Spirits: Mythology, Legends, & Folklore

Disclosure: We might have been creepy kids as children. We wanted to let you know because it’s the creepy cool LAW. We also learn not to trust your house ghosts, talk about spooky friendship goals, the weirdest summer trip EVER, and why “lock ins” are just the creepiest form of sleep over.  Amanda recommended this week the podcast, Working Sunday ! Sponsors - Lola, providers of organic cotton...

We’re all out enjoying the holidays, but we also wanted to celebrate with you! So we did a quick round up this week about a bunch of different ways the Winter Solstice is celebrated around the world. We got recipe ideas, talked about death and darkness a lot, and talked about poetry. Y’know, all the Spirits classics.  Sponsors - Audible , the best place to get audiobooks and more. Go to audib...

How would you like to hear a story about... all of the stories? It’s time to learn about Anansi, the trickster figure of Western Africa and the African diaspora. We share a couple of classic Anansi tales, including how the world got stories, how Anansi (accidentally) shared wisdom with the world, and one featuring, of course, death.  Our recommendations this week are Cinnamon & Gunpowder...

What would you put up with for free frozen yogurt or a great apartment? If the answer is “ghosts”, we’ve got the episode for you! It’s another round of your urban legends, including all of the haunted house stories we could squeeze in. We recommended this week Good Company , The Haunting of Hill House , and Customs Out of the Closet . Sponsors - Calm, the #1 app for meditation, mindfulness, and sl...

We take you to Bali to talk about the widow witch, the demon queen, Rangda! We discuss her different forms, the story of how she came to be, and some really beautiful poetry. As always, fight the patriarchy! Sponsors - Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn—and teach—just about anything. Visit skillshare.com/spirits to get two months of Skillshare Premium for $0.99! This we...

We’ve got our good friend Lisette on to talk about what the living tradition of witchcraft means to them! Bonus points as we talk about how witchcraft varies around the world, how we all want to fight Zak Bagans in the parking lot of Spaghetti Warehouse, and how we can all better serve our communities!  Guest Lisette is a podcaster and writer. You can follow her at @LisetteWalking and find he...

After 100 episodes of Spirits, we wanted to welcome in a new age. And what better way than with the Hindu god of beginnings, Ganesha! We dive into the stories of how Ganesha was born, how he got his elephant head, and how he became the remover of obstacles. Sponsors - Shaker & Spoon is a subscription cocktail box that brings world-class cocktails into your kitchen once a month. Get $20 off you...

This week’s roundup, we chat about several haunted schools and camps, have some grandma stories creep out and inspire us, and hear Eric’s first hand account of a recent tarot reading!  Check out Happy Leather Goods Co at http://bit.ly/happyleatherco ! Sponsors - Honeybook is a purpose-built business management platform for creative small businesses. Get 50% off your first hear on HoneyBook.co...

Today may be Halloween, but it’s also another special day - the first day of Día de los Muertos! We’re joined by special guest, Trina Espinoza, who tells us about the history of the holiday, the different ways it’s celebrated across the Americas, and her own personal experiences with The Day of the Dead growing up! Guest Trina Espinoza is also known as msbeautyphile , and runs a Youtube web series...

We’ve done it. 100 episodes. And to celebrate, we are tackling our most requested topic: The Fae! We touch on several different fae stories from across Europe, have some revelations about Santa Claus and business schools, and find out why the Grimm Brothers weren’t just fucked-up grandpas.  Sponsor - Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn—and teach—just about anything....

What are you most afraid of? Chances are there’s a horror movie about it! That’s why we’re diving headlong into the history of horror films, from their inception in 1890 all the way to our present! Featuring decapitations, yelling about ‘genre’, and a surprise special guest! FLASKS! TEES! NEW SPIRITS MERCH! Check it out at spiritspodcast.com/merch Sponsor - Honeybook is a purpose-built business ma...

We asked for restaurant hauntings and y’all DELIVERED! Featuring haunted Italian restaurants with paintings that need to be burned ASAP, UK pubs with something scary lurking in the basement, and a Massachusetts bar with a secret taken TO THE SPIRIT WORLD. We also got to chat with Chris Mullins about the long, slightly haunted history of McGillin’s Olde Ale House in Philadelphia! If you’re ever in...

Halloween is a time to face your fears. And Julia is making Amanda come along with her as she faces one of her biggest fears: clowns. Learn why we’re afraid of clowns, who started the “killer clown” trope, and where the killer clown sighting phenomenon comes from.  Sponsor - Calm, the #1 app for meditation, mindfulness, and sleep. Get 25% off a Premium subscription at calm.com/spirits - Audib...

