All Legends and Lore Headquarters

Australia  

How the Frog made the Flood

In the Dreamtime, a terrible drought once swept across the land. The leaves of the trees turned brown and fell from the branches, the flowers drooped their heads and died, and the green grass withered as though the spirit from the barren mountain ha...

Fairy Tales, Folklore and Fable 

The Secret Life of Fairies

My great grandmother warned me about fairies. Some are kind, and beautiful, she said, while others are hostile to mortals. Fairies are not little Tinkerbells at the bottom of your garden, they are spirits of nature, minor deities of the natural phen...

The Secret Life of Brownies

Brownies are good-natured little fellows of the fairy order. They appear only at night to perform kind and helpful deeds and to enjoy a little harmless prank or two while weary households sleep. Brownies never allow themselves to be seen by mortals...

The Secret Life of Elves

The Elven character has often been misunderstood. Elves are sometimes seen as haughty and even arrogant but, as the longest-lived sentient race, they are merely distant from those worldly affairs which hold such great import for mortals. It must be...

English Folk Tales and Fairy Tales

Escape into the wonderous, fantastical and often humorous world of English fairytales and folklore. Read selections from folklorist Joseph Jacobs' collection titled "English Fairy Tales." This lens will be updated periodically with more stories and...

The Secret Life of Trolls

Sadly, the truth about Trolls is ugly. Yes, ugly. For Trolls are ugly, malicious creatures who will never be anything but the enemies of mortals. These fearsome, baleful and evil minded creatures are from the mythology of the wild northern lands. T...

Fairy Tales Revealed 

Cinderella

The original Cinderella tale is a popular fairytale from the time of the Brothers Grimm, and most likely even earlier. Versions of the Cinderella fairytale are told in many cultures throughout the world, and commemorated in art. Walt Disney, rewrote...

Fairy Tales - Little Red Cap

There was once a sweet little maid, much beloved by everybody, but most of all by her grandmother, who never knew how to make enough of her. Once she sent her a little cap of red velvet, and as it was very becoming to her, and she never wore anything...

Fairy Tales - Rapunzel

There once lived a man and his wife, who had long wished for a child, but in vain. Now there was at the back of their house a little window which overlooked a beautiful garden full of the finest vegetables and flowers; but there was a high wall all r...

The Brothers Grimm

Jakob Karl Grimm was born on January 4, 1785, in Hanau, Germany. His brother, Wilhelm Karl Grimm, was born on February 24 of the following year. They were the oldest surviving sons of Philipp Grimm, a lawyer who served as Hanau's town clerk. As small...

Fairy Tales - Mother Hulda

A widow had two daughters; one was pretty and industrious, the other was ugly and lazy. And as the ugly one was her own daughter, she loved her much the best, and the pretty one was made to do all the work, and be the drudge of the house. From the b...

Symbols, Archetypes, Attributes and Schema 

Horse Legends and History

The Horse symbolizes success, freedom, travel, courage, strength, power, nobility, wisdom and loyalty. It is also a symbol of life and death, grace and beauty. As a symbol of loyalty and devotion; he believes completely in his rider. The Horse can...

50 Signs of Good Luck From Around The World

Do you believe in Luck? Do you carry a Lucky Charm or a Symbolic Talisman to ward off Evil and bring you Good Fortune? There are many signs and symbols from around the world that are seen as lucky. Others are thought to bring good fortune, grant wis...

Top 10 Christmas Symbols

Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holiday's in the world. It is a celebration of love, joy and unity; symbolized by familiar images that are designed to conjure up warm feelings of home and the spirit of peace, birth and giving. But...

Sacred Turtle Symbolism and Lore

The Turtle is an Ancient Symbol, Representing Order, Creation, Endurance, Strength, Stability, Longevity, Fertility, and a Gentle Innocence. The Turtle also Offers Protection, Good Fortune , and Can Bring Forth Happiness and Good Omens. One of four...

The History of The Caduceus Symbol

The Caduceus (Kerykeion in Greek) is a winged staff with two snakes wrapped around it. It was an ancient astrological symbol of commerce and is associated with the Greek god Hermes, the messenger for the gods, conductor of the dead and protector of m...

Symbols of The Sacred Mother

"For the hand that rocks the cradle Is the hand that rules the world." - William Ross Wallace The tradition of honoring mothers dates back to ancient Greek spring festivals dedicated to the Mother Goddess, Rhea, and to the Roman tributes made to the...

How To Speak Through Flowers

Nature's gift of flowers, speak to us in many different ways and people have been expressing our deepest thoughts and emotions to one another through their beauty and symbolic meanings since time immemorial. Floriography- The language of flowers. A...

