The hottest Folklore Substack posts right now

The tragic exploitation of humans and animals in the name of entertainment throughout history.
The story of the Pig-Faced Lady, from myths to real-life exploitation, sheds light on the exploitation and cruelty often hidden behind show business.
The evolution of the Pig-Faced Lady character from fairground folklore to heartbreaking real-life exploitation represents a dark aspect of entertainment history.

The legend of the 'bosom serpent' blurs the line between folklore and medicine, with stories of creatures living inside humans causing torment and sparking disbelief in communities.
In the case of Thankful Taylor in the 1870s, a real snake was extracted from her, shedding light on an unusual medical phenomenon.
The tale of internal creatures reflects the fears and beliefs of different eras and cultures, serving as a way to explain physical or emotional pain despite lacking definitive scientific explanations.

Iphigenia and her family had a curse where each woman lost vision in their left eye after being told to bathe in a lake on a specific day. This repeated for generations.
The nixie, a water spirit, cursed the family because of a past deception by Iphigenia's ancestor Helena. He wanted revenge by taking their eyes each generation.
In the end, Marta outsmarted the nixie by showing him a three-eyed fish from a TV show, which lifted the curse and allowed her family to live free from his demands.

The wendigo is a spirit in Native American folklore that represents extreme hunger and can possess people, turning them into cannibals, especially during times of famine.
Swift Runner was a man who, driven by starvation, resorted to cannibalism and claimed he was possessed by a wendigo spirit during his actions, resulting in his execution.
The wendigo is often described as a horrifying skeletal creature, which reflects the themes of deprivation and the loss of humanity that accompany extreme hunger.

The series mixes found footage and ghost hunting styles, creating a unique kind of horror that often features strange Japanese folklore creatures called yokai. It's both creepy and fun to watch.
As the series progresses, it develops complex themes around the characters and their relationships, making it more than just a silly ghost show. It explores deeper ideas like cleansing and personal growth.
Despite some cheap-looking CGI, the series uses it to enhance the otherworldly feel of the story, which adds to its charm. The mix of goofiness and serious themes makes it a fascinating watch.

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The movie The Omen, initially titled The Antichrist, was very successful but had many strange accidents and deaths during its production. It seemed like there was a curse on the cast and crew.
Many scary and dangerous events happened while making the film, like plane crashes and animal attacks, which made the actors really worried. They felt like something bad was affecting them.
The film's release on June 6, 1976, played on the spooky number '666'. Even years later, the effects of making the movie seemed to linger, impacting the lives of those involved.