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Left; Napoleon Bonaparte Before the Sphinx, by Jean-Léon Gérôme. Right; Bas-relief of Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of France in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives. Source: Left; Public domain, Right; Public domain

Two Napoleons: The French Caesars of Modern History

The life of Napoleon Bonaparte, remembered as one of history's greatest conquerors, shares countless parallels with that of Julius Caesar. Fueled by a profound admiration for the classics, Napoleon,...
Ancient World mythologies. Source: filmmaster/Adobe Stock

Beyond Reality: 5 Common Themes in World Mythologies

Across the world we have different myths and legends from the elephant god Ganesha to the Maya Jaguar gods to different types of angels, goblins, and fairy like figures that have different names, but...
14th century Goryeo painting of Ksitigarbha holding a cintamani. (Public domain)

Eight of the Most Powerful Mythical Objects in History

Myths and legends abound with exciting tales of mystical objects and powerful artifacts that unlock great power and unimaginable treasures. From the Chintamani stone of Hindu mythology to the Spear...
Sculpture depicting the gnarly-faced character of Baba Yaga. Source: Public domain

Baba Yaga: The Wicked Witch of Slavic Folklore

As ambiguous as she is hideous, Baba Yaga is an anomaly. In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is both a maternal, mother nature figure and an evil villain who kidnaps and eats children. Numerous renditions...
Edinburgh Castle is reputed to be one of the most haunted monuments in the world! This is unsurprising, given all the bloodshed it’s seen since the 12th century.	Source: Savvapanf Photo / Adobe Stock

Seven Haunted Monuments and Their Violent Past

Who doesn’t love a good ghost story? Historic monuments throughout the globe are said to be home to ghostly goings-on. Travel to any city in the world and you’re likely to find haunted landmarks and...
The mythical city of Shambhala, as generated by AI technology. Source: EwaStudio / Adobe Stock

What is Shambhala? Understanding the Mysterious Kingdom of Shambhala

Shambhala, which is a Sanskrit word meaning “place of peace” or “place of silence,” is a mythical paradise spoken of in ancient texts, including the Kalachakra Tantra and the ancient scriptures of...
Hundreds of people report cryptid sightings like Bigfoot every year. Will definitive proof ever be found?           Source: Dave / Adobe Stock

7 Monstrously Famous Cryptids We’re Still Looking For

A cryptid is a type of animal that some people believe to be real, despite the fact that its existence is disputed or “unproven”. Sometimes these are animals that science believes to be extinct, but...
Zeus, Greek god of Mount Olympus, Source: matiasdelcarmine / Adobe Stock

The Greek God Zeus: The Insatiable Womanizer of Mount Olympus

“Then Zeus no longer held back his might; but straight his heart was filled with fury and he showed forth all his strength. From Heaven and from Olympus he came forthwith, hurling his lightning: the...
Oedipus the King of Sophoces theatrical costume Athens Greece. Source: Susan Vineyard / Adobe Stock

The Mother of All Myths: Oedipus, The Story of the King of Thebes

The myth of Oedipus contains moral lessons about the dangers of tempting fate. It warns that fate cannot be neither challenged nor escaped. In doing so, the story is full of intrigue and revelation...
Modern depiction of harpies. Source: Сергей Панасенко-Михалкин / CC BY-SA 3.0

Harpies: Terrifying Bird-Women of Greek Mythology

There are many interesting creatures in the world of Greek mythology, but some of the most daunting are the harpies. Harpies are half-woman, half-bird creatures that are said to be the spirits of...
The Greek goddess Eris inspired fear in everyone	Source: Likozor / Adobe Stock

Eris: The Gleeful Greek Goddess of Chaos and Discord

Many of the Greek gods and goddesses enjoyed inflicting in pain, suffering, and destruction, but few took as much joy in it as Eris. Eris was the Greek goddess of chaos, strife, and discord...
The entrance of Mehmed II into Constantinople in 1453 AD, by Benjamin-Constant. Source: Public domain

Did Constantinople Fall Because Someone Forgot to Lock the Gate?

