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Folklore

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Loveland Frog, pleased to meet you.
cryptozoology

Meet the Cryptids Haunting Ohio's Imagination

A new exhibition pays homage to some of the Buckeye State's beloved—and infamous—legends.
Jessica Leigh Hester March 11, 2020
The Anchorage in Beaufort
Beaufort, South Carolina

Haint Blue Porch Ceilings

The Lowcountry color with the power to stop evil from entering a home.
Whether the Nain Rouge is friendly or fiendish, he's definitely red and demonic.
beer

The Spirited Afterlife of Detroit’s Little Red Demon

The Nain Rouge has been stirring up trouble—and maybe generating some goodwill—for more than 300 years.
Jessica Leigh Hester October 28, 2019
The spectral ship has a curious, centuries-old history.
ships

The World's Most Famous Ghost Ship Is an Enduring Symbol of Empire

The Flying Dutchman's long afterlife began with a British power trip.
Isaac Schultz October 24, 2019
Acequia Madre.
Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico

Acequia Madre

The remains of a centuries-old water system that inspired local legends of secret tunnels.
Tarot Room.
Skagaströnd, Iceland

Museum of Prophecies

This museum dedicated to divination also honors a local 10th-century prophetess.
Wooden kappa
Shimanto-chō, Japan

Kaiyodo Kappa Museum

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.
The "Hijo del árbol de la Noche Triste" with its statue of Hernan Cortes.
Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico

Son of the Tree of the Night of Sorrows

A sapling of the legendary tree where conquistador Hernán Cortés sat and wept after an Aztec uprising.
Thomas Thornycroft's statue of Boadicea and her Daughters in London.
London, England

Boadicea and Her Daughters

A statue of the legendary Celtic warrior queen who fought the Roman invaders stands in one of the cities she once destroyed.
Peacefully grazing cow—or the next victim of an elf attack?
witchcraft

When Sick Cattle Were Alleged Victims of Arrow-Wielding Elves

For centuries, farmers suspected their sick livestock had been "elf-shot."
Abbey Perreault December 27, 2018
Roche Hermitage from below.
Roche, England

Roche Rock Hermitage

This ruined 15th-century hermitage is steeped in myth and mystery.
A majestic Gredos Ibex.
Manzanares el Real, Spain

The Ibex of La Pedriza

This species of wild goat stars in witchy legends and frolics among the park's eerie rock formations.
Kalevipoeg sculpture.
Tallinn, Estonia

Glehn Park

A forest park outside Tallinn full of architectural and artistic curiosities.
The wall is roped off to deter people from touching the chakra.
Krakow, Poland

Wawel Chakra

This grubby wall is said to be one of the Earth's esoteric energy centers.
The Old Man of Storr.
Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Old Man of Storr

An ancient Scottish rock formation said to be the gravesite of a giant remains ensconced in legend and intrigue.
Gastro Obscura

Bau Nyale

Worm-catching and love come together at this Indonesian harvest and courtship festival.
Video • PinDrop

How Singapore's Haw Par Villa Brings Hell to Life

1:35
The angel's face.
Natchez, Mississippi

'Turning Angel' Statue

This monument to the victims of a tragic explosion is said to turn and look at passing cars.