March 21, 2025 • 31 mins
From ancient omens to modern messengers of catastrophe, explore history's most chilling harbingers of doom. From the Blackbird of Chernobyl to the haunting Mothman of Point Pleasant, discover the dark warnings that preceded some of humanity's greatest tragedies.
- Sign-up for GROUND NEWS for 40% off their 'Vantage' subscription!! https://check.ground.news/inbetween 😊💜
*Affiliate Disclaimer: With the above link, we earn a small commission on sales, at no additional cost to you.
Find our videos on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheInBetweenTales
Send your stories to: InBetweenTales@gmail.com
Work with us: theinbetween@ekhoinc.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:16):
Strange mysteries, unexplained phenomena.
And the shadows in between.
This is The InBetween Official Podcastwith your host,
Carol Ann!
The 1991 Bangladesh cyclone.
138,000 souls lost.
(00:38):
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
230,000 people washed away in an instant.
The 1931 China floods.
When all is said and done.
Somewhere between 1 and 4 million peopleperished.
Wouldn't it be niceif we had some warning?
Maybe we do. Welcome to The InBetween.
I'm Carol Ann, and this episode attemptsto answer the question,
(01:01):
is there such a thing as a Harbinger
of Doom?
Signs and warnings
of impending tragedyare certainly not a new idea.
In ancient times, cometswere often regarded as ominous harbingers
of change, disaster, or divine messages.
(01:24):
Civilizationssuch as the Greeks, Romans, and Chinese
believed that the sun appearanceof a comet signified impending doom,
such as war, famine,or the death of a ruler.
Even the 4000 year old BabylonianEpic of Gilgamesh
talks about fire, brimstone, and flood,all being attributed to a comet.
(01:46):
In England.
The comet Negra was blamedfor the Black Death
that killed 25 to 50 million people
in four years, from 1347 to 1351.
So the next time a big one rolls around,Halley's comet in 1456,
Pope CalixtusIII is right on top of the problem
(02:08):
and excommunicatesthe comet as an instrument of the devil.
I'm sure that showed it. Who's boss.
Also,there are harbingers of personal doom,
like the infamous screamingbanshee of Irish and Scottish folklore.
Sometimes beautiful, sometimes hideous.
Just there to let you know thatsomeone in your family is about to die.
(02:29):
Fascinating to meis that apparently banshees
only visit peoplefrom five particular families
the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Grady's,the O’connors and the Kavanagh's.
Of course, in the centuriesthat have followed,
those families have gottena tad bit bigger.
But since those five families have grownto now include millions of people,
(02:51):
obviously not everyone in those familiesis blessed with a visit from the Banshee.
Now, it seems as if the honor and I do usethat term
loosely, is handed down within certainfamilies, generation to generation.
One particular case from New Yorkcomes from a woman of Irish descent
who says that her whole lifeshe has heard that the women on her
(03:14):
side of the familyhave had experiences with banshees.
She hasn't yet,but her mother, grandmother and great
grandmother all have.
Her mother's experience happenswhen she's home alone,
when this terrible wailingsound like a horrible, weak,
howling starts echoingthrough the entire house.
(03:37):
Doesn't matter where in the houseshe goes.
The sound just follows her.
And she searches the whole house,trying to find the source, but can't.
After an hour or so of this creepy,disembodied howling,
right before her mother, who would begrandma, comes home, It stops.
The mom, terrified and waiting outside,explains to grandma what happened.
(04:01):
Grandma is very chillabout the whole thing and explains to mom
how their family is cursedwith the cry of the banshee.
A few dayslater, Great Grandma passes away.
And then there are omens of tough timeson the horizon
for humanity in general,like the Wild Hunt from European folklore.
(04:21):
The Wild Hunt is a ghostly processionof riders and hounds
that, legend says, is warning of societal
or cosmic upheaval, like a coming war.
Now, there is no way I can cover
every different harbingerfrom every different culture.
So for the rest of this episode,we are going to focus on those here
(04:42):
to warn us of broader impending disasters.
There are plenty of creaturesthat many cultures see as warning
of bad things to come - owls, crowsand anything that swarms.
Just ask the Egyptians about that one.
A particularly interestingone is the oarfish.
Having a face only a mother could lovemight just be why this creature
(05:06):
hangs out in the deep waters,rarely seen by anyone on the surface.
So when they are seen, it'squite an event.
And considering that they grow to lengthsranging from 10 to 50ft,
I'd say there's a pretty good chancethat they were the source for many
sightings of sea serpentsin sailing days of old.
And those sea serpentswere also considered harbingers of doom.
(05:29):
Oar fish are especially nearand dear to the Japanese,
where an oarfish sightingis considered to be a message from the sea
god warning of an impending earthquakeor tsunami.
Interestingly enough, Japanese
beacheswitnessed a big influx of these creatures
washing ashore in the spring of 2010and the spring of 2011,
(05:51):
right before the Tohoku earthquakeand tsunami on March 11th, 2011.
And it’s not just Japan.
Chile and the Philippineshave also reported these strange visitors
to the surfacebefore significant seismic events.
But unlike some of the portenders of doomwe haven't gotten to you yet,
(06:12):
there might just bea scientific explanation for these guys.
Since they are wanderersof the deepest ocean depths,
anywhere from 600 to 3300ft deep,
the theory is that they are sensitiveto changes in sea pressure
that might happenbefore an impending earthquake,
making them a little crazyand sending them floating to the surface.
(06:36):
But let's diveinto the more fantastical list of entities
that have been connectedwith specific tragedies.
