Which country has the scariest folk tales?

[Anonymous No.15182112]

also if you have some good recommendations, feel free to give them

[Anonymous No.15182143]

bumping this

[Anonymous No.15182146]

America, unironically.

[Anonymous No.15182159]

>>15182112
japan, the uk, germany, haiti, mali

[Anonymous No.15182172]

>>15182159
All wrong, America is the scariest. Sorry. Though Germany comes in close second.

[Anonymous No.15182203]

>>15182172
>a country with a 250 year history has better folk tales than millennia of european black flaming-eyed helldogs
the scariest american folk tale is the grinch

[Anonymous No.15182207]

>>15182146
>>15182172

So let's hear a scary American folk-tale, dudes. Put your money where your mouth is.

[Anonymous No.15182274]

Give examples guys

[Anonymous No.15182366]

>>15182203
I guess America is just better at making folklore my man. If they can put together better horrors than Europeans in less than 250 years then Europeans are just lousy and unimaginative. Sorry frebbies.

[Anonymous No.15182374]

>>15182207
Not OP, but a lot of Native American cultures have pretty good folk tales. Windigos are spooky.

[Anonymous No.15182392]

[Anonymous No.15182405]

>>15182392
Super scary right eurobros?! Back me up here defend our millennia of Folklore tradition!

[Anonymous No.15182406]

>>15182112
German folktales aren't that scary really. It's mostly just 'if you don't eat your soup you'll starve'. Now, violent ? Yes, but spooky not really. Hatschi Bratschi Luftballon was scarier than some of the classic tales

[Anonymous No.15182411]

>>15182405
So post some american folklore dipshit

[Anonymous No.15182421]

>>15182406
No it was if you don’t eat you will be eaten.

[Anonymous No.15182426]

>>15182406
i like the krampus

[Anonymous No.15182437]

>>15182421
It depends. There's that one about the kid sucking his thumb, so the thumb-cutter struts through the land on his seven-league boots, come to cut his thumb. Insane really but funny

[Anonymous No.15182458]

Nevermind scary folktales, what about folktales/local mythology in general?

I'm incredibly envious of Japan for preserving their paganism for so long, resulting in such an abundance of folktales and a highly developed cultural aesthetic that exists to this day. I greatly enjoyed watching their opening ceremony for the Rugby World Cup for this reason

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLTza7PVQs0

Here in Britain we only seem to have fragmented memories of our own folktales that pop up here and there in celebrations like Easter and Christmas.

[Anonymous No.15182480]

>>15182458
it annoys me to no end that Britain has lost nearly all of its native folklore

[Anonymous No.15182481]

>>15182112
Scandinavia and their "Underjordiske" myths are pretty spooky. Huldra etc. Asgardsreia.
Iceland have the jule lads which are more fun than scary, but they share a lot of folk tales with Scandinavia.
Brothers Grimm are famous, germany has good stuff.

[Anonymous No.15182526]

>>15182112
>>15182203
>>15182374
While Theodor Kittelsen-like 19th century drawings seem to make people feel their country's folk tales are more legitimate, American scary folktales have to be approached in context. The best scary American tales are from Native Americans or are contemporary urban legends. Both types of folktales come from oral tradition rather than written tradition (changing due to internet / creepypasta).

That being said, Japan has the scariest folk tales.

[Anonymous No.15182542]

austria.

[Anonymous No.15182554]

>>15182542
>le spoopy Lindwurm von Klagenfurt

[Anonymous No.15182585]

>>15182112

[Anonymous No.15182592]

>creepy American folk tales

I guess living in America in 2020 will make for some pretty fucking crispy folk tales in the future

[Anonymous No.15182595]

>>15182146
>>15182172
>>15182366
>>15182405
>I sharted muh pants at fatcamp when we were telling spooky stories at the fire, so LISTEN TO ME WHEN I TELL YOU MURICA WINS THIS ONE.