Amulets and Symbols of Protection

Omens, Curses and Hexes that signify Dark Forces, Evil Spirits, Bad Luck and Negative Energy, are based upon Ancient Superstitions and Folklore. As a result of these Superstitions, many Cultures have Special Symbols used for Protection, Warding off...

Fruits Fable and Folklore

Many fruits are surrounded by a long and colorful history of symbolic meaning and mythical tales. Apples, cherries, figs, pomegranates, and strawberries are found around the world, woven into religious tales, and ancient folklore. These bountiful...

Ancient Mythology of The Calendar

In English, most of our weekdays are derived from Ancient Anglo-Saxon and Norse Gods, often translated from the French, who named their days of the week after Roman Gods. Many Saxon and Roman Gods are actually the same, just called by another name,...

Themes and Motifs 

Bird Symbolism and Spirituality

Since ancient times, because of the Birds connection to the sky, they have been thought of as a supernatural link between the heavens and the earth. Middle Eastern and Asian cultures often speak of birds as symbols of immortality. In East Indian myt...

Apples in Mythology : Tales from the Ancient World

Eve is reported to have bitten into one, or perhaps it was a quince. Hera gave some to her husband for a wedding gift, or maybe they were lemons. Golden Apples are a familiar element in legends and folk tales. Usually, a hero has to retrieve them to...

Symbols of The Sacred Dove

The Dove universally symbolizes innocence, gentleness, faith, marital affection, peace and constancy. The deepest kind of Peace and Faith is symbolized by the Dove. It's image stills our worried and troubled thoughts, and shows us how to find renewa...

Raven the Mystic Animal

Since we are living in Alaska, we are living with the Ravens. The ravens are the predominant animal in the city of SE Alaska. Portrait and honored by the Native American tribes, the raven has a special mystic which this lens attempts to explore. It i...

Legends of The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a Universal symbol found in many spiritual traditions around the world. It symbolizes life itself, with it's branches reaching for the Heavens "Father Sky" and it's buried roots, linking to "Mother Earth". Many ancient mythical s...

Moon Magic and Myths

The Moon has always been associated with magic, folklore, superstitious beliefs and ancient rituals. Lets delve a little deeper into some of these moon myths that surround us everyday (or should I say every night). Perhaps we may surprise or enco...

Creatures of Fable and Myth 

Legendary Chinese Dragons

The legend of the Dragon is woven throughout ancient Chinese civilization and has continued to influence their culture today. Chinese people around the world, proudly proclaim themselves "Lung Tik Chuan Ren", Descendants of the Dragon. Chi...

The Magic of Dragons

Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. In the world of fabulous creatures, the dragon is unique. No other beastie has appeared in such a rich variety of forms...

The Magic of Unicorns

Do you believe in unicorns? "Well, now that we have seen each other," said the Unicorn, "If you'll believe in me, then I'll believe in you." "If you like," said Alice 'Through the Looking Glass' in The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition The e...

Pegasus : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

Pegasus, the white winged horse, is the result of a close encounter between Medusa the Gorgon, and Poseidon the dishonourable God of the Sea. When Perseus slew the Gorgon, blood flew out of her head and mingled with the foam of the ocean and Pegasus...

Animals in Mythology 

Dogs in Mythology : Tales from the Ancient World

Psychopomps are Guides of Souls, Ushers of the Dead, particular spirits, angels, animals or deities whose responsibility is to escort the newly-deceased souls to the afterlife. Psychopomps appear in many and diverse forms, but no form has more impre...

The Dog Saint & Dog Headed Martyr

Known by the names Saint Guinefort and Gelert (or Gellert), and connected with Saint Christopher (called Cynocephalos or Cynocephalus in Greek), this dog headed saint lives on through modern times. Saint Guinefort was a very unusual Saint. In fact,...

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

How do you feel about Gray Wolves? What do you know about wolves in general? Do wolves really dress in Grandma's clothes and eat little girls? In the Wolf Unit Study you can learn about the anatomy of these fascinating canines, where they live,...

Monsters, Brutes and Beasties 

Will the Kraken Wake?

Below the thunders of the upper deep, Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea, His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep The Kraken sleepeth No legendary sea monster was as terrifying as the Kraken. Its monstrous size often caused it to be mistaken for a...

Nessie, Beast of the Loch

Is there a fabulous beastie in Loch Ness? Known fondly as "Nessie", in Scottish Niseag, this plesiosaur-like creature, is said to be living in Loch Ness, a long, deep lake near Inverness, Scotland Many sightings of Nessie have been recorded, going...

Echidna : Monster Mother of Mythology

Somewhere in the world, every eight seconds, a mother is throwing her hands in the air and declaring that her child is a little monster. But for Echidna it was the literal truth! Echidna was called the Mother of all Monsters but her children number...

