Tanika Koosmen, University of Newcastle The werewolf is a staple of supernatural fiction, whether it be film, television, or literature. You might think this snarling creature is a creation of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, a result of the superstitions surrounding magic and witchcraft. In reality, the werewolf is far older than that. The…
Category: Myths & Legends
From Dragons to Dreaming Serpents: Tracing the Cultural History of the Monstrous Lambton Worm
Tom Murray, Macquarie University The mind needs monsters, as David Gilmore tells us in his classic 2003 text on the subject. But I’m not sure that I really needed mine. What is there to need in a massive and monstrous worm living under the bed? Psychologists tell us that monsters begin to occupy a child’s…
Is The Famous Oak Island Lead Cross Really No Such Thing?
Of all the finds on History’s The Curse of Oak Island, perhaps none has sparked as much debate as the “lead cross” found during Season Five by detectorist Gary Drayton at Smith’s Cove on the island. The cross, which has been spuriously linked to the Knights Templar by the show, is of lead construction and…
Columbus Believed He Would Find ‘Blemmyes’ and ‘Sciapods’ – Not People – in the New World
Peter C. Mancall, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences In 1492, when Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of a fast route to East Asia and the southwest Pacific, he landed in a place that was unknown to him. There he found treasures – extraordinary trees, birds…
Here Are The Five Ancient Britons Who Make Up The Myth of King Arthur
King Arthur is probably the best known of all British mythological figures. He is a character from deep time celebrated across the world in literature, art and film as a doomed hero, energetically fighting the forces of evil. Most historians believe that the prototype for Arthur was a warlord living in the ruins of post-Roman…
The Mysteries of Oak Island: The Coins of Oak Island
Could it be? an article? about Oak Island? It most certainly is, and it doesn’t mention Aztecs or Phoenicians once! Over the many years searching, a number of artefacts have been found during digs and excavations at the fabled Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, the site of the legendary “Money Pit.” A number of…
