Folklore Archives ‑ History.com

7 Mysterious Mass Illnesses That Defied Explanation

From a dancing plague to a laughing epidemic, the symptoms were clear—but the culprit was not.

How Inca Mummies Ruled Over the Living

The most important members of Inca society continued to be treated as living beings after death—and provided a powerful link to the gods.

Before America Had Witch Trials, Europe Had Werewolf Trials

Some 200 years before the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, courts in Europe were convicting men—and some women—of transforming into werewolves and mutilating and eating children. The punishments were sometimes as gruesome as the alleged crimes. In Germany in 1589, executioners strapped accused werewolf Peter Stumpp to a cart wheel, removed his skin with hot […]

Why Black Cats Are Associated With Halloween and Bad Luck

Among superstitions, one of the oldest and most enduring is that crossing paths with a black cat will bring on bad luck. The dark‑colored felines have also been folded into modern Halloween symbols, giving them the (unearned) reputation of being spooky. But how and where did the association between black cats and bad luck begin? […]

Why Do Witches Ride Brooms? The History Behind the Legend

From pagan fertility rituals to hallucinogenic herbs, the story of witches and brooms is a wild ride.

9 Halloween Tales & Traditions

Halloween’s focus on horror and make believe has spawned creepy legends, ghost stories—and hoaxes.

3,000‑Year‑Old Egyptian Mummy Unveiled in Near‑Perfect Condition

Egyptian officials have cracked open a sarcophagus discovered inside an ancient tomb in Luxor to reveal a well‑preserved female mummy they believe is more than 3,000 years old. The woman’s remains inhabited one of two separate coffins found inside the same tomb in the El‑Asasef necropolis, located on the West Bank of the Nile in […]

8 of Halloween’s Most Hair‑Raising Folk Legends

Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when it was believed the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead become blurred. It has since evolved into a holiday when spooky legends, myths and folklore take center stage. Through costumes, stories and celebrations during the Halloween season, mythical beings, from witches […]

How Medieval Churches Used Witch Hunts to Gain More Followers

The Salem witch trials of the 1690s have an iconic place in American lore. But before the Salem witch hunt, there was the “Great Hunt”: a larger, more prolonged European phenomenon between 1560 and 1630 that led to 80,000 accusations and 40,000 deaths. Why’d it happen? Well, as with the Salem witch trials, there are […]

Are You Prepared for a Zombie Apocalypse? The U.S. Government Is

The United States may have one of the largest armies on earth, but even the Pentagon has taken no chances at being caught off‑guard by an unusual foe. In fact, in 2011, the U.S. Department of Defense released a strategy to combat a potential zombie apocalypse. While the potential opponents might be fictional, the military took it […]

Why Friday the 13th Spelled Doom for the Knights Templar

Why are Fridays that fall on a month’s 13th day so fearful? Some attribute the origins to the Code of Hammurabi, one of the world’s oldest legal documents, which may or may not have superstitiously omitted a 13th rule from its list. Others claim that the ancient Sumerians, who believed the number 12 to be […]

Beyond Salem: 6 Lesser‑Known Witch Trials

1. Valais: France/Switzerland, 1428–1447 Often considered to be the first in Europe, the Valais trials began in the French‑speaking southern region of Valais and spread to German‑speaking Wallis. The trials claimed at least 367 victims (the actual toll may be higher), with just as many men as women killed. It all began in August 1428, […]