Faecraft

You're wandering the lush forested hillsides of Japan's mountains, when suddenly, you hear a strange noise. CHEE CHEE CHEE! A lumpy snake yells at you, eats its own tail, and rolls away down the mountain. It's the tsuchinoko! Part cryptid, part deity, this creature has been making people say, "HUH? FAT SNAKE?" for centuries.  Sources: Tsuchinoko Wiki- https://en.wikipedia....

Originally published: September 28, 2022 Virginia may be for lovers, but Ohio is for the Loveland Frogmen. Journey to the midwest on this episode's latest installment of our state cryptid series, the land of the Frogman, the Mothman, the Ohio Grassman, and so much more.  Sources: Cryptid Ohio Top 10 Cryptids Still Creeping Around Ohio- Exemplore The 11 Most Bizarre Mythical… Columbus Navigato...

Originally published: September 14, 2022 What's grey and feathered and bipedal and a starfish but also an alligator? The Australian bunyip, of course! Holly and Chelsea reminisce about Chelsea's year as an exchange student in Australia as they unearth historical and contemporary cultural nuggets about the bunyip, a creature from multiple southern Aboriginal cultures' creation tradit...

Originally published: Sept. 15, 2022 Meet the original Dr. Burk, our dad, on this canine-centered episode! Dr. Craig Burk, veterinarian for over 40 years, helps us understand the differences between Cardiganshire Welsh Corgis and Pembroke Welsh Corgis, discusses Kennel Clubs, and reminds us to always bring water for our pups on hot days.  Also, Chelsea solves a corgi-as-fairy-steed mystery and Hol...

Originally uploaded: August 18, 2022 Picture yourself: it's the dark.  Cuddle under your blankets and keep your head on a swivel for the first episode of our state cryptids series! Who knew Missouri had so many weird critters lurking about? We talk MoMo, the Missouri Monster, the Ozark Howler, Batsquatch, and so much more.  Sources: Momo the Monster- wikipedia Missouri's mysterious monst...

Originally published: August 24, 2022 Chelsea learns that she's been confusing I Dream of Jeannie with Bewitched for her entire life while Holly chooses which jinn origin story is the best (hint: witches always win). Hear all about jinn and their evolution from Muslim spirits with the same moral obligations as humans into the Will Smith genie that horrifies us today! Sources: El-Zein, Amira....

And we're back! After a short three-year hiatus, Holly and Chelsea are back to talk pixies--yes, the band, and also the little mischievous critters roaming the Devonshire countryside. From Southern Charm's Craig Conover to Victorian philology, this episode has everything. Listen to find out what kind of gift to give a pixie. Is it a bowl of cream or a piece of cloth, or neither? Find out...

Originally published: August 3, 2022 Churn, baby, churn! Hear all about the butter churning, anti-teetotaler the Bwbach, a creature near and dear to Holly and Chelsea's hearts. We share family lore about bwbachad (plural for bwbach--fun, right?) and learn more about hobgoblins in general.  Sources: •Jenkins, Geraint. Studies in Folk Life (RLE Folklore): Essays in Honour of Iorwerth C. Peate....

Originally published: August 10, 2022 Thunderbirds and lightning, very very frightening ME! (Galileo, Galileo, Figaro).  Holly and Chelsea learn about thunderbirds, creatures that hold importance for indigenous peoples across North America. Chelsea pontificates on why she hates nineteenth-century ethnographies while Holly refuses to purchase a full text on Google Books.  Sources:  • Thunderbird (m...

Originally published: July 27, 2022 La Llorona: the patriarchy makes me cry, too, sometimes. This week the Burk sisters learn about a fascinating figure from Mexican folklore, La Llorona, the weeping woman. We talk colonization, Coco, and Chicana feminism in relation to this powerful story of love, motherhood, loss, and grief. Sources: Biggs, Mary Jo Garcia. "La Llorona." The Encyclopedi...

Originally published: July 7, 2022 What does the fox say?! Holly and Chelsea find out in this week's episode focusing on the Japanese kitsune, or fox god. Hear all about how these adorable, powerful creatures became synonymous with Japanese culture, permeating all areas of life from religion to architecture to literature and more for centuries.  Sources: 5 Great Kitsune Aime for Fans of the N...

Originally published: July 14, 2022 Get ready to smell what the Florida Man is cooking in this latest installment of Faecraft! Holly and Chelsea dig into the stinky cryptid prowling Florida from the Everglades to the Keys: the Skunk Ape. They discuss the ape's biggest proponents, Florida's history, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the correlation between white nationalism and cryptozoology....

Originally published: July 21, 2022 Holly and Chelsea have a WAIL of a time this week talking ... you guessed it, banshees! Fae in Ireland, ghosts in Scotland, these wailing women are thought to be harbingers of death, mourners ushering souls to the next realm, and family protectors. Sources: Irish Mythology Soul Screamer book series (Goodreads) Banshee book series (Amazon) Banshee (Disney wiki) S...

Originally published: June 21, 2022 Hello and welcome to Faecraft, a journey into tales of wonder, whimsy, and woe. Join us, the Burk sisters, for a romp with the Seelie and Unseelie courts in this our very first episode. Chelsea digs into historical research and origins of the magical Scottish courts of lore, while Holly shows us the lasting legacy of these creatures in popular culture. Sources A...

Originally published: June 30, 2022 Cows! Fertility! Ravens! This week on the podcast Holly and Chelsea tackle one of their favorite Irish goddesses, the Morrigan. Chelsea goes into the ways this oral tradition was collected and interpretive issues, while Holly looks at how the Morrigan is honored today. Sources: Clark, Rosalind. The Great Queens: Irish Goddesses from the Morrigan to Cathleen Ni H...