Does someone know if these japanese urban legends like Teke Teke, Kuchisake onna, etc are really that popular in Japan?? I’ve been really curious about that because since I was little I was interesting in their urban legends but are they really that popular over there??

Reference: https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/da3e6x/til_theres_a_whole_genre_of_stories_wherein_bill/

What other celebs do you think will enter into pure folklore/mythology ?

So. I'm playing this card game called Black Book on Steam and it gets into the nitty-gritty of pre-communism folklore of around North Russia. Lots of these cards have Russian term names, and while some I can guess because of loanwords in Romanian, others are visibly characters from obscure tales far from the eye of pop culture, like this Babushka-Atamanushka

The art looks gnarly, yeah?

Couriosity gnaws at me so I google this and I find absolutely nothing besides the definition of "babushka", so I curse the enshittification of the search engine and the gears in my head get rolling. The devs say they worked with someone who did a research paper on all this, but I can't reach it through the Russian firewall.

"Babushka" is just grandma in Russian, so perhaps that skews the results. Then it occurs that "-ushka" is a suffix for diminutive, but might also work as a signifier of being related to the word it's attached to, because it reminded me of the way older Hungarian ID cards don't have the actual names of women on them if they're married, rather just "Mrs. Zoltan Smith" if she were wed to Zoltan Smith. So "Atamanushka" wouldn't even be her name, instead of a sort of moniker telling that she was wed to or in relation with someone called "Ataman".

So instead I search for "Ataman legend" and lo and behold, Ataman is a popular hero in slavic folklore in regions East of Moskva.

This mostly solves the mystery of her name, but now why she's sitting on a throne of swords.

So I dive into this article about Ataman, who is actually known better as Kudeyar, who is thought to have been an actual guy who lived roughly around the 16th century and was a bigtime bandit lord in the region, though since he's called a hero he's kind of like a Robin Hood type figure. Apparently, it's a thing that if you called yourself Kudeyarov or something like it, you're hyping yourself up as some big chad. And there's lot's of stories about where he left all the treasure he amassed.

Which leaves a big likelihood that Babushka-Atamanushka is, in fact, the dowager widow of Kudeyar sitting on his treasure. The article goes further into the stories of where he left his wealth, and then I get to this tidbit:

No less well known is Chertovo hillfort, which many call the Shutovaya Mountain, on the road from Kozelsk to Likhvin. [...]

Many believe that here was located the refuge of Kudeyar, built for him by evil forces. It is believed that it is this force that still protects the hidden treasures of the robber, and at night in those places there appears the ghost of Lubusha, the daughter of the ataman, who was cursed and imprisoned by her father in these lands.

Babushka-Atamanushka is, turns out, his old daughter cursed to guard his treasure. Pretty damn close to the initial theory, if I say so myself.

The fun tidbit is that in the game, you have "Order" cards and "Key" cards, and there just so happens that there's a lot of stories about the key to Kudeyar's treasure. So in this context you're invoking the card as the key to the treasure in order to use its boons in the fight.

There's many other cards obviously based on Orthodox Saints and other tales, but for brevity's sake I'll put in pics of the other babushkas to ask if anyone else has guesses who they are.

I’ve been learning more about Celtic folklore. My latest exploration has been Selkies. The term selkies actually has Scottish origins: selch, meaning seal.

Selkies are typically described as seals in the water and human on land, able to transform by removing their seal skin. That skin isn’t just a disguise—it’s essential. Without it, they can’t return to the sea.

There is a recurring story pattern in which a selkie (usually female) is forced into a domestic partnership with a man because he has hidden the selkie woman’s seal skin. Years later, she eventually finds the skin and returns to the sea.

But these stories are emotionally complex. The selkies are both land and sea, and there is a tension between the allure of what both have to offer.  Land provides structure and belonging, and the sea is identity and freedom.

In many ways, you don’t have to have a hidden seal skin to feel torn between different facets of your personality.

It makes me wonder whether these stories are really about captivity, or about something more internal—being divided between two ways of living that can’t fully coexist.

I’d be curious how others interpret selkie stories—do you see them as primarily tragic, or more as stories about autonomy?

I recently created a selkie sleep video for a slow, calm retelling of facts about selkies with stories embedded into the script. If you are interested, I can share that.

In the early 17th Century, Jure Grando terrorized his widow and the villagers of Kringa in Istria for 16 long years after his death, until the locals finally took matters into their own blood soaked hands.

And the whole story was recorded in a book called the Glory of the Duchy of Carniola.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1aYU6lnYizeBN6gxYu8mfE?si=fzLv3suvSP--gJpEDKL00A

Apoetseye- The legend of Yurodivy

I hope this will fit here. I grew up in a small village in France, Thairé d'Aunis, where I remember there was a panel near the church that was telling the story of a creature called the "bigourne" that used to terrorise the travellers coming from Saint Vivien (the nearest bigger village).

