Spirits: Mythology, Legends, & Folklore

Sure, we’ve covered Krampus before, but we wanted to see him in ACTION with the 2015 film Krampus . A family finds out the dark true meaning of Christmas, and learns about the sacrifice of giving, while getting terrorized by Christmas accoutrement. This episode also ends with Amanda yelling, “That’s the true snowglobe!” so you know it’s gonna be good. This week, Amanda recommends Red, White &...

We got our pre-live show jitters out of the way by scaring each other with your urban legends! Featuring a WILD trip to a mountain in the Philippines, possibly the creepiest clown story we’ve ever told on the show, and a story that might have inspired Pet Semetary.  This week, Julia recommends River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey .   Content Warning: This episode contains conversations ab...

Listen, we know you ALL probably have opinions on Game of Thrones but let’s focus on the important part: DRAGONS! We discuss the differences between various dragons around the world and decide we definitely want to learn magic, become a dragon, and get revenge on an ex.  This week, Amanda recommends Good Omens on Amazon Prime Video. Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about r...

Every Hero’s Journey has to come to an end eventually. We invited Christopher Dole to tell us five tales of heroes who lived their best lives and how they ended. Also featuring marrying beautiful giants and our Wishbone Fancast. This week, Julia recommends a classic, The Golden Compass .  Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about death, mentions of rape, and mentions of inces...

Harry and the Hendersons, OR A Man Comes to Terms with His Toxic Masculinity by Adding a Cryptid to His Family, OR What If We Were the Monsters All Along? We have some very existential thoughts about an 80’s bigfoot romp, but really, would it be a Spirits episode if we didn’t?  This week, Amanda recommends All My Relations . Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about guns, hun...

If you’ve come across these field recordings from the Spaghetti Warehouse, it means that we didn’t make it. Or we did, and had some fun. But before we head to Spaghetti Warehouse in the second half of the episode, we coin the term “SCAPEGHOSTS,” hear a PSA about quitting that spooky life, and discuss how we’d deal with a shadow in our bedrooms.  This week, Julia recommends WWE’s Money in the...

Get ready for us to ruin your childhoods as we break down some of the creepy origins of your favorite pocket monsters. We talk Pokémon team naming conventions, the moral conundrum of eating baby-faced fruit, and how we’re always horny both for and by the ocean.  This week, Amanda recommends Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen. Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about possession...

We’re joined this week by author Chelsea G. Summers to talk about the different forms of cannibalism throughout history, as well as patriarchy, misogyny, aging, and questioning what culture dictates. Be hungry, horny, and satisfied.  This week, Julia recommends Dead to Me , now available on Netflix.  Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about homicide, cannibalism, mental...

It’s another Myth Movie Night. Grab your moonshine, break out the passport, and start up your VHS player. We’re visiting London in the classic 80s horror film, An American Werewolf in London. DON’T GO OFF THE ROAD. We’re serious.  This week, Eric recommends Monstrum , a new show from PBS studios that looks at humans’ unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling...

If this episode seems familiar, it’s because you’ve heard it in a dream before (or you’re a precog. It’s gotta be one of those). So you’ll probably remember that we talk about haunted toys, guess the capital of Australia, and chat about the most socialist werewolf you’ve ever met. This week, Julia recommends the historical fiction podcast Harlem Queen .  Sponsors - Stitch Fix is an online per...

This Passover, Eric Silver joins us to tell the story of the Jewish holiday and leads us through the Seder with all its mandatory cups of wine. He explains why Moses was clearly the first telling of the Hero’s Journey, sings “When You Believe” like an angel, and doesn’t forget to serve the ghost.  This week, Amanda recommends Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, as well as Go Ahead in t...

We’re not letting society dictate to us what it means to be a woman - we’re taking a leaf out of Isis’s book. We explore all of the aspects of this layered Egyptian goddess, from her roles in motherhood and magic to universality and more! Also featuring sad falcons, Queer Eye, and the world’s tiniest Pegasus.  Grab your tickets to PodX at http://multitude.productions/live ! This week, Julia r...

Wrestlemania is this SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY, and Editor Eric has been dying to talk about the mythos of his favorite wrestler of all time, The Undertaker. Even if wrestling isn’t your thing, we think you’re going to enjoy the journey of how the Deadman went from wrestling mortician to a leader of his own cult of the undead. It’s a modern hero’s journey. Just, with more piledrivers. This week, Julia...

