Fearful Folklore
The backbone of modern horror fiction
Folklore and mythology are the backbone of storytelling. The first stories predate the written word. Tales were shared in conversations passed down from older generations to younger ones. These stories shaped our world.
Horror emerged from this storytelling cocoon. Many stories shared offered warnings of angry gods, vengeful spirits, and gruesome monsters. Folklore committed to memory became a part of history with the rise of writing and many common fears have been immortalized with the written word.
The Macabre Monday crypt keepers love folklore in its most terrifying forms. We would love for you to share your folklore with us.
What terrifying myth or legend is connected to your hometown or your home country? How has it influenced you or your community?
All of your scariest tales are welcome here.
Now, without further ado, here’s the latest edition of the weekly digest:
The Weekly Digest
A selection of last week’s memorable Macabre Monday offerings.
- shared What Lies in Darkness, a gripping tale about a young girl and her ability to see into the spirit world.
- shared a thought-provoking essay on how horror teaches us how to cope with awful things in the real world.
- wrapped up her novella, Sleep, Dearie, Sleep!, with this engrossing Q&A that shares her inspirations for the story and other interesting behind-the-scenes details. (Warning: spoilers for the novella are in the post!)
Finally,
offers up Of Which We Dare Not Speak, a grim and dark tale of addiction treatment in a dystopian setting.
https://open.substack.com/pub/futurethief/p/the-michigan-dogman
It's hard to believe, but I wrote that way back in July, 2022. The Michigan Dogman is unique to my state in the US, but we do also have Bigfoot. The Dogman folklore can be easily traced, and is mostly the result of black bears further North, mixed with an overactive imagination. But it's still fun to read the accounts.
Thanks for the shoutout!
In my part of the U.S., we have a legend about lights which appear to lead travelers and then disappear, much like will-o-the-wisps.