Mysteries of Mythology

For centuries, people across the world have reported seeing their own doubles. Known as doppelgängers, these mysterious figures appear in folklore, mythology, literature, paranormal accounts, and even modern neuroscience. In this video, we explore the famous case of Emilie Sagée, the spectral doubles of Norse and Celtic tradition, Abraham Lincoln’s strange mirror vision, Helen’s phantom double fro...

The Tengu is one of Japan’s strangest mythological beings. From heavenly omens and bird-like demons to mountain guardians and samurai teachers, this yokai changed completely over more than a thousand years. Hidden behind the “Japanese Goblin” emoji is a creature tied to Buddhism, mountain ascetics, martial arts legends, and supernatural possession stories from medieval Japan. From the ancient Niho...

Herne the Hunter may be one of Britain’s strangest legends: a ghostly rider with antlers, black hounds, and ties to Windsor Forest. But was Herne a real spirit, a forgotten pagan god like Cernunnos or Odin, or something Shakespeare helped invent? In this video, we explore the legend of Herne the Hunter, the mysterious horned figure said to haunt Windsor Forest at night. From Shakespeare’s Merry Wi...

Jinn explained: the hidden beings of Islamic mythology that live alongside us unseen. Are jinn really genies, or something far more unsettling and dangerous? Jinn are some of the most mysterious and feared beings in Islamic mythology and Middle Eastern folklore. Often confused with genies, these hidden entities are believed to live alongside humans, created from smokeless fire with free will just...

Oshun is the Yoruba river goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and balance, and according to myth, the world could not flourish without her. Discover the powerful story of Oshun, from the Yoruba creation myth to the sacred Osun-Osogbo Grove and her lasting influence across Africa and the Americas. In this episode, we explore the mythology of Oshun, one of the most important Orishas in Yoruba religi...

The people of ancient Mesopotamia believed that knowledge was given to them by seven teacher figures who emerged from the sea. This video explores these ancient civilisations, examining their origins and divine status within Mesopotamian mythology. We trace this history through various reliefs, figurines, and depictions of ancient cities, offering a deeper look into the ancient history of Sumer an...

What was the original ghoul in Arabic folklore—and how did it become the graveyard monster we know today? In this deep dive into ghoul mythology, we explore its desert origins, ties to jinn, shape-shifting tricks, and terrifying journey into modern horror. The ghoul is one of the most misunderstood monsters in mythology. Long before it became a zombie-like graveyard creature in modern horror, the...

Mermaids have appeared in myths from Mesopotamia to Japan, but their true origin is far stranger than most people realise. In this episode, we trace the history of mermaids from ancient gods and sea sages to sailors’ sightings and global folklore. From Oannes and Atargatis to Sirens, medieval carvings, Columbus, Suvannamaccha, ningyo, jiaoren, Mami Wata, and Pania of the Reef, this is the long and...

One ancient god has become one of the biggest puzzles in European religion, and his name might not even be complete. Meet Cernunnos, the antlered “Horned One” found on a forgotten pillar beneath Notre Dame… with no surviving myths. In this episode of Mysteries of Mythology, we follow the clues historians actually have—inscriptions, reliefs, torcs, antlers, and the eerie ram-headed serpent—to recon...

The Greek god Pan wasn’t always a famous Greek god. He nearly vanished from history until one shocking story (and one runner) dragged him back into the spotlight. From Arcadian caves to the Battle of Marathon, discover how the nature god became the face of “panic,” wild freedom, and the fading of the old gods. Pan is the goat-footed god you think you know… but his real story is stranger: a “backwo...

Centaurs in Greek Mythology: Savage Beasts or Noble Teachers? During a recent trip to Athens, there was one creature more prevalent in art than Athena herself. From violent wedding massacres to the tragic death of Heracles, discover the dark origins and hidden meaning of the half-man, half-horse creatures of ancient Greece. Centaurs are some of the most recognisable creatures in mythology — but th...

Fairies were never one “species”—they were a warning label for whatever lived beside us, didn’t belong, and could ruin your life if you got it wrong. From Tinker Bell to the Aos Sí, we’re tracing the REAL fairy traditions of Britain & Ireland—England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The fairies of folklore aren’t cute, tiny, and winged—they’re human-sized, rule-bound, easily offended, and danger...