I know many of you outthere are familiar with Mothman,
and the accounts that portrayit as a warning to the people of Point
Pleasant,West Virginia, about the horrific collapse
of the silver Bridgeon December 15th, 1967.
(06:58):
I promise I will do a deeper diveinto Mothman himself in a future episode.
But for today, I'mgoing to just do a brief overview
for anyone out therenot familiar with his story.
Mothman’s story starts on November15th, 1966, just outside Point Pleasant,
when two young couples, Roger and LindaScarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette,
(07:20):
are driving by an old World WarTwo munitions factory
that is surrounded with dense woodsand wetlands.
As they're driving, they see a creaturestanding over six feet tall
with a wingspan of over ten feet,with glowing
red eyes that seem to reflectlight like a bike reflector.
(07:42):
The creature takes to the skyand follows their car,
flying at speeds of over 100 miles an houras they're trying to drive away.
They are so freaked that they just drivestraight to the local sheriff,
who takes their statement,noting how genuinely
terrified they all seem to be.
Word of the sighting sparksa wave of similar reports
(08:04):
over the following months, as more peoplerecount their encounters with presumably
the same creature,with descriptions of the humanoid body,
the large wings, and bright red eyesstaying consistent across all accounts.
Some witnesses also describestrange behaviors, such as the creature
perching on rooftops or treesand emitting high pitched screeches.
(08:28):
The abandoned munitions plant,also called the TNT area,
quickly gains a reputationas the Mothman's home
because so many reportsare coming from around the same location.
Adding fuel to the fire,
people in town are reporting othermysterious phenomena like UFOs, weird
lights in the sky and strange phone callswith eerie beeping or static noises.
(08:54):
Needless to say, the combinationof these events fuels all kinds of rumors
and has a tight knit communitya little on edge.
On December 15th, 1967,the Silver Bridge, which connected
Point Pleasant to Gallipoli, Ohio,
collapses during rush hour traffic.
(09:14):
The disaster claims 46 liveswhen the suspension bridge,
built in 1928, failswith no prior warning.
One of the worst infrastructure disastersin U.S.
history at the time.
After the bridge collapse,reports of Mothman sightings
abruptly stopped, leading manyto speculate that the creature's presence
(09:37):
had been a forewarningof the bridge's failure.
Now, whether you believe the skepticswho attribute the sightings
to misidentified animalssuch as large owls or sandhill cranes,
or you believe that this creature issomething beyond our understanding,
sent here from someplace elseas a warning beacon,
(09:57):
the people of Point Pleasanthave welcomed Mothman
into their city’slore with an annual Mothman Festival,
his own statueand a museum dedicated to the legend.
The next messenger on our list of doom,and staying right here in North
America, is the Nain Rouge,the Red Dwarf or Red Demon, of Detroit.
(10:19):
Sightings of this pintsized package of trouble started
from the very beginning, around 1701,
when Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, (orin English, Cadillac,
like the car that wouldeventually be named after him) helped
establish FortPontchartrain for the French,
which would eventually growinto the Detroit we know today.
(10:42):
But let's back up for a minute.
Before Cadillac even leaves Quebec to takethe job of building Fort Pontchartrain.
He's at a partywhere a fortune teller warns him
that he's going to encountera demon on his next adventure.
She tells him that if he's nice to it,his reward
will be discovering a city to rivalall French cities.
(11:05):
If he's not, you guessedit, life long trouble.
Cadillac leavesthe very next day for his trek to the area
that would eventually become Michigan,to find an area to build the fort.
He finds the perfect spotright on the Detroit River,
where French and Britishand Native American fur traders
(11:25):
can all sell their peltsto merchants at the settlement.
But the Native Americans warn their furtrading competitors that the area they are
in is the home of unseenspiritual entities that guard the forest.
Cadillac becomesgovernor of the settlement, which prospers
for years when one day he encountersthis dwarfish, malevolent
(11:49):
figure with fiery red eyes, sharp teeth,
a sinister grin, and a mocking demeanor.
Well, our highly statured
friend Antoine has no time for this
kind of supernatural nonsenseand smacks it with his cane.
Big mistake.
The impish figure is none too happyabout that reaction
(12:12):
and curses Cadillacand his little settlement.
And it doesn't take long beforeCadillac is removed from his position
as governor under accusationsof corruption and mismanagement,
forcing him to leave the settlementhe had worked so hard to establish.
And his later years didn'tget any better, plagued by financial
(12:32):
troubles and legal disputes,keeping him far away
from the power and prosperityhe once enjoyed.
But true to his word, the NainRouge continues to make his presence
known before some of the toughest momentsin Detroit's history.
One of the most well knowninstances occurs
before the Battle of Bloody Run in 1763.
(12:55):
The French are out of the pictureat this point, so it's just
the British and Native Americansnot getting along.
The two sides are teed up to goto battle the next morning,
when the Nain Rouge is seen by Britishsoldiers dancing
on the banks of the DetroitRiver, laughing and mocking them.
Sure enough, the next morning the Britishare trounced by the Native Americans.
(13:20):
Fast forward a couple of decadesand the Nain Rouge is spotted again
in 1805, dartingthrough the streets of the city,
its fiery eyes providing just a small clueof the impending disaster.
Soon after, on the morning of June
11th,a fire starts out in John Harvey's barn
that takes out the entire city,
(13:43):
with the exception of a fort on the hilland a warehouse down by the river.
Fast forwardagain to the early 20th century.
The Nain Rouge is spottedshortly before a series
of factory accidents and labor strikesthat paralyze the city's
growing industrial area,seemingly it's reveling in the chaos.
