Tag: myth

Episode 73 Sources: A Not-So-Pagan Christmas Story

A lot of you have probably come across social media posts and even news articles that the holiday we know as Christmas is just ripoff of Pagan mythology and traditions. Meagan is joined by Substitute Sister Tyson Kemp to discuss and debunk many of these claims. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

You can find Tyson telling wonderful, well-researched spooky and skeptical stories @tysonunkempt on TikTok and Instagram!

To read more about debunking the Pagan origins of Christmas, we recommend you check out blog posts by Spencer McDaniel (https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2019/12/08/just-how-pagan-is-christmas-really/) and Dr. Peter Gainsford (https://kiwihellenist.blogspot.com/2018/12/concerning-yule.html).

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources:

  1. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna50284202
  2. https://bigthink.com/the-past/no-christmas-not-stolen-pagan-festival/
  3. https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2022/december/who-waged-the-very-first–war-on-christmas–.html#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20the%20Christian%20celebration,longer%20after%20the%20winter%20solstice.
  4. https://www.thedailybeast.com/did-christians-really-steal-christmas-from-the-pagans
  5. https://unherd.com/2020/12/the-myth-of-pagan-christmas/
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_syncretism
  7. https://psmag.com/social-justice/a-brief-history-of-the-christmas-controversy-pagan-roots-secularization-97073
  8. https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/invictus.html
  9. https://historyforatheists.com/2020/12/pagan-christmas/
  10. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2019/12/08/just-how-pagan-is-christmas-really/
  11. https://kiwihellenist.blogspot.com/2018/12/concerning-yule.html
  12. https://kiwihellenist.blogspot.com/2017/12/christmas-reminder-2017.html
  13. https://kiwihellenist.blogspot.com/2015/12/christmas-and-its-supposed-pagan-links.html

Episode 64 Sources: Harry Caray’s Very Scary Fairies

Join us for a discussion on all things fairies (AKA faeries, fae, fay, Little People, Wee Folk, Fair Folk, etc. etc., etc.). Turns out, when it comes to Celtic and western European fairy lore, pretty much EVERYTHING comes down to the fae, and they are not having it with our human sh*t. From changelings, to banshees, to boggarts, to brownies – Holy Cow – it’s all fairies! Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources:

  1. https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/britchange.html
  2. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/12/19/are-fairies-real-origin/8121470001/
  3. https://www.livescience.com/25413-fairies.html
  4. https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Origins-of-Fairies/
  5. https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/irish-folklore-fairies/
  6. https://www.irishstar.com/culture/nostalgia/not-friendly-fairies-irish-folklore-29298408
  7. https://irishpagan.school/sidhe-irish-fairy-folklore/
  8. https://thegallerist.art/the-origins-of-fairies-myths-and-folklore/
  9. https://theconversation.com/fairies-werent-always-cute-they-used-to-drink-human-blood-and-kidnap-children-170305
  10. https://owlcation.com/humanities/Faerie-lore-of-the-British-Isles
  11. https://public.oed.com/blog/december-2013-update-release-notes/
  12. https://claireryanauthor.com/blog/2017/2/22/2644-the-origins-of-fairies/
  13. https://www.buzzfeed.com/watch/video/127552
  14. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26844486
  15. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-archaeological-journal/article/bewitched-by-an-elf-dart-fairy-archaeology-folk-magic-and-traditional-medicine-in-ireland/7EF2D9BD63A34CAA405A42E120C4D421
  16. https://ericwedwards.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/the-origin-and-lore-of-fairies-and-fairy-land/
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classifications_of_fairies 
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy

Episode 62 Sources: Appalachian Folklore – Attack of the Barnes & Noble Witches

In this episode, Meagan is joined by Substitute Sisters Tyson Kemp and Jeremy Foster, both residents of Appalachia, to talk about the internet phenomenon that is Appalachian folklore. We discuss the history of the region, America’s long-standing fascination with its folklore, and how stereotypes about Appalachia and its people have developed and evolved over the past 300 years.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more.