[Anonymous No.15182680]

>>15182112
Folk tales are literally for fucking peasants

[Anonymous No.15182719]

>>15182680
>Tfw no peasant gf to seduce with folk tales so I can fuck peasants

[Anonymous No.15182744]

>>15182719
>tfw when realising he IS a peasant

[Anonymous No.15182824]

>>15182744
>tfw accountant working from home

I truly wish I was living in a pre-agrarian society, like the caduveo or living in the kula ring. fuck

[Anonymous No.15182834]

Canada
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qalupalik

[Anonymous No.15182866]

>>15182834
very standard myth all over the world really.

[Anonymous No.15182881]

You know the word 'night-mare'?
imagine a succubus without the pleasure, and ten times the horror


Here I am lying down to sleep;
No night-mare shall plague me
until they have swum through all waters
that flow upon the earth,
and counted all stars
that appear in the firmament

>The mara (or nightmare, as is the English word for them) appears as a skinny young woman, dressed in a nightgown, with pale skin and long black hair and nails. As sand they could slip through the slightest crack in the wood of a wall and terrorize the sleeping by "riding" on their chest, thus giving them nightmares. They would sometimes ride cattle that, when touched by the Mara, would have their hair or fur tangled and energy drained, while trees would curl up and wilt. In some tales they had a similar role to the Banshee as an omen of death and if one were to leave a dirty doll in a family living room, one of the members would soon fall ill and die of tuberculosis (also called "lung soot", referring to how the lack of proper chimneys in old 18–19th century homes led to many contracting aforementioned diseases due to inhaling smoke on a daily basis).
>There is controversy as to how they came into being and in some tales, the Maras are simply restless children, whose souls leave their body at night to haunt the living.

[Anonymous No.15182889]

>>15182112
The scariest pour moi is of course the folklore I grew up with, that is Norwegian folklore, especially Nøkken and lots of stuff from Theodor Kittelsen. But there's also a comfiness (and often humor) to it.

>>15182146
I get this. It has a really interesting mix of the primordial (Wendigos and Skin walkers), folklore (Jersey Devil, ayy lmaos) and modern urban legends (dog men and such)

>>15182526
Japan was always great at the ghoulish and ghastly, and is currently the king when it comes to keeping the folklore tradition alive though ghost stories and urban legends. It is evolving (Slit mouth woman, various internet urban legends) yet still retains its pagan, Shinto roots. It's a very facinating thing
East asian folklore in general is very interesting, with some creepy creatures (my faves are Jiangshi and Penanggalan)

(Sorry for rambling I'm drunk and love folklore. If there's anything specific please (you) me)

[Anonymous No.15182896]

>>15182881
spooky

[Anonymous No.15182898]

>>15182406
>>15182437
Those aren't folk-tales though, they're relatively modern stories written by a child doctor to teach them some manners. Grimm's Märchen are actual folk tales.

[Anonymous No.15182907]

isn't there some Tibetan monster that drags you into a suffering dimension for 10000000000000000000000000000 years or something

[Anonymous No.15182911]

what are good anthologies of folklore from around the world?

[scandinavia No.15182917]

>>15182881
then there's the naked pedophile/rapist/man eater, who like Mermaids (but much worse) enchant people with illusions into lakes to 'drown'

[Anonymous No.15182967]

>>15182274
4chan isn't very erudite, anon

[Anonymous No.15182988]

The British Isle's have some creepy shit, especially the nuckelavee and the banshees

[scandinavia No.15183002]

>>15182917
>>15182889
>>15182881
but there's nothing so horrifying and terrible in the whole world and cosmos . . .
than a helvetes jävla tomtejävel
If anything you own is broken or is lost, a tomte has broken it, or stolen it. How else do you think Santa can make so many presents?

[Anonymous No.15183005]

>>15182907
wtf.