(14:05):
And while I would say that the Nain Rougefell down on the job
for a little while in the second halfof the 20th century, and despite there
being no recent sightings, hispromise of bad luck for Detroit is back.
They're not doing that great lately.
So in 2010, residents of the city startedhosting
the annual March of the Nain Rouge,a parade meant
(14:29):
to drive the creature out of Detroitto ensure a prosperous year ahead.
Participants dress up like the Nain Rouge,turning the legend
into a lighthearted and celebratory event.
While some Detroit residentsregard the Nain Rouge as a humorous
relic of local folklore,others don't find it very funny.
I don't know, Detroit.
(14:49):
Maybe you might want to startleaving out a few more cookies at night.
Now, from the confines of the US,we are going to bust out
all the way over to Freiburg, Germany.
But I have to warn you about this one.
There'sabsolutely nothing to back up the story,
which does not bodewell for its authenticity.
But it's such a great story.
(15:12):
Freiburg is an industrial cityin the southwest corner of Germany,
right next to the border to France,known for its silver and mineral mining.
And it's at one of these mineswhere a group of miners reported for yet
another grueling work day,as they did every day.
But this day would be a little different.
(15:33):
As the men arrived on schedulejust before 7 a.m.
on September 10th, 1978,they were met by a man in a black
trench coat, standingin front of the entrance to the mine.
The miners stop for a moment,but then continue toward the mine,
figuring that they'll just figure outwhat this guy wants.
As they get closer, the man in the trenchcoat opens the trench coat,
(15:57):
which isn't a trench coat, and unfurls
these huge black wingsand lets out this inhuman shriek
that likely hauntsanyone who heard it still alive today.
The witnessesdescribe the sound as a cross between “A
sound like 50 peoplescreaming” and “A train
(16:20):
in peril trying to break at the sight of atwisted rail.”
Once the creature was finishedwith its ungodly wail,
it folded its wingsback up and just stood there.
Exactly as I would have donehad I been there, the men decide
we're not going anywhere near that thing,and instead up to try and wait it out.
(16:43):
They kind of putz around on the outside,you know, cleaning up,
keeping a fair distance from whateverthat thing is for about an hour,
when an explosion rocks the groundright under their feet.
Flames and smoke come pouringout of the mouth of the mine,
and the winged creature is gone.
21 men would have been inside
(17:06):
that mine had they not decidedto give the winged creatures some space.
And all 21 would have diedin the explosion.
Move ahead six months
and only six of the 21 workers onthat crew are still on the job.
Of the 15no longer working there, two of them,
apparently the two most determinedto share the details of their encounter
(17:29):
with the world, somehow go completely
broke and die suddenly,while the others are crippled
with psychiatric problems,including nightmares of that fateful day.
Why is that not surprise me.
And I hear you barking, big dog.
Sounds an awful lot like Mothman, right?
Well, hold that thought,because we are not done
(17:51):
with our Harbinger 2025 World Tour.
One last darkmessenger takes us up to Mother Russia.
But before we go there, and since we're onthe subject of Shriekers...
I don't know about you guys,
but I find thatI can't turn on the mainstream media news
without either A) having to sitand listen to a bunch of people
(18:15):
shrieking at each other, or B)I start shrieking at the TV
because of the obvious biaspouring out of the news person’s mouth.
I don't want anyone to tell mewhat to think.
I just want someone to tell mewhat happened.
No bias. Be balanced.
Well, Ground Newsmakes the search for balance a cakewalk.
(18:39):
With their tools,
you can see who's telling the storiesthat you think are important.
And who's not.
You get to see how each side of thepolitical aisle is framing the same story,
and you can see them both side by side,
which can help you understand both sides.
In fact, they have this awesomefeature called the Blind Spot.
(19:02):
Depending on what type of newsyou usually consume,
Ground News helpsyou bust through the bubble
by sending you alerts about storiesyou may not have even heard about,
because one side or the otheris refusing to even talk about it.
You can actually see who's not coveringa story that should be front and center.
(19:22):
It's a powerful toolto spot bias, to see who might be trying
to manipulate the narrative,and who's giving it to you straight.
We can't make good decisionsif we don't have all the information.
This is crucial for us,and we know it's crucial for you, too.
We want the truth, pretty or not.
(19:42):
I think we can handle it.
That's whywe're so pumped to partner with Ground.
We've been using Ground Newsfor over a year now and we want you
to have this tool in your arsenal, too.
Just scan this QR code right here,
or click our link in the descriptionto get started.
And right now they're even offering40% off their Vantage plan.
(20:06):
Dive in with Ground Newsand join us in this journey of critical
thinking, skepticism,and the relentless pursuit of truth.
Let's not just consume news.
Let's analyze it,question it and demand the full picture.
Speaking of nevergetting the full picture,
let's head back to Russiaand our next harbinger.
(20:29):
Just outside the city of Pripyat,in the Ukraine, right on the border
to Belarus standsthe Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
These are independent countries now.
But in 1986, this area was squarelywithin the control of the Soviet Union.
This Russian nightmarestarts early in 1986
with employees of the power plant,many of them control room workers,
(20:53):
starting to whisper to each otherand eventually to their managers
about sightings of a huge black
winged creature hanging around the plant.
Initial descriptions are of a big black
headless creature with a huge wingspanand red glowing eyes.
(21:14):
The managers pretty much just blow offall the reports, until one night
when a woman bursts into the securityoffice, completely hysterical.
She tells the security guards
that she was done for the night,and was walking to her car
when she heard a rustling noisein the branches of a nearby tree.
She looks over to the treesto see what might be making the noise,
(21:35):
when a pair of glowing red eyespop open in the darkness.