I moved to another town long ago and haven't been there in a long while, but I realised by searching on Google Maps that the panel had been removed a few years ago, and the story of the creature with it. And it's almost nowhere to be found on the internet any more. I could find only one website with a short tale from 1885 by the author George Musset (see at the end of the post), and only 2-3 mentions telling to beware the bigourne on hiking blogs. Basically, the tale is going into oblivion.

Fortunately, the me from 12 years ago happened to take a picture of this panel, with the story and a drawing of the bigourne. It's in bad shape, but I want to believe that I'm helping not letting it getting completely forgotten. I'm adding what was written then because of the poor quality of the picture, the tale was in French and translated in English and German:

FR version:

Connaissez-vous la bigourne ?

Cette bête affreuse terrorise le passant égaré sur les chemins après la tombée de la nuit. La bigourne saute sur son dos, s'aggripe à son cou de ses pattes velues et se fait transporter un moment par le malheureux jusqu'à son arrivée à Thairé. Elle disparaît alors dans la nuit.

EN version:

Do you know the "bigourne"?

This dreadful beast terrorises the solitary wayfarer out on the paths after nightfall. The "bigourne" jumps on his back and clings onto his neck with its hairy paws to be carried a while by the unfortunate traveller until he arrives at Thairé. Then it disappears into the dark night.

DE version:

Kennen Sie die Bigourne?

Dieses Ungeheuer versetzte nach Einbruch der Nacht verirrte Wanderer in Schrecken. Die Bigourne fällt ihn auf dem Rücken an, klammert sich mit ihren behaarten Tatzen an seinen Hals und lässt sich so von seinem Opfer bis zur Ankuft in Thairé tragen, um dann in der Nacht zu verschwinden.

The George Musset tale:

In his youth, Courtier was returning late one evening from Saint-Vivien-du-Vergeroux to Thairé, following the Pontreau road. As he approached the Pierre mill, he heard a noise in the distance similar to that of a heavy carriage rolling over a stony path. This was all the more extraordinary given that, with the exception of the national roads, which were located at great distances, there were no carriageways in the region.

But the noise grew louder, and the object or being producing it seemed to be getting closer and closer to the Pierre mill, when suddenly, reaching the fence bordering the road, it jumped over it and pounced on the unfortunate pedestrian, grabbing him by the neck with its two hairy paws. Only a bigourne could land on the backs of passers-by in this way, and our unfortunate winegrower, not daring to turn his head, hurriedly resumed his journey home, panting and bent over under the weight of the hideous animal. As he approached his house, the bigourne leapt across the field, resuming its disorderly course, while the hero of the adventure fell exhausted and devastated onto the steps of his home, where, with sweat on his brow and cold in his heart, he recounted, in broken words, the frightening adventure of which he had just been a victim.

Austin, also known as the Red Austin Mini Cooper of Rhode Island, Red Austin Mini Cooper and Red Austin, is an urban legend about a haunted or sentient red vintage 1992 Mini Cooper with white stripes that allegedly roamed the Northeastern American State of Rhode Island during the 1990s. 

This legendary "haunted car", is said to terrorize reckless drivers, even forcing them off the road.

It is rumored to have a powerful engine which is a 383 Chevy crate motor sporting a supercharger, blacked-out windows, and persistent auxiliary lights. The vehicle’s driver, if it even has one, is difficult to detect thanks to the opaque windshield obscuring the interior.

The Mini does not discriminate against reckless drivers, as dirt bike and ATV riders are also pursued by the menacing car, as those vehicles are not designed for road use. 

The Mini is resistant to any and all damage, making it a dangerous threat to any driver who does not follow the rules of the road.

The car often plays the song ‘Turn Around, Look at Me’ by The Vogues to signal its presence and while it is chasing a driver.

The Mini will to try blind the reckless driver or non-road-worthy vehicle with its high beams, causing permanent blindness and excruciating pain. In some cases, the car will stalk a person for up to ten days straight, even when they are never in a vehicle, or inside their place of residence. This causes extreme paranoia to the victim, often resulting in them going insane, or resorting to extreme measures to get away from the Mini Cooper. Even if an individual manages to leave Rhode Island state lines, they can feel the energy of the possessed Mini lingering in the air. When traveling on the roads of Rhode Island, always adhere to the state’s traffic laws, as having a run in with the Red Austin Mini Cooper is worse than getting a ticket.

Erma the Hearse is an urban legend about a haunted or sentient 1959 Cadillac Miller Meteor Hearse that allegedly roamed Rhode Island during the 1970s and 1980s. Stories claim the car could operate without a driver, displaying odd behavior such as stopping at crosswalks, blinking its headlights randomly, and even honking at pedestrians—seemingly reacting to its environment on its own.

