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Talk of folklore creatures have terrified people for centuries, but how many were based on real monsters? Source: Анна Богатырева / Adobe Stock

8 Bizarre Folklore Creatures That Will Keep You Up at Night

We’ve all heard of mythical creatures and cryptids like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, but those aren’t the only strange creatures rumored to be wandering the earth. Throughout history, there have...
Painting of a Menehune or the first Hawaiian people from 1933 by D. Howard Hitchcock.

The Menehune: Historical Accounts of the Mythical ‘Little People’ of Hawaii

The Menehune: Historical Accounts of the Mythical ‘Little People’ of Hawaii The mention of the name conjures up images of little people, tiny artisans fervently working through the night to complete...
Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories and Creation Myths

Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories and the Creation Myths of Australia

The Aborigines of Australia are considered one of the oldest continuously surviving cultures in the world, encompassing hundreds of diverse cultural groups, each with their own creation stories...
Matariki: Mythology, Astronomy and Warring Gods of the Maori New Year

Matariki: Mythology, Astronomy and Warring Gods of the Maori New Year

The Māori, or the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand , use a special word Matariki , which identifies the cluster of stars known to astronomers as the Pleiades, and to mythologists and...
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Pterodactyl of New Guinea

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Pterodactyl of New Guinea

Throughout history, every major culture has stories of reptilian monsters who threatened their livelihood. From the Egypt to India, and even the Sioux Nation, tales of these flying dinosaurs or...
Nura Rupert, Australia, c.1933. Pitjantjatjara people, South Australia, Mamu (Spooky spirits) 2006, Ernabella, South Australia, synthetic polymer paint on linen 92x122cm. Ed and Sue Tweddell Fund for South Australian Contemporary Art 2006. Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide.            Source: © Nura Rupert, courtesy of Ernabella Arts.

Aboriginal Monsters and their Hidden Meanings

Christine Judith Nicholls / The Conversation A rich inventory of monstrous figures exists throughout Aboriginal Australia. The specific form that their wickedness takes depends to a considerable...
A man alone in a faerie realm.

Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms

There are many accounts of a land of immortality and eternal youth in world myths and legends, as well as shamanic and indigenous spiritual traditions. Mysterious Worlds Writing in his recent work,...
Detail of ‘Coco’ a monstrous Spanish lullaby.

Creepy Cradle: Unsettling Traditional Lullabies Sung Around the World

Sweet dreams or nightmares – are we scaring our children to sleep? Have you ever thought about the lyrics sung in lullabies? Although it’s proven that lullabies help babies get to sleep, if you pay...
Male and female cones on the Wollemi pine

Reviving a Leafy Dinosaur: The Wollemi Pine

A popular idea in science fiction is the resurrection of prehistoric creatures such as dinosaurs, mammoths, and even Neanderthals. In reality, such a resurrection of a prehistoric creature has yet to...
Yurri and Wanjel - the Gemini stars Castor and Pollux in the Wergaia traditions of western Victoria, Australia.

Kindred Skies: Ancient Greeks and Aboriginal Australians saw Constellations in Common

Look up on any clear night and you can see myriad stars, planets, and the Milky Way stretching across the sky. The chances are that you know some of the constellations. The International Astronomical...
5 Mythical Creatures – And Where to Find Them

5 Mythical Creatures – And Where to Find Them

Folklore is littered with accounts of unusual beasts of all shapes and sizes. Some, like Bigfoot, are household names. Others, like the Japanese water demon Kappa, are not so well-known. But they all...
The Story of the Midgard Serpent: A Mythological Tailspin

The Story of the Midgard Serpent: A Mythological Tailspin

In Teutonic mythology the Middle Earth was wrapped round by the Midgard Serpent. Above this the gods built their mansions in the sky. Yet, curiously, in the lower world there lived all those people...
Stay Out of the Water: Does a Prehistoric Shark Still Live in the Ocean?

Stay Out of the Water: Does a Prehistoric Shark Still Live in the Ocean?

There is said to be a shark that is scarier than the one from the movie Jaws which is as large as the biggest whale. But this isn’t a monster from a sci-fi movie, it’s real. This kind of shark lived...
Artwork of a dragon for the Durian-Project of the Blender Foundation

Dragons: Exploring the Ancient Origins of the Mythical Beasts

One of the most popular and persistent characters of the human mythos is that of the dragon. Whether it is a gold hoarding serpent or fire-breathing giant, dragons continue to fascinate and entertain...
The Slavic Star Goddess Zorya, Guardian of the Doomsday Hound and Servant of the Sun God

The Slavic Star Goddess Zorya, Guardian of the Doomsday Hound and Servant of the Sun God

Slavic mythology is one of the less appreciated of all the ancient folklore traditions. The myths grew in the hearts of the tribes of a great civilization, and in the minds of people whose lives were...
Bradshaw rock paintings found in the north-west Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Australian Aborigine Creation Stories: Rainbow Serpent and Emus in the Stars

Down under all is still and dark, the spirits of the Earth are sleeping. It is the Dreamtime. There are many different Dreamtime stories that vary from region to region and from people to people...
Koalas: Dreamtime Legends, Ancient Symbols, and their Dangerous Prehistoric Ancestors

Koalas: Dreamtime Legends, Ancient Symbols, and their Dangerous Prehistoric Ancestors

The koala is a major draw for Australian zoos and wildlife parks. They are featured heavily in Australia-related advertisements, cartoons, and soft toys. If one were to name the animal most closely...
Screenshot of ‘What are song lines?’

Songlines: Mapping the Journeys of the Creation Ancestors in Australia

Songlines (known also as dreaming tracks) are believed by the Aboriginal people of Australia to be the journeys taken by the creation ancestors (or creator-beings) across the land during the Dreaming...