Modern Folklore 

The Legend Of Mothman

T he Legend of Mothman centers around events that culminated in a horrific catastrophe at Point Pleasant West Virginia. During the late Autumn evening of December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed, spilling dozens of vehicles into the Ohio River,...

Heroes 

Kupe the Navigator : Legendary Hero

Five thousand years ago, the first voyagers set out from Southeast Asia into the most forbidding ocean of all. They crossed a vastness greater than all the seas combined, an endless expanse larger than the whole land area of our planet - the awesome...

Beowulf, Ancient Hero

In the face of danger and adversity they display impressive courage for the greater good of all. They are Heroes. We have always had heroes and Beowulf, great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century, is the ultimate hero. He is not just any hero,...

Egypt 

Bast the Beloved : Tales of Ancient Egypt

She is the protector of cats, women and children and holds the mysteries of the cat in her power - those magnetic animals with such strong power to fascinate or repel. For the cat is identified with Bast and she is most recognised for her portrayal...

Thoth

Thoth, Tehuti or Djehuty in ancient Egyptian, is the god of wisdom, writing, speech, measurement, the moon, and magic. He serves as the vizier (prime minister) to Re, King of the gods. He's also the gods' official record-keeper. He's Mr....

Rome 

Mars the Military God : Tales of the Ancient Romans

Mars, the Roman warrior god, son of Juno and Jupiter, husband of Bellona, lover of Venus, was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions. He is a soldier's god, bold and brave. In the great golden city of Rome, Mars...

Greece 

Ovid: Metamorphoses and Mythology

Ovid's Metamorphoses is one of the most important sources for our knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology. Ovid based his work on earlier Greek poetry, but much of that Greek poetry has been lost. Ovid is often our only source for these ancient storie...

Demeter the Mother : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

Demeter, the ancient Greek Goddess of Agriculture, is perhaps best known for the abduction of her daughter Persephone, but she is much, much more. She has a powerful message for modern times. The ancient story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone...

Greece, Olympians 

Poseidon, Lord of the Sea : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

Poseidon was the second most powerful god of the Olympians and yet another example of the dysfunctional male divinities who plagued Greece with their childish and boorish behaviour. Despite his lamentable ways (or perhaps because of them), Poseidon...

Dionysus, the Dual God : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

Loud-roaring Dionysus, the son of Semele and of Zeus, is said to have invented wine and spread the art of tending grapes. A handy god to have around indeed. He is not just the god of wine, but of the madness which can follow a few days of binge drink...

Smith of the Gods : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

Unlike the other gods of ancient Greece, Hephaestus was not divinely handsome and beauteous of limb. To put it plainly, he was downright ugly. His feet were misshapen, his complexion hideous, he was so grotesque it was said that his mother threw him...

Hermes, Messenger of the Gods : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

Hermes, God of the Crossroads, is also the god of trade, profit and commerce, of story telling, quick thinking, magic, illusion, and trickery. You will also hear that among his many talents and honours, he is the God of Thieves. But Hermes himself i...

Zeus the Thunderer : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

Zeus was the supreme god and ruler of Olympus with titles like Lord of the Sky, Cloud- gatherer, Rain-god and Zeus the Thunderer. He was mighty, glorious, awesome, wise and mythology's most well-known philanderer. Through this less than noble behavi...

More from Greece 

The Punishment of Sisyphus : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

The ancient Greeks called Sisyphus the 'craftiest of men' but to us, he is the symbol of futility. Sisyphus had a particularly arduous task and not just difficult, but boring and meaningless. Through Eternity he had to roll a huge boulder to the to...

Kit's Guide to Greek Mythology

Welcome to my lens on Greek Mythology! The ancient Greeks used mythology to explain the world around them, give order to their universe, and, on occasion, just tell a good story. Their gods are bigger than life, but still oh-so-human, with all our pa...

The Oracle at Delphi : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

On Mt Parnassus, the sacred ruins of Delphi run lightly down the wooded terraces. Inside the sanctuary is the Temple of Apollo where sat the famous oracle, the sacred Corycian Cave, and the Castalian Spring. Legend tells us that the shrine was origi...

I love Greek Mythology : Lensography of Legends

In the isles of the Aegean, and of the Ionian, there is no river, no mountain ridge, no rocky crag, that is untouched by the tales of the Ancients. Philosophically, artistically, scientifically and politically, the Greeks reached an astonishing leve...

Northern Europe 

Beowulf, Ancient Hero

In the face of danger and adversity they display impressive courage for the greater good of all. They are Heroes. We have always had heroes and Beowulf, great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century, is the ultimate hero. He is not just any hero,...