For over 1,000 years, Constantinople held out against a never-ending stream of failed attacks. Capital of the Byzantine Empire, a.k.a. the Eastern Roman Empire , it was famed for its heavily...
Illustration depicting the mythological Talos god. Source: matiasdelcarmine / Adobe Stock

Talos of Crete: A 2,000-Year-Old Tale of the First Robot God

Believe it or not, but ideas of artificial intelligence and automata were alive and well over 2,000 years ago within Greek mythology. The myth of Talos (‘Τάλως’)—the first robot-like creature in...
Mermaid image with inset image of the Japanese mummified mermaid. Source: yukinya / Adobe Stock and Asahi Shumbun Company / Youtube

Mummified “Mermaid” CT Scanned by Japanese Scientists

The origins of a bizarre creature that resides in a Japanese temple are being studied. While the so-called mermaid is worshipped as such, a folklorist suspects this is another P. T. Barnum special...
The Coming Gnostic Civilization, and his most recent book, Sedona: City of the Star People.

The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend – Part I

What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by...
The Green Children of Woolpit, created from Babes in the Wood illustration by Randolph Caldecott. Source: Project Gutenberg / Public Domain

The Green Children of Woolpit: Legendary Visitors from Another World

The 12th century tale of the Green Children of Woolpit, in Suffolk, is a bizarre medieval folk story which has been remembered for generations. It isn’t often we hear of children appearing at the...
Left: Machi playing the Kultrún. Behind her it can be seen the inclination of the staggered Rehue . Center: A Rehue in the exhibition of the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. Right: A Rehue as a symbolic figuration of the Tree-Man.			Source: Martin Thomas / Photographic Archive of the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino; Photo by the author: Rafael Videla Eissmann, 2017; Author provided

Araucanian “Staircase to Heaven” Symbolism in the Pre-Hispanic World

One of the fundamental magical-religious symbols of the Lituche-Araucanian cultural substrate of Chile is the Rehue or stepped totem carved in wood. The Rehue is a representation of the Axis Mundi ,...
The Jersey Devil

The Devil Walks Among Us: The Legend of The Jersey Devil

Inhabiting the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, United States, is a creature known as the Jersey Devil. This legendary being has been described as a kangaroo-like creature with the head of a goat...
Does the fabled 1,000-ft White Pyramid of Xian in China really exist? Source: EvgeniyBobrov / Adobe Stock

In Search of the Fabled 1,000-ft White Pyramid of Xian in China

Scattered across an isolated, flat plain in Shaanxi Province, near the ancient capital of Xi’an, lie dozens of spectacular pyramid mounds that are little known outside of China. Mixed in with the...
Detail; Byzantine Alexander Romance, Venice, 14th century.

Fact or Fiction? The Obscure Origins of the Greek Alexander Romance

The Greek Alexander Romance , often referred to as a ‘pseudo-Callisthenes’ production, is in one form or another one of the most influential and widely read books of all time; it has birthed a whole...
‘The gyri of the thinker's brain as a maze of choices in biomedical ethics.’ (Deriv.) An ancient Greek memory technique suggests imagining a pathway through a location to remember important information.

Enhance Your Memory with this Ancient Greek Memorization Technique

In Greek mythology, Mnemosyne was the personification of memory. In ancient Greece, prior to being written down, stories were recounted orally. Due to that, memory played an important part in the...
A woman capable of shapeshifting into various animals.

Evolving Forms: An Intriguing Look at Shapeshifting

The notion of shapeshifting has been around for nearly as long as human beings. The possibility that a person can take the shape of another being—most often an animal—can be traced back thousands of...
Artist’s representation of underwater ruins.

The Underwater City of Cuba: A New Theory on its Origins – Part I

( Read Part II here ) In his Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization , Graham Hancock examines the numerous structures that have been discovered underwater around the world. Most of the...
Deriv; Ancient Celtic dolmen from Poulnabrone, Ireland and carved Egyptian deity Thoth

Thoth’s Storm: New Evidence for Ancient Egyptians in Ireland?

When ancient Egypt and Ireland are spoken about in the same breath it usually results in the rolling of eyes, polite exits and the sound of murmurs citing pseudo-history and new age babble. At least...

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