Most people have heard of the typical werewolves, vampires, and other Grimm’s fairy tales. Weird yet fascinating stories are prevalent everywhere. Can one dive into the deep waters of bizarre folklore from around the world?

All folklore or myths come from communities sharing stories passed down from generations. These stories have similarities but some inconsistencies. With a variety of pathways for a story to be told, there have been many folklore stories that are weird in nature.

Many people are familiar with the seven dwarfs in the fable of “Snow White,” but this Icelandic folklore about the “13 Yule Lads” really sparks some intrigue. Just reciting the names of these lads will have someone guessing what was going through people’s heads. There’s Gully Gawk, Sheep-Cote Clod, Stubby, Meat Hook, Candle Beggar, Door Sniffer, Window Peeper, Skyr Gobbler, Door Slammer (not to be confused with Door Sniffer), Spoon Licker, Bowl Licker, Pot Licker and Sausage Swiper.

These Yule lads have names that genuinely describe what they do. Kids make sure they’re good for Christmas or they might wake up with all of their sausage stolen from the Sausage Swiper. There are many more uncommon names found within folklore as well.

Junior Lorelei Hengst shares how her name is a piece of folklore.

“There’s a story about Lorelei, a German siren. A pretty girl threw herself off a cliff because she had a broken heart. Women that die at sea with broken hearts turn into sirens. The myth is associated with a large rock named Lorelei that produces a large echo that sparked the entire myth in the first place,” Hengst said.

Hengst shares her appreciation of folklore as well. She mentions how the folklore surrounding her name can connect her with family.

“I think it’s really interesting because it connects me more with my German heritage. It can bring people together, generations after generations,” Hengst said.

Continuing on with older European tales, senior Shelby Balsamo shares folklore tied to her family as well.

“I really like Celtic folklore, especially the Fae. They are known to steal your name and be great at disguises. There’s also a little bit of lore around fairies: they come around every seven years to sacrifice a human,” Balsamo said.

Balsamo mentions how she loves that folklore can go beyond science or explanation.

“I love how out there it is to explain mundane things – I’d rather believe there’s a random creature running around somewhere,” Balsamo said.

It’s not just Europe that holds these mysterious stories, the Inuit hold many superstitions and tales that relate back to regular life. For example, In the eyes of the Inuit, dreaming of specific animals can have some underlying meaning.

Dreaming of weasels can mean that there’s trouble, while dreaming of birds means that there’s a blizzard coming. The Inuit also have a story on how the first seals and other aquatic life were first created. Sedna, a mighty sea goddess, had her fingers frozen off while drowning at sea, and her fingers turned into the first seals.

There are more myths outside of Europe and the Inuit, they can be found in any culture. Spanish teacher Cynthia Montero delves into the creepier side of Hipsanic myths.

“This is a very, very famous Hispanic tradition. It is basically parents telling children, ‘if you don’t behave well, El Cucuy is going to take you to his cave and eat you,’” Montero said.

Many stories don’t have unsettling themes to them, like the Chinook tale of Bluejay. One man held the entire sun in a box, and the trickster Bluejay snatched the sun in order for the entire world to enjoy daylight. He’s commonly known as a liar, but someone that is helpful towards mankind.

One piece of Lithuanian folklore comes from the ancient story of Grand Duke Gediminas and his dream about the Iron Wolf. He dreamt of an Iron Wolf standing on top of a hill howling stronger than any other wolf before. He then interpreted his dream and found that the wolf is a castle he will build on top of a mountain to establish his city.

The tower is a real structure on top of a hill in Vilnius, Lithuania called Gediminas’ Tower. The Iron Wolf is also seen wherever citizens and tourists alike go.

There can also be lores that we’re familiar with that seem weird to other countries. Try explaining the Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy to somebody that has never grown up knowing about these customs.

One of our librarians, Inmaculada Galan, talks about how American traditions can be seen from an outside perspective.

“Traditions are very different in Spain. We don’t have an Easter bunny and we don’t have an Easter egg hunt,” Galan said.

Montero also notes that what may seem unusual to one culture can be seen as normal in another.

“You have got to understand, it’s a tradition from a different culture,” Montero said.

Folklores can be special to some cultures and peculiar to others. One thing for sure is that they all spark some excitement between generations. Everyone, from any culture, should spend some time with friends and family by engaging in different folklore like a Yule Lad named Meat Hook or fairies that sacrifice humans.