And whatever this thing is hisses at herbefore
unfurling large black wingsand flying away.
That encounter kind of opensthe floodgates.
Pretty soon, more people come forwardwith their stories.
Stories from dark flying, shriekingcreatures circling
(21:57):
the skies above the reactor to a workeralmost crashing his car
when he swerves to avoid a huge creaturethat had come swooping out of the darkness
and into the pool of lightfrom his headlights.
And as if just seeing this thingisn't bad enough,
those who do see it also report sufferingfrom terrifying nightmares
(22:19):
of a black beast with red eyes,and just overall feeling kind of sick,
and creepy middle of the nightphone calls.
Some of them from the KGB.
Between the lack of sleep,feeling ill, and overall fear,
employeesstart showing up late or calling in sick.
(22:39):
Which, of course, bringsa whole new round of threatening
phone calls, this time from their bosses.
And it's not just the employees.
Some of the people of Pripyatare seeing it, too.
And having the same horrifying nightmares.
So the managers knowthey have some kind of issue,
but there's really nothingthat they can do about it.
It's not like they can just takethese fantastical encounters
(23:02):
and run them upthe managerial chain for a solution.
First of all, justwhat would that solution be?
And secondly, remember,this is Cold War time.
Russia.
If you, as a manager didn't reportthat everything under your command
is hunky dory, you might just end upcrushing rocks in Siberia.
(23:23):
But all of that drama became a moot point
on April 26th, 1986,when the number four reactor,
under the watchful eye of oneAnatoly Dyatlov.
Now, where have I heard that name before?
exploded, creating the worstnuclear accident in history.
And unlike the Mothman at Point Pleasant,
(23:45):
the Blackbird of Chernobyl sightingsdon't stop right away.
The cleanup crews continueto see the flying creature.
The very next day, a helicopter crewis flying toward the reactor,
getting readyto dump its load of radioactive
absorbing materials onto the still burning reactor.
When the crew in the backis a little surprised
(24:08):
at some sudden evasive maneuverstaken by the pilots.
They go up to the front of the cockpit,ready to crack some skulls.
the next time I have to come in here.
I'm cracking skulls.
When they see the dazedlook on the pilots faces,
following their gaze,they look out through the windshield
and see a jet black monsterwith sharp talons,
(24:31):
sharp teeth, and glowing red eyes,shrieking and swooping
in and out of the still rising columnsof radioactive smoke.
In the helicopter, creware not the only ones to see this thing.
Many people on the ground, heroicallytrying to stop the flow of radiation,
reported being harassed by this creature,flying through the columns of smoke
(24:55):
and swooping over their headson the ground.
The city of Pripyat is evacuatedtwo days after the explosion,
and the number of workers in the areadwindles as the reactor is contained.
As the number of people in the areagoes down, so
does the number of reports of the blackred eyed flying nightmare.
(25:16):
Now, whether that's
because the monster decided its workis done there, or because there's just
no one left to witness,it is anyone's guess.
Unfortunately, but predictably,it doesn't take long before everyone
who had witnessed what has become knownas the black bird of Chernobyl dies.
(25:37):
Mostly from the excessive radiationthat they were exposed to
in trying to get the reactor under control
and/or save the people in Pripyat,giving rise to the idea
that those who did seeit were marked for death.
So there are no more witnessesto interview,
and any records having to dowith the statements given by the employees
(25:59):
seem to have disappearedin the chaotic aftermath.
So this one also has no wayto be verified.
However, the witness statementshad to have made it at least partway
up the official chain of commandbecause the government has responded.
The official explanationis that those people saw a black stork,
(26:22):
a bird that stands about three feet tallwith a six foot wingspan.
Black storks are native to the area.
They're also endangered,so generally not seen too often.
But that has to be what they saw, right?
No, I can't say that I feel very goodabout giving you two stories
(26:43):
that are totally unverifiable.
So I'm going to give you one more storythat is 100% verified.
And as a bonus, willmake your creepy meter peg off the charts.
It's a beautiful fallevening in Sydney, Australia
as the Godson family - John, Jennyand their two boys.
(27:03):
Damian, who's six, and Craig,who's four - meander
around the grounds of an amusement parkcalled Luna Park.
As they're laughing and enjoyingthe sights, they are approached
out of nowhere by a rather strangefigure dressed in a leopard print
loinclothand wearing a weird mask headdress thing,
(27:24):
that kind of looks like a white bullwith the eyes cut out and long black hair,
and on the whole looking very shamanisticor even demonic.
I'm not sure who the instigator is,but a picture is snapped
of this odd individual with his arm aroundDamien.
But, seems harmless enough.
(27:46):
And then the stranger disappearsas quickly as he had appeared.
Well, whatever.
The Godson family goes on to enjoy
the rest of the eveninguntil it's just after 10:00.
They have four ride tickets left,so they decide that
their last ride of the nightis going to be on the Ghost Train.
The Ghost Train is this ridewhere the riders get into a car
(28:09):
that takes them inside of a structurethat is almost completely dark inside.
As the car goes around the track, various
jumpscaresand effects are used to try and creep out
the riders, who are eventuallybrought back to the beginning.
The Godson family is patientlystanding in line,
when Jenny, the mom, gets a hankeringfor some ice cream.
(28:31):
So she tells John, “Stay in linewith the boys.
I'll be right back.”But the line moves while she's gone.
And for reasonsthat Jenny will never understand,
John decides to take the two boyson the ride without her.
By the time Jenny returns, black smoke
and fire is pouringfrom the openings of the building.
(28:53):
And it doesn't take long beforeJenny's worst fears are confirmed.
