Articles

Folklore & Legends

From Tale to Archive: How Folklorists Track a Story

Folklore archives preserve voices and contexts as well as plots. Responsible comparison follows provenance, language, collector influence and variation before proposing historical relationships.

explainedpublicInternational folklore archivesNineteenth-century collecting to modern digital archives

Investigation & Evidence

Reading Medieval Chronicles as Evidence

Chronicles are neither transparent fact-books nor worthless legends. Comparing manuscripts, sources, chronology, genre and independent records reveals what a text can support and where uncertainty remains.

explainedpublicEuropean manuscript traditionsLate antiquity to the late Middle Ages

Investigation & Evidence

Seeing Disaster From Orbit: What Satellite Images Reveal and Miss

Earth observation is powerful because it compares measured surfaces through time. It cannot identify every cause or person on the ground, and its conclusions require sensor knowledge and local verification.

explainedpublicInternational1960s to present

Investigation & Evidence

From Unknown Remains to a Name: What Forensic Genetic Genealogy Can Prove

Investigative genetic genealogy is a powerful lead-generating method, not a machine that names a person automatically. Its results depend on sample quality, database rules, documentary genealogy and independent confirmation.

explainedpublicInternationalLate twentieth century to present

Scientific Anomalies & Natural Phenomena

Strange Signals: How Investigators Classify Sounds and Transmissions

A source-led guide to anomalous signals, from underwater sounds to radio bursts: how calibration, reference libraries and independent repetition separate useful evidence from compelling noise.

explainedpublicInternationalModern acoustic and radio investigation

Disappearances & Unresolved Identities

Search Without a Story: How Missing-Person Investigations Manage Uncertainty

A practical guide to search theory: how planners separate likely location from detectability, update search areas and avoid turning an unsuccessful search into proof of an extraordinary disappearance.

explainedpublicInternationalModern search-and-rescue practice

Occult & Psychical Research

Cursed Objects and the Stories We Attach to Things

Why ordinary objects can gather blame, awe and dread when misfortune needs a visible container.

folklorepublicMuseums, homes and auction roomsAncient to modern

Investigation & Evidence

A Field Guide for Recording Strange Experiences Responsibly

A calm checklist for writing down unusual events before memory, excitement and online feedback reshape them.

explainedpublicField notesCurrent

Folklore & Legends

Fairy Lore as Local Geography

Hills, rings, paths and boundaries often matter more than wings or glitter in older fairy traditions.

folklorepublicBritain and IrelandEarly modern to modern

Archaeology & Disputed Artefacts

Out-of-Place Artefacts and the Value of Caution

Why disputed objects need context, chain of custody and patient interpretation before becoming extraordinary evidence.

disputedpublicCollections and excavation recordsModern debate

Hauntings & Apparitions

The Anatomy of a Haunting Report

A practical guide to separating atmosphere, testimony, memory, environment and possible causes in a reported haunting.

uncertainpublicGeneralContemporary

Folklore & Legends

Urban Legends Before the Internet

Chain letters, photocopies, local radio and schoolyard retellings show that viral folklore did not need a screen.

folklorepublicCities, schools and workplaces1950s-1990s