Legends and Folk Myths

World Heritage Sites connected to 'Legends and Folk Myths':

  • Ancient Nara Tame deer roam through the town, according to the legend, a mythological god Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara on a white deer to guard the newly built capital of Heijô-kyô. Since then the deer were regarded as heavenly animal to protect the city.
  • Budapest Gellert Hill - St. Gerard (Gellert) was killed by the pagans during the great pagan rebellion in 1046. He was put in a barrel and rolled down into the deep from the top of the hill.
  • Burgos Cathedral The legend of El Cid
  • Chief Roi Mata’s Domain Legends around death of Roy Mata
  • Costiera Amalfitana A boat transporting an icon of the Ascention of the Lady heard a mysterious voice 'posa, posa' ('put,put'), so they stopped their ship at Positano's shore and left the icon at its central church. This is the origin of Positano's name
  • Curonian Spit Neringa and the creation of the Spit: "According to Baltic mythology, the Curonian Spit was formed by a strong girl, Neringa, who was playing on the seashore."
  • Dolomites King Laurin and his Rose Garden; link
  • Giant's Causeway Legend of the Irish giant Fionn Mac Cumhaill
  • Hal Saflieni Hypogeum Dissappearing school parties and a hidden cave featuring Humanoid beings ; link
  • Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump About a young Blackfoot found with his skull crushed by the weight of the buffalo. ; link
  • Hollókö Called the Raven Mountain due to the legend telling ravens destroyed the constructions of the village during its erection every night
  • Island of Pátmos Mythology tells of how Patmos existed as an island at the bottom of the sea and how the island emerged from the water by intervention of Zeus.
  • Kronborg Castle Legendary home of Hamlet
  • Lake Baikal Natives believe that Burkhan, a modern religious cult figure of the Altai peoples, lives in the cave in the Shaman Rock on Olkhon.
  • Liverpool The "Liver Bird"
  • Luang Prabang Luang Prabang's legend of the city spirit guardians - Pu No and Na No; link
  • Mahabalipuram Legend of Seven Pagodas
  • Mount Taishan Legend of Pan Gu
  • Mount Wutai Legend of unburnable Tripitaka making Chinese Emperor convert to Buddhism and built Xiantong Temple
  • Prague The Golem of Prague
  • Rapa Nui Rapa Nui mythology
  • Rome Romulus & Remus, the Aeneid
  • Santa Ana de los Rios de Cuenca Cuenca is considered a candidate for the mythical city of gold, El Dorado.
  • Segovia The legend that the devil built the aqueduct for exchange of the soul of a girl who has to carry water to the city
  • Siena According to legend, Siena was founded by Senius, son of Remus, who was in turn the brother of Romulus, after whom Rome was named. Statues and other artwork depicting a she-wolf suckling the young twins Romulus and Remus can be seen all over the city of Siena.
  • Sighisoara Legend of Vlad the Impaler
  • Sulamain-Too Women who ascend to the shrine on top and crawl though an opening across the holy rock will, according to legend, give birth to healthy children. (Wiki)
  • Taj Mahal Black Taj Mahal; link
  • Telc Within the [castel's] chapel in a white marble sarcophagus lie the remains of Zacharias z Hradec and his wife Katharina Valdstejn. According to legend, the young wife was implicated in her own death. She allowed her portrait to be painted while she was pregnant - despite warnings that this meant she would die within a year of her birth.
  • Tower of London The Ravens
  • Town Hall and Roland, Bremen 'Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten'
  • Troy Trojan Horse
  • Upper Middle Rhine Valley Lorelei