John, Damian, and Craig are all dead.
takes a while beforeJenny develops the film
in her camera from that horrifying day.
When she does, she sees that picture
with the ominous man in the mask.
(29:14):
Jenny calls Luna Park to find outwho that person is, only to be told
that the park does not have any employeeswearing a costume like that at the park.
So who was this guy?
Well, some people have speculated,based on his bizarre
headdress,that he was some kind of Moloch figure.
Who's Moloch?
Well, he's an ancient Canaanitegod who is usually depicted with the body
(29:39):
of a man and the head of a bull,
to whom child sacrifices were given.
Sacrificed how?
By fire.
But this episodeis about harbingers of doom.
So maybe this guy was sent
from the same placeall the other harbingers are sent from,
to be some kind of pattern interruptin the Godson’s day.
(30:02):
But just like the other harbingers.
Why do they have to be so cryptic?
It seems to methat they would save a lot more people.
They would just say something.
So some of you may have noticed
that the blackbird of Chernobyl soundsan awful lot like Mothman.
(30:23):
But I also found outthat there are way more Mothman
like harbingers than just those two.
So as soon as I get a chance to read JohnKeeley's book on Mothman
can't do a mothman episodewithout reading that book),
I will get a full on Mothmandeep dive in the works.
In the meantime,if you want to keep barreling down
(30:43):
your current highway of high strangeness,click on this video right here.
Just do it.
You know you're going to love it.
Be careful out there.
And I will see you here againon the in between.
That's a wrap.
Thanks for tuning into The InBetween Podcast.
(31:03):
Enjoy the full visual experiencewith me over on YouTube.
Just search for @TheInBetweentales.
I'm Carol Ann,and until next time, be careful
out there.
Strange mysteries, unexplained phenomena.
And the shadows in between.
This is The InBetween Official Podcastwith your host,
Carol Ann!
The 1991 Bangladesh cyclone.
138,000 souls lost.
(00:38):
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
230,000 people washed away in an instant.
The 1931 China floods.
When all is said and done.
Somewhere between 1 and 4 million peopleperished.
Wouldn't it be niceif we had some warning?
Maybe we do. Welcome to The InBetween.
I'm Carol Ann, and this episode attemptsto answer the question,
(01:01):
is there such a thing as a Harbinger
of Doom?
Signs and warnings
of impending tragedyare certainly not a new idea.
In ancient times, cometswere often regarded as ominous harbingers
of change, disaster, or divine messages.
(01:24):
Civilizationssuch as the Greeks, Romans, and Chinese
believed that the sun appearanceof a comet signified impending doom,
such as war, famine,or the death of a ruler.
Even the 4000 year old BabylonianEpic of Gilgamesh
talks about fire, brimstone, and flood,all being attributed to a comet.
(01:46):
In England.
The comet Negra was blamedfor the Black Death
that killed 25 to 50 million people
in four years, from 1347 to 1351.
So the next time a big one rolls around,Halley's comet in 1456,
Pope CalixtusIII is right on top of the problem
(02:08):
and excommunicatesthe comet as an instrument of the devil.
I'm sure that showed it. Who's boss.
Also,there are harbingers of personal doom,
like the infamous screamingbanshee of Irish and Scottish folklore.
Sometimes beautiful, sometimes hideous.
Just there to let you know thatsomeone in your family is about to die.
(02:29):
Fascinating to meis that apparently banshees
only visit peoplefrom five particular families
the O'Neills, the O'Briens, the O'Grady's,the O’connors and the Kavanagh's.
Of course, in the centuriesthat have followed,
those families have gottena tad bit bigger.
But since those five families have grownto now include millions of people,
(02:51):
obviously not everyone in those familiesis blessed with a visit from the Banshee.
Now, it seems as if the honor and I do usethat term
loosely, is handed down within certainfamilies, generation to generation.
One particular case from New Yorkcomes from a woman of Irish descent
who says that her whole lifeshe has heard that the women on her
(03:14):
side of the familyhave had experiences with banshees.
She hasn't yet,but her mother, grandmother and great
grandmother all have.
Her mother's experience happenswhen she's home alone,
when this terrible wailingsound like a horrible, weak,
howling starts echoingthrough the entire house.
(03:37):
Doesn't matter where in the houseshe goes.
The sound just follows her.
And she searches the whole house,trying to find the source, but can't.
After an hour or so of this creepy,disembodied howling,
right before her mother, who would begrandma, comes home, It stops.
The mom, terrified and waiting outside,explains to grandma what happened.
(04:01):
Grandma is very chillabout the whole thing and explains to mom
how their family is cursedwith the cry of the banshee.
A few dayslater, Great Grandma passes away.
And then there are omens of tough timeson the horizon
for humanity in general,like the Wild Hunt from European folklore.
(04:21):
The Wild Hunt is a ghostly processionof riders and hounds
that, legend says, is warning of societal
or cosmic upheaval, like a coming war.
Now, there is no way I can cover
every different harbingerfrom every different culture.
So for the rest of this episode,we are going to focus on those here
(04:42):
to warn us of broader impending disasters.
There are plenty of creaturesthat many cultures see as warning
of bad things to come - owls, crowsand anything that swarms.
Just ask the Egyptians about that one.
A particularly interestingone is the oarfish.
Having a face only a mother could lovemight just be why this creature
(05:06):
hangs out in the deep waters,rarely seen by anyone on the surface.
So when they are seen, it'squite an event.
And considering that they grow to lengthsranging from 10 to 50ft,
I'd say there's a pretty good chancethat they were the source for many
sightings of sea serpentsin sailing days of old.
