The Casket Girls and Vampires of New Orleans
ew Orleans blends the past and the present into a heady mix where almost anything seems possible. Especially at Halloween. The
‘May I have some water?’ The Fair-Haired Lady from the Toilet
Folklore changes and evolves with the peoples and their societies. It’s not rigid, it’s not concrete. As time passes, new
Top 5 Feminist Ghosts
Articles about female ghosts are scattered across the Internet, each one more compelling and nightmare-inducing than the last. Stories of
Sleepy Hollow: The Headless Horseman’s European Roots
orever immortalised in Washington Irving’s ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ the Headless Horseman has undoubtedly become one of horror fiction’s
21st-Century Victoriana: Our love letter to the dark
Within our current society of filtered perfection and aggressive online happiness, there is something oddly refreshing in the macabre.
Clown Panics and Computers: Chaos Manifests in the Age of the Internet
This article is about clowns. If you have clourophobia you might want to look away now. Not many forms of
Who Ya Gonna Call? Ghostbusting, German Folklore-style
While less well known than their priestly counterparts, German folklore also had plenty of "secular" exorcists who resorted to magic
Top 5 Scary Brazilian Monsters
Brazil is full of folklore, myths and superstitions. Here in Brazil, we’ve got a fascinating and complex collection of stories
The Sluagh: Spirits of The Unforgiven Dead
Celtic folklore has given us some of the darkest and most frightening tales in folkloric history: three-headed monsters, headless horsemen,
A ghost story that caused a riot: the strange case of Maude Carew
In February 1862 a riot broke out in a Suffolk churchyard over a ghost story. Margaretta Greene, the story’s author,
The Werewolf Panic of the 1970s
In the autumn of 1972, numerous Swedish newspapers described how werewolves were causing people to panic in a town in
Bat Myths and Folktales from Around the World
Bats feature in many myths, legends and folklore from many diverse cultures around the world, and are often associated with
The Momo Challenge, Popular Culture, and Folklore
The image is downright disturbing, a young woman with dark hair, bulging eyes, and a chilling smile. She stares out
Gloson: The Swedish Ghost Pig That Will Cleave You in Half
You turn around, and all of a sudden, you see that something is approaching, moving towards you. You notice a
Haunted by Monsters: Top 5 Wicked Creatures in Polish Folklore
ith its rich folklore, deep woods filled with wild boars, wolves and massive bison, and dark 20th century history, Poland
The Dreaded Headless Horseman and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow
he Headless Horseman captures the imagination like nothing else at Halloween. Regional American history and urban legend influences the interpretation
Meet Mexico’s Trinity of Death – Day of the Dead, Santa Muerte, and Catrina Calavera
October the season of death is here and soon comes Halloween with its cavalcade of ghosts and goblins together with
Faces in the Mirror: The Urban Legend of Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary is a scary urban legend that has been told for decades, but what might psychology tell us about
Deadly Ghosts: The Murderer Who Returned from Beyond the Grave
The residents of a Swansea street were shocked to be able to recognise the ghostly spirit haunting their home, but
Fact or Fiction? The Fate of the Witchfinder General
here is no name from the period of England's witch trials more infamous than that of Matthew Hopkins, the self-styled
Speaking to the Dead: Necromancy in Magic and Folklore
So, what is necromancy and what does it have to do with folklore? Come with me, and let’s enter the
The Six Creepiest Creatures from Scottish Folklore
Scottish lore contains some of the darkest and strangest figures in folkloric history: shape-shifters, blood-suckers, monsters without skin.
Cursed Paintings: Ill-Fated Portraits and Unlucky Landscapes
The cursed painting is an enduring urban legend that continues to have the ability to scare us, and also makes
The Folklore of Exorcism
The influences of folklore in the beliefs and rituals of exorcism are traced by Dr. Francis Young, who explores these
The Two-headed Ghost That Terrorised a Welsh Community
The Victorian newspaper archives are full of unusual ghost sightings, but there aren’t many as unique, or with a more
The Witch Files — The Midwife Myth: Curses, Infanticide, and Devilish Spells?
In the great wealth of witch-related lore, the image of the persecuted local midwife is one of the most enduringly popular.
Werewolves that Fish and Fight in Battles: The Scottish Wulver and Irish Faoladh in Folklore
Werewolves. The name alone conjures up nightmarish images from our current pop culture horror films starring this shapeshifting man-wolf.
The Tibetan Zombie: The Himalayas’ Walking Dead
One of the countries which one doesn't associate the zombie with is Tibet.
Why Werewolves Eat People: Cannibalism in the Werewolf Narrative
The one constant throughout visual and literary representations of the werewolf is the willing – or unwilling – consumption of
What Is a Witch? Defining Witchcraft in the ‘Malleus Maleficarum’
The concept of a witch, that is a practitioner of magic, has been part of western folklore for centuries, yet
The Pit of Ghosts: Exploring the Haunted Mines of Victorian Wales
Welsh miners of the nineteenth century held strong superstitions in supernatural elements, which they believed existed deep in the mines.
The Scottish Play and the Welsh Wizard: Witches in Punch Cartoons
From its beginnings in the 1840s until the late twentieth century it was Shakespeare’s Three Witches who inspired the majority
Skeleton Folklore: “I Can Feel it in My Bones”
Icy Sedgwick explores the folklore, beliefs, and superstitions associated with the human skeleton in traditional and contemporary cultures across the
Folkore of Wales: The Skeleton Tree, Derwen Ceubren yr Ellyll
Derwen Ceubren yr Ellyll, which means “The Hollow Oak, Haunt of Demons” or “The Blasted Oak of Spirits” was a
5 Lesser Known Monsters In North American Folklore
Here, we catch up with five “lesser known” North American monsters
The Skull-Faced Bishop: The Horrific Image of One Vancouver Island Ghost
Bishop Seghers’ apparition is one of Vancouver Island’s most terrifying visages.
5 Legendary Monsters of North American Folklore
Legendary monsters thrive in North American lore, of that there is no doubt; and narrowing the array down to a
Just Hanging Around: The Gallows in English Folklore
The gallows play a dark role in the history of punishment, but also show an important influence in folklore, folk
Japanese Legends: The Three Most Evil Yokai of Japan
Japan has a love of official top three lists. You may have heard of the Three Views of Japan (Matsushima,
Zombies: Through Folklore, Film and Fiction
When one hears the word “zombie” various images come to mind: usually that of flesh-eating, brain-devouring monsters; that is just