Enchanted Echoes: 36 Fascinating Myths from Global Folklore

NASA Mission Control acknowledged a thousand-year-old Chinese myth when it asked the Apollo 11 crew to keep an eye out for a beautiful Chinese girl named Chang-O who lived on the moon and a large rabbit standing in the shade of a cinnamon tree.

2. Currently, there exists a myth in Pakistan that says HIV can be cured by having sex with a virgin, which is contributing to women and girls being raped.

3. In Japan, people fear a mythical creature named the Ashiaraiyashiki. It is a giant, unwashed foot that appears before you and demands to be washed. It is said that if you don't wash it, it will rampage through your house until satisfied.

4. The myth of superabundance is a belief that no matter how much natural resources the humanity uses, the planet will continuously replenish the supply.

5. It is a myth that Albert Einstein failed mathematics as a student. According to him, “Before I was fifteen, I had mastered differential and integral calculus.”

The idea of "slow metabolism" causing obesity is a myth. It is "innate laziness" or lower levels of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) that causes weight gain.

7. The Disney company created the myth of Lemming suicide, in the documentary "White Wilderness". In reality, they were pushing them off the cliffs for the footage.

8. There is a Jewish myth about a giant lion named Tigris. The lion is said to be so big that its ears are spaced 21 feet (9 cubits) apart. According to legend, when Tigris roared for the first time, women within 2,200 kilometers miscarried and a city was destroyed. When Tigris roared a second time, the front teeth and molars of Roman men fell out, and even the emperor himself fell from his throne.

9. Despite the popular myth, urine isn't actually sterile.

10. The "Sugar Rush" is a myth, and the hyperactivity you feel after ingesting sugar is just a placebo.

The myth that pyramids were built by slaves was created by Greek historian and explorer Herodotus who visited Egypt 2000 years after the pyramids were built. In reality, the builders of pyramids were actually volunteers and were buried in the tomb if they died while building it.

12. In the greeks myths, there was the Unknown God, a placeholder for those Gods yet unknown to the ancient Greeks.

13. When the original Mortal Kombat game came out, an audit menu listed Error Macros under the name ‘ERMAC’, leading fans to think there was a third hidden ninja in the game. This myth resulted in the creation of the character with the same name in future games.

14. The Chevy Nova actually sold well in Latin countries and poor sales stories due to the "No Va"/"No Go" translation is just an urban myth.

15. The platypus used to be considered a myth like Bigfoot and the Yeti.

The story of Thomas Edison electrocuting an elephant as part of the War of Currents is a myth. The elephant was killed as part of an unrelated Coney Island stunt, and Edison's name is only associated because Edison-brand film was used to record the elephant's death.

17. According to a Norse myth, one time Thrymskvida, Thor and Loki cross-dressed as wedding brides to retrieve the stolen Mjöllnir. The thieves got suspicious when the "ladies" ate everything in sight.

18. Left-brain vs. Right-brain dominance is a myth. Lateralization is unique in every individual and researchers cannot find any evidence that one side of the brain or another work by itself for functions of our personalities.

19. Needing to drink 8 glasses of water a day, and that coffee dehydrates you are both disproven myths.

20. Cow tipping is nothing but an urban myth. Cows do not sleep standing up, as they cannot keep their knees locked like some other animals that do sleep standing up.

The popular concept that "Humans only use 10% of their brain" is a myth and there is nothing to suggest that we don't use 100% of our brains.

22. Multitasking is a myth. What we call multitasking is actually 'switch-tasking.' There is actually a stop/start process that occurs in the brain when we switch between tasks. This process causes "more mistakes, and over time it can be energy sapping."

23. The "50% divorce rate" for all marriages is a myth. The number is closer to 30% and it varies among different groups.

24. It is unknown how the "Friday the 13th" myth arose, however, there is no written evidence for the superstition before the 19th century.

25. According to legend, Corgis are a gift from woodland fairies and that their markings are caused by saddles and stirrups placed on their backs.