Folklore isn’t a whimsical fancy - it’s happening all around us all the time.
A street painting in Bucharest, Romania, depicts Bram Stoker, right, the author of Dracula, sharing a drink with Vlad the Impaler, left, the medieval Romanian ruler who inspired the book.
(AP Photos/Vadim Ghirda)
Did vampires ever really exist? The myth is likely related to a medical condition with symptoms that may explain many elements of centuries-old vampire folklore.
Smiling schoolboys reveal their missing teeth.
Anthony Asael/Art in All of Us /Contributor via Getty Images
During this unsettling time, global leaders have assured children and adults alike that the tooth fairy, free from the risk of infection, is indeed an essential worker.
His life’s work was asserting the humanity and history of the Bantu people, while proposing that the soul was able to bring knowledge of the past and of the future into the present.
Couples get romantic on Qixi, a lovers’ festival similar to Valentine’s Day.
Visual China Group via Getty Images
China’s Qixi Festival is a celebration of love based on the legend of a mortal who married a goddess, causing his furious mother-in-law to create a Milky Way to divide these two twinkling stars.
Knocking on wood may be a holdover from the pagan days of Europe, when tree spirits were believed to bring luck.
saiful bahri 46/Shutterstock.com
While the science is crucial, it is also important to know what sense the people who live in and around Laetoli make of these ancient footprints.
Poster for the 23rd National Folk Festival in Maleny, Qld, 1989. Since 1994, the Festival has been held in Canberra.
Courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive and Kim Brown, 462585.
Ants have many tricks to deal with rain – like holding their breath, blocking nest entrances or drinking excess water and releasing it elsewhere by ‘communal peeing.’ But can they see rain coming?
A restaurant in Bishopville, S.C. markets the town’s association to the Lizard Man.
Joseph P. Laycock
A few years ago, a folklorist started gathering data on the creative ways graduates were embellishing their caps. From student debt to immigration, some themes quickly emerged.
A 1765 painting of Helios, the personification of the sun in Greek mythology.
Wikimedia Commons
Nell Greenwood, Australian Film, Television and Radio School
Female sexuality is a powerful, enchanting force in narratives ranging from fairytales to a modern Turkish film. Mustang reminds us that sometimes education can be an alternative to death or marriage.