And those sea serpentswere also considered harbingers of doom.
(05:29):
Oar fish are especially nearand dear to the Japanese,
where an oarfish sightingis considered to be a message from the sea
god warning of an impending earthquakeor tsunami.
Interestingly enough, Japanese
beacheswitnessed a big influx of these creatures
washing ashore in the spring of 2010and the spring of 2011,
(05:51):
right before the Tohoku earthquakeand tsunami on March 11th, 2011.
And it’s not just Japan.
Chile and the Philippineshave also reported these strange visitors
to the surfacebefore significant seismic events.
But unlike some of the portenders of doomwe haven't gotten to you yet,
(06:12):
there might just bea scientific explanation for these guys.
Since they are wanderersof the deepest ocean depths,
anywhere from 600 to 3300ft deep,
the theory is that they are sensitiveto changes in sea pressure
that might happenbefore an impending earthquake,
making them a little crazyand sending them floating to the surface.
(06:36):
But let's diveinto the more fantastical list of entities
that have been connectedwith specific tragedies.
I know many of you outthere are familiar with Mothman,
and the accounts that portrayit as a warning to the people of Point
Pleasant,West Virginia, about the horrific collapse
of the silver Bridgeon December 15th, 1967.
(06:58):
I promise I will do a deeper diveinto Mothman himself in a future episode.
But for today, I'mgoing to just do a brief overview
for anyone out therenot familiar with his story.
Mothman’s story starts on November15th, 1966, just outside Point Pleasant,
when two young couples, Roger and LindaScarberry and Steve and Mary Mallette,
(07:20):
are driving by an old World WarTwo munitions factory
that is surrounded with dense woodsand wetlands.
As they're driving, they see a creaturestanding over six feet tall
with a wingspan of over ten feet,with glowing
red eyes that seem to reflectlight like a bike reflector.
(07:42):
The creature takes to the skyand follows their car,
flying at speeds of over 100 miles an houras they're trying to drive away.
They are so freaked that they just drivestraight to the local sheriff,
who takes their statement,noting how genuinely
terrified they all seem to be.
Word of the sighting sparksa wave of similar reports
(08:04):
over the following months, as more peoplerecount their encounters with presumably
the same creature,with descriptions of the humanoid body,
the large wings, and bright red eyesstaying consistent across all accounts.
Some witnesses also describestrange behaviors, such as the creature
perching on rooftops or treesand emitting high pitched screeches.
(08:28):
The abandoned munitions plant,also called the TNT area,
quickly gains a reputationas the Mothman's home
because so many reportsare coming from around the same location.
Adding fuel to the fire,
people in town are reporting othermysterious phenomena like UFOs, weird
lights in the sky and strange phone callswith eerie beeping or static noises.
(08:54):
Needless to say, the combinationof these events fuels all kinds of rumors
and has a tight knit communitya little on edge.
On December 15th, 1967,the Silver Bridge, which connected
Point Pleasant to Gallipoli, Ohio,
collapses during rush hour traffic.
(09:14):
The disaster claims 46 liveswhen the suspension bridge,
built in 1928, failswith no prior warning.
One of the worst infrastructure disastersin U.S.
history at the time.
After the bridge collapse,reports of Mothman sightings
abruptly stopped, leading manyto speculate that the creature's presence
(09:37):
had been a forewarningof the bridge's failure.
Now, whether you believe the skepticswho attribute the sightings
to misidentified animalssuch as large owls or sandhill cranes,
or you believe that this creature issomething beyond our understanding,
sent here from someplace elseas a warning beacon,
(09:57):
the people of Point Pleasanthave welcomed Mothman
into their city’slore with an annual Mothman Festival,
his own statueand a museum dedicated to the legend.
The next messenger on our list of doom,and staying right here in North
America, is the Nain Rouge,the Red Dwarf or Red Demon, of Detroit.
(10:19):
Sightings of this pintsized package of trouble started
from the very beginning, around 1701,
when Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, (orin English, Cadillac,
like the car that wouldeventually be named after him) helped
establish FortPontchartrain for the French,
which would eventually growinto the Detroit we know today.
(10:42):
But let's back up for a minute.
Before Cadillac even leaves Quebec to takethe job of building Fort Pontchartrain.
He's at a partywhere a fortune teller warns him
that he's going to encountera demon on his next adventure.
She tells him that if he's nice to it,his reward
will be discovering a city to rivalall French cities.
(11:05):
If he's not, you guessedit, life long trouble.
Cadillac leavesthe very next day for his trek to the area
that would eventually become Michigan,to find an area to build the fort.
He finds the perfect spotright on the Detroit River,
where French and Britishand Native American fur traders
(11:25):
can all sell their peltsto merchants at the settlement.
But the Native Americans warn their furtrading competitors that the area they are
in is the home of unseenspiritual entities that guard the forest.
Cadillac becomesgovernor of the settlement, which prospers
for years when one day he encountersthis dwarfish, malevolent
(11:49):
figure with fiery red eyes, sharp teeth,
a sinister grin, and a mocking demeanor.
Well, our highly statured
friend Antoine has no time for this
kind of supernatural nonsenseand smacks it with his cane.
Big mistake.
The impish figure is none too happyabout that reaction
(12:12):
and curses Cadillacand his little settlement.
And it doesn't take long beforeCadillac is removed from his position
as governor under accusationsof corruption and mismanagement,
forcing him to leave the settlementhe had worked so hard to establish.
And his later years didn'tget any better, plagued by financial
(12:32):
troubles and legal disputes,keeping him far away
from the power and prosperityhe once enjoyed.
