The Mortvane Registry of Night Creatures · Folklore, history and legend
The Lore Library
The real folklore behind our quizzes, told by fans from the land of the upír and the vlkolak: where vampires, werewolves and witches come from, what the old stories really said, and which famous rules were invented by novels and films.
Vampires
Where the vampire really comes from, what folklore said about stopping one, and how novels turned a village corpse into a count.
Vampire Folklore: Where the Legend Really Comes From
Where do vampires really come from? The upír of Slavic folklore, the Serbian vampire cases of 1725 and 1732, and how the word vampire reached English.
Read the storyVampire Weaknesses: What Folklore Really Said
Garlic, stakes, mirrors, running water and sunlight: which vampire weaknesses come from real folklore and which were invented by novels and films?
Read the storyBefore Dracula: How the Vampire Entered Literature
From a German poem of 1748 to Polidori, Varney, Carmilla and Dracula: how vampires entered literature, and why Nosferatu made the sun deadly in 1922.
Read the storyMercy Brown and the New England Vampire Panic
In 1892 a Rhode Island town dug up 19-year-old Mercy Brown to stop a vampire. The true story of the New England vampire panic and the tuberculosis behind it.
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Werewolves
Wolf-men from Greek myth to the courtrooms of the 1500s, and which werewolf rules are much younger than they look.
Werewolf Legends: A Short History of the Wolf-Men
The history of the werewolf: Lycaon and the Neuri, the werewolf trials of the 1500s, Thiess the good werewolf and the Beast of Gévaudan that terrorised France.
Read the storyWerewolf Weaknesses: Silver, Wolfsbane and the Moon
Do werewolves really fear silver and change at the full moon? Where silver bullets, wolfsbane and moonlight came from, and what older folklore really said.
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Witches
Healers, night-battlers and the feared village witch, the real history of the witch trials, and the spring fires of Walpurgis Night.
Types of Witches in European Folklore
Cunning folk, the bosorka and the striga, Ježibaba, the benandanti and the learned magicians: the many kinds of witches in European folklore and legend.
Read the storyThe European Witch Trials: A Short History
How many people died in the European witch trials, why they peaked between 1560 and 1630, how they ended, and the myths: nine million victims, burnings at Salem.
Read the storyWalpurgis Night and the Witch Fires of Central Europe
On 30 April Central Europe burns the witches: the story of Walpurgis Night, the Brocken, the witch bonfires and Morena, the straw figure of winter.
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Folklore and history
The wider world of night creatures: Slavic folklore, the Blood Countess of Čachtice, and where Halloween comes from.
Creatures of Slavic Folklore: A Field Guide
A field guide to the creatures of Slavic and Slovak folklore: the upír, vlkolak, bosorka, striga, mora, vodník, rusalka, Ježibaba and the noon witch.
Read the storyElizabeth Báthory: The Blood Countess of Čachtice
Elizabeth Báthory, the Blood Countess of Čachtice in Slovakia: what the 1611 trials found, why she was never tried, and where the blood-bath legend began.
Read the storyWhere Does Halloween Come From?
Where does Halloween come from? Samhain, All Hallows' Eve, soul cakes, turnip lanterns, and how trick-or-treat began in 1917 Canada and spread across America.
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How we research
Folklore is full of good stories that are repeated without checking. We read the encyclopedias, studies and original records behind each article, date what can be dated and say clearly when a famous detail, such as the silver bullets of Gévaudan or the countess's blood baths, was added centuries later. Every article lists its sources. If you spot a mistake, write to [email protected] and we will correct it.
The only fiction on this site is our own: the Mortvane Registry, its three orders and its 18 creature types. More about us.
Put your lore to the test
Every creature quiz ends with a lore trial built on stories like these. Only a perfect score in the hard trial reaches the highest rank.
Which Vampire Are You?
Seven questions reveal your bloodline. A lore trial decides your rank in the Order, from Fledgling to Ancient.
Take the vampire quizWhat Kind of Werewolf Are You?
Seven questions reveal your wolf. A lore trial decides your place in the pack, from Pup to Moonborn.
Take the werewolf quizWhich Witch or Wizard Are You?
Seven questions reveal your magical path. A lore trial decides your rank in the coven, from Apprentice to Grand Magus.
Take the witch or wizard quiz
Lore Library FAQ
Are the stories in the Lore Library true?
Yes, as far as the sources allow. Every article is about real folklore, history or literature and lists the sources it is based on. Where historians disagree, or a famous detail turns out to be a later invention, the article says so. The Mortvane Registry, its orders and its creature types are the only fiction on this site.
Where do your facts come from?
From encyclopedias, museum, university and library pages, historical studies and the books and records they cite. Each article ends with the sources we used, so you can read further.
I found a mistake. What should I do?
Write to [email protected]. We check every correction, fix the article and update its date.
What does the Lore Library have to do with the quizzes?
Every creature quiz ends with a lore trial on real folklore and literature. The articles tell the full stories behind many of its questions, so they are the best preparation for the hard trial and the highest ranks.