This episode is full of scary stories and too many children having to camp. You have been warned. We also learn about the importance of doing your research on a haunting, wonder why ghosts are creepier when they can run, and debate the Reese’s Peanut Butter brand of products. This week, Julia recommends The X-Mas Mistake , a cursed Hallmark Christmas movies podcast.  Sponsors - Honeybook is a...

And now for something a little different: we revisit Disney’s classic 1997 film Hercules! Unlike when we were 5, we now have plenty of booze in hand to explore what Disney got right and got wrong with Greek mythology. We review how the 90s were a WILD time, play 20 questions of Zeus fuckery, and realize the past is probably FULL of bad smells.  This week, Amanda recommends seeing Captain Marv...

We’re getting meta in this episode featuring Internet Linguist Gretchen McCulloch. Learn why names are important not only in mythology and folklore, but in our own lives (including online lives!) as well. Also featuring the Amanda Sins Podcast, a podcast within a podcast, so many throwbacks to the 90s, and what kind of kids did the Bloody Mary thing at sleepovers. This week, Julia recommended CARA...

We’ve all heard of the Loch Ness Monster, but what about all of the other lake-dwelling creatures? We do a deep dive (Get it? Because lake monsters?) into what lurks in the deep around the world. Hear about the motivation of monsters, what our ideal Thai supernatural soap opera would look like, and our hypothesis on ocean vs. lake creatures. Amanda’s recommendation this week is the podcast Just Br...

This episode is coming at you straight from our live show at the Listen Up Festival in Portland, OR. We shared some of our favorite listener-submitted hometown urban legends to a sold-out audience in the basement bar of the Hoxton hotel. Featuring a liminal fae town where time doesn’t exist, creepy haunted buildings of Napa Valley, and Eric attempting to defend his childhood sleepwalking.  Ju...

We’re back this week to finish out the story of Gilgamesh! We discuss grief and then journey with Gilgamesh to the land of the dead, which features She-Ra references, befriending crows, and the ending to Little Shop of Horrors. We also remind you: Choose joy. Eric’s recommendation this week is the His Dark Materials series .  Sponsors -Calm, the #1 app for meditation, mindfulness, and sleep....

The story of La Llorona is so much more than that trailer you keep seeing with Linda Cardellini. We invited podcast critic Elena Fernández-Collins to tell us a little bit about La Llorona, the historical figure that might have inspired the tale, and her own personal experiences with the spirit growing up in Puerto Rico. We also talk about the strange rules to get into heaven, government influence...

If you haven’t heard of or read the Epic of Gilgamesh, it has EVERYTHING. Kings, gods, epic monster battle, prophetic dreams, and more. But it also has surprising friendships, bad advice, and enough parallels to Frankenstein for Amanda to get use out of her literature degree. Join us as we talk about Gilgamesh’s dating profile, cocktails for when you’re visiting the realm of the gods, and a bull’s...

Lots of hauntings in this episode. So many. Haunted castles, haunted mirrors, haunted… punch bowls? Also featuring a hot air balloon accident, an influx of priests, and our own version of The Bee Movie.  This week Amanda recommends Object Lessons by Bloomsbury. Sponsors - Calm, the #1 app for meditation, mindfulness, and sleep. Get 25% off a Premium subscription at calm.com/spirits - Skillsha...

We’re rounding up some of the most interesting Brazilian mythological creatures. From chaotic good tricksters, to snakes that just want to be left alone, to headless mules that are definitely on fire, there are some great stories this week. And remember, gotta take the stink with the wish.  Sponsors -The dark fantasy TV show Siren returns on Thursday, January 24th at 8 p.m. on Freeform! Be su...

Our good friend Andrea is BACK, this time to lead us through a history of cross-dressing in mythology and folklore. We tackle stories from ancient Greece, Norse mythology, Chinese poetry, and beyond! We also chat about disaster bis, make too many puns and portmanteaus, and debate how best to cut a bagel. And remember: Never Sleep. Julia’s recommendation this week is The Cryptonaturalist.  Gue...

This week, Julia decided to give us all a history lesson. We’re talking about The Benandanti - a group of witches from Northern Italy. We’ve got fennel stalks, we’ve got primary source accounts, and we’ve got discussions about how you can make your community just a little bit better.  Sponsors - Calm, the #1 app for meditation, mindfulness, and sleep. Get 25% off a Premium subscription at cal...