Reference
Lexicon of creatures & legends
What is a Nachzehrer, where does the leprechaun come from, and why do trolls turn to stone? Each entry sums up what the sources say about a creature or legend, who first wrote it down, and which episodes go deeper.
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Angels of Mons
In August 1914, angels or phantom archers were said to have protected British soldiers during the retreat from Mons. The…
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Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga is the old woman of the forest in Russian and East Slavic fairy tales. She lives in a…
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Beast of Gévaudan
Between 1764 and 1767, an unknown animal killed about a hundred people in the Gévaudan region of southern France. Hunting…
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Bruxa
The bruxa is the night witch of Portugal and Galicia. She turns into a bird, slips through any crack, and…
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Chupacabra
The chupacabra, or “goat sucker,” appeared in Puerto Rico in 1995, when farmers found drained animals with puncture wounds in…
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Dogman
Dogmen are upright, doglike creatures reported mainly in North America. They resemble werewolves but are not supposed to be humans…
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Domovoi
The domovoi is the house spirit of the East Slavs. He lives behind the stove, protects family and livestock, and…
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Fairies
In European folklore, fairies stand between humans and spirits: they steal children, lure dancers into their ring and pair favors…
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Funken Witch
At the Funken fires in Vorarlberg and other Alemannic areas, a witch effigy is burned each year atop a tall…
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Jiko Bukken
In Japan, jiko bukken are apartments and houses where someone died violently or alone. They rent for less, are hard…
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Kikimora
The kikimora is a female house spirit from Slavic tradition. She spins at night, breaks dishes, and sits on the…
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Krampus
Krampus, Knecht Ruprecht, Père Fouettard and Zwarte Piet are the dark companions of Saint Nicholas. While he hands out gifts,…
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Lady Midday (Noon Witch)
Lady Midday is a field spirit of Sorbian and Slavic tradition. She appears in the glaring heat of noon, often…
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Lamia
Lamia is one of Europe’s oldest bogeys: a Greek queen whose children Hera took from her and who became a…
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Leprechaun
The leprechaun is a solitary shoemaker and treasure keeper of Irish tradition. His oldest trace is a medieval legal tale;…
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Leszy
The leszy is the lord of the forest in Slavic tradition. He is neither good nor evil, leads travelers astray,…
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Loch Ness Monster
Nessie is the world’s best-known lake monster. The modern legend began in Scotland in 1933, and its most famous photo…
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Men in Black
The Men in Black are men dressed in black who are said to visit UFO witnesses and pressure them into…
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Mothman
Mothman is a winged creature with red eyes, sighted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, from November 1966. The sightings ended…
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Moura Encantada
The moura encantada is an enchanted woman from Portuguese and Galician legend. She guards treasure at springs and old ruins…
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Nachzehrer
A dead man who chews on his shroud or his own body in the grave and drags his relatives after…
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Nøkken
The nøkken (Swedish: näcken) is the water spirit of Scandinavia. He lures people into the water as a horse, an…
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Poltergeist
A poltergeist is an invisible troublemaker that knocks, throws stones and moves things. The cases range from Bingen in the…
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Selkie
Selkies are seals that shed their skins on land and live as humans. In tales from Scotland, Ireland and the…
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Striga
The striga (Polish strzyga) comes from Polish folk belief: a person born with two souls, one of which lives on…
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Strigoi
The strigoi is the vampire figure of Romanian folk tradition. It exists both as a living person with dangerous powers…
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Troll
In Norwegian tradition, trolls are huge, ancient beings of mountain and forest. They turn to stone in sunlight, flee from…
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Tsuchinoko
The tsuchinoko is a fat, stubby snake from the mountains of Japan. It is said to jump, talk and love…
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Wendigo
The wendigo is a man-eating winter spirit from the traditions of Algonquian-speaking peoples of North America. It stands for hunger,…
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Werewolf
Werewolves are people who turn into wolves. In the early modern period this became a criminal charge, and the 1589…
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White Lady
White Ladies are ghostly figures of German tradition, often omens of death. The newest is said to haunt the Ebersberg…
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Wild Hunt
The Wild Hunt is a ghostly host that storms across the sky on winter nights. Depending on the region, it…
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Witches’ Sabbath
The witches’ sabbath is the nighttime gathering with the Devil described by early modern judges and theologians. In Basque Zugarramurdi…