Despite the visual resemblance to lizards, salamanders (also known as newts) are classified as amphibians, sharing tadpole stages and skin respiration with their close cousins, frogs and… Read more “Born from the Flames: Salamander Mythology”
Category: Folktales
An Impossible Idiom: Pulling Yourself Up by the Bootstraps
Have you ever had the misfortune of being told by a potentially well intentioned, but certainly misguided, individual that: “you need to pull yourself up by your… Read more “An Impossible Idiom: Pulling Yourself Up by the Bootstraps”
Li Ban, The Mermaid Saint.
Like the famous Scottish Loch Ness, Ireland’s largest freshwater lake, Lough Neagh, had a mythological creature of its own – a mermaid known as Li Ban. However,… Read more “Li Ban, The Mermaid Saint.”
Cockaygne- A Paradise of Wine and Cheese
The Land of Cockaygne was a fictional land of plenty popularized in the Middle Ages throughout the European continent. It was described as a magical utopia where… Read more “Cockaygne- A Paradise of Wine and Cheese”
Cotton Mather, Bridgette Bishop and the Witches of Salem: Give a God Man Power…
Imagine this: the year is 1692 A.D., and you are a very spry 60 year old who goes by the name of Bridgette. Along with your third… Read more “Cotton Mather, Bridgette Bishop and the Witches of Salem: Give a God Man Power…”
Rhyme or Die: The Blue Men of the Minch
Imagine this: You are captaining a vessel northward along the Coast of the Scottish Highlands. To your west are a cluster of islands known as the Outer… Read more “Rhyme or Die: The Blue Men of the Minch”
Bite Me. The Myth of Vagina Dentata
Mythcrafts first full length book is out now on Amazon everywhere, and to celebrate we have dropped a preview here: Bite Me. The Myth of Vagina Dentata… Read more “Bite Me. The Myth of Vagina Dentata”
Jim the Wonder Dog! Because…People?
On a recent trip to see friends in Missouri, I challenged them to give me a bit of local folklore… This is what they, dear reader, gave… Read more “Jim the Wonder Dog! Because…People?”
Don’t Order the Fish: The Mermaid and the 800 Year-Old Nun
Imagine this: The place is Japan; the time is pre-10th century C.E., and you have a friend. A friend who’s a fisherman. Having a friend who’s a… Read more “Don’t Order the Fish: The Mermaid and the 800 Year-Old Nun”
Bake-Danuki: Mocked by the Japanese Racoon Dogs
Our mythologies are littered with malicious spirits and malcontent, sometimes murderous monsters. This is understandable, because life can often be terrible; the horrors of the day revisit… Read more “Bake-Danuki: Mocked by the Japanese Racoon Dogs”