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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
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.
Article
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.
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.
Article
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.
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.