Crazy Alchemist
Chronicles
Notes from the edge of the unexplained. Five realms, one investigation.
01
Folklore
Journey into the hidden realms of myths, legends, and folklore. Discover ancient stories, supernatural beings, and the cultural traditions that shape our understanding of the mysterious world.
Mmoatia: The Forest Dwarfs of Akan Folklore
In Akan belief the mmoatia are the little folk of the forest. They are said to stand about a foot tall, with feet that point …
Tipua: The Uncanny Beings and Objects of Māori Tradition
In Māori tradition a tipua (also tupua) is anything that behaves in a way ordinary things do not. Most tipua in the old records …
The White Lady of Berlin Palace and Luise Henriette: The Ghost Who Told the Time
The White Lady of Berlin Palace was a ghost in white who, people said, showed herself before deaths in Brandenburg's ruling …
Bismarck Sea Mermaid Legend: What Was the Ri?
Along the coasts of central and southern New Ireland, people described a sea animal with a human head, arms and chest, and a …
02
History
Explore the dark side of history: vampire scares, witch trials, prophetic visions, heresies, and hauntings. Primary sources and clear analysis separate belief from fact.
Why Was the Shoemaker of Breslau Dug Up?
A shoemaker in a Silesian town cut his own throat in September 1591. His family passed the death off as a stroke so that he could …
Pluckley Village Ghosts: The Making of England's Most Haunted Village
The most haunted village in England has a start date. Ten of Pluckley's ghost stories were first written down by a local man named …
How Did Marsilio Ficino Escape the Inquisition While Printing Talisman Recipes?
In December 1489 the Florentine priest Marsilio Ficino published a book of planetary talisman recipes with his own defence bound …
The Vampire Files: Real Cases from Five Centuries of Records
Court verdicts, military reports, newspaper dispatches: the documented vampire cases of the Balkans, from a licensed staking in …
03
Esoterica
Explore the mysteries of the universe, hidden realms of esoteric knowledge, and secrets of the occult. Discover ancient rituals, mystical practices, and forbidden wisdom.
Why Did Paracelsus' Chickens Lose Their Feathers?
A famous alchemy book printed under Paracelsus' name says that hens once ate a tincture meant to turn metal into gold. Their …
Teresa of Ávila's Mystical Experiences, in Her Own Words
Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582), a Carmelite nun from Castile, wrote down her raptures, voices and visions at her confessors' command, …
Ashdoda: The Seated Goddess of Ashdod the Bible Leaves Out
Ashdoda is a small Philistine clay figure from about the 12th century BCE: a woman whose body forms the back of her own chair. She …
Ægishjálmur Meaning: What the Sources Say About the Helm of Awe
Ægishjálmur means helmet of terror. In the medieval poems and sagas it is a real helmet: the dragon Fáfnir wears it to frighten …
04
Nature & Science
Herbs, healing, scientific curiosities, and the stranger side of the natural world. From ancient plant medicine to modern mysteries of the body and mind.
The Fire That Burns Without Flame: Goethe and Germany's Burning Mountain
Near Dudweiler in Saarland, a coal seam caught fire around the 1660s and has smouldered underground ever since, with no flame …
Why Do Fairy Rings Kill Grass in Autumn? The Witch Ring in Your Lawn
A fairy ring is one fungal colony expanding outward through the soil at about a foot a year, and the ring of mushrooms is only its …
Can Organs Hold Memories? What Transplant Stories and the New Science Suggest
Claire Sylvia woke from a heart-lung transplant craving beer and chicken nuggets, foods she had never liked. Her donor, an …
The Science of the Love Potion
From the Marquis de Sade's poisoned sweets to the celery on your plate, the history of the love potion is a history of people …
05
Media
Reviews and guides to books, films, and shows across myth, history, and the occult—what's worth your time and why in our curated selection of mystical media.
The Northman's Burial Mound: The Real Saga Texts Behind the Grave Scene
The burial mound scene in Robert Eggers's The Northman (2022) follows one saga chapter almost step by step. In Grettir's saga an …
Romani Folk Tales from Transylvania: Heinrich von Wlislocki and the Spirits of the Gypsy Camp
In the summer of 1883 Heinrich von Wlislocki wandered with tent-dwelling Roma through southern Transylvania and came back with …
The Demons Born from Adam: A 1641 Scholar Reads Jewish Demonology
A Lutheran Hebraist at Altdorf read Jewish angelology and demonology in the original and set it beside the Church Fathers. His …
Midsommar (2019): The Real Folklore Ari Aster Wove, and the Parts He Invented
The maypole is a German import. The phallic reading of it is debunked folk-etymology. The ättestupa cliff was never a real …