[Anonymous No.15183020]

Guarani Mythology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarani_mythology

[Anonymous No.15183099]

>>15183002
It's strange, I've actually heard from people who claim to believe in them. Trolls, Nokken, Huldra, never. But Nisser/Tomter I have heard stories off several times:
>There's an old Herregård wich not only is haunted af, but it is said Nisser lives around the stables. People living and working there has even seen braids on the horses in the morning when they had nothing the night before.
>My grandmother's sister (really no-nonsense person) claimed to have seen a tomte once in a cabin in the woods. About the size of a garden gnome, dressed all in grey. Which is how they are usually described
>Here's a video clip of one allegedly caught on tape:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msSoq4lpULY

It's spooky, but there's also something magical and wonderful about it imo
The fact that every culture throughout time has tales of small (usually invinsible and unseen) humanoid creatures lurking around kinda makes me think there's some truth in it

[Anonymous No.15183144]

>>15182203
America isn't only 250 years old. There were people living here way before Europeans came.

Germany was named Germany around the 1870's right? We don't say they are only 150 years old.

[Anonymous No.15183146]

>>15183099

[Anonymous No.15183164]

>>15182866
>>15182834
Canada is very standard

[Anonymous No.15183191]

>>15183099
We in Finland have "tonttuja". Is it the same creature? They are usually living in the forest, but we even have a"saunatonttu" that lives in people's saunas. As a kid, I was always afraid to be alone in the sauna because I believed that the saunatonttu would get mad at me lmao.

Nowadays they are mostly depicted as workers for Santa.

[« Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ » !d.IEVzCIA2 No.15183229]

>>15182112
Is that Grendel? Has anyone read Grendel by John Gardner?

[Anonymous No.15183256]

>>15183146
The childhood trauma

[Anonymous No.15183276]

>>15183229
It's a Troll (pondering over how old it is) by norwegian artist (and folklore and fairytale master illustrator) Theodor Kittelsen

What is Grendel about?

[Anonymous No.15183338]

Hey /lit/, so I've just typed a long ass post and then my PC crashed so I'll have to sum it up quickly.

Basically, I've thought just this morning about compiling a chart folk story collections and this thread seems like a good excuse to go through with it. But I'm not really an expert on the topic, so I'll have to heavily rely on your suggestions. I'll read through them, compare and compile a chart, but it's ultimately up to your activity and support. I'll maybe create a separate thread if idea gains traction in this one.

I haven't put much thought into it yet. I think it's fair to limit the chart to specific folk tale compilations (no vague stuff like 'Include Chinese folk tales'. I'll need to put a specific book cover in a chart, you know). I suspect that including other folklore like epics would make them dominate the chart and dwarf the folk tales, but I'm willing to hear your opinions on it. You can also suggest folklore studies books if you think that they should be included.

Here are my nominations so far (I'll come up with more later):
Grimm brothers (duh)
A kayak full of ghosts: Eskimo tales by Laurence Millman (that's the answer to OP's question, btw)
Russian Folk Tales by Afanasyev
Erotic Tales of Old Russia by Afanasyev (this is literally a must-read for every Russian speaker, although I'm not sure how well it's translated)
The Malachite Box by Bazhov

I'm also not sure where to draw a line between authentic folk tales and literary ones. For example. Bazhov generally wrote his own tales, but based them on Ural oral folk lore. I guess I can still include stuff like this as long as it mimics the traditional oral narrative. Maybe I'll add literary imitations of folk tales as a separate category if there are enough of them.

So feel free to give your own suggestions based on significance, literary merit and uniqueness.

[Anonymous No.15183392]

>>15183338
The Complete and Original Norwegian Folktales of Asbjørnsen and Moe

[Anonymous No.15183395]

>>15182112
This pictures got such an A E S T H E T I C

Why?

[Anonymous No.15183410]

>>15183392
Thank you for suggestion.

[Anonymous No.15183419]

>>15183395
Ambient nordic nature + love for folklore + spooky ambience+ talent + SOUL

[Anonymous No.15183424]

>>15183395
looks like John Bauer

[Anonymous No.15183430]

>>15183424
It's Theodor Kittelsen.