But true to his word, the NainRouge continues to make his presence
known before some of the toughest momentsin Detroit's history.
One of the most well knowninstances occurs
before the Battle of Bloody Run in 1763.
(12:55):
The French are out of the pictureat this point, so it's just
the British and Native Americansnot getting along.
The two sides are teed up to goto battle the next morning,
when the Nain Rouge is seen by Britishsoldiers dancing
on the banks of the DetroitRiver, laughing and mocking them.
Sure enough, the next morning the Britishare trounced by the Native Americans.
(13:20):
Fast forward a couple of decadesand the Nain Rouge is spotted again
in 1805, dartingthrough the streets of the city,
its fiery eyes providing just a small clueof the impending disaster.
Soon after, on the morning of June
11th,a fire starts out in John Harvey's barn
that takes out the entire city,
(13:43):
with the exception of a fort on the hilland a warehouse down by the river.
Fast forwardagain to the early 20th century.
The Nain Rouge is spottedshortly before a series
of factory accidents and labor strikesthat paralyze the city's
growing industrial area,seemingly it's reveling in the chaos.
(14:05):
And while I would say that the Nain Rougefell down on the job
for a little while in the second halfof the 20th century, and despite there
being no recent sightings, hispromise of bad luck for Detroit is back.
They're not doing that great lately.
So in 2010, residents of the city startedhosting
the annual March of the Nain Rouge,a parade meant
(14:29):
to drive the creature out of Detroitto ensure a prosperous year ahead.
Participants dress up like the Nain Rouge,turning the legend
into a lighthearted and celebratory event.
While some Detroit residentsregard the Nain Rouge as a humorous
relic of local folklore,others don't find it very funny.
I don't know, Detroit.
(14:49):
Maybe you might want to startleaving out a few more cookies at night.
Now, from the confines of the US,we are going to bust out
all the way over to Freiburg, Germany.
But I have to warn you about this one.
There'sabsolutely nothing to back up the story,
which does not bodewell for its authenticity.
But it's such a great story.
(15:12):
Freiburg is an industrial cityin the southwest corner of Germany,
right next to the border to France,known for its silver and mineral mining.
And it's at one of these mineswhere a group of miners reported for yet
another grueling work day,as they did every day.
But this day would be a little different.
(15:33):
As the men arrived on schedulejust before 7 a.m.
on September 10th, 1978,they were met by a man in a black
trench coat, standingin front of the entrance to the mine.
The miners stop for a moment,but then continue toward the mine,
figuring that they'll just figure outwhat this guy wants.
As they get closer, the man in the trenchcoat opens the trench coat,
(15:57):
which isn't a trench coat, and unfurls
these huge black wingsand lets out this inhuman shriek
that likely hauntsanyone who heard it still alive today.
The witnessesdescribe the sound as a cross between “A
sound like 50 peoplescreaming” and “A train
(16:20):
in peril trying to break at the sight of atwisted rail.”
Once the creature was finishedwith its ungodly wail,
it folded its wingsback up and just stood there.
Exactly as I would have donehad I been there, the men decide
we're not going anywhere near that thing,and instead up to try and wait it out.
(16:43):
They kind of putz around on the outside,you know, cleaning up,
keeping a fair distance from whateverthat thing is for about an hour,
when an explosion rocks the groundright under their feet.
Flames and smoke come pouringout of the mouth of the mine,
and the winged creature is gone.
21 men would have been inside
(17:06):
that mine had they not decidedto give the winged creatures some space.
And all 21 would have diedin the explosion.
Move ahead six months
and only six of the 21 workers onthat crew are still on the job.
Of the 15no longer working there, two of them,
apparently the two most determinedto share the details of their encounter
(17:29):
with the world, somehow go completely
broke and die suddenly,while the others are crippled
with psychiatric problems,including nightmares of that fateful day.
Why is that not surprise me.
And I hear you barking, big dog.
Sounds an awful lot like Mothman, right?
Well, hold that thought,because we are not done
(17:51):
with our Harbinger 2025 World Tour.
One last darkmessenger takes us up to Mother Russia.
But before we go there, and since we're onthe subject of Shriekers...
I don't know about you guys,
but I find thatI can't turn on the mainstream media news
without either A) having to sitand listen to a bunch of people
(18:15):
shrieking at each other, or B)I start shrieking at the TV
because of the obvious biaspouring out of the news person’s mouth.
I don't want anyone to tell mewhat to think.
I just want someone to tell mewhat happened.
No bias. Be balanced.
Well, Ground Newsmakes the search for balance a cakewalk.
(18:39):
With their tools,
you can see who's telling the storiesthat you think are important.
And who's not.
You get to see how each side of thepolitical aisle is framing the same story,
and you can see them both side by side,
which can help you understand both sides.
In fact, they have this awesomefeature called the Blind Spot.
(19:02):
Depending on what type of newsyou usually consume,
Ground News helpsyou bust through the bubble
by sending you alerts about storiesyou may not have even heard about,
because one side or the otheris refusing to even talk about it.
You can actually see who's not coveringa story that should be front and center.
(19:22):
It's a powerful toolto spot bias, to see who might be trying
to manipulate the narrative,and who's giving it to you straight.
We can't make good decisionsif we don't have all the information.
This is crucial for us,and we know it's crucial for you, too.
We want the truth, pretty or not.
(19:42):
I think we can handle it.
That's whywe're so pumped to partner with Ground.
We've been using Ground Newsfor over a year now and we want you
to have this tool in your arsenal, too.
Just scan this QR code right here,
or click our link in the descriptionto get started.
And right now they're even offering40% off their Vantage plan.
