The real events — plagues, battles, crimes, migrations — that hardened over time into the stories we now call myth.
From Baba Yaga's hut to the gingerbread house, the lone cottage in the woods is one of folklore's most durable images. Here is what it was really teaching.
Across Europe, the final stalks of grain were never cut casually. The customs around them reveal how communities handled luck and the turning year.
Before it was a tourist mascot, the kelpie was a warning shouted near deep water. We trace the shape-shifting horse from medieval record to modern myth.
Our editors are researching the following stories for this section. Each is grounded in primary sources and field reporting before it runs.