Julia Louise Pereira

Namazu: In Japanese mythology, a giant catfish named Namazu lives underground and causes violent earthquakes when he thrashes around. According to studies, 60% to 70% of Japanese catfish are known to display increased activity before an earthquake.

The Chimera: In southwestern Turkey, there are fires called Yanarta; that have been on fire for thousands of years. The legend says that the fires are lit because of the fire breathing monster, the Chimera, that’s buried underground. In reality, these are caused by a combination of methane and other gases seeping from the ground.

Mycelium: Fairy rings have been found all over the world, but are known in Irish legends as either the path of dancing fairies or a portal between this realm and the fairy one. These are naturally occurring phenomenon, where a fungus called Marasmius oreades grows underground outward in a circle.

The Birdless Place: Lake Avernus in Italy is known as a “birdless place,” thought to be a door to the underworld, the people there found dead birds all around this area. The death of the birds were actually caused by sulfur gas being emitted through the ground.

Mount Teide: On the Canary Islands, the Guanches people believed that Mount Teide trapped the devil, named Guyaota, and when he tried to break free, the volcano erupted. This volcano was regularly active when the Guanches inhabited it, before the Spanish conquered and colonized them.

Bear Lodge: Bear’s Lodge in Wyomyng, also known as the Devil’s Tower is known by the Cheynne people as being formed by the Great Spirit to save a group of hunters from a huge bear spirit. The bear scratched marks in the rock, the formation that geologists know as columnar jointing.

Pele: The Hawaiian goddess Pele traveled across the islands in search of a home, and running from her sister Nämaka who wanted to kill her. Her path follows accurately the geological age of each of the islands.

Lagoa das Sete Cidades: The twin lakes in Sao Miguel Island, Azores were said to have been formed by two forbidden lovers, a shepherd and a princess. The princess’s tears were green and his were blue, forming the two different colored lakes. The sun reflects the lakes differently due to their varying depths.

Enchanted Ground