Sometimes, you just want to sit down and have your friends tell you scary stories. Luckily, we have Paul Bae of The Big Loop and The Black Tapes to tell us some of his best stories. Featuring Mr. Bae’s “Hour of Horror”, a haunted Toys R Us, and many stories that remind us why we will never go into the woods on our own again.  Catch a sneak peek of the NEW MERCH on our Patreon page! You can al...

Marriage is a hot topic in Julia’s life, which is why we’re talking about Izanami & Izanagi - a marriage that helped create the world, introduced death into it, and definitely isn’t one to emulate. Including the happy-ish tale of Ebisu, Trinitite, and Amanda’s tea recommendation.  You can also get tickets to our LIVE SHOW at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival ! Sponsors - Stitch Fix is an onli...

Let’s get right to it: This episode has EVERYTHING. Eric attempts to do an old timey voice. Julia freaks out over a Blair Witch style game. Amanda denies playing Pokemon in movie theatres. All in all, we deliver some of the most buckwild stories to date, including the Bunny Man Bridge, mistakes in masonry, and better ways to cure your ghost coyote infected loved ones.  You can also get ticket...

We’ve looked into the future and we’ve seen… a roundup episode! Julia leads Amanda through the foggy future with some of her favorite divinatory practices. Also featuring rock kids, on-the-spot D&D character creation, our Pro-Onion Podcast, gelato-filled veins, and letting the universe surprise you.  Sponsor RXBAR: Get 25% off your first order at RXBAR.com/spirits by entering promo code “...

We are joined this week by David Rheinstrom, who helps us parse through the history of fakelore in the USA! How do we feel about Paul Bunyan being invented to sell lumber? Does it make him any more or less a part of American folklore? Also featuring amazing accents, Olsen Twin movies, and just wayyyy too many puns! Amanda recommends this week The Changeling by Victor LaValle .  Guest David Rh...

This week, we take a trip back to the Pacific to tell the story of Madame Pele, the Earth-Eating Woman, and Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes. We chat about mythology as history, the cutest names in mythology, the history of hula hoops, and how you can find some hair of the goddess whenever a volcano erupts.  Sponsor Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service that finds and delivers clothes...

Not only do we have listener stories, we have the tale of Tim the Yowie Man! This episode features big cat stories, Mirror Boys, and elementary school blood magic. Then we switch to an interview with Tim, chatting about how he became a cryptonaturalist, his first encounter with the Yowie, and his love for finding mystery in the world. Help us learn more about you at spiritspodcast.com/survey ! Gue...

Hurrian, Hittites, and Anatolia, oh my! We look at the story of the goddess, Šauška, who spread her influence throughout the world. We also talk about veggie divination, World War II espionage, our favorite drunk snacks (and how they’re not frogs), and what impression we’ll leave behind in the world once we’re gone.  Sponsor Audible - Go to audible.com/spirits or text spirits to 500-500 to st...

It’s Shark Week, but we’re not here for shots of Great Whites (mostly because we’re an audio medium). We’re joined by Melissa Marquez, who specializes in the intersection of shark folklore and conservation. We chat about making scientific education accessible, human infested beaches, and what a shark-filled Big Brother house would look like!  Guest Melissa Marquez is the founder of The Fins U...

This is it. The lost, cursed episode of Spirits. We never thought it would see the light of day. But now you get to learn about all the CREEPY HORSES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. Amanda guesses a lot of stuff wrong, but embraces her fear of creature hybrids. Julia breaks out some poetry and the most horrifying horse creatures known to man. Y’know, the usual stuff.  Check out the newest Multitude sh...

It’s the Witching Hour 24/7 here at Spirits Headquarters, especially when we’re reading your creepy cool stories! This episode features high levels of Spooky Boys, Eric’s existential crisis, cats that say hello, our desire to visit all the haunted restaurants in the world, ROAD TRAINS??, and our disbelief at business naming in Ohio. Remember, stay creepy, stay cool, and stay… pasta? Sponsor Skills...

It’s summer and it is TOO HOT, but it doesn’t mean we’re not grateful for the seasons. So we’re talking about the seasonal Irish goddesses, Brigid & Áine! We cover late-night booty calls, perpetual flames, SWORD NAMES, and terroir—but for people. There’s nothing like summer in the city, or in this case, Ireland. CW: This episode contains some discussion about sexual assault.  Find Us Onli...