A Thousand Years Before Tolkien: The Original Evil Magic Ring
An evil magic ring, associated with dwarf and dragon – what a great idea Tolkien had for his books! But he actually borrowed it from ancient Viking legends…
British Legends: The Origin of Albion and the Bloodlust of Albina and Her Sisters
According to British medieval legend and myth, the island now known as Britain was once named Albion after an exiled queen named Albina.
Dragon Legends: Myth or Half-Truth?
Dragons play a popular role in legend, Where might their origins have begun, and can we see parallels between them and other creatures, mythical and real?
Fishing with the Living and the Dead: The Sáiva Lakes of the Sami
For the Pre-Christian Sami people who inhabited parts of modern-day Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia, fishing was a livelihood.
The Winged Demoness of Death: Vanth and the Etruscan Underworld
On the walls of a 300 BCE Etruscan tomb, Vanth, a winged demoness of dark and stern gaze, flanks a door to the Great Unknown.