For centuries, a fork-tailed mythical creature that lurks in the pinelands of the Garden State has served as a reminder of the horrors that result when reproductive freedoms are destroyed.

Why the Old Norse gods disguised themselves as a bride and bridesmaid before visiting Thrymr, king of Jötunheima.

Dragons began life as snakes, but natural historians gradually began describing them in more fantastical ways.

Twenty-five years have passed since the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, yet pop culture and gossip mags continue to be fascinated by her life and legacy.

The Nobel Laureate drew on a centuries-old legend when he put the Fisher King in The Waste Land.

Stories about immortality are present in many cultures throughout time. How cultures perceive immortality—as a blessing or a curse—can differ widely.

The hero/king/god isn’t dead, he’s just sleeping, often under a mountain, waiting for the day his people really need him. 

Fictional evil creatures might be more nuanced—and have more to teach us—than has long seemed.

Ancient Romans saw the rituals of professional sorcerers as foreign and suspicious. But how else were you supposed to become invisible?

They’re big in elementary school, but unicorn tableaux also have a complex iconographic history that combines religious and secular myths.