Ethereal Chronicles

Category: European folklore

  • The Wild Hunt; Army of the Living Dead

    The country had been left in ruin by a war that came unanticipated. Fields once lush with crops and wild growth were now muddy and barren, fertilised only by the bodies of the dead that covered them. Villages and towns lay depleted, their people anxiously waiting for men who would…

  • The Fetch; Irish Doppelgänger 

    My days as a scholar had scarcely embarked before I encountered a sorcerer along my travels. The destination I sought lay deep within the thick of the mountains, far from my hometown. I had dabbled in the skill of magic myself from time to time, as befits an academic of…

  • The Nachzehrer’s Curse

    It was on a cold Christmas Eve when tragedy crept into a snow coated town. Amongst the quiet kisses in homes that flickered with laughter, the clink of cutlery at family dinners, one house stood silent. No sound came from within, only the shuddering gasps of Elsa as she cradled…

  • The Wisp of Fogrest Hollow

    In a small, fog cloaked town at the edge of a marshy lake, a young fisherman named Thomas lived with his mother, Sarah. The town was buried in strange customs and whispered superstitions, most of them surrounding the large number of Fair Folk said to dwell in the wilds beyond…

  • The Boggart

    Fifteen long years had passed since the incident, but it wasn’t until now that I had decided to speak out about it. “Would you like to tell me what happened?” The reporter’s gaze was hungry, predatory. To him, this was just another story. A fresh source of income. I let…

  • Wraiths; Souls of the Tormented

    The porter halted at the threshold of the front door, setting my belongings down beside him with suspicion clouding his eyes. “I’ll go no farther.” He insisted tightly. I nodded. “Don’t worry. I can take it from here.” The porter shook his head, a grimace tugging his weathered face, “You…

  • Krampus

    Each Christmas Eve, the houses would grow still, falling silent in anticipation of St. Nicholas’ visit. When the final light flickered into blackness and a soft whisper of snow swirled in the frosty air, so St. Nicholas would come. And just as quickly, he would leave, the houses behind him…

  • The Erlking; Child Snatcher

    In the bleak hours that followed daybreak, a weary father and his young son travelled home on horseback after a long day of berry-picking in the woods. A thick blanket of mist had settled over the moors, casting a ghostly veil across the landscape, while a bitter chill seeped through…

  • Cailleach; Winter Queen of the Celts

    The people had slept in silence until a great tremor rumbled through the town, shaking the ground beneath them. They did not dare turn on their lights, knowing all too well who had come to pass by. Instead they peered cautiously through their windows, looking out at the enormous woman…

  • Bean Nighe; The Washerwomen

    The Washer-Women were beautiful creatures by day, radiating beauty that captivated all who beheld them. But as night descended, their former beauty deteriorated so that they were nothing more than aged crones. Yet their task, never changing, saw them continue to toil beneath the moonlight until the streams they inhabited…