The concept of a magical, mysterious, “Otherworld” has been a common component in many myths and legends of diverse human

There are many different kinds of shapeshifting and here we look at different examples from Ireland, Wales and Scotland that

The folklore attached to the seas and rivers of the world is plentiful, filled with wondrous creatures and beguiling tales.

For the Celts, cauldrons had many everyday uses. As well as cooking, boiling, cleaning, bathing, carrying water and other domestic

t is believed that the ancient Celtic people were animists who considered all objects to have consciousness of some kind.

Queen Boudica, ruler of the Iceni people of Britain, was famous for leading a violent uprising against Roman rule. Although

The Celts were a varied collection of ethnic groups inhabiting a wide swathe of continental Europe from the west coast

In the summer of 1960 at the age of five, I joined an honored folk tradition by telling my first

Articles about female ghosts are scattered across the Internet, each one more compelling and nightmare-inducing than the last. Stories of

Jánošík, a young outlaw with braided hair, carrying a shepherd’s axe called valaška, and wearing rural clothing, is the unlikely

A brilliant professor once told us that desire always lurks at the heart of Arthurian legends. Desire for glory, for

From Macbeth’s castle in the Scottish Highlands to the shores of Hampshire, Britain has many haunted castles that go bump

We’ve got many different characters in Brazilian Folkcloric scene and they are related to all aspects of the land, weather,

The Mabinogion is a mess of misconstrued mythology, a minefield of mistranslation and misinterpretations. It’s also the font of all

By their very nature saints are exceptional beings and none more so than the select few female saints. These were

Brazil is full of folklore, myths and superstitions. Here in Brazil, we’ve got a fascinating and complex collection of stories

The alkonost, the sirin, the roc, the phoenix and the caladrius are all five mythical birds from legend and folklore.

In February 1862 a riot broke out in a Suffolk churchyard over a ghost story. Margaretta Greene, the story’s author,

In Welsh legend and myth the Owl of Cwm Cowlyd lived in the woods that once surrounded Llyn Cowlyd.

Gnomes trace their origins back through alchemical theory to Greek and Roman mythology.

For many, the Woman in the Tower is a symbol of female oppression and repression, a highly negative image charged

The story of William of Cloudesly is found in a 16th century ballad, Adam Bell, Clym of the Cloughe and

alking deep into a mine, when the last gleam of sunlight is eclipsed by the next turn, reveals the overwhelming

Mention Maid Marian and Sherwood Forest in the same breath, and most people think of Robin Hood’s lady love. The

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

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,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Cailleach, which translates as ‘old woman’, ‘hag’, and ‘veiled one’, exists in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and is

The epic unfinished poem, The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, published 1590-96, created a parallel of the medieval universe.