May 21, 2026 • 9 mins
Some tales are clearly legends due to their fantastical elements, while others bring the fantasy right into real life. either way, the story is worth the ride.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history
is an open book, all of these amazing tales are
right there on display, just waiting for us to explore.
Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. It's impossible to understate
(00:38):
how important ancestors are to human society. It's easy to
evoke the concept as some ancient belief, but it never
really has gone away. We honor those who came before us,
regardless of our religion, political belief, or culture. The ancestors
brought us to where we are. Their knowledge is how
we built our cities. Because at the end of the day,
(00:58):
no society can exist entirely in the present and the future.
But what do we do when our ancestors have a
more sinister reputation, when their knowledge and wisdom was important
but their actions were despicable. It turns out this conundrum
is as old as time itself. It exists in legends
that pre date written history. The Kowea people of the
(01:20):
Western United States have a legend that tells this story,
and it's one that still resonates today. Centuries before Spanish colonization,
they lived in the canyons and deserts that would become
southern California. One of their first leaders was a shaman
named Takwits. His knowledge and skill with medicine came from Mucat,
creator of all things, and he led the Koweah people wisely,
(01:42):
teaching them how to become shamans of their own. He
was something greater than a human, a spirit who guided
his people and showed them right from wrong. But even
spirits can fall from grace.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Takwits, after countless years of teaching and shepherding his people,
began to grow arrogant. The Koeah people grew to fear
his wrath and his pride. He began to kidnap the
women of the tribe and kill them. Horrified by what
he was doing, the tribe seized him and erected a
pyre to burn him alive. The flames climbed high and
would have killed any normal human being, but Taquits instead disappeared.
(02:19):
His spirit fled deeper into the San Jacinto Valley, where
he would remain terrorizing the Quia from the shadows. In
some versions of this tale. Like a dragon in medieval Europe,
he would lurk in his lair, only occasionally emerging to
kidnap a member of the tribe and carry them away forever.
One day, the great chief Algut heard that his son
and two other young men from the tribe had gone
(02:40):
off to vanquish Taquits on their own. Fearing for their safety,
he followed their trail into the valley, and there he
found his son's two friends unconscious. When they had been revived,
they told him that his son had been slain by
the demon. Swearing vengeance, Algoot went home and trained long
and hard. He climbed mountains, swam rivers, wrestled with bears
(03:00):
and mountain lions. He knew that in order to face
Teqwits he would need to be stronger than any mortal man,
and when the time came, he went into the valley
again and confronted the demon who had killed his son.
The two fought in the canyon. First, Tequits attempted to
crush Algouts with boulders, but when that didn't work, they wrestled.
When Tecqwits realized that the chief was stronger than he was,
(03:22):
he began to change form from one animal to another,
but still the chief held on tightly to him. So
Tequeits changed into a sea serpent and attempted to flee,
but Alguts swam after him and caught him. He strangled
the former shaman to death and had the tribe burned
the body. Of course, in these sorts of legends, there's
never a true end to the spirit is there. As
(03:44):
the sea serpent smoldered on the flames, the spirit of
Tequits rose in the form of smoke and slithered back
into the valley. Teqwits would never again seize men, women,
or children from the village, but he would still cause
trouble for the Kowea people. Earthquakes, fleed bloods, storms, and
deadly natural phenomena are all said to be his doing.
(04:04):
He's also said to bring disease to the residents of
the valley. They rarely see him manifest again, except on
rare occasions where he appears as a green fireball soaring
across the night sky, and the evidence of this legend
is still around today. In southern California, just outside of
Palm Springs and below Mount San Jacinto is a valley
known as Taquit's Valley. In spite of its namesakes cruelty,
(04:27):
it is a beautiful place with a waterfall and lush wildlife,
a refreshing area on.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
The edge of the desert.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Legend says that much of this valley was carved out
of the mountain during the fight between Taquits and Elgut,
and it stands today as a memorial to the demon's defeat. Nature,
after all, is like a fickle god. It gives us
everything we need to survive, but can just as easily
take it all away. Nineteen sixty eight was a chaotic
(05:08):
year for the United States. The civil rights movement was
in full swing, Protests against the Vietnam War were reaching
a fever pitch, and doctor Martin Luther King Junior had
just been assassinated, sparking riots across the country. But in
the midst of all of that turmoil, one presidential candidate
emerged who promised to be totally different from any other
leader America had ever seen. On an afternoon in August,
(05:33):
that candidate rode through the streets of Chicago on the
back of a station wagon. He'd grown up on a
farm nearby and had never been politically involved until very recently,
when he was recruited by the Youth International Party, better
known as the Yippies, a countercultural group opposed to the
Vietnam War. In just a few days, the Democratic National
Convention was going to begin right there in Chicago. The
(05:55):
Yippies hated their front runner, the Citying Vice President, Hubert Humphrey,
because of his support for the war, so as a
stunt to bring attention to their cause, they were officially
nominating their own candidate the same week in the same town.
