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Folklore

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Beginning in the 20th century, the hunt for the deadly wampus cat was on.
cryptozoology

The Child-Eating Wampus Cat Prowling the American South

Hide your dog; hide your children.
April White May 3, 2024
You can use any type of onion to make a calendar, but the Eszlingers prefer yellow.
farms

How to Consult an Onion Oracle

From the Midwest to a tiny town in Italy, the tradition of weather-predicting onions lives on.
Roxanne Hoorn May 3, 2024
The capelobo is said to stalk Brazil's dense rainforests—always looking for its next victim.
cryptozoology

The Blood-Sucking Capelobo Haunts Brazil’s Dense Forests

The humanoid anteater slurps its victim’s gray matter as if devouring termites in a mound.
April White May 2, 2024
Standing no taller than a 10-year-old, the Yara ma tha who watches from the forest canopy—always ready to pounce on its next victim.
cryptozoology

The Child-Eating Bloodsucker of Aboriginal Australian Nightmares

The Yara ma tha who is more terrifying than any vampire.
April White May 1, 2024
animals

Rabbits Are Creatures of the Underworld According to Ancient Fears

From Ancient Egypt to 'Donnie Darko', beware the bunny.
Charis McGowan May 1, 2024
The horse-headed visage of La Siguanaba may just be your last sight.
cryptozoology

Beware La Siguanaba, Latin America's Murderous, Horse-Headed Beauty

Do not follow the woman in white.
April White April 30, 2024
A dingonek has seemingly impenetrable, armadillo-like scales, a powerful tail, and very sharp teeth.
cryptozoology

The Man-Eating Dingonek Lurks Beneath East Africa’s Rivers

The 18-foot-long, dog-headed beast-fish didn't seem so unbelievable to Africa's early white colonizers.
April White April 29, 2024
Warnford, England

Grave of George Lewis

This gravestone tells the tragic tale of its occupant's death.
Artist's impression of the Milky Way.
science

Podcast: Marching Through the Galaxy With Moiya McTier

The award-winning astrophysicist and folklorist takes us on a tour of the Milky Way.
The Podcast Team March 21, 2024
A 1908 edition of the <em>Evening Star</em> newspaper covers mad stones in their various forms, and goes on to explain how scientists have found them to be "worthless."
objects of intrigue

The Tale of the Mad Stone, the One-Time 'Cure' for Rabies

Before vaccines, pseudoscientific folks remedies for the deadly virus involved mysterious animal-vegetable-mineral hybrids.
Colin Dickey March 7, 2024
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.
Skyros, Greece

Vrykolakonisia (Vampire Islands)

The alleged vampires after which these islets are named may have actually been plague victims.
List

29 Dragon Places for the Lunar New Year

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with temple-scaling serpents, fire-breathing bridges, and everything in between.
Michelle Cassidy February 5, 2024
San Diego, California

'The Girl in Red Shoes'

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

Angel of Shavano

This distinctive snowfield on the slopes of a Colorado fourteener has several legendary origin stories.
List

13 Places to Find Little Legends and Compact Cryptids

From grumpy water goblins to tiny trolls.
Jonathan Carey January 26, 2024
Tokyo, Japan

Tamon-ji (Tanuki Temple)

Home to a legend of the supernatural raccoon dog, a rare wooden structure of Edo, and witnesses of the Tokyo bombings.
Some theorize that ghost stories give women a chance to get justice that escaped them in their life.
haunted

Our Favorite Ghost Stories of 2023

From haunted grocery stores to ancient demons on TikTok, it was a great year for supernatural exploration.
Sam O'Brien January 4, 2024