Folklore
BBanshee
An Irish otherworld woman whose lament foretells a death.
Supernatural glossary
Folklore
Otherworld figures, omens, and traditions rooted in particular places and communities.
Folklore
BBarghest
An ominous northern English apparition often described as an enormous black dog.
Folklore
BBasilisk
A legendary serpent whose venom, breath, or gaze can make merely approaching it fatal.
Folklore
BBlack Shuck
A spectral black dog said to haunt the roads, coast, and countryside of East Anglia.
Folklore
BBoggart
A troublesome supernatural presence attached to a household or a particular place.
Folklore
BBrownie
A household spirit that performs chores at night but can abandon a home when offended.
Folklore
CChurch Grim
A supernatural guardian of a church or churchyard, often appearing as a black dog.
Folklore
CCockatrice
A rooster-and-serpent creature associated with unnatural hatching and a lethal gaze.
Folklore
DDeath Omen
An occurrence interpreted as a warning that someone will die.
Folklore
DDomovoi
A household spirit connected to a family, its home, and domestic life.
Folklore
DDoppelgänger
An uncanny double whose appearance challenges identity and presence.
Folklore
DDraugr
A restless dead being of Norse tradition, often possessing a dangerous physical presence.
Folklore
DDullahan
A headless otherworld rider associated with death omens in Irish tradition.
Folklore
EEach-uisge
A predatory water horse whose inviting appearance can become a trap.
Folklore
EEnchanted Rock Legends
A Hill Country landmark surrounded by stories of restless spirits, strange sounds, and hidden riches.
Folklore
FFachan
A monstrous figure from Highland tradition with one eye, one leg, and a single hand projecting from its chest.
Folklore
GGolem
A humanlike figure brought to life from inert material through sacred knowledge.
Folklore
GGrindylow
A lurking water creature used to warn children away from dangerous pools and ponds.
Folklore
HHuldra
A beautiful forest being whose human appearance conceals an unmistakably inhuman detail.
Folklore
JJiangshi
A reanimated corpse in Chinese tradition, widely recognized through its stiff, hopping cinematic form.
Folklore
KKappa
A Japanese water-being often depicted with webbed limbs, a shell, and a water-filled hollow on its head.
Folklore
LLady in Blue
A mysterious religious visitor associated with a Spanish nun’s reported presence on two continents.
Folklore
LLeshy
A forest spirit whose territory does not necessarily follow human rules.
Folklore
MMal de Ojo
A belief that another person’s gaze or intense admiration can bring harm.
Folklore
MMare
A nighttime being believed to press upon sleepers, bringing oppressive dreams and a sensation of suffocation.
Folklore
MMarfa Lights
Distant West Texas lights surrounded by eyewitness accounts, speculation, and ghost stories.
Folklore
MMerrow
An Irish merfolk figure associated with encounters between human lives and the sea.
Folklore
NNøkk
A shapeshifting water spirit associated with dangerous encounters at lakes and rivers.
Folklore
NNuckelavee
A skinless sea monster from Orcadian folklore, blamed for disease, ruined crops, and deadly encounters on land.
Folklore
PPúca
An Irish shapeshifting spirit known for strange appearances, frightening encounters, and wild nighttime rides.
Folklore
RRedcap
A murderous goblin of border ruins, said to stain its cap with its victims’ blood.
Folklore
TTommyknocker
A mine spirit whose knocking may signal danger beneath the ground.
Folklore
VVampire
A returning dead figure associated with bodily harm, blood, or life-force loss.
Folklore
WWaco Cat-Witch Legend
A man kills an attacking cat—and discovers the same fatal injury on his wife.
Folklore
WWendigo
A cannibalistic being associated with winter, insatiable hunger, and destructive greed in several Indigenous traditions.
Folklore
WWill-o’-the-Wisp
An elusive night light said to lead travelers away from safe ground.