The station wagon pulled up outside a crowded plaza where
hundreds of young people with long hair and beards were
waving signs and shouting. Police officers were everywhere ready to
(06:19):
step in if this rally got out of control, as
Yippie events often did. As the candidate passed through the crowd,
the spectators clapped and cheered. He took the stage, and
the audience quieted, waiting to hear his acceptance speech. Sadly, though,
the candidate was unable to deliver the speech himself because
he was a one hundred and forty five pound black
(06:40):
and white spotted pig named Pigasus. He was running with
the campaign slogan, If we can't have him in the
White House, we can have him for breakfast. One of
the men standing on stage beside Pigasus unfolded a piece
of paper and began to read off a prepared speech
announcing the pig's candidacy for president of the United States.
As soon as he started speaking, police rushed the stage.
(07:03):
Two officers scooped up Pigasus and dragged him away. In
the ensuing chaos, seven humans were also arrested for disorderly conduct.
Pigasus was put in the back of a police wagon
and taken to a local animal shelter. Later that day,
one of his comrades came by and tried to bail
him out by telling the worker at the counter he
was looking for his lost dog, which was black and
(07:26):
white with a curly tail. But the worker took one
look at the young man's beard and weird stovepipe hat
and recognized him as one of the yippies, and so
he was sent home empty handed. All the other yippies
from the rally that day who were arrested were released
after posting bond, but Piggis's fates is a mystery. A
rumor claimed that the Chicago police had barbecued and eaten him,
(07:48):
but more reputable newspaper reports suggests that he was actually
sent to a farm about an hour north of Chicago,
Wherever Pigasus ended up. He lived out the rest of
his life without ever holding a major political office, but
he also went down in history as the first and
so far only pig to be nominated for US president,
although there are some today who dispute that claim. I
(08:14):
hope you enjoyed today's guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities.
This show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership
with iHeart Podcasts, researched and written by the Grim and
Mild team, and produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about
the show and the people who make it over at
Grimandmild dot com slash Curiosities. You'll also find a link
(08:35):
to the official Cabinet of Curiosity's hardcover book, available in
bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook. And
if you're looking for an ad free option, consider joining
our Patreon. It's all the same stories, but without the
interruption for.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
A small monthly fee.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Learn more and sign up over at patreon dot com
slash grimandmild, and until next time, stay curious, m
Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history
is an open book, all of these amazing tales are
right there on display, just waiting for us to explore.
Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. It's impossible to understate
(00:38):
how important ancestors are to human society. It's easy to
evoke the concept as some ancient belief, but it never
really has gone away. We honor those who came before us,
regardless of our religion, political belief, or culture. The ancestors
brought us to where we are. Their knowledge is how
we built our cities. Because at the end of the day,
(00:58):
no society can exist entirely in the present and the future.
But what do we do when our ancestors have a
more sinister reputation, when their knowledge and wisdom was important
but their actions were despicable. It turns out this conundrum
is as old as time itself. It exists in legends
that pre date written history. The Kowea people of the
(01:20):
Western United States have a legend that tells this story,
and it's one that still resonates today. Centuries before Spanish colonization,
they lived in the canyons and deserts that would become
southern California. One of their first leaders was a shaman
named Takwits. His knowledge and skill with medicine came from Mucat,
creator of all things, and he led the Koweah people wisely,
(01:42):
teaching them how to become shamans of their own. He
was something greater than a human, a spirit who guided
his people and showed them right from wrong. But even
spirits can fall from grace.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Takwits, after countless years of teaching and shepherding his people,
began to grow arrogant. The Koeah people grew to fear
his wrath and his pride. He began to kidnap the
women of the tribe and kill them. Horrified by what
he was doing, the tribe seized him and erected a
pyre to burn him alive. The flames climbed high and
would have killed any normal human being, but Taquits instead disappeared.
(02:19):
His spirit fled deeper into the San Jacinto Valley, where
he would remain terrorizing the Quia from the shadows. In
some versions of this tale. Like a dragon in medieval Europe,
he would lurk in his lair, only occasionally emerging to
kidnap a member of the tribe and carry them away forever.
One day, the great chief Algut heard that his son
and two other young men from the tribe had gone
(02:40):
off to vanquish Taquits on their own. Fearing for their safety,
he followed their trail into the valley, and there he
found his son's two friends unconscious. When they had been revived,
they told him that his son had been slain by
the demon. Swearing vengeance, Algoot went home and trained long
and hard. He climbed mountains, swam rivers, wrestled with bears
(03:00):
and mountain lions. He knew that in order to face
Teqwits he would need to be stronger than any mortal man,
and when the time came, he went into the valley
again and confronted the demon who had killed his son.
