There are certain myths and folk tales that seem to be universal, and that’s because the wellsprings of these stories are universal across cultures and time. The White Lady is a ghost that can be found throughout the world in some form or another. From the castles of Estonia to the riverbanks of Mexico, a woman dressed in white can be found lingering far beyond her lifetime. Her dress is a reflection of her tragedy – sometimes her burial shroud, more often her wedding dress.

It goes without saying that life needs water, and so it’s only natural that bodies of water would become mystical places. The underground waters of Central America became portals to the Underworld. Ancient Celts threw swords into lakes and bogs as offerings to the spirits that lived within (also see: King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake). Even my mother, the least superstitious person I know, keeps the vial of water from the Ganges River she received as a child, “just in case