Welcome back to another installment of Things That Never Were, the series where we pull back the curtain on the world’s most fascinating myths, legends, and monsters. This blog’s focus is on the Adze, the blood-sucking vampires of the Ewe people of Ghana and Togo. Yes, I know, I keep coming back to vampires. But honestly, it is so crazy how many variations of this monster there are around the world. As we all know, most vampires in folklore are tall, brooding figures with pale skin and quite...

After learning more about the Amikuk of Yup’ik folklore from the Bering Strait region of Alaska, I’ve decided that these guys might be one of the most terrifying creatures I have ever read about. Beyond the creep factor of their physical forms, their supernatural abilities make it virtually impossible to escape them once you have been targeted as prey, no matter if you are on land or in the water. Personally, I like it better when the lore includes ways for victims to fight back or evade a...

Have you ever heard of the enormous sea serpent called Bakunawa? I hadn’t, but once I read that it was so huge it could devour the moon, I had to know more. The Bakunawa, also known as the “moon-eating dragon,” is a water-dwelling entity in Philippine Mythology. You might be confused that I have referred to it as both a sea serpent and a dragon. The reason is that it has been described as both. Its physical description includes whiskers, gills, and two sets of wings, and it is famously linked...