Supernatural | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/supernatural/RSS feed for SupernaturalenTue, 23 Jun 2026 20:21:45 +0000This Magical Curse Written in Greek on a Small Lead Tablet Was Meant to Punish Enemies Nearly 2,000 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-magical-curse-written-in-greek-on-a-small-lead-tablet-was-meant-to-punish-enemies-nearly-2000-years-ago-180989001/The lead curse tablet was discovered in a city square in the Netherlands and recently deciphered by researchers in GermanyTue, 23 Jun 2026 20:21:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-magical-curse-written-in-greek-on-a-small-lead-tablet-was-meant-to-punish-enemies-nearly-2000-years-ago-180989001/See Visions of the Past and Future in This New York City Exhibition on the Renaissance Roots of Tarot Cardshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-visions-of-the-past-and-future-in-this-new-york-city-exhibition-on-the-renaissance-roots-of-tarot-cards-180988940/The Morgan Library & Museum traces the history of beautifully illustrated tarot cards from their origins as a card game to modern occult fascinationThu, 11 Jun 2026 18:52:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-visions-of-the-past-and-future-in-this-new-york-city-exhibition-on-the-renaissance-roots-of-tarot-cards-180988940/To Divine the Future, the Ancients Relied on These Chance-Based Fortune-Telling Toolshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-divine-the-future-the-ancients-relied-on-these-chance-based-fortune-telling-tools-180985349/Texts like the "Sortes Astrampsychi" promised insights on clients' love lives, career prospects, financial woes and familiesThu, 31 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/to-divine-the-future-the-ancients-relied-on-these-chance-based-fortune-telling-tools-180985349/This 19th-Century 'Toy Book' Used Science to Prove That Ghosts Were Simply an Illusionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-19th-century-toy-book-used-science-to-prove-that-ghosts-were-simply-an-illusion-180985347/"Spectropia" demystified the techniques used by mediums who claimed they could speak to the dead, revealing the "absurd follies of Spiritualism"Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:41:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this-19th-century-toy-book-used-science-to-prove-that-ghosts-were-simply-an-illusion-180985347/Why Images of Ghosts Have Endured in Japan for Centurieshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-images-of-ghosts-have-endured-for-centuries-in-japan-180984173/A new exhibition at the National Museum of Asian Art displays haunting, colorful woodblock printsFri, 26 Apr 2024 16:08:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-images-of-ghosts-have-endured-for-centuries-in-japan-180984173/An Early Charlotte Brontë Story Speaks to the Author's Lifelong Fascination With the Supernaturalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/an-early-charlotte-bronte-story-speaks-to-the-authors-lifelong-fascination-with-the-supernatural-180983156/The 1830 account details an eerie encounter with a stranger who predicted the death of the writer's fatherTue, 31 Oct 2023 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/an-early-charlotte-bronte-story-speaks-to-the-authors-lifelong-fascination-with-the-supernatural-180983156/Why Are We So Scared of Friday the 13th?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-scared-friday-13th-unlucky-date-180965147/From the Knights Templar to Norse mythology, here’s how fear of the spooky date crept into popular cultureFri, 13 Oct 2017 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-scared-friday-13th-unlucky-date-180965147/Loch Ness Monster Lovers Come Together for Biggest Hunt in 50 Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-legendary-loch-ness-monster-attracts-a-new-generation-of-hunters-180982780/Volunteers will convene in the Scottish Highlands armed with drones, hydrophones and other technologiesWed, 23 Aug 2023 19:57:38 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-legendary-loch-ness-monster-attracts-a-new-generation-of-hunters-180982780/How Remedios Varo Became One of the 'Witches' of Surrealismhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chicago-exhibition-spotlights-the-mystical-magic-and-science-of-surrealist-remedios-varo-180982718/In Mexico City, the Spanish-born artist created dreamlike works that drew on magic, mysticism and moreTue, 15 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chicago-exhibition-spotlights-the-mystical-magic-and-science-of-surrealist-remedios-varo-180982718/Charles Dickens Was a 'Fascinated Skeptic' of the Supernaturalhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/charles-dickens-was-a-fascinated-skeptic-of-the-supernatural-180980577/A new exhibition explores the writer's enduring interest in ghosts and other paranormal phenomenaFri, 12 Aug 2022 16:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/charles-dickens-was-a-fascinated-skeptic-of-the-supernatural-180980577/