Wishing Well

Why do we tell children to toss coins in a well and make a wish?  Well,  it depends whether you go for the European, Celts, or Norse tales and beliefs.  

Wishing wells were common in Europe.  It was believed that when a person spoke their wishes the spirits that lived in the water would grant them.  If they were bribed by dropping a coin into the water.

In the Celts history their is a famous temple around spring water that is dedicated to a Celtic goddess.  Archaeologists found small gifts like pottery, buttons, beads, and coins dating back to around 407 C.E.

Within Norse mythology there is a tale in which Odin throws his eye in the Well of Wisdom as payment for the wisdom he received. Now there are an abundance of cultures that have similar tales that ties back to the origin of the wishing well but these were the ones that I found most interesting.  I hope you did to!

Davy Jones

Have you ever heard sailors mention Davy Jones or his famous locker?  Do you know what is said to be in this locker?  Well, it is said that Davy Jones's locker is the resting place of thousands of sailors who drowned at sea. 

The first reference to Davy Jones was in the 18th century 1726.  The first reference to Davy Jones Locker was in 1803.  There are quite a few versions and debates concerning this myth.  The most prolific version is the ghost ship that is doomed to sail forever much like the Flying Dutchman in the Pirates of the Caribbean.  Davy Jones has also been thought to be the evil god of the sea.  In another version Davy Jones was a man who owned a pub and killed men who where drunk or sold them to slave ships.

Bloody Mary Myth

Bloody Mary...Bloody Mary...Bloody Mary!  I really hope you didn't read that out loud in front of a mirror.  If you did, then you might see the ghost of bloody Mary holding a baby and trying to take yours. 

You ever wonder who the Bloody Mary myth was based on? 

Well,  Queen Mary the 1st earned the nickname "Bloody Mary" when she signed an act in 1554, which lead to the Marian Persecution during which over 200 men and 60 women were burned at the stake.  

The reason Bloody Mary might be holding a baby or trying to take yours is because of something that happened to Queen Mary.  The queen was one of the most famous cases of Pseudocyesis.  It is very rare and happens when a person is so determined to become pregnant that their body is tricked into acting like it is.  She showed all signs of being pregnant, but a month passed her due date she no longer had her baby bump.  She never had a child.  

It is a solid theory as to the origin of Bloody Mary.  Real or not you won't catch me trying to summon Bloody Mary!




Howard, K. (2019, January 30). Behind The Mirror: The True Story Of Bloody Mary. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://allthatsinteresting.com/bloody-mary

Pandora's Box or Jar?

When you here about Pandora what do you automatically think of? Her box right? Pandora is a Greek mythology story where a god fashioned the first mortal woman out of clay. She had something and that something was said to have contained evil spirits and misery. That something was a jar. Not a box. 

You are probably wondering, how did it change from a jar to a box? Well, in the 16th century there was a man named Desiderius Erasmus, who painted an interpretation of Pandora with a box instead of a jar. People aren't sure whether he misinterpreted the Greek or confused it with the box in the story of Cupid and Psyche. 

Think of this jar-box transition as a long game of telephone. I don't know about you but with my OCD like tendencies, I tend to get annoyed when people say box instead of a jar. I hate to say it but, Pandora's box does have a better ring to it.






Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019). Pandora | Greek mythology. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pandora-Greek-mythology [Accessed 5 Jun. 2019].

The Bedburg Werewolf

The 15th century holds one of the most famous cases of the werewolf. For a long time the town of Bedburg, Germany had a number of cow mutilations and the farmers suspected wolves. Then children and women started disappearing. Some were not found and others found mutilated. A man named Peter Stumpp, born in 1525, resided in Bedburg, Germany. Peter was blamed for the killings after some hunters claimed that they saw him shape-shift into a wolf. After being tortured he confessed to the killings as well as owning an enchanted belt that let him transform from man to wolf. The enchanted belt was never found.

Editors, H. (2017, August 23). Werewolf Legends. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-the-werewolf-legend