When you hear the word, “fairy”, probably the first thing that comes to mind are cutesy, dainty, little winged things, painting flowers and annoying their animal neighbors with their relentless happy songs and jingly bells. That, however, is not what a true fairy is. That is the modern story-book variety. The fairies of old, the real fairies, are something quite different. They are often dark in nature, with a fondness for tormenting humans.

They were known as the necromancers of Bavaria, and were said to be members of the sparse elite. These were, before the war, the members of society who were not only literate, but literate in Latin. Something which was only reserved for the upper crust of Medieval society, and interestingly enough, most who had this knowledge were clerics as well.

The legend of the black-eyed children, though delightfully spooky, is a fairly modern American legend, fueled over the years by various call-ins to late night radio shows and of course, numerous creepypastas. The legend supposedly first began making rounds in the 1980’s, but the story that kicked off the legend and captivated the imaginations of many, dates back to January of 1998.

She is often known as the weeping woman or the lady in white, and has been associated with child disappearances and whose presence is said to be an omen of one sort or another. In modern day versions of this story, La Llorona is slightly similar to the Baba Yaga in the fact that she is a tale told to children in order to coerce them into good behavior. Children who are not mindful of their parent’s rules can be stolen away by the La Llorona. La Llorona is a ghostly legend, that like most legends of female spirits, revolves around a tragic love affair which ends in disaster.

**The audio in this feed has an echo which is only happening on the podcast feed for some reason. If you would like to hear this without the echo, visit nighttideradio.com. ** She is often known as the weeping woman or the lady in white, and has been associated with child disappearances and whose presence is said to be an omen of one sort or another. In modern day versions of this story, La Llorona is slightly similar to the Baba Yaga in the fact that she is a tale told to children in order to coerce them into good behavior.

There’s something fun and thrilling about a good spooky tale. Whether you are a child or an adult, those are the ones that your mind (whether you wish it to or not) will revisit over and over. Fairy tales are a good example of this, as most are quite dark in origin. They are full of wicked things lurking in the shadows, things which stalk about waiting for the right moment to seize and often feed upon those who unwittingly cross their path. The reason these stories are so delightfully dark is twofold. They capture the imagination and entertain, but they also serve the primary purpose of scaring children into submission.

The one thing universal thing about humanity’s relationship with the future is that we all wish we had some insight into it. Some precognition which allowed us to make more informed decisions and avoid certain catastrophes. While the future remains an incomprehensible void for most of us, throughout history there have been many who have claimed the ability to see into it and catch glimpses into what she may bring.

Vampire legends have their origin in the fear of death and of people’s misunderstandings of the natural process of decomposition.The fear of death and what those who have fallen into her clutches can bring forth upon the living, is a fear which has driven and dictated funerary customs throughout the centuries. Underneath the spectacle of ornate showings of last respects and tokens of remembrance, are ancient precautions, means of ensuring that the dead remain as such, and that their spirits are kept at bay. It ensures that the body, now defiled by death, is safely disposed of, unable to spread more of its morbid affliction to the living by means of its uncleanliness.

When it comes to modern story-telling, it’s quite the over-used trope – the ‘who did it to me’ mystery, where the departed influences an investigation in order to reveal the details of their murder – bringing to justice the unsuspected killer. However, when it comes to folk lore and legends involving ghost stories, it is a theme which appears time and time again, a theme which is essentially as old as time. In fact, when it comes to such stories, it is almost unavoidable. It seems that often, justice is the only thing that will finally allow the dead to be at rest.

The stories of werewolves which we know today, mostly date back to the 15th and 16th centuries, however stories of humans transforming into wolves, goes much further back. It is a theme which pops up in ancient stories, mythologies, and legends time and time again – and is almost as old as history itself.