Strange - Commented - kbin.social

The Momo Challenge: A digital ghost story (www.plymouth.ac.u)

Database of Yokai Picture Scrolls (lapis.nichibun.ac.jp)

The International Research Center for Japanese Studies maintains several large online databases of information on yokai and Japanese folklore. This is one of them: a collection of hi-res scans of emaki (picture scrolls) depicting all sorts of different yokai....

Venetians - The Magical Strangers

This much is real: In the late Renaissance and Early Modern era, Venetians mined in the German mountain ranges - primarily so that they could find rare minerals for their famous glass production. Since the details of these were considered state secrets, their mining operations were likewise fairly secretive....

Cleo, the Mysterious Math Menace (www.scientificamerican.com)

9 Tales of Cats in Folklore | Fireside Fairy Tales (www.youtube.com)

Listen to a number of cat tales from folklore - including one of the most bonkers stories from German folklore that I know, which is saying something!

MIT has a working dream inception device (www.media.mit.edu)

No One Ever Wants To Talk About The Vestal Virgins Who Don't Get Buried Alive For Breaking Their Vows (www.thestopgap.net)

‎Historical Homos: Toxic Boyfriends of Greek Mythology (Part the First) on Apple Podcasts (podcasts.apple.com)

This 15th century manuscript mentions a Monty Python-esque killer rabbit (arstechnica.com)

Treasure Folklore!

During my study of German folklore, I was surprised to learn that one of the most common folk tale narratives featured treasure hunters - not just "people getting rewarded treasure for a virtuous deed", but people who heard that a treasure was at a certain location, and wanted to get it. They usually failed, but hope springs...

What happens when a giant drops its spectacles? | Fireside Fairy Tales (www.youtube.com)

Tales of the old days when giants walked the Earth.

The Moth and the Moonflower: Datura and Hawk Moth Iconography Across Ancient America (digital.library.txstate.edu)

Today, I learned about depictions of anthropomorphic "Moth Men" bearing Datura stalks in Pre-Columbian era kiva murals. Enjoy this not-so little overview of esoteric knowledge!

Frau Gauden - Leader of the Wild Hunt (commons.wikimedia.org)

Modern media portrayals of the Wild Hunt have a fairly consistent portrayal - a huntsman on his steed, surrounded by his hounds. But when you actually start looking into European folk tales of "Wild Hunt"-type phenomena, you quickly notice that the portrayal is rather more diverse than you'd think. Here is one of my favorite...

I think The Grafton Monster is a hoax

I think the Grafton Monster is a hoax. Now, not that I believe any cryptids actually exist, but I mean a hoax in terms of culture and folklore....

Antisemitism and Jew-coding in German Folk Tales (sunkencastles.com)

When the Hogwarts Legacy video game was announced, there was a lot of controversy about whether the goblins in the Harry Potter franchise were an antisemitic stereotype....

She Measures the Heavens and Outlines the Earth | Tatiana Hollier (www.laphamsquarterly.org)

Getting Sacagawea Right | Thomas Powers (www.nybooks.com)

How Folklore Goes Digital (www.return.life)

Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts Collection edited and/or translated by D. L. Ashliman (sites.pitt.edu)

Unholy Communion: The Unwanted Piece of the UFO Puzzle (vimeo.com)

At the Roswell UFO Festival CE4 Research Conference 2008...

The "Night Hag" phenomenon (en.wikipedia.org)

"Night hags", or supernatural entities causing sleep paralysis, are apparently a global phenomenon in folklore (up to and including 20th century UFO abductions)....