Tyson can be found on Instagram @tysonunkempt. Jeremy can be found on TikTok @the_twilight_emporium.

Want to listen without the ads? Check out our newly launched Patreon, where you can get ad-free episodes & more! https://www.patreon.com/spookyscipod

Here are our sources:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachia
  2. https://blueridgemountainstravelguide.com/appalachian-folklore-and-superstitions/
  3. Appalachian Folklore Scholarship by W. K. MC NEIL; Source: Appalachian Journal , Autumn 1977, Vol. 5, No. 1, A Guide to Appalachian Studies (Autumn 1977), pp. 55-64 
  4. https://www.neh.gov/divisions/preservation/featured-project/keeping-tradition-alive-taking-steps-preserve-appalachian-folk-culture
  5. https://www.brown.edu/news/2016-11-21/appalachians https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth109/node/973

Bonus Episode Sources: Surprise! Spooky Caves with Sara Head

Surprise! We’re talking all things spooky caves in this bonus episode we recorded last fall with the incomparable Sara Head of the Archaeological Fantasies podcast. Listen to hear us discuss the use and mythology about caves from prehistory to current-day TikTok conspiracies. This episode is a bit less polished than our regular ones, but we hope you enjoy this deep dive into the creepy world of caves! Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

You can find Sara on Twitter @ArchyFantasies, or on these podcasts: Archaeological Fantasies, Paranormal Archaeology, and Digging to the Other Side.

View the Missing 411 maps here: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/missing-persons-cave-maps/

Photos of the Crystal Maiden skeleton in the Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-crystal-maiden-of-the-actun-tunichil-muknal-cave-belize

Here are our sources:

  1. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna26208873
  2. https://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/04/28/cave.deaths/index.html
  3. https://www.archaeology.org/issues/96-1307/trenches/962-greece-portals-underworld-neolithic
  4. https://magazine.mayaluxe.com/articles//cenotes-of-yucatan-sacred-portals-to-the-maya-paradise
  5. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/11-hidden-spots-to-enter-the-underworld
  6. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2014-5-september-october/green-life/spelunkers-beware-these-are-5-spookiest-caves-america
  7. https://www.ladbible.com/community/weird-conspiracy-theorist-says-people-are-going-missing-in-cannibal-caves-20210525
  8. https://www.thesmokies.com/dennis-martin-feral-humans/
  9. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/getting-lost-cave-labyrinth-brain/582865/
  10. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/journey-oldest-cave-paintings-world-180957685/
  11. https://www.science101.com/why-the-catacombs-in-paris-are-dubbed-the-gate-to-hell/
  12. https://drivinvibin.com/2021/05/04/national-parks-home-to-feral-people/
  13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-018-0599-5
  14. https://nypost.com/2018/02/20/theres-a-good-reason-why-people-suddenly-died-near-roman-portal-to-hell/
  15. https://www.cometoparis.com/paris-guide/paris-monuments/the-catacombs-of-paris-s955
  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris
  17. https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/ts/2018/02/02/paris-from-quarry-to-catacombs/

Episode 44 Sources: The Short & The Spooky – Tokyo Drift

For this installment of Short & Spooky, we’re bringing you four stories that have about as much connection to one-another as The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift has to the rest of the franchise its associated with. That is to say, almost none. Join us as we learn about creepy dolls, glowing Civil War wounds, strange trees, and baby dragons.

You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora, or iHeartRadio.