[Anonymous No.15183438]

>>15183395

[Anonymous No.15183451]

tectonic plates do not move because of the mantle

[Anonymous No.15183458]

balkan 100%

[Anonymous No.15183490]

>>15183338
Oh yeah, I forgot 1001 Nights.

[Anonymous No.15183500]

In the part of spain were im from our folk has some old pagan and cristian stories but none of them are usually scary.
I personally like the Santa Compaña myth cause people still belived it not so long ago.

[Anonymous No.15183508]

>>15182112
China and/or native america.

[Anonymous No.15183549]

>>15182146
>>15182172
America's folkore is gay. "DUDE THE JERSEY DEVIL, HE'S A DEMON FROM NEW JERSEY XD".

[Anonymous No.15183579]

Alpine paganism.. in some valleys still quite present.
I live in a valley where at least 1 person wanders into the mountains each year and is never found again. My uncle also disappeared like that. The area is notoriously compared to the Bermuda triangle but the local tourist offices try to supress that as much as possible.

The weird thing is, it usually happens around the 15th of September (esp if it's Sunday), from 10-17th December, in last week of February and in last week of May.
The dates are related to christianity, but i think christianity based it on some pagan observation.. one explanation is, that's when the seasons change and surroundings become unrecognizable. I can confirm that because I once almost got lost on a familiar path because the snow fell while all the trees were already green. It confused me big time.
Anyway, the pagan folklore has its own explanation. There's a yeti-like monster called the "Quarterman". He takes people every time the season changes (4 times a year, hence the quarterman).

[Anonymous No.15183589]

>>15183338
Also, Boris Shergin and Stepan Pisahov. More on the literary side of things, but these two are powerhouses of Northern literature.

I'm going through my library and picking up one book after another. But it's mostly Russian folklore so anons from other countries should step up their game.

[Anonymous No.15183594]

>>15183338
Obviously include pic related.

[Anonymous No.15183601]

>>15183594
Good pick!

[Anonymous No.15183655]

>>15183338
You should definitely include The Celtic Twilight by Yeats and Italian Folk Tales by Italo Calvino.
Yeats was really into this shit. In fact Irish folktales are my nomination for the most interesting, if not necessarily 'scary' (though some of them are). I like how there seem to be a lot of people who still believe in faeries and the like - or at least, I'm not sure how seriously to take them.

[Anonymous No.15183671]

>>15183579
That's breddy spooky. Do believe there is something out there?

[Anonymous No.15183691]

>>15183655
>I like how there seem to be a lot of people who still believe in faeries and the like - or at least, I'm not sure how seriously to take them.
Because you're soulless, mate.

[Anonymous No.15183713]

>>15183691
I mean I'm not sure how seriously they are being themselves. Sorry if I phrased that poorly.

[Anonymous No.15183739]

>>15183549
If you've never been out to the Pine Barrens you could not imagine what a weird and alien place that is. America is strange on a level that euros can't even comprehend, and the farther you get from the cities, the more of it you see. I'm an American living in Europe and allow me to say, you guys don't know shit, despite lapping up our worst cultural by-products like its your last meal.

[Anonymous No.15183773]

>>15183739
>Anyone who laughs at American memes is from Europe
kek why do Americans have such big egos? Is it a fallout from eating McDonald's?

[Anonymous No.15183825]

>>15183144
Are you serious? What is now Germany had been inhabited by Germans for centuries even before it was named Germany. Native Americans didn't have a country called America either, but I'm guessing you meant individual tribes/cultures. What a shit take my dude.

[Anonymous No.15183884]

>>15183594
>>15183655
These fine gentlemen are correct. The list needs both Yeats' books.

