Amazing Stories for Curious Minds

Get your fix of fascinating trivia in our 5-minute newsletter.

Featured Stories in Culture

Subscribe to the Odd Feed newsletter.

Latest Stories in Culture

Knecht Ruprecht by Odd Feed

Knecht Ruprecht: Santa’s German Helper

One of Santa’s most intriguing companions, Knecht Ruprecht is a legendary figure in German folklore, attested as early as the 17th century. A wild, shaggy-haired figure dressed in dark, fur-trimmed clothing, he is said to roam the countryside during the Christmas season, dolling out punishments to all the naughty children, while Santa rewards the good.


Belsnickel by Odd Feed. (© Odd Feed)

Cheer or Fear, Belsnickel is here!

Dwight K. Shrute: What about an authentic Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas? Drink some gluhwein, enjoy some hasenpfeffer. Enjoy Christmas with saint Nicolas’ rural German companion, Belsnickel. Jim Halpert: Yes! That, that, that! We’re definitely doing that. Are we all in agreement? OddFeed: Yes, yes, a resounding yes!


Geisha-borg by Odd Feed.

Can’t Help Myself: Art That Will Break Your Heart

Can’t Help Myself, a famous art installation by Chinese artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu, has divided viewers on its interpretation since its 2016 debut in the Guggenheim Museum. The robotic exploration of futility may never be fully understood, but the story of its creation and reception offer insights into its meaning.


Untitled by Odd Feed. (© Odd Feed)

The Nightmare Paintings of Zdzisław Beksiński

The life and works of Zdzisław Beksiński are each engrossing in their own ways. His journey from war-torn Poland in the 1940s to a fantastical style of painting in the 70s and beyond gave the contemporary art world a visual jolt of deformed bodies and vivid hellscapes that were horrific and mesmerizing to behold.


Leo by Odd Feed. (© Odd Feed)

Leo the MGM Lion: Hollywood’s Most Famous Logo?

We all know and love Leo the MGM Lion, the iconic roaring mascot of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, but his full story is one that many people have never heard. From Hollywood’s silent era to its golden age and beyond, there have been eight different Leos, each with varying levels of success in the role.


An artist's imagining of the Euthanasia Coaster. In the words of celebrated neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, the Euthanasia Coaster—essentially, a 2010 quasi-kinetic sculpture—is “not fun at all as art, and is preposterous as a technical device. But it does work as provocation, regardless of intent.” And the intent? A death-themed amusement park. (© Odd Feed)

Euthanasia Coaster: The Ultimate Roller Coaster Ride

In the words of celebrated neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, the Euthanasia Coaster—essentially, a 2010 quasi-kinetic sculpture—is “not fun at all as art, and is preposterous as a technical device. But it does work as provocation, regardless of intent.” And the intent? A death-themed amusement park.


A painting of Krampus with the Alpine mountains in the background. For hundreds of years, just before they are visited by Santa, children in the Alpine regions of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have to ride out the coming of his dark companion—a long-tongued goat-like demon from Hell known as Krampus. (© Odd Feed)

The Legend of Krampus: The Alpine Anti-Santa

For hundreds of years, just before they are visited by Santa, children in the Alpine regions of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have to ride out the coming of his dark companion—a long-tongued goat-like demon from Hell known as Krampus. 


El Caganer (which literally means "the pooper") is a common sight in nativity scenes in Catalonia, Murcia, Valencia, parts of Portugal and even Naples. (© Odd Feed)

Meet the Caganer, Catalonia’s Most Scatological Christmas Guest

Traditional nativity scenes show the Three Wise Men visiting the infant Jesus on the night of his birth in an animal-filled manger. Catalan nativity scenes are somewhat different: they also include a red-hatted farmer, squatting, with his pants around his knees and his bare buttocks exposed. Meet the Caganer, a saintly defecator!