Folklore: Did you mean...?

Religion in the Middle Ages, though dominated by the Catholic Church, was far more varied than only orthodox Christianity. In the Early Middle Ages (c. 476-1000), long-established pagan beliefs and practices entwined with those of the new...

Native American lore features many legendary creatures and supernatural entities that were understood as beneficial to humanity but just as many that posed serious threats to be avoided. These beings, although frightening, often served an...

Saynday tales are popular legends of the Kiowa nation featuring the trickster figure Saynday who, like other Native American tricksters, sometimes appears as a hero, sometimes as a villain, and other times as a clownish buffoon. Two of the...

The Brave Who Went on the Warpath Alone and Won the Name of the Lone Warrior is a Sioux tale in the tradition of the hero's journey in which a young person overcomes seemingly impossible challenges and is recognized as a great champion and...

Polynesian navigation of the Pacific Ocean and its settlement began thousands of years ago. The inhabitants of the Pacific islands had been voyaging across vast expanses of ocean water sailing in double canoes or outriggers using nothing...

In this article, we look at the lives and deeds of seven notorious women pirates. There is Teuta, the Balkan enemy of ancient Rome; Alwilda, the Scandinavian princess who chose a life of crime on the High Seas; Maria Lindsey, who terrorized...

Dogs are the oldest domesticated animal in China and were bred as guardians, for transporting goods, for herding, hunting, and as a food source. Archaeological evidence dates the domestication of the dog in China at approximately 15,000 years...

Pigs (sometimes called “suids” of the suidae family) have long played an important part in Chinese culture. Pigs symbolize good fortune and happiness as they seem to live a care-free existence and have a long relationship with the humans...

Have you ever wondered about the mermaid with two tails on the Starbucks logo? Well, that is not just any old mermaid, but the face of Melusine, a figure that dates back to medieval Europe. Melusine is a legendary figure from European folklore...

The trickster figure of Native American literature was first popularized by the American anthropologist Paul Radin (l. 1883-1959), who highlighted the cultural/mythological character developed by many Native American nations as a supernatural...