
The Cottage at the Forest Edge: How a Single House Became a Whole Country's Warning
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.
The myths of peoples across the world — where they came from, what they meant, and why they still travel.

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.

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.

Across Europe, the final stalks of grain were never cut casually. The customs around them reveal how communities handled luck and the turning year.
Our editors are researching the following stories for this section. Each is grounded in primary sources and field reporting before it runs.