

Once a magical, murderous farmhand, the nisse has transformed into a beloved holiday figure.
Sam O'Brien December 9, 2020
vampires

One of Dracula's Often Overlooked Inspirations Is the Indian Vetala

It was an English "translation" that turned a wise, if mischievous, figure into a bloodsucker.
Emma Starer Gross October 30, 2020
murder

In the Andes, the Fear of Oppressors Manifests as the Gruesome Pishtaco

They seem to be a monster that made the leap from legend to the real world.
Athena Frost October 30, 2020
mythology

Across the Islamic World, the Ifrit Brings Miseries Both Large and Small

To believe in them and other djinns is to acknowledge there is a world beyond our own.
Harry Spitzer October 29, 2020
mythology

The Malaysian Penanggalan Haunts Pregnant Women and Newborns

These provincial specters are as gruesome as they are hungry.
Josh Levine October 29, 2020
forests

Sasabonsam Enforced the Rules of Renewal in West African Forests

At least until Christian missionaries made them more purely devilish figures.
Nicole Zakheim October 28, 2020
mythology

The Proud, Demanding Vodyanoy Rules Russia's Rivers and Lakes

The legend has endured political disruption, revolution, and generational shifts.
Kaleb Horton October 28, 2020
mythology

The Body Snatchers of Aboriginal Australia's Legends

The fearsome, fanged Ngayurnangalku haunt a dry lake bed in the outback.
Dan O'Sullivan October 28, 2020
mythology

The Myth of the Werehyena and the Fear of the Other in the Horn of Africa

Also known as "bouda," their scary stories could also be used to marginalize and dehumanize.
Harry Spitzer October 27, 2020
mythology

La Patasola Is the Vengeful Protector of the Andes

And a scary lesson on humility and respect for the natural world.
Dan O'Sullivan October 26, 2020
mythology

The Púca Is Ireland's Supernatural Pastoral Trickster

They can turn a drunken walk home into a wild ride.
Kaleb Horton October 26, 2020
mythology

In West Africa, the Adze Is an Insectoid Source of Misfortune

Historians believe it originated with the fear of mosquito-borne illness.
Emma Starer Gross October 26, 2020
music

The Rise and Fall of North Carolina's National Hollerin' Contest

Hollers are sort of like the yodels of the American South.
Emily Cataneo September 25, 2020
Inuyama, Japan

Momotaro Shrine

A kitsch shrine dedicated to the ogre-slaying folktale hero born from a peach.