Spirits: Mythology, Legends, & Folklore

A ghost stole Eric and we need an expert, stat. Luckily we got in touch with the greatest ghost academic in the city (who would agree to an interview in less than 24 hours). Featuring Danielle Shemaiah as Dr. Halström. Written by Eric Silver . Find Us Online If you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube , & Goodreads , and review...

This week, we read up on Ouija boards and try one out in Amanda’s apartment. What could possibly go wrong? Written by Eric Silver . Find Us Online If you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube , & Goodreads , and review us on Apple Podcasts to help new listeners find the show. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus audio c...

This week, we read some first-person accounts about the Deer Woman, a spirit in several indigenous North American cultures that punishes the wicked and protects women. We discuss imperialism, weird rules in fairy tales, the flaws in studying history, and how the woods seems (depends on where you’re at).  Read the first-person accounts we reference and many more: The Lakota Deer Woman , Mythic...

Spread out the deck and think about your intentions. You flip a card. Jokes ensue. We’re joined this week by cleanliness expert and Tarot lover, Jolie Kerr, who navigates us through the basics of Tarot, the history of the cards, and some Church Intrigue. Meanwhile, we joke about the supernatural skill of playing Bridge and Mahjong, the cards talking shit about your friends, and how the Rosetta Sto...

Sometimes on Spirits we get stories that just have everything - action, monsters, romance, actual history, and empowering depictions of women. The story of Lạc Long Quân and Au Cơ is one of those lucky legends we’ve stumbled upon. We discuss amicable conscious uncoupling, Pokemon inspiration, Taco Bell’s new stolen slogan, and rage against (certain) Shakespeare productions. And hey, remember, you...

You sent us some great stories this week: protective women spirits, murderous otters, toe-crunching bear grannies, and so many more! Amanda explains what the ideal ghost roommate would be like. Julia pitches an article series on accidentally dating cryptids. Eric grapples with what it would be like to have a ghost host. We all argue over horrifying ways one can incorporate chicken legs into your l...

What’s that? AMANDA is leading an episode? It’s the gift that keeps on giving—and naturally, we go full nerd. We talk linguistics, Julia gets some stuff right (and wrong), Amanda has breakfast in bed with the Oxford Dictionary, you discover what a plowie is, and we all realize that language isn’t always an exact science.  Check out Waystation on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get...

The Arthurian Canon is sacred to some people—so you know we’ve got a lot of jokes about it. We dive into the nitty gritty with special guest Christian Madera as we talk about why self-insert fanfiction is questionable, even in the Middle Ages; how OT3s can solve all problems; how freaky historians can get; and why “whiskey” is a word that transcends language.  You can find Christian online at...

Winter is here, and with it blows the cold wind of something spooky. We tell the sad tale of the Yuki-onna, a spirit of a woman who froze to death in the icy cold, who comes back seeking the warmth that will destroy her. We spin a tale of Amanda’s future bed & breakfast, redefine what a terrible Hallmark card would be, talk pre-blizzard strategies, and more! (Contains discussion of recovery fr...

Spaghetti Warehouse makes its return, along with some spaghetti conspiracies. Grandpa comes back with a Bloody Bones follow up. A fan from Shropshire tells us why they avoid wearing hoodies. We learn never to look a gift camel in the mouth. And, as always, we get freaked out by the creepy stories you’ve got.  Our sponsor this week is StoryBlocks , which gives you high-quality stock images, vi...

Bundle up from the cold as we tell you some of our favorite stories from Inuit mythology. We tell the relatable story of how a woman goes from a horrible marriage and overbearing father to being the queen of the sea and underworld. Then we dive into the land where the spirit and human worlds are blurred, and shapeshifters lurk among us. Featuring conquering mountains, kawaii children snatchers, mo...

We’re busy cooking and prepping for family coming into town, so our good goofy friends volunteered to take over the podcast for the week! Even if you don’t love basketball (just don’t tell Mike), we know you all love a good conspiracy theory. So stick around for sweet burns on our hosts, how many envelopes fit on the head of a needle, Yu-Gi-Oh Heart of the Cards-ing things, and why EVERYONE should...

You’ve heard us mention Zeus, but today you’re going to know why we consider him the Fuckfather of all Fuckboys. We talk about how Hera’s just doing her job, how Homer kept grudges like a forlorn high school senior, long cons like Ocean’s Eleven, and more! To sum things up, toxic masculinity sucks. Content Warning: Discussion of sexual assault. If this is a topic you’d like support about, head ove...

