Creepy Classics

A troubled soul in life, Emperor Gaius Caligula's spirit remains restless in death... This story is adapted from Suetonius, Life of Caligula, 59 and is followed by a discussion about Caligula, King Herod Agrippa, and Roman funerary rites. Content warning: Some gory details, descriptions of fire, brief reference to infanticide, discussion of mental health including use of a term some may find uncom...

On New Year's Day 1091, the priest Walchelin has an experience that will leave its mark on him forever... This story has been adapted from Orderic Vitalis, Historia Ecclesiastica, 8.17, and is followed by a discussion of medieval faith and belief, ghostly armies and wild hunts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

Do you dare set foot in the Emperor Augustus' childhood nursery? They say anyone who does is seized by shuddering and terror... This story has been inspired by Suetonius, Augustus, 6 & 94, and is followed by a discussion of the Emperor Augustus, his life and achievements, and ancient poltergeists. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to b...

Hamlet's friends have seen something that looks like his late father stalking the castle at night, but what is it, and what does it want? This story has been adapted from Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 and is followed by a discussion of Catholic, Protestant and Roman themes in the play and of Shakespeare's relationship to Catholicism. Content warning: Discussion of suicide and brief reference to baby...

Propertius' girlfriend Cynthia has died suddenly, but he hasn't seen the last of her... This story has been adapted from Propertius, Elegies, 4.7 and 4.8, and is followed by a chat about Latin love elegy, Roman funerary customs, and the geography of the underworld, including the famous Gates of Sleep. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...

Christmas 1323 is a sad season for the widow of Gui de Corvo, but it's made even more difficult when it seems her late husband hasn't quite left yet... This story is adapted from medieval texts attributed to Jean Gobi, translated into French by Marie-Anne Polo de Beaulieu. It's followed by a few words on purgatory in medieval ghost stories, and on medieval Christmas traditions. This is a public ep...

Khonsuemheb, High Priest of Amun, has an unexpected encounter at an ancient tomb with a spirit who needs his help... This story is based on an ancient Egyptian ghost story found on ostraka and translated into English by W. K. Simpson. It's followed by a whistlestop tour through some of the highlights of ancient Egyptian afterlife belief and funerary practice. This is a public episode. If you would...

A classic haunted house story for Halloween - a philosopher rents an old house with suspiciously cheap rent and the sound of clanking chains in the night... This story is taken from Pliny the Younger, Letters, 7.27.5-11. After the story, Dr Tony Keen of the University of Notre Dame in London joins me for a chat about Pliny, urban legends, the fantastic in the ancient world, and about working for t...

A desperate family become separated while fleeing a war zone in this famous story from Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid, 2.624-795. I'm delighted to be joined on this episode by Dr Olivia Knops, from the University of Birmingham, and Ed Harrisson, who has composed all the music for the podcast. We have a good old natter about ancient and modern music, different musical moods, what we know about ancie...

A group of freedmen at a party demand a story, and get an exciting tale set on the night of a full moon... I'm delighted to be joined on this episode by Dr Liz Gloyn, from Royal Holloway University, to talk about ancient and modern werewolves, folklore, class and ghosts. This month's story comes from Petronius, Satyricon, 61-62. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with othe...

In this story, a young man falls hard for the daughter of his host, but she is not what she seems... Tragic and romantic, this story comes from Phlegon of Tralles' collection of folklore (On Marvels, 1) and is followed by a discussion of women's lives in the Greek and Roman worlds, and the surprising similarities between this story and the urban legend of the Vanishing Hitchhiker.   Content warnin...

In this story, young Curtius Rufus is about to give up on a political career as he's surrounded by rumours and prejudice, when an African spirit appears to him with a positive message... This story is told by both Pliny the Younger (Letters, 7.27) and Tacitus (Annals, 11.20-21) though Pliny is rather kinder to both the spirit and to Rufus than Tacitus is! Followed by a discussion looking at race a...

Part 3 of the 3-part Plague Special! We finally find out what becomes of both the living and the dead at Frotha, from the medieval Icelandic poem Eyrbyggja Saga, 54-55. Plus I have a chat about dead bodies and their processes of decomposition, ancient and medieval medicine and their understanding of plague and infection, medieval Icelandic Christmas, and a brief look at the fabulously-named "door-...

Part 2 of the 3-part Plague Special! Thorgunna has been laid to rest, but her last wishes were not quite fully carried out, and things start to go very badly wrong for the people of Frotha... This is Part 2 of a story adapted from Eyrbyggja Saga, covering sections 52-54. We start to see how the dead are spreading a deadly disease among the community, and the devastating results. This is a public e...

Part 1 of a 3-part Plague Special! A newcomer to a small settlement brings enticingly rich goods with her, but warns of trouble if anyone touches them without her permission... This story comes from the 13th century Icelandic saga Eyrbyggja Saga, 50-55, which tells the story of a series of hauntings at the settlement of Frotha set in the year 1000 CE. In Part 1, we meet the Hebridean newcomer Thor...

Something a little lighter to cheer everyone up this month - in this story, a young man throws a wild party, not realising his father has come home from a foreign business trip early, and a clever slave comes up with a novel idea for keeping the father out of the house... We're all going through a rough time at the minute, one way or another, so rather than something scary or sad, I've gone for a...

In this month's episode, the Tyrant Periander needs a favour from his dead wife, but she may not be in an obliging mood... This story has been adapted from Herodotus 5.92. It's followed by a short talk introducing Herodotus, ancient colours, and oracles of the dead. Content warning: domestic abuse. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...

In this episode, two friends on a long journey argue over whether or not they should spend the night at a rather grim and unpleasant taverna... This Greco-Roman folktale was 'very well known' according to Cicero, and features some familiar tropes, including dreams, vengeance and danger on the road; the story has been adapted from Cicero, On Divination, 1.57 and Valerius Maximus, Memorable Deeds an...

In this episode, a priest sent to the baths by his doctor finds more than he was expecting at a hot spring full of pagan icons. Uploaded a bit earlier than usual so it would be ready in good time for Christmas, this is a somewhat warmer and fuzzier early Christian ghost story adapted from Gregory the Great, Dialogues, 4.40 and 4.55. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...

In this episode, Achilles has avenged the death of his partner Patroclus, but still he struggles to let him go and his dreams are disturbed.... This story has been adapted from Homer, Iliad, various sections from Books 23 and 24. I wrote my undergraduate dissertation on Homer and my book (Dreams and Dreaming in the Roman Empire) on ancient dreams, so this is a story very close to my heart. This is...

In this episode, a miller's wife decides to take revenge on her husband, but doesn't count on his daughter finding out... This story has been adapted from Apuleius, Metamorphoses, 9.29-31. Apuleius was a Roman citizen from North Africa, and is one of my very favourite ancient authors, which is why I had to kick start Creepy Classics with him! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss...

Welcome to Creepy Classics, a new monthly podcast re-telling ancient, medieval and early modern ghost stories, followed by a short talk about their origins, meaning and relationship to historic folklore. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com