Here are our sources:

  1. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-creepy-dolls-180955916/
  2. https://www.prevention.com/health/mental-health/a23737943/fear-of-dolls/
  3. https://www.discovery.com/exploration/the-mystery-of-the-crooked-forest
  4. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/interesting-facts-about-udaipur-that-every-traveller-should-know/photostory/82304814.cms
  5. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/science/crooked-forest-poland-theories.html
  6. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/blind-aquatic-salamander-may-have-sat-mostly-still-seven-years
  7. https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/angels-glow-why-did-some-civil-war-soldiers-glow-as-they-lay-dying/?fbclid=IwAR0nTmWhdolMRbKU3OGRf8cHX0cCAGIkz7PCDC_auZAevqXyzw0GDRgUSBg
  8. https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2001/students-may-have-answer-for-faster-healing-civil-war-wounds-that-glowed/ 
  9. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4450468
  10. https://www.livescience.com/32651-what-causes-bioluminescence-.html
  11. https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/did-you-know/how-does-bioluminescence-work/
  12. https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/fish/bioluminescence#:~:text=Bioluminescence%20occurs%20through%20a%20chemical,reacts%20with%20oxygen%2C%20produces%20light.&text=Many%20organisms%20also%20produce%20the,to%20speed%20up%20the%20reaction.
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioluminescent_bacteria#:~:text=Purpose%20of%20bio%2Dluminescence,-The%20wide%2Dranged&text=In%20the%20case%20of%20bioluminescent,as%20a%20form%20of%20dispersal.&text=The%20bio%2Dluminescence%20of%20bacteria,enter%20and%20inhabit%20other%20organisms.
  14. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01142/full
  15. https://ano-patel.medium.com/slovenias-dragons-from-myth-to-reality-2a22a3f3dfc#:~:text=Postojna%20and%20Skocjan%20caves%20in,14%20years%20without%20any%20food
  16. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/whats-behind-slovenias-love-affair-with-a-salamander

Episode 25 Sources: Wendigos – This Time It’s Cannibalism!

Wendigos are said to be terrifying humanoid cannibals from the Great Lakes region of the Midwest and Canada. In this episode we discuss the origins of the wendigo myth, wendigo psychosis, and our theories on alleged wendigo sightings.  You can listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or Pandora.

Here are the sources we used for this episode:

Podcasts: Timesuck, Episode 196: “The Wendigo and Other American Indian Folklore Monsters”; Blurry Photos, Episode 135: “The Wendigo”; Lore, Episode 18: “Hunger Pains”

Websites:

  1. https://www.astonishinglegends.com/astonishing-legends/2019/10/4/the-wendigo
  2. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mn-wendigo/
  3. https://mythologian.net/wendigo-mythical-creature-legend-origin/
  4. https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/wendigoes2.htm
  5. https://www.backstoryradio.org/blog/the-mythology-and-misrepresentation-of-the-windigo/
  6. https://www.megainteresting.com/arts-culture/article/the-legend-of-the-wendigo-an-anthropological-phenomenon-of-the-native-americans-411578392970
  7. https://medium.com/exploring-history/wendigos-the-spirits-of-hunger-and-famine-in-the-united-states-588a62ed6f47
  8. https://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=2050&context=theses
  9. https://io9.gizmodo.com/wendigo-psychosis-the-probably-fake-disease-that-turns-5946814
  10. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.denofgeek.com/movies/antlers-guillermo-del-toro-wants-the-wendigo-to-look-like-a-god/%3Famp
  11. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/901027
  12. http://www.murderpedia.org/male.R/r/runner-swift.htm
  13. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/navajo-skinwalkers/
  14. https://owlcation.com/humanities/What-Is-A-Wendigo-Really

Wendigos: This Time It’s Cannibalism!

Wendigos are said to be terrifying humanoid cannibals from the Great Lakes region of the Midwest and Canada. In this episode we discuss the origins of the wendigo myth, wendigo psychosis, and our theories on alleged wendigo sightings. 

Promo at end of episode from 3 Spooked Girls!

To see our sources for this episode, head to our website at spookysciencesisters.com. Hit subscribe to be notified of future episodes, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@SpookySciPod), and Facebook (@SpookyScienceSisters) for even more spooky content! Help us grow by sharing with a friend and leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support the show further by buying us a “spirit”!

Spooky Science Sisters is a member of the Straight Up Strange Podcast Network.