Portuguese Archives
Portugal is a land where the winds off the Atlantic seem to carry voices from another time—whispers of saints, sailors, spirits, and secrets buried in salt and stone. Along its rugged coastline, the sea is more than just backdrop; it is a force alive with mystery. In the fishing villages of the Algarve, tales persist of ghost ships seen on foggy mornings, their sails full despite no wind—believed to be the doomed vessels of navigators who vanished chasing the horizon during the Age of Discovery.
In Sintra, a place Lord Byron once called a “glorious Eden,” mist coils around forested hills and fairy-tale palaces. Quinta da Regaleira, with its inverted towers and hidden symbols, is said to conceal esoteric knowledge—its Initiation Well a descent into mystery, used for Masonic or alchemical rites. Locals still speak of strange sightings there: figures vanishing into stone, whispers in the tunnels, and the sense of being watched even in solitude.
The countryside holds even older legends. In the remote Alentejo plains, ancient stone circles like Almendres Cromlech predate Stonehenge and remain largely unexplained. Shepherds tell of lights floating among the stones at night and dreams that change after sleeping nearby. In the north, the mountainous region of Trás-os-Montes is home to tales of bruxas (witches) and lobisomens (werewolves), and some villages still hold masked rituals meant to ward off evil during the winter solstice.
Lisbon itself bears its mysteries—stories of haunted houses in Alfama, where Fado songs are said to call the dead, and ghostly trams seen rattling along routes long closed. Beneath the tiled facades and golden light, Portugal is a country layered with the sacred and the arcane, where myth has never truly faded, and the strange is as enduring as the sea.
In the heart of Portugal’s Silver Coast lies the sleepy town of Alcobaça, where cobbled streets lead travellers toward one of the country’s greatest architectural and spiritual treasures. Towering over the town, the Mosteiro de Alcobaça — or Monastery of Alcobaça — has stood since the 12th century, a testament to the power of faith, the richness of medieval monastic life, and the shadows that linger long after death…read the whole story.
On 2 November 1959, the city of Évora in southern Portugal basked in clear skies and autumn sunshine. At around midday, however, a strange spectacle unfolded. Professor Joaquim Guedes do Amaral, head of the local Commercial and Industrial School, and several teachers and students looked skywards to spot a lens-shaped, pale‑blue object drifting across the heavens. Soon after, a second, larger craft appeared—undulating like a jellyfish with a fluid, organic motion…read the whole story.
Perched on the edge of northern Portugal, close to the Spanish border, the town of Montalegre lies in the historic region of Trás‑os‑Montes. Over millennia, invading peoples – Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Suevi – have left traces on its rocky plateau. But amongst this rich archaeological tapestry, local memory clings most powerfully to the lore of witches…read the whole story.
In the rich tapestry of Iberian folklore, one captivating legend emerges with rhythmic regularity across Portugal’s landscape: the tale of the Mouras Encantadas—the Enchanted Moorish Maidens. The term “Moura” derives from the word Moor, hinting at an origin linked to the centuries of Islamic presence in Portugal between 711 and 1249, yet the essence of their legend stretches far beyond mere historical context…read the whole story.
On 13 October 1917, an estimated crowd of 70,000 people gathered in a remote field near the small town of Fátima, Portugal, drawn by rumours of a divine event promised by three shepherd children…read the whole story.