When is slaying a dragon an act of heroism… and when is it a crime against nature? From Nezha and Ao Bing to Saint George and the Tarasque, this episode looks at dragon slayers as mirrors of their cultures. In China, dragons bring rain and life; in medieval Europe, dragons are chaos that must be destroyed. In this final part of the dragon origins series, we follow heroes like Nezha, Hou Yi, Erlang...

The dragon didn’t start as a fire-breathing castle-burner — it began as a sacred water serpent tied to rain, crops, and survival. In Part 2, we trace that path from ancient Africa to China, Europe, and beyond, and ask: what was the first “dragon” really like? Explore how a helpful rain-snake became a world-serpent, a river-maker, and finally the monster heroes had to slay. Across rock art, archaeo...

Here be dragons… but why do cultures everywhere imagine the same giant serpent? Discover how evolution, migration, and geology forged humanity’s oldest monster. From hardwired snake detection to fire-breathing gas vents, we unpack the science behind dragons you’ve always felt. Our journey traces the dragon back to a primal serpent: a creature our eyes evolved to spot in an instant, a fear our stor...

The eerie “knock… knock…” in Cornwall’s tin mines—warning, trickster, or something older? Meet the Knockers, the goblin-like mine spirits whose legend spread from Britain to the Americas and the Andes. From pasty offerings to the rule of “no whistling,” discover why miners treated them like coworkers—and sometimes like gods. A rhythmic tap in the dark. Vanishing tools. Warnings before cave-ins. Th...

Filipino Mythology is... different. And nothing is more shocking than the Manananggal. Discover its chilling origins, strange “black chick” curse, and the colonial history that may have turned healers into “monsters.”Manananggal lore runs deep across the Visayas—bat-like wings, a proboscis tongue, and a severed torso hunting by night. In this episode, we unpack how to spot (and stop) one, why a ti...

“Am I beautiful?” In Japan, those three words belong to Kuchisake-Onna—the Slit-Mouthed Woman—an urban legend that triggered a real-life panic in 1979.From Edo-era whispers to modern schoolyard dread, discover her origins, the infamous Gifu scare, and the eerie “tricks” people swear will save you.

Bloody Mary: mirror ritual, real history, and the brain science that makes us see her. Halloween urban legend meets folklore, queens, and countesses in one chilling deep dive. Discover Mary Tudor, Elizabeth Báthory, Mary Worth, and the eerie psychology that convinces us she’s really there. From summoning steps and variant chants to plausible “real” Marys and centuries-old love-divination games, th...

Ride-or-die gods, ghostly hounds, and a sky full of storm riders... this is the untamed legend of the Wild Hunt. From Odin’s furious host to Wales’ soul-snatching Cŵn Annwn, discover why medieval Europe slammed its shutters when horns echoed overhead. Centuries of winter fears, shamanic flights, and church warnings fused into one unstoppable myth: a phantom army tearing across the night. In this e...

Nuckelavee: the skinless Devil of the Sea of the Orkney Islands—half man, half horse, and wholly merciless. What ancient fears forged a monster whose very breath was said to spread plague and famine? The Nuckelavee isn’t your typical water horse—it’s a raw, skinless embodiment of winter hunger, disease, and storm-tossed seas. In this episode, we trace the legend from Walter Traill Dennison’s 19th-...

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world’s first great story — a demigod king’s journey through love, loss, and the desperate search for immortality. But what wisdom does this 5,000 year old Sumerian tale still hold for us today? The Epic of Gilgamesh is humanity’s first recorded epic — older than the Bible, older than Homer. From the tyrannical king of Uruk to his bond with Enkidu, from slaying monster...

Hel isn’t a horned villain; she’s the keeper of the threshold between life and what comes after. In this video, we peel back the distortions to meet the quiet queen of the Norse dead, on her own terms. Hel’s story isn’t fire and brimstone; it’s frost, silence, and balance. We trace her origins from “the grave” as a place, through Snorri’s reshaping, to Baldr’s fateful petition, Naglfar’s ominous l...

Aphrodite is remembered as the Greek goddess of love and beauty… but her true story is far older, darker, and far more powerful than you think. From a warrior goddess to a Phoenician import, Aphrodite’s journey reveals how myths evolve with the cultures that worship them. Aphrodite wasn’t just a goddess of love—she was desire, war, and even empire. From the apple of discord that sparked the Trojan...

A sweeping journey from temple steps to kitchen tables... why did so many cultures offer gifts, feasts, and even lives to the gods? Discover how sacrifice evolved from simple offerings to cosmic bargains—and why the idea still grips us today.