Children of Loki : Skandinavian Stories

Loki had two sons who fought each other so badly they turned into wolves and slaughtered each other. These were the children of loyal Sigurn, who cared for her husband when the gods punished him for the death of Baldur. He had more children than thi...

Odin, Father of the North : Skandinavian Stories

He is called Alfadir, Allfather, Walvater for he is indeed Father of the Gods. To the Scandinavians he was known as Odin, to the English, Woden and the Germans, Wotan. To travel the world without being recognised, he wears a huge wide-brimmed hat w...

Loki the Trickster : Skandinavian Stories

In the old Skandinavian mythology you will come across Loki, the Trickster, a puzzling and complex character. You either love him or hate him, it's hard to find a middle ground. He is involved in numerous pranks and jokes but often, while setting u...

Freya, the Lady : Skandinavian Stories

I have always loved the Lady. I didn't know her name until I was 15, but she was with me before that. Perhaps all of us are born with a hard-wired impulse to hero-worship, a longing to believe in something greater than our mundane existence, an...

The Americas 

White Buffalo Legend

*Original Artwork by Selfridge Gallery (link below) The legend of the White Buffalo goes back about 2,000 years. Told through the generations of the Ogalala Sioux tribe. The story is told at many Council Meetings, Sacred Ceremonies, and by Storytell...

Asia 

2009 YEAR OF THE OX

January 26, 2009, (or the year 4707 in the Chinese calendar), begins the "Year of the Earth Ox". This light-hearted lens is devoted to the "Ox" (also known in North America as the "Buffalo"). If you're a fan of humongous heroes, then you probably kn...

Tea Legends - The 10 Famous Chinese Teas

The Ten Famous Chinese Teas are a source of mystery and wonder. As with all great mysteries a certain amount of controversy arises when tea enthusiasts debate which teas actually make up the list of the ten best teas. Regardless of how you rank your...

2008 - YEAR OF THE RAT

For those who are not familiar with Chinese astrology, the most recent "Year of the Rat" began on February 7, 2008. In western culture, (synonymous with the "rat race"), it's surprising indeed that the appearance of this redou...

YEAR OF THE PIG - 2007

Welcome to my world of wit and wonk devoted to 2007 The Year of the Boar, Hog, and Pig!  No doubt about it, higgledy-piggledy and hogwash are definitely 'de rigueur' this year.  Time to celebrate with some hogs and kisses, swi...

Seasonal Festivities 

Saturnalia, an Ancient Roman Festival at Christmastime

Everyone loves a holiday. The Ancient Romans were no exception and Saturnalia was the most popular holiday of the Roman year. The joyous celebration, described by the ancient Roman poet, Catullus, as 'the best of days', was no quick affair bu...

New Year Customs and Traditions Old and New

Whatever the custom, whatever the country, no matter when or where we live, the New Year signifies a new start, a new life. We take the opportunity to throw out the mistakes of the past year and start anew. We wish each other good luck and promise ou...

Symbols and Traditions to Celebrate The New Year!

The celebration of the New Year is one of the oldest of all our holidays. it was thought to have first been recognized about 4000 years ago, in ancient Babylon. Most of our current New Year's traditions and superstitious rituals derive from anci...

Easter 

Easter Symbols and Celebrations

Pre-Christian Easter Origins: Easter, a Christian festival, embodies many pre-Christian traditions. Easter is thought to originally have been named after "Eostre", the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe, she was the Teutonic...

Easter : Different Ways to Celebrate

Easter is a time that most people don't really think about, until the Easter Eggs and hot cross buns appear in the supermarket - but it's an ancient celebration from our past, a celebration originally belonging to an almost forgotten goddess. Her nam...

Books on Myth and Legend 

Best Books on the Legend of King Arthur

From the faraway days of Britain come the stories rooted in ancient Celtic and Germanic imagination, stories of the strongest, the bravest and the best. Tales that have been told and endlessly retold, tales of a chivalrous knight, a powerful warrior...

Best Books on Greece and Greek Mythology

Something happened in the islands of Greece a few thousand years ago. Maybe a stray meteorite was to blame, spilling onto the plains of Attica in an invisible cloud of interstellar dust carrying the secrets of lost solar systems. How else can you ex...

Best Books on the Trojan War

The story of Troy has been told over and over in a thousand ways. I grew up with the walls of Troy more real than my own backyard fence. Indeed the backyard fence was the wall of Troy and I was always Kassandra, wailing piteously, when all I ever wan...

Nordic Mythology : Best Books of Skandinavian Stories

The Norse myths are peopled with all sorts of fantastic beings - gods and giants, elves, dwarves and dragons! Like all mythology, if we pay close attention to what the stories are saying, we learn a great deal about what our ancestors thought was im...