Culture

So many horror films and books are dedicated to ghosts, especially when they are rooted to a specific place they haunt, most commonly lingering inside the haunted house. But how…

What is the sea but an abyss better left undisturbed? And still, we try to explore the depths of the oceans, fear mingling with fascination as we catalogue and photograph…

Everyone dies, but burials are not standardized and neither are the rituals surrounding them. While many fear death, some cultures not only venerate the dead, but actively engage with the…

Greek mythological monsters, hybrids, and other fantastical entities have become a well-known group of creatures in the Western world. From centaurs, to nymphs, to chimeras and sirens, those beings have…

Food is storytelling. Think of the resplendent fruits of the Goblin Market, the six pomegranate seeds Persephone ate that bound her to Hades and the Underworld, children being warned not…

Here’s a truth that most aspiring authors wouldn’t dare to admit: I wasn’t a bookworm kid. Outside of the textbooks I had to read at school, I barely read any…

I’m not sure the exact moment I became aware of my Irish lineage—both my maternal and paternal grandmothers were Irish—but somewhere between childhood and adolescence I began to develop a…

The Netherlands is a land of cheese, great height, and mighty polders. However, its capital shares a dark and gory history that may leave you catching a freight on your…

Sexual arousal is a complicated physiological process. It has neurological, psychological, endocrinological, sensual, and other components. It can occur due to visual or physical stimuli, and it can happen at the most inopportune times. Like while you’re dying.