Folklore & Superstition

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

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.

By Barry Markovsky

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.

By Patty Rasmussen

They're ghostly warriors who stride through jungles and towns in brilliant costumes, holding torches. Flee now or risk their wrath.

By Nathan Chandler

Some people were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Others were in the right place, but left at the wrong time. And a few just had bad luck thrust upon them.

By Dave Roos

It's oddly comforting and intuitive to think things happen for a reason. And it's something that both creationists and conspiracy theory enthusiasts do.

By Robert Lamb

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?

By Laurie L. Dove

Much mystery surrounds the Georgia Guidestones, including the true identity of the man who commissioned them to be built.

By Diana Brown

Did ancient humans eat neighbors for nutrition? One archaeologist calculated just how much energy different human body parts contain.

By Laurie L. Dove

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

The words "superstition" and "rationality" don't often make for very good bedfellows. But as these things go, every belief has to start somewhere, and sometimes a superstition's origins are shockingly sensible — albeit a little outdated.

By Bambi Turner

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?

By Kate Kershner

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

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

One piece of American folklore usually passed around as fact is that drowned women always float face-up. Is this true? It might depend on who you ask.

By Debra Ronca

Does your stomach flutter a bit when you cross paths with a black cat? Perhaps no other animal is so surrounded by myth and superstition than the common housecat.

By Debra Ronca

With dozens and dozens of old wives' tales passed down through the generations, there's no shortage of ways to try to guess the sex of your baby. Here's a closer look at one of the more popular: the ring test.

By Debra Ronca

Sailors are known for superstitions about good and bad luck while sailing, including one about the name of the ship itself.

By Debra Ronca

We often see people toss salt over their left shoulders while cooking, but where did this tradition come from?

By Debra Ronca