Author: Ashley

Ashley is a history lover, paranormal enthusiast, and easily swayed sceptic with a BA and MA in the History of Art. Originally from Canada, Ashley lives on England's Isle of Wight (one of the most haunted islands in the world!) and enjoys internet deep dives into peculiar histories from around our weird and wonderful planet.

27 June 2025

The Charming and Elusive Canadian House Hippo

Since the 1990s, Canadians and some residents of the northeastern United States have reported sightings of small, curious creatures called House Hippos taking up residence in their homes. Unlike their much larger namesake, House Hippos are only about the size of a mouse and pose no threat to humans. As of today, there have been no reported incidents of a...

Weird History

27 June 2025

‘Man Proposes, God Disposes’: A Haunted Painting at the University of London

In 1845 Captain John Franklin led the doomed expedition of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to navigate the Northwest Passage of the Canadian Arctic. In September of 1846, over a year into their voyage, Erebus and Terror became trapped in the ice near King William Island. Surving off dwindling provisions, the crew of 129 waited two years for rescue...

Paranormal Encounters

1 October 2024

The World’s Oldest Ghosts: Hauntings in Ancient Rome and Babylon

While we often associate ghost stories with the 18th and 19th centuries, humans have been telling tales of hauntings for far, far longer. So where can we find evidence of the world’s oldest known ghost stories and hauntings? The Oldest Recorded Haunting The oldest ghost story currently known was recorded by Roman politician and writer, Pliny the Younger in the...

Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

11 September 2024

Do eels really come from the Bermuda Triangle?

For thousands of years humans had absolutely no idea where eels came from, and some of the theories we came up with were pretty wild. Going back a few thousand years, the Ancient Egyptians believed eels spawned in the Nile when the water was warmed by the rays of the sun. And Ancient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (who wrote...

Weird History

25 May 2024

The Myth and Mystique of Biblical Nephilim: Fallen Angels or Ancient Aliens?

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this) when the sons of God would sleep with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men. Genesis 6:4, NET The Bible is a powerful book. For many it inspires hope, alleviates pain, and provides comfort...

Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

13 May 2024

Our Peculiar Relationship with ‘666’, an Ancient Evil in the Modern World

In the iconic 1976 horror film The Omen, an American ambassador and his wife unknowingly adopt the baby Antichrist following the death of their newborn son. As the movie progresses, young Dameon’s parents realise something is incredibly wrong with their toddler who throws a passionate fit outside of a cathedral, inspires monkeys at the zoo into a frenzy, watches as...

Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

9 May 2024

John Dee’s Conversations with Angels: Obsession and Sacrifice in the Pursuit of Heavenly Knowledge

Dr John Dee is among the most fascinating figures of the Elizabethan period with a life akin to the plot of a historical fantasy novel. Born in London on 13 July 1527, Dee attended St John’s College at Cambridge University at the young age of 15 and graduated after intense study with a Bachelor of Arts in 1545. He then...

Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

19 March 2024

The SS Bannockburn or, ‘The Flying Dutchman’ of Lake Superior

The Great Lakes of North America, covering nearly 95,000 square miles, make up the largest freshwater system on our planet. While water vessels of all sizes have used the lakes for transport, freight, and pleasure, not everyone and every ship makes it safely back home. To date there have been over 6,000 shipwrecks throughout the five Great Lakes that have...

Paranormal Encounters

6 January 2024

The Kraken: How the Myth of a Legendary Sea Monster Became Reality

Originally based in Scandinavian folklore, the Kraken is a large mythological creature said to haunt open water. The first known account of the Kraken was written by King Sverre of Norway in 1180 during a time when the oceans were relatively uncharted. The Kraken was said to be a hunter of ships, the bigger the better, making it a predator...

Paranormal Encounters/Weird History

3 January 2024

Sex and Frenzy in the Central Panel of Bosch’s ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’

I spy with my little eye: two people copulating inside an oyster, a frog with no arms (or a fish with legs?), a mob of people climbing eagerly into a broken egg, and a boar with blueberries for tentacles. Behold – The Garden of Earthly Delights. To clear a few things up about this incredibly bizarre piece of art: yes,...

Weird History