9 Terrifying Christmas Legends From Around The World, Inside New Orleans Haunted Buckner Mansion, And More

Read these stories and more from History Uncovered. [History Uncovered]( [How The World Celebrated Christmas During World War II, In 44 Powerful Images]( [9 Terrifying Christmas Legends From Around The World That Make The Holidays Anything But Jolly]( [While Gryla is said to eat naughty children throughout Iceland at Christmastime, she also has 13 sons known as the Yule Lads who visit homes to slam doors, eat leftovers, swipe sausages, and engage in general mischief. Meanwhile, her giant cat Jólakötturinn hides in the snow and eats any passersby who didn't receive new clothes for Christmas.]( [Archaeologists Just Discovered A Vast 1,500-Year-Old Mosaic At A Roman Country Estate In Turkey]( [Created sometime between the fifth and seventh centuries C.E., this mosaic adorned the main building of a vast country estate perched atop a hillside.]( [The Spooky History Of Buckner Mansion, The Allegedly Haunted 19th-Century Manor In New Orleans' Garden District]( [Buckner Mansion in New Orleans' Garden District has a long, haunted history that dates back long before the house was used as a set for "American Horror Story."]( [40 Very Merry Christmas Photos That Reveal What The Holiday Was Like In Years Past]( [In the 1980s and early 1990s, Nintendo entertainment systems were some of the most coveted Christmas gifts — and some children were moved to tears when they received them.]( [The Incredible Story Of Robert Rosenthal, The Fearless WW2 Bomber Pilot Who 'Couldn't Get Killed']( [Born in 1917, Robert Rosenthal flew 52 missions as a pilot during World War II, then prosecuted Nazis as a lawyer during the Nuremberg trials.]( [This 2,200-Year-Old 'Dancing Muses' Statue Was Just Uncovered In An Ancient Greek City In Turkey]( [The statue was found in the ancient city of Stratonikeia, one of the largest marble-built cities in the world known as "the city of eternal loves and gladiators."]( [Workers Renovating A Town Hall In Germany Just Found A Medieval Tablet Inscribed With A Satanic Curse]( [Though the story behind the curse remains mysterious, experts suggest that it may have been inscribed by a spurned lover who sought to break up a couple.]( [Bonfires, Feasts, And Human Sacrifice: How The Vikings Celebrated 'Christmas']( [Some historians posit that Santa Claus is actually an interpretation of the Norse god Odin, who had a similarly frosty beard and rode reindeer in a divine hunt through the snowy tundra.]( [27 Scary Demons You Definitely Don't Want To Find Under Your Bed]( [A demon that appears in male form, an incubus is said to seek out sex with sleeping women. According to medieval European folklore, if the demon succeeds in preying on a woman, this could result in the birth of a baby with deformities — or perhaps even a baby witch.]( [Ancient Dagger Found On A Swiss Hillside Reveals A Roman Battlefield Filled With 2,000-Year-Old Artifacts]( [The Surprising History Of The Christmas Tree, From The Vikings To The Victorians To The Present]( [Brightly lit and decorated Christmas trees as we know them today didn't become popular in most places until the 19th century, but since ancient times, pagan cultures have been decorating their homes and temples with evergreen boughs to celebrate the winter solstice and symbolize the new life that comes each spring.]( [Listen To The Latest History Uncovered Podcast]( [Each Christmas, children around the world eagerly await the arrival of Santa Claus. However, the iconic representation of Santa Claus is a relatively modern invention that originated with the poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” written in 1823 as well as an illustration by cartoonist Thomas Nast that was inspired by that poem. But the story of Santa Claus is far from the only Christmas legend told around the world to this day.]( [Become An All That's Interesting Member]( [For just $4.99 a month, you'll enjoy All That's Interesting without ads, receive a quarterly letter from the editor, and get exclusive access to premium podcast episodes.]( [Unsubscribe]( [Update Subscription]( [History Uncovered On Instagram]( [History Uncovered On Facebook](