Fada: The Portuguese Fairy Tradition and Why It Is Nothing Like What You Expect
The Fada is the Portuguese fairy, and the word’s etymology tells you immediately what distinguishes the Portuguese tradition from the […]
European
Homem do Saco: Portugal’s Sack Man and the Child-Threatening Figure That Refuses to Go Away
The Homem do Saco, the Sack Man, is Portugal’s primary child-threatening figure, a supernatural or semi-supernatural being who carries a
Coca: The Portuguese Sea Dragon That Terrorised Coastal Towns and Demanded Human Tribute
The Coca is a dragon figure from Portuguese and broader Iberian tradition, a sea serpent of enormous size that emerged
Moura Encantada: The Enchanted Moorish Woman Who Guards Portugal’s Hidden Treasure and Cannot Be Freed
The Moura Encantada is one of the most distinctive figures in Portuguese folklore, a supernatural woman of Moorish origin who
The Lorelei Rock: The Rhine Landmark That Made a Invented Legend Feel Like Ancient Truth
The Lorelei rock is a 132 metre slate cliff on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St Goarshausen, at
The Rattenfänger of Hamelin: What the Historical Record Actually Says About the Man Who Took the Children
The Rattenfänger, the rat-catcher or piper of Hamelin, is the figure at the centre of one of the most discussed
Struwwelpeter: The German Children’s Book That Threatened Thumb Amputation and Meant Every Word of It
Struwwelpeter is a German children’s book published in Frankfurt in 1845 by Heinrich Hoffmann, a physician who wrote it as
Wotan’s Hunt: The Wild Hunt in German Tradition and the God Who Never Stopped Riding
The Wild Hunt in German tradition is inseparable from Wotan, the German name for the chief of the Germanic gods
Walpurgis Night: The Great German Witch Gathering on Brocken Mountain and the Night Between the Worlds
Walpurgis Night falls on the 30th of April, the eve of May Day, and it is the great nocturnal festival
The Pied Piper of Hamelin: The Historical Mystery Behind the Legend, the 130 Children Who Vanished, and Why the Rats Came Later
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is one of the most widely known legends in European folklore and one of the