Folklore & Superstition
Folklore and Superstition covers the topics of good luck, bad luck and uncommon wisdom. Discover more about topics like conspiracy theories, urban legends or voodoo.
Inside LA's Forest Lawn, Where the Biggest Celebrities Rest in Peace
Is Human Composting the Greenest Burial Option?
What's With Germany's Strict Burial Regulations?
Try a Tattoo Without the Commitment
Ways to Keep Your Old Tattoos Looking Fresh and New
The Nose Knows: 5 Questions to Ask Before a Septum Piercing
What in the World Is a 'Shoey'?
Did You Know It's 2015 in Ethiopia Right Now?
What Are the 10 Largest Cities in the World by Population?
Who Was the First Person to Speak English?
How 'Algospeak' Subverts Online Shadow Banning
Januarius, Februarius, Mars, Aprilis? How Each Month Got Its Name
What's the Science Behind Mood Rings?
10 Things We Love to Hate About the '70s and '80s
Celebratory Yard Signs Are Having a Major Moment
5 Family Traditions for New Babies
5 Family Anniversary Traditions
5 Family Traditions for Daughters
What Are the Most and Least Popular Birthdays in the U.S.?
The Firm vs. the Family: How Does the British Monarchy Really Work?
What's the Difference Between a Duke and an Earl?
How the Millennial Generation Works
Millennials Are Making Birthday Cards a Thing Again
Nope, Boomers and Xers Don’t Work Harder Than Millennials
The Bloody Origins of the Phrase 'Caught Red-Handed'
60 Cheeky British Slang Words and Phrases
How the Word 'Hack' Became So Hacked
Celebrate Galentine's Day, Leslie Knope Style
National Bubble Wrap Day? Who Is Making Up These Weird Holidays?
Mexico's Night of the Radishes, a Quirky Christmas Tradition
West Point's 'Goat' Isn't the Greatest, It's the Last in Class
Can You Get in Trouble for Not Flying the U.S. Flag at Half-staff?
What Are the Most Common Last Names in the World?
Who Keeps the Ring if the Engagement Ends in a Breakup?
Is Sleeping in Separate Beds a Relationship Buster?
There's More Than One Way to Be Monogamous
It Takes 9,000 Steps to Reach China's Fanjingshan Temple
When Did Jesus Die? Scholars Are Divided
What Are the Seven Deadly Sins?
Check Out the Human Library, Where the Books Are People
Reading the Rails: What Was the Hobo Code?
Afrofuturism: Where Technology, Culture and the Black Experience Meet
Quiz: Finish That Jingle!
How One Woman Unexpectedly Became the Voice of Siri
There's a Healthier Way to Consume Your Media
Learn More
Belief in the evil eye has existed since at least 3300 B.C.E. and is found in Jewish, Islamic and Christian cultures of the Mediterranean and Middle East. But why has belief persisted for so long?
By Dave Roos
La Pascualita stands silent and still in the window of a bridal shop in Chihuahua, Mexico. Many say she isn't plastic, but the embalmed corpse of the store's former owner.
By Lauren David
We all grew up playing 'Ring Around the Rosie.' But what does it even mean?
Advertisement
The legend of the weeping woman has been terrifying children for generations. But experts tell us there's much more to La Llorona's legend than just scaring kids.
By Lauren David
You may have wished upon a star, but have you ever wished upon a rock? Find a lucky wishing stone and give it a try.
By Muriel Vega
The Flower of Life is one of those patterns that shows up in repeatedly in nature and architecture. But what does it mean and why is it considered part of "sacred geometry?"
By Alia Hoyt
Smudging, or the creation of sacred smoke, for the purpose of cleansing energy and promoting healing and wisdom, has become increasingly popular, but what is it exactly?
By Katie Carman
Advertisement
Why have numbers like 2/22/22 been fascinating humans for more than 2,000 years? It has a lot to do with our brains' desire to find meaning and connection.
If you travel to the small Island of the Dolls in Xochimilco, near Mexico City, listen closely. You may hear the whispered conversations of the dolls that hang around.
They're ghostly warriors who stride through jungles and towns in brilliant costumes, holding torches. Flee now or risk their wrath.
Some people were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Others were in the right place but at the wrong time. And a few just had bad luck thrust upon them.
By Dave Roos
Advertisement
Have you ever felt like a movie or TV show eerily predicted an actual event? There's a name for that.
By Diana Brown
InfoWars publisher Alex Jones has millions of followers. He regularly espouses conspiratorial stories. Are they fact or fiction?
By Diana Brown
Humans have sought to explain solar eclipses since before the advent of modern science. What curious explanations have we invented?
Much mystery surrounds the Georgia Guidestones, including the true identity of the man who commissioned them to be built and the identity of their destroyer.
Advertisement
Did ancient humans eat neighbors for nutrition? One archaeologist calculated just how much energy different human body parts contain.
Everyone knows that breaking a mirror gives you seven years of bad luck, and that if you step on a crack you’ll break your mother’s back. It’s easy enough to avoid a superstitious catastrophe when you’re at home and know all about the culture and folklore, but what about when you’re outside your native country? If […] The post 10 Absurd Superstitions From Around The World appeared first on Goliath.
By Wes Walcott
This creepy Internet sensation might be just a 21st-century version of folklore, but did he really drive kids to kill?
By Oisin Curran
Comedian Chris Rock once joked that his father's prescription for any ailment was Robitussin. And his dad wasn't alone: Plenty of families swear by various folk remedies handed down through the generations. Problem is, they simply don't work.
By Bambi Turner
Advertisement
Every year a bunch of guys in top hats pull a wriggling rodent out of a hole and allow him to predict the weather. And we all take this seriously. Is Phil the groundhog really accurate or is he secretly giggling at us?
Driving through Vermont's scenic countryside, you might see an anomaly in the architecture odd enough to make you do a double take. What's the story behind those strangely angled windows?
By Debra Ronca
Four-leaf clovers, rabbit's feet, heads-up pennies — all lucky charms for many people. Another common lucky charm? The horseshoe.
By Debra Ronca
It's an iconic holiday ritual: two kids fighting over a wishbone. Each struggles to crack the bone and get the bigger piece, ensuring good luck. What's behind this rather odd piece of folklore?
By Debra Ronca
Advertisement
The "Bloody Mary" ritual, long popular on the sleepover circuit, supposedly causes a ghastly apparition to materialize in a darkened room. Where did this legend come from? Was there a real Bloody Mary?
By Debra Ronca
Knocking on wood, crossing your fingers, fear of black cats ... are some superstitions common around the world, or are they specific to certain cultures?
By Debra Ronca