We’re back with another round of your Urban Legends! From werewolves to werepanthers to haunted trolleys, we have a few drinks and happily stumble through some of the creepiest things that have happened to our listeners. Also featuring a Haunted Trolley Problem, why possession is the same as a concussion, and how old timey people got it on.  If you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the...

#Creeptober might be over, but that doesn’t mean we’re done telling scary stories. Driving along the dark highways on the border of the United States and Mexico, keep your eye on the sky. You never know when La Lechuza will swoop down out of the darkness. We also chat about the evils of colonialism, the transfer of matter in magic, pitch a horrifying spin off to Spirits, and tell more owl stories...

Just in time for Halloween, we’re delivering some of the creepiest college ghost stories we’ve ever heard. With Jeffrey Gardner of Our Fair City fame leading the haunted tour through Kenyon College urban legends, we discuss the best practices in surviving haunted places or for rushing a frat, pitch a Roman Mars/Bruno Mars ghost podcast, and let you know why you should never go to estate sales.&nbs...

There’s something in the distance, coming closer. Blood is in the air. You know what that means—it’s time to get drunk and talk about Ancient Egypt! This week’s episode covers the goddess of war and intoxication, Sekhmet. We talk about balance in the world and in our lives; Julia schools Amanda on the hierarchy of lion prides; and we create a mythologically themed beer!  Learn more about Assa...

We’re telling your creepy stories this week! From haunted theatres to farms and rivers to something called a Dinglehole, we bring you listener stories that made us giggle and gave us goosebumps. Listen as we come up with band names, discuss haunted rooms in our high school, and reveal how Amanda definitely misunderstood the premise of Field of Dreams.  Huge thanks to Shaker & Spoon for sp...

Let’s face it - from Irish changelings to the creepy twins in the Shining, humankind has found kids to be super creepy for generations. This week, Julia rounds up the creepiest stories about the spookiest kids to start off #creeptober, while Amanda shows her hand at how few horror movies she’s seen. We get inventive with urban legend backstories, quiz each other on classic horror movies, reminisce...

#Creeptober is just around the corner, but we’re starting the season out right with one of our favorite creepy-cool witches: Circe. From turning men into pigs, enchanting sailors with herbs and feasts, and turning A WOMAN INTO A BUNCH OF DOGS FROM THE WAIST DOWN, Circe is the biggest badass the Odyssey has to offer. Featuring how ace/aro folks would make a killing in the love potion business, how...

Down the cliffs overlooking the Southern Sea of Java, plunging into the depths of the rough ocean, you’ll find the kingdom of Kanjeng Ratu Kidul. Mortal princess turned mermaid queen, we take away lessons of mindfulness, the duality of life, and the fact that you definitely can’t smoke gillyweed from Harry Potter. Also featuring a lot of Moana references, Magic Girl transformations, and the goddes...

We’re not just talking werewolves of London! We’ve got cannibals, whole cities of wolf-people, and some big ol’ cat folks as well. This week we cover werewolves as you know them, and werewolf & werewolf-adjacent stories from around the world. If you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , YouTube , & Goodreads , and review us on iTune...

We’re kicking folklore into the 21st century to bring you this #kindacultykindacool episode. We’ve brought in reporter Kelly Weill to discuss Reptilians, cults, GOOP, and more as we dive into some recent events involving cult communities. What makes a cult? Why is steak tartare a faux pas among Reptilian watchers? How is the internet changing new religious movements? We cover all this and more! Co...

What makes you you? Is it the way people see you? Or who you are and the actions you pursue? For the Laumes, it’s a little bit of both. We discuss these Lithuanian goddesses, imagining people complexly, a chapter full of nipples, the word ‘tweak’, rainbow ribbons and more this week on Spirits!  MERCH MERCH MERCH! http://spiritspodcast.com/merch ! Kinda Creepy Kinda Cool shirts and Water Spiri...

You may have heard some great breakup stories in the past, but we bet you haven’t heard one as good as Toyotama-hime’s. From a gem-spitting meet cute to battling a normal sized crocodile, our radiant gem princess went through a lot. Listen as we tell the story and reminisce on past breakups, trashy werewolf romance novels, secrets as anniversary presents, divine prenups, and more!  MERCH MERC...