Lore

The older the country, the deeper the roots of its folklore have grown—roots that are fed by darkness, fear, and pain. And few countries hold such a variety of frightening tales, b…

There are some locations that seem to draw humans closer. Places that are away from the bustle of everyday life, that almost seem part of our soul. We go there for solitaire, or fo…

Fire is a dangerous tool. Used properly, it can transform a society, but if it isn't respected, it can burn that society to the ground. Which is why we are obsessed with controllin…

There are very few bits of folklore that haven't spread around the globe over the past few centuries. Yet every now and then, something fresh and distinct pops up. But just because…

The bigger the city, the easier it is to miss the little details. Stories of loss, tragedy, and horrifying events have a way of vanishing beneath the bustle of everyday life. And n…

Folklore and popular culture are filled with a type of event that seems both unusual and logical: time and time again, criminals return to the source. But as one man proved a centu…

Folklore and medicine often go hand in hand. In fact, for a long time they were the very same thing. But folklore has a way of leading people to tragic actions—all in the name of g…

You can tell a lot about a culture by the things it creates. Tools, exploration, weapons; all of it speaks to the priorities and character of that society. But if that's true, then…

Humans have an innate desire to fix what's broken, and that's a good thing. We're not the best at it, though, and we often fail—sometimes horribly. And few examples are as powerful…

H.P. Lovecraft said it best: "…the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown". And no other place in the world is as unknown to us as the ocean. It's dark, it's deep…

Human culture has a different expression no matter where you go. Despite that variety, though, we do share one common thread: music. And while it has typically been a source of joy…

Nearly four centuries ago, a wave of sickness spread through a community in the French countryside. It wasn't a traditional disease they were fighting, though. This plague had a mo…

Fear has a way of spreading. It's contagious, moving from person to person. Given enough time, fear can consume an entire community. Sometimes, though, there's good reason to be af…

Folklore is more than just a collection of stories; it's the soul of a culture or location. Without them, our world has less texture and beauty. And like the stories themselves, so…

The more crowded our world becomes, the more frequently we are confronted with our commonality. Our interests, our passions…even our appearance. But just how similar can we get? We…

Our connection to animals is ancient, intimate, and complex. Humans have worshiped them, sacrificed them, lived with them, and been buried with them. But folklore from all over the…

History is full of criminals. They come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Some are cheerful, some are dark. Some, however, steal more than money or precious belongings. To be caug…

We crave safety. We build rules and systems and even physical barriers in order to create a sense of security. But darkness has a way of creeping in, no matter how powerful the wal…

The Spiritualist movement placed a large focus on reaching beyond the veil, which made us the outsiders pressing into a foreign realm. In the late 1800's, however, that realm press…

It's often said that our real identity is the person we are in private, away from the public eye. Over two centuries ago, however, one person gave life to that idea, and in the pro…