The two fought in the canyon. First, Tequits attempted to
crush Algouts with boulders, but when that didn't work, they wrestled.
When Tecqwits realized that the chief was stronger than he was,
(03:22):
he began to change form from one animal to another,
but still the chief held on tightly to him. So
Tequeits changed into a sea serpent and attempted to flee,
but Alguts swam after him and caught him. He strangled
the former shaman to death and had the tribe burned
the body. Of course, in these sorts of legends, there's
never a true end to the spirit is there. As
(03:44):
the sea serpent smoldered on the flames, the spirit of
Tequits rose in the form of smoke and slithered back
into the valley. Teqwits would never again seize men, women,
or children from the village, but he would still cause
trouble for the Kowea people. Earthquakes, fleed bloods, storms, and
deadly natural phenomena are all said to be his doing.
(04:04):
He's also said to bring disease to the residents of
the valley. They rarely see him manifest again, except on
rare occasions where he appears as a green fireball soaring
across the night sky, and the evidence of this legend
is still around today. In southern California, just outside of
Palm Springs and below Mount San Jacinto is a valley
known as Taquit's Valley. In spite of its namesakes cruelty,
(04:27):
it is a beautiful place with a waterfall and lush wildlife,
a refreshing area on.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
The edge of the desert.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Legend says that much of this valley was carved out
of the mountain during the fight between Taquits and Elgut,
and it stands today as a memorial to the demon's defeat. Nature,
after all, is like a fickle god. It gives us
everything we need to survive, but can just as easily
take it all away. Nineteen sixty eight was a chaotic
(05:08):
year for the United States. The civil rights movement was
in full swing, Protests against the Vietnam War were reaching
a fever pitch, and doctor Martin Luther King Junior had
just been assassinated, sparking riots across the country. But in
the midst of all of that turmoil, one presidential candidate
emerged who promised to be totally different from any other
leader America had ever seen. On an afternoon in August,
(05:33):
that candidate rode through the streets of Chicago on the
back of a station wagon. He'd grown up on a
farm nearby and had never been politically involved until very recently,
when he was recruited by the Youth International Party, better
known as the Yippies, a countercultural group opposed to the
Vietnam War. In just a few days, the Democratic National
Convention was going to begin right there in Chicago. The
(05:55):
Yippies hated their front runner, the Citying Vice President, Hubert Humphrey,
because of his support for the war, so as a
stunt to bring attention to their cause, they were officially
nominating their own candidate the same week in the same town.
The station wagon pulled up outside a crowded plaza where
hundreds of young people with long hair and beards were
waving signs and shouting. Police officers were everywhere ready to
(06:19):
step in if this rally got out of control, as
Yippie events often did. As the candidate passed through the crowd,
the spectators clapped and cheered. He took the stage, and
the audience quieted, waiting to hear his acceptance speech. Sadly, though,
the candidate was unable to deliver the speech himself because
he was a one hundred and forty five pound black
(06:40):
and white spotted pig named Pigasus. He was running with
the campaign slogan, If we can't have him in the
White House, we can have him for breakfast. One of
the men standing on stage beside Pigasus unfolded a piece
of paper and began to read off a prepared speech
announcing the pig's candidacy for president of the United States.
As soon as he started speaking, police rushed the stage.
(07:03):
Two officers scooped up Pigasus and dragged him away. In
the ensuing chaos, seven humans were also arrested for disorderly conduct.
Pigasus was put in the back of a police wagon
and taken to a local animal shelter. Later that day,
one of his comrades came by and tried to bail
him out by telling the worker at the counter he
was looking for his lost dog, which was black and
(07:26):
white with a curly tail. But the worker took one
look at the young man's beard and weird stovepipe hat
and recognized him as one of the yippies, and so
he was sent home empty handed. All the other yippies
from the rally that day who were arrested were released
after posting bond, but Piggis's fates is a mystery. A
rumor claimed that the Chicago police had barbecued and eaten him,
(07:48):
but more reputable newspaper reports suggests that he was actually
sent to a farm about an hour north of Chicago,
Wherever Pigasus ended up. He lived out the rest of
his life without ever holding a major political office, but
he also went down in history as the first and
so far only pig to be nominated for US president,
although there are some today who dispute that claim. I
(08:14):
hope you enjoyed today's guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities.
This show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership
with iHeart Podcasts, researched and written by the Grim and
Mild team, and produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about
the show and the people who make it over at
Grimandmild dot com slash Curiosities. You'll also find a link
(08:35):
to the official Cabinet of Curiosity's hardcover book, available in
bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook. And
if you're looking for an ad free option, consider joining
our Patreon. It's all the same stories, but without the
interruption for.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
A small monthly fee.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Learn more and sign up over at patreon dot com
slash grimandmild, and until next time, stay curious, m
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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