[Anonymous No.15183935]

>>15183655
Thanks for the suggestion. Here's a story I've saved a month ago from anon on here.
>I have a good story about Yeats. An old professor of mine, since retired and probably dead, was in a lecture by Yeats at a NESCAC school. at the end of the lecture, they opened it up for questions. The school had just turned co-ed, and this girl raised her hand and with a smile asked Yeats: "Do people in Irelad really believe in silly things like elves and little people?"
>Yeats turned to her with a severe face and a booming voice: "Young lady, there ARE little people." and he was completely serious.

On an unrelated note,
>>15183739
Tell me more. What's some essential pine-core? I've seen Twin Peaks and Graham Annable stuff, but don't recall any books on the matter.

[Anonymous No.15183943]

maybe Scotland.
about an entire clan that was founded and went about eating entire villages.

[Anonymous No.15183947]

>>15183935
holy BASED Yeats

[Anonymous No.15184032]

>>15183935
I love that story of Yeats, anon. Regarding the pines, its hard to say definitively because like most folklore the Jersey Devil and other American mythology is primarily an oral tradition, and a lot of efforts to serialize it or dramatize it come out poorly. As silly as it sounds, one of the best ways to get a feel for it is paranormal podcasts where people call in and share their stories, or the spiritual precursor to them, the eternally based Coast to Coast radio show back when Art Bell still had the helm. You'll get everything from Native American stories to desert cults and UFO encounters, skinwalkers, Sasquatch, the Mothman, Momo, wendigos, colonial hauntings, classics like Mel's Hole, CIA experiments and schizo ramblings, the whole gamut.

[Anonymous No.15184049]

>>15184032
Are most of those technically Native American legends?

[Anonymous No.15184096]

>>15184049
No, not at all. Skinwalker and wendigo, yes, certainly, but as far as Sasquatch and related, (skunk ape, etc) they were known by the Natives before Europeans showed up but thats just because they were here first, its not like people stopped seeing them afterwards, or its a figment of their culture. Nearly every single day someone, somewhere in the country will claim to have seen a Sasquatch. The rest are unaffiliated with Native American folklore.

[Anonymous No.15184130]

>>15184096
What do you think about these folk tales? Do you believe in some of them or do you think they're just cultural curiosities?

[Anonymous No.15184207]

>>15184130
In general, I believe them. Maybe not every single one, but I can say there is something about the land itself that attracts strangeness. Other places have traces of it left, some European countries I've explored too, but America is especially undomesticated in that sense.

[Anonymous No.15184229]

>>15184207
Based. You have soul, fellow /lit/bro.

[Anonymous No.15184395]

>>15184207
>>15184130
If you've ever been in the pine barrens and felt them grow silent, and nothing is moving other than your breath, you might not believe in any one thing, but you'll believe in something.

[Anonymous No.15184396]

>>15184229
Thank you, anon

[Anonymous No.15184605]

wales

[Anonymous No.15184614]

>>15184605
like Moby-Dick?

[Anonymous No.15184643]

>>15182112
Nobody even knows where the dog-men originated from. But what makes this scary is that various cultures reported near similar physical descriptions, similar society descriptions, and similar behavioural descriptions

[Anonymous No.15184649]

>>15184605
There's plenty of stuff from hellhounds to weird demon-spawned heroes that try to protect the innocent but still manage to kill entire villages as a side effect.

Most importantly I'd say the story of Llud and Llefelys is fit to a horror story, talking about 3 plagues England endured.

The Corianaid, human-like creatures that are very hard to get rid of, cause they have such good hearing they take notice of any plan being made against them, so they swiftly killed the ones involved and kept going, think of a Middle Ages body snatchers situation.
The May Day scream, where each year a horrendous scream would be heard througout the region and the frighten they induced would cause miscarriages of any pregnant woman who heard it.
And finally some provisions disappearing.

It's so bad that the king of England, Llud, goes to visit his cousin (or brother I think) Llevelys, who is king of France, and he gives him solution to these problems, still the nature of these stories I think its kinda spooky, the Mabinogion has many such stories.

[Anonymous No.15184818]

>>15184643
give me some medieval sources