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Folktales

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Warnford, England

Grave of George Lewis

This gravestone tells the tragic tale of its occupant's death.
A white church with four small turrets, two of which appear to twist
Curtea de Argeș, Romania

Curtea de Argeș Monastery

According to a gruesome legend, an architect sacrificed his wife to build this spectacular, 16th-century cathedral.
Farnham, England

Mother Ludlam's Cave

This place is the subject of local legends about a good witch and a Celtic God.
San Diego, California

'The Girl in Red Shoes'

A statue based on a tragic Japanese nursery rhyme, commemorating San Diego's sisterhood with Yokohama.
Pustevny, Czechia

Libušín a Maměnka

A folk-art cottage and hotel straight from a Slavic fairy tale.
The Yule Cat (or Jólakötturinn) serves as a warning for children to not misbehave, much like the threat of coal for naughty children on Christmas.
vikings

Beware the Yule Cat, Iceland’s Child-Eating Christmas Monster

But if you’re wearing new clothes, you have nothing to fear from Jólakötturinn.
Suzie Dundas December 22, 2023
Irrawaddy dolphins cruise the Mekong River near the Cambodian village of Kampi, which has become a hub for tourists eager to spot the critically endangered animals.
dolphins

Irrawaddy Dolphins Get Help from an Ancient Cambodian Folktale

In the Mekong River, protecting the revered but critically endangered mammals is also a way for locals to reclaim their culture.
Stefan Lovgren November 20, 2023
Stretching between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Scottish witch trials were among Europe’s longest and most deadly.
witchcraft

Isobel Gowdie and the Untold History of the Scottish Witch Trials

Some experts estimate as many as 3,000 people were accused and executed for witchcraft in Scotland.
Sarah Durn October 31, 2023
This 1962 cover of <em>Official Detective</em> features a Halloween candy poisoner at work.
poison

Why Halloween’s ‘Poison Candy’ Myth Endures

Even though we know better.
Jennifer Byrne October 19, 2023
In 2018, artist Marisela Barrera fielded calls as San Antonio's ghostly Donkey Lady.
haunted

Why Are There So Many Female Ghosts?

Female ghosts seem to dominate the afterlife. Whether the spirits are real or not, the reasons for the disparity could be revealing.
Nathaniel Scharping October 6, 2023
Namazu-San, the Lucky Catfish
Itakura, Japan

Namazu-San, the Lucky Catfish

Thanks to wordplay, the earthquake-causing catfish monster has become a god of confidence at this shrine.
Two stones just out of the ground.
Jökulsárgljúfur, Iceland

Karl og Kerling

Legend has it these two stones are petrified trolls.
Fukuoka, Japan

Tomb of the Wet Kimono

The birthplace of the Japanese idiom "wet clothes" meaning “false accusation."
Prčanj, Montenegro

Tre Sorelle Palace

Here lies a legend of three sisters, all in love with the same mariner.
A Hindu priest holds a lit coconut oil lamp in front of statues of Prince Vijaya (left) and Kuweni (right) at the Sri Subramaniam temple in the southern Sri Lankan town of Matara.
music

How This Demon Dance Banishes Illnesses in Sri Lanka's Remote Jungles

The kankariya dance all started with a legendary demon queen named Kuweni.
Zinara Rathnayake May 4, 2023
The fossegrim might just be the most diabolical violin teacher you’ll ever meet.
forests

This Norwegian Water Spirit Just Wants to Teach You How to Fiddle

But make sure you bring the fossegrim the proper offering—or else.
Diana Hubbell May 3, 2023
A long-necked, plesiosaur-like creature, known as Nahuelito, has been spotted from the banks of Nahuel Huapi Lake in Patagonia for millennia.
cryptozoology

Argentina’s Loch Ness Monster Lurks Beneath a Patagonia Lake

Nahuelito’s plesiosaur visage can be found all over the small town of Bariloche.
Juan Relmucao May 2, 2023
Tokyo, Japan

Kimi-Chan

This sculpture bears a tragic backstory that may have inspired a hauntingly beautiful children's song.