For thousands of years, physicians relied heavily on a single treatment for hysteria, heart disease and just about every other

Cats. It’s not just the internet that is obsessed with these (sometimes) mysterious creatures, it seems people have always been

In a daring act, facing frightful peril, Mark Twain exploited a legend to launch his onstage comic career. With his

Fairy tales often focus on relationships within families — interrogating the many ways in which these can break down, but

Ship’s cats have been sailing the seven seas alongside humans for centuries. They were not usually taken along as

'The Weardale Fairies'. Extracted from English Fairy Tales and Legends by Rosalind Kerven, published by Batsford. Illustration by Arthur Rackham,

Mad Max  Rockatansky is a folkloric character. A mythic hero of a post apocalyptic world.

old! The very word fuels the imagination. And when that furnace is stoked, folklore is not far behind. Legends of lost

Until the 20th century, the inadequacies of orthodox medical services left a large proportion of the population dependent upon traditional

“I’ve got something a lot better to exchange for that cow though, Jack,” said the man. “Something much more valuable

This article examines the myths and legends which have grown in the very short period since the incarnation of crypto-currencies.

The Swansea Devil is a three-foot tall “cursed” sculpture which is said to have been responsible for destroying a church.

Slender Man was created in 2009 in the Something Awful forum by user Victor Surge (real name: Eric Knudson) in

Wild Edric was an Anglo-Saxon earl from Shropshire who was also known as Eadric Salvage, Eadric Silvaticus and Eadric the

Happy 4th Birthday, #FolkloreThursday!

hile the Pied Piper of Hamelin is undeniably a fairy tale, it’s uniquely grounded in real-world specifics – the date

You turn around, and all of a sudden, you see that something is approaching, moving towards you. You notice a

nasyrma, or the lifting of one’s skirts to expose genitalia, has been used throughout history and mythology as a method

Twenty-two thousand words, research of folk tales from across the UK and 2 months to do it. What had I

King Leir and his youngest daughter, Queen Cordelia, were legendary rulers of the the Britons. Their story appeared in

Who are the folk, and what is their lore? Humans have been making and sharing culture from the time we

Up until the genocidal removal known as "the Trail of Tears" storytelling was an extremely important part of Cherokee culture.

Bees have been an ally to humankind since ancient times. Discover how even now we look to the wisdom of

German artist Florian Schäfer is creating life-like art dolls & figurines of strange but mostly unknown creatures to fight against

Fairy tales, myths and legends have always been central to our experience as human beings. They help us deal with

In the middle years of the 12th century, two green-skinned children mysteriously appeared in a field in Suffolk. But who

Japan is monster country. Nowhere else on earth has the sheer variety of bizarre beasties lurking in every shadow. And

A land’s topography speaks of the forces that have formed it and how it has endured; in Iceland, the shape

#FolkloreThursday talks to Beatrice Blue, author and illustrator of 'Once Upon a Unicorn Horn', a magical book for children from First

A horse or a dragon? Anyone who has seen May Day's ‘Obby ‘Oss of Padstow may conclude that it looks

Everyone's experience with cancer (and other life-threatening issues) is different but there are commonalities too, so to that end, here's

A griffin is a legendary beast believed to be the offspring of a lion and an eagle, depicted in various

British regional folklorists of the 19th century remain, in many cases, rather obscure figures. Margaret Helen James (1859–1938) deserves particular

“Hat, cat, rat,” Umakant would shout at the top of his voice whenever he would see cowherds around the Peepal

A story of love, betrayal and impending war became entwined with upheavals that affect the discipline of folklore to this

Spring is the herald of new life, and throughout the animal world, spring is a time to forecast the weather

ith its rich folklore, deep woods filled with wild boars, wolves and massive bison, and dark 20th century history, Poland

Stereotypes based on appearance are all too common, but redheads certainly seem to have a raw deal. Where might some

White blossom on the trees is one of the delights of springtime, but it masks a deeper magic in three

Daffodils are said to have dangerously toxic bulbs. Once, it’s claimed, they were used by Roman soldiers as a ‘go