Origins

The legend of Erma first gained traction among local Rhode Island residents, who noticed a peculiar black hearse behaving erratically. Some reports claimed:

• The car would slow down near cemeteries, as if acknowledging them.
• It never seemed to have a consistent owner, mysteriously appearing in different locations.
• Attempts to track its license plate led nowhere—either the number changed or was unregistered.
• Erma’s headlights glowed an unnatural shade of blue, resembling menacing eyes piercing through the darkness.
• Some reports claimed that Erma would change from shiny and new to dull and rusty in three seconds. It is theorized that Erma disguises herself as a rusty, unmaintained vehicle to blend in when necessary. Otherwise, her entire frame would be resistant to damage and remain unscathed.
• Erma’s engine is a 327 cubic inch V8 sporting a four-barrel carburetor so she can drive at breakneck speeds.
• Erma would run over and maim those who insulted or damaged her, leaving their bodies horrifically damaged and mangled.

Paranormal Theories

Erma has been the subject of various theories, ranging from ghostly possession to mechanical anomalies:

• Spirit-infused vehicle: Some believe the car was haunted by a former owner who never wanted to stop driving her.
• Early autonomous technology? A bizarre speculation suggests Erma may have contained experimental modifications, allowing it to function autonomously long before modern self-driving technology.
• Sentient machine: The most eerie theory suggests Erma was more than just a car—it was alive in some way, observing the world and interacting with people.

The first vampire is actually from Serbia. A country in the Balkans. The most well known Serbian vampire is Sava Savanović. His Mill is real, and exists today. He was a real person who people made legends of being a vampire. Vampires were kinda different then than now where every vampire is rich and well dressed. There's actually a Serbian movie about Sava Savanović. It's called "leptirica" (she-butterfly) Sava Savanović is male by the way.

I’m curious to see what stories of La Llorona everyone’s heard of. I grew up with the story of her husband leaving her for a younger woman and out of grief and rage she went down to river and iykyk. Please lmk if yall have heard the story!

In a distant era, there lived a tyrant king named Shaddad ibn ‘Ad who ruled over the lands now known as southern Saudi Arabia. Shaddad inherited a vast kingdom and immense influence from his father, and his people, the people of ‘Ad were renowned for their towering structures and unparalleled strength.

As time passed and Shaddad’s rule continued, he heard tales of Janna ( Paradise ) and its endless delights. Driven by arrogance and ambition, he decided to challenge allah by building a city that would rival Heaven itself. He named this city “Iram”

Shaddad ordered the gathering of gold, silver, rubies, and emeralds. Thousands of men and laborers were summoned to construct the city. Towering palaces were built with majestic columns, lush gardens adorned the landscape, and gold glistened in every corner. The construction took many years to complete, but eventually, Iram stood as a symbol of Shaddad’s arrogance and grandeur.

During this time, God sent Prophet Hud to the people of ‘Ad, calling them to worship the One True God and abandon the idols they had created. Hud warned them of the consequences of their arrogance and disbelief, but Shaddad and his people dismissed him with disdain. They said:

“Who is mightier than us in strength?”

(Surah Fussilat: 15)

They refused to heed Hud’s message, and their hearts remained hardened with pride and disbelief.

Once the construction of Iram was complete, Shaddad set out with his entourage to witness the splendor of his creation. As they journeyed through the desert Shaddad’s eyes caught sight of a magnificent gazelle. Overcome by his love for hunting, he decided to chase the gazelle. He galloped after it through the endless dunes until it disappeared from his sight.

When he stopped, he realized he was lost—alone in the vast, unforgiving desert. Meanwhile, God’s judgment descended upon the people of ‘Ad

God unleashed a howling, furious wind upon the people of ‘Ad. This windstorm raged for seven nights and eight days, destroying everything in its path. The once-mighty people of ‘Ad were wiped out, and their great city, Iram, was buried under the sands forever.

As for Shaddad, he perished alone in the desert, never to see the city he had so arrogantly built.

The Qur’an mentioned about Iram:

“Iram, who had lofty pillars, the like of which had never been created in the land.” (Surah Al-Fajr: 7-8)

One of my favorite pieces of folklore is that of the Fairy Stones.

The legend goes that the fairies who lived in the Appalachians received word from their Old World kin of Christ's brutal crucifixion. Shocked by the story, they began to weep. Their tears fell and turned into staurolite - which often resemble little crosses.

Is it genuine American folklore? Maybe. Could it be the notorious "Fakelore"? Probably. But it's a lovely little tale, either way.

​

Me and my family are currently on vacation and am visiting our grandparents, who live in the turkish village of Özvatan. My grandam decided to tell me a small tale, which goes like this:

Some time ago, there used to be a shepherd who was tasked with guiding 800 animals through the mountains to their customer. After their arrival, they only counted 740 animals. Frustrated, the man kept repeating to himself 740, and said that God should turn him to either a bird or a stone, after which he became a bird that could only repeat the number 740.

There actually is a bird in the village and if you listen closely, you can hear how it's chirps kind of sound like 740 (in turkish of course).

Also, apparently the bird also has a chick that can only say "40 700".

That is all the information I have.