On my never-ending quest to learn more about unusual creatures and monsters of myth and legend, I came across Nishi Dak from Bengali folklore of India and was left feeling, dare I say, rather disturbed. As a mother, daughter, wife, and friend, I value my relationships with others most in life, so when I read that the Nishi Dak exploits the love, protective nature, and close bonds its victims share with others to attack them, it hit a nerve. The Nishi Dak are restless souls who died suddenly...

Have you ever heard of a Hidebehind? I hadn’t, but I have to tell you I love the name. There is no cryptic meaning or spooky innuendo here; instead, it’s just a simple name that explains exactly what it does. It hides behind things, mostly trees and bushes. And it excels at it. In fact, it has a remarkable gift for evading human sight, until it’s too late. The lore of the Hidebehind was born out of the landscapes of the American frontier and the booming lumbering regions of the 19th...

I had a familiarity with the legend of the selkie—those alluring, coastal creatures of Scottish folklore—but soon discovered that the true lore of the selkie is far more intricate, tragic, and thought-provoking than I expected. Learning that selkies take the form of seals in the water was quite a revelation. I’ve always found seals to be quite adorable and never imagined them being associated with alluring, seductive beings in Scottish folklore. I was also struck by the stark contrast in the...