The Toad in folklore and folk magic
Toad folklore is found all over the world and going back for many centuries. In Europe they are in particular associated with witchcraft or the witches’ familiar. In contrast to the frog close to...
Category: Folklore
Black dog apparitions
Black dog is often used as a synonym for ghost dog, though some phantom dogs are white instead of black. Black dogs have been reported from almost all the counties of England, the exceptions...
Animal ghosts and apparitions
Animal ghosts can actually be the ghosts of deceased animals, like more than one owner of a cat or dog who passed away can testify. Yet in folklore apparitions in the shape of animals...
Herbs of the Devil
The association between flowers and the Fairies, Pixies, or Elves was regarded vas very intimate. Therefore, it is not surprising to find that the King of Fairies, Puck, has a plant specially dedicated to...
Historical werewolf cases in Europe
A werewolf is a human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf, either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction (often a bite or scratch from another werewolf) and especially...
The real vampire in Russia and Slavonic countries
Vampire stories or stories of animated corpses were numerous in Russian and Slavonic folklore, all of them based on the same belief—that in certain cases the dead, in a material shape, leave their graves...
The incubus or succubus – nightmare or astral sex date?
Although he left a very impressive oeuvre, only two works of the dark romantic painter Henry Fuseli have really become famous among the general public. The Nightmare or Incubus, both the 1781 and the...
Mountain spirits
Mountain spirit (lat.: daemon subterraneus, “underground demon”; besides also daemon metallicus “mine demon”) is the generic term for different mythical creatures, which are to be found in mines or in the mountains. Especially in...
