The Philosopher's Stone (Latin: lapis philosophorum ) conjures elements of primal lore and eternal powers. In history and legend, the...

In the 1st century BCE Julius Caesar writes about the tribes of Germania. He's struck by the apparent sparsity of the Germanic pantheon,...

Cleopatra the Alchemist is an intriguing figure in the hazy history of science and magic. She works and writes in the 3rd or 4th...

Sprites are small, charming faerie people with no grudge against humans. Their interest in the mortal realm is limited. Sprite magic is...

Alchemy rises from inquiring minds . Golden Ages of alchemy appear in Greco-Roman Alexandria , medieval Islam and the Renaissance ....

Bieresel loves beer and other fermented beverage s , such as apple cider, mead or wine. In German folklore the beer donkey lives in wine...

The Elixir of Life has value beyond money. The concept first appears in Mesopotamia of the 2nd millennium BCE. Its discovery is one of...

The Elixir of Life sparks fascination and wanderlust. A fountain of youth or elixir of immortality, it's desperately sought by the first...

A mythical serpent or dragon, ouroboros appears in literature and illustration from ancient Greece. Tales of ouroboros spread east, and...

The earliest people in Scandinavia come up the Volga River in Russia after the last Ice Age about 25,000 years ago. They settle along the...

The Metals of Antiquity are the seven metals identified and used by humans in Europe and the Middle East in prehistoric times. They are...

House spirits such as Kobolds , domestic elves , gnomes and the earth hen are popular figures in Germanic myth and folklore. They have...

Belsnickel comes from the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. Part of the spirit of the season, Belsnickel is male but often dresses...

The Festival of Frau Holle decks the halls from her Feast Day 25 Dec to the 5-6th of January. An ancient German goddess, Frau Holle...

A symbol of strength and virility, the Bull appears i n ancient art and architecture. Blood sacrifice of bulls and oxen usually involves...

The Little Elder Tree Mother is an 1845 Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It's also known as The Elderbush. The Elder Tree...

Hags in folklore are old women associated with magic. They can be witches, demons, queens, crones or nature spirits, kindly or hateful....

Fairy rings are circles or semi-circles of wild mushrooms. They can appear overnight like magic and are part of the mystical world of...

Legends of a corpse-swiping alchemist, fountain of immortality, witches, treasure and a dragon-killer are part of the history of Castle...

Caraway (Carum carvi) is a cooking and medicinal herb with a pungent anise taste, known for its strong spicy fruits, called seeds. It's...