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Folklore

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Ipswich, England

The Ogre of Eagle Street

This monstrous face has watched over passersby for centuries.
Pune, India

Baneshwar Cave Temple

A centuries-old Hindu cave temple is tucked away in a quiet suburb.
Adam Johnson (center) dresses up as Heikki Lunta as part of the Upper Peninsula's Heikinpäivä festival in Hancock, Michigan.
holiday

The Dancing Snow God That Brings Blizzards to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Heikki Lunta even has his own song.
Daniel Bromfield January 5, 2023
The Milky Way and curtain-like auroras fill a clear southern sky off Nugget Point, at the edge of New Zealand’s remote Catlins. While the island nation is too far north to see the aurora australis regularly, aurora-hunters flock to the Nugget Point lighthouse area for its dark skies and unobstructed view off the South Island’s southeastern coast.
science

Aurora Hunters Capture the Wonder of the Northern (and Southern) Lights

A curated collection of images shows why this natural phenomenon has fascinated and inspired humans for millennia.
Gemma Tarlach December 21, 2022
A member of the Milwaukee Krampus Eigenheit was one of dozens of furry, horned menaces swatting onlookers with switches during the annual Milwaukee Krampusnacht.
santa claus

Krampus Is the Christmas Icon We Need—And Maybe the One We Deserve

At Milwaukee’s Krampusnacht, we go in search of the essence of Santa’s unholy enforcer.
Gemma Tarlach December 9, 2022
museums

Podcast: The Wren’s Nest

Atlanta’s oldest house museum is dedicated to preserving Black American oral traditions.
The Podcast Team November 8, 2022
witchcraft

Podcast: Witch Cakes

A baked good thought to ward off evil might have kicked off one of America's most notorious witch hunts.
The Podcast Team October 28, 2022
Despite a wingspan of up to 70 feet and legends about them from coast to coast, thunderbirds are a particularly elusive cryptid in North America.
cryptozoology

Beware the Thunderbird, Badass Cryptid of the Skies

The source of storms and an (occasional) kidnapper, the massive ancient beast has inspired muscle cars and jet fighters.
J.W. Ocker October 26, 2022
The cottage where Michael Cleary murdered his wife, Bridget, still stands in Ballyvadlea in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is shown here in an 1895 photograph.
murder

The Haunting True Story of Bridget Cleary’s “Changeling” Murder

There's more to this 19th-century crime than the dark side of fairy lore.
Sarah Durn October 21, 2022
The rougarou, the Cajun cryptid said to haunt Louisiana's wetlands, is the mascot of a conservation effort for its traditional habitat.
monsters

The Rougarou, Beast of the Louisiana Bayou, Gets a Makeover

One man hopes to turn the wolfish cryptid into a mascot for saving the state's imperiled wetlands.
Joel Balsam October 19, 2022
Whether you call it shunka warak'in, the Rocky Mountain hyena or simply the beast, a mysterious canid preyed upon livestock in Montana in the late 1880s.
cryptozoology

Beware Montana’s Shunka Warak’in, the 'Rocky Mountain Hyena'

Is one of these crafty cryptids on display in a small museum?
J.W. Ocker October 19, 2022
Grettislaug
Saudarkrokur, Iceland

Grettislaug

A geothermal pool in North Iceland that is said to be the bathing spot of the legendary Grettir the Strong.
Mirrors and images of previous owners line the walls at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Now best known for inspiring the setting of <em>The Shining</em>, the building is reportedly one of America's most haunted hotels.
haunted

The Spooky Science of Why Mirrors Can Freak Us Out So Much

We reflect on what these shiny surfaces reveal, from the curse of Narcissus to an experiment you can try at home—if you dare.
Kate Golembiewski October 14, 2022
Tuberculosis—or consumption, as it was known in the 1800s—was often associated with vampirism. Those suffering from the disease grew pale and weak, as seen in this photomontage from 1858.
vampires

The Real-Life Vampire Autopsies of the Victorian Era

When medicine and folklore collide, strange things happen.
April White October 14, 2022
Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Alux House at San Pedro Hotel

It might look like a doghouse, but this small structure was actually built to house a spirit from Maya mythology.
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