The article archive
Articles
Explore the stories, sources and folklore behind the documentaries.
Article
Baba Yaga: Why She Helps Some People and Eats Others
Published
Explore Baba Yaga’s dangerous bargains, Vasilisa’s burning skull, the hut on chicken legs and why the witch changes from one tale to another.
Article
Redcap: The Murderous Goblin of the Scottish Borders
Published
Meet the blood-stained goblin of the Scottish Borders, explore its ruined castles and separate Henderson’s account from later Redcap retellings.
Article
Hachishakusama: Japan’s Eight-Shaku Woman and Her Folklore Origins
Published
The Story in Brief Hachishakusama is an impossibly tall woman whose strange ‘po… po… po…’ announces that she is nearby. In the story that…
Article
The Abhartach: Ireland’s Ancient Vampire Legend
Published
Explore Abhartach’s returning-dead legend, its later vampire features and the unproven claim that this Irish tyrant inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
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The Ghoul Was Never Meant to Be a Zombie
Published
Explore the deceptive ghoul of Arabic folklore, its connection with jinn, Sidi Nouman’s story and the later image of a graveyard corpse eater.
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Why Vikings Feared Their Own Dead | The Draugr
Published
Meet the restless dead of Icelandic sagas: Þórólfr, Glámr and the frightening idea that death might leave a person’s grudges intact.
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Why Would Anyone Hang a Demon’s Face in Their Home?
Published
Why did ancient families keep Pazuzu’s frightening face close? Explore the wind demon, his protective amulets and his role against Lamashtu.
Article
The Original Medusa Was NOT a Woman
Published
Trace Medusa from the early Gorgon sisters and protective faces to Perseus, Ovid and the tragic woman familiar in modern retellings.
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Why Dionysus Is the Most Misunderstood God in Greek Mythology
Published
Discover the god behind the wine: Dionysus’ dangerous gifts, the tragedy of Pentheus, theatre, disputed Orphic traditions and the hope of return.
Article
The Doppelgänger: Mythology’s Most Terrifying Warning Sign
Published
Why was seeing your double a warning of death? Explore doppelgänger folklore, Emilie Sagée’s story and the science of encountering another self.
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Tengu: The Real Creature Behind the Emoji
Published
Meet the tengu behind Japan’s long-nosed goblin emoji, from bird-like spirits and Buddhist cautionary tales to warriors’ teachers and mountain guardians.
Article
Herne the Hunter: Ghost, God, or Invention?
Published
Explore Windsor’s antlered hunter, his earliest appearance in Shakespeare, the later ghost story and the debated links with ancient gods.