(20:06):
Dive in with Ground Newsand join us in this journey of critical
thinking, skepticism,and the relentless pursuit of truth.
Let's not just consume news.
Let's analyze it,question it and demand the full picture.
Speaking of nevergetting the full picture,
let's head back to Russiaand our next harbinger.
(20:29):
Just outside the city of Pripyat,in the Ukraine, right on the border
to Belarus standsthe Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
These are independent countries now.
But in 1986, this area was squarelywithin the control of the Soviet Union.
This Russian nightmarestarts early in 1986
with employees of the power plant,many of them control room workers,
(20:53):
starting to whisper to each otherand eventually to their managers
about sightings of a huge black
winged creature hanging around the plant.
Initial descriptions are of a big black
headless creature with a huge wingspanand red glowing eyes.
(21:14):
The managers pretty much just blow offall the reports, until one night
when a woman bursts into the securityoffice, completely hysterical.
She tells the security guards
that she was done for the night,and was walking to her car
when she heard a rustling noisein the branches of a nearby tree.
She looks over to the treesto see what might be making the noise,
(21:35):
when a pair of glowing red eyespop open in the darkness.
And whatever this thing is hisses at herbefore
unfurling large black wingsand flying away.
That encounter kind of opensthe floodgates.
Pretty soon, more people come forwardwith their stories.
Stories from dark flying, shriekingcreatures circling
(21:57):
the skies above the reactor to a workeralmost crashing his car
when he swerves to avoid a huge creaturethat had come swooping out of the darkness
and into the pool of lightfrom his headlights.
And as if just seeing this thingisn't bad enough,
those who do see it also report sufferingfrom terrifying nightmares
(22:19):
of a black beast with red eyes,and just overall feeling kind of sick,
and creepy middle of the nightphone calls.
Some of them from the KGB.
Between the lack of sleep,feeling ill, and overall fear,
employeesstart showing up late or calling in sick.
(22:39):
Which, of course, bringsa whole new round of threatening
phone calls, this time from their bosses.
And it's not just the employees.
Some of the people of Pripyatare seeing it, too.
And having the same horrifying nightmares.
So the managers knowthey have some kind of issue,
but there's really nothingthat they can do about it.
It's not like they can just takethese fantastical encounters
(23:02):
and run them upthe managerial chain for a solution.
First of all, justwhat would that solution be?
And secondly, remember,this is Cold War time.
Russia.
If you, as a manager didn't reportthat everything under your command
is hunky dory, you might just end upcrushing rocks in Siberia.
(23:23):
But all of that drama became a moot point
on April 26th, 1986,when the number four reactor,
under the watchful eye of oneAnatoly Dyatlov.
Now, where have I heard that name before?
exploded, creating the worstnuclear accident in history.
And unlike the Mothman at Point Pleasant,
(23:45):
the Blackbird of Chernobyl sightingsdon't stop right away.
The cleanup crews continueto see the flying creature.
The very next day, a helicopter crewis flying toward the reactor,
getting readyto dump its load of radioactive
absorbing materials onto the still burning reactor.
When the crew in the backis a little surprised
(24:08):
at some sudden evasive maneuverstaken by the pilots.
They go up to the front of the cockpit,ready to crack some skulls.
the next time I have to come in here.
I'm cracking skulls.
When they see the dazedlook on the pilots faces,
following their gaze,they look out through the windshield
and see a jet black monsterwith sharp talons,
(24:31):
sharp teeth, and glowing red eyes,shrieking and swooping
in and out of the still rising columnsof radioactive smoke.
In the helicopter, creware not the only ones to see this thing.
Many people on the ground, heroicallytrying to stop the flow of radiation,
reported being harassed by this creature,flying through the columns of smoke
(24:55):
and swooping over their headson the ground.
The city of Pripyat is evacuatedtwo days after the explosion,
and the number of workers in the areadwindles as the reactor is contained.
As the number of people in the areagoes down, so
does the number of reports of the blackred eyed flying nightmare.
(25:16):
Now, whether that's
because the monster decided its workis done there, or because there's just
no one left to witness,it is anyone's guess.
Unfortunately, but predictably,it doesn't take long before everyone
who had witnessed what has become knownas the black bird of Chernobyl dies.
(25:37):
Mostly from the excessive radiationthat they were exposed to
in trying to get the reactor under control
and/or save the people in Pripyat,giving rise to the idea
that those who did seeit were marked for death.
So there are no more witnessesto interview,
and any records having to dowith the statements given by the employees
(25:59):
seem to have disappearedin the chaotic aftermath.
So this one also has no wayto be verified.
However, the witness statementshad to have made it at least partway
up the official chain of commandbecause the government has responded.
The official explanationis that those people saw a black stork,
(26:22):
a bird that stands about three feet tallwith a six foot wingspan.
Black storks are native to the area.
They're also endangered,so generally not seen too often.
But that has to be what they saw, right?
No, I can't say that I feel very goodabout giving you two stories
(26:43):
that are totally unverifiable.
So I'm going to give you one more storythat is 100% verified.
And as a bonus, willmake your creepy meter peg off the charts.
It's a beautiful fallevening in Sydney, Australia
as the Godson family - John, Jennyand their two boys.
(27:03):
Damian, who's six, and Craig,who's four - meander
around the grounds of an amusement parkcalled Luna Park.
As they're laughing and enjoyingthe sights, they are approached
out of nowhere by a rather strangefigure dressed in a leopard print
loinclothand wearing a weird mask headdress thing,
(27:24):
that kind of looks like a white bullwith the eyes cut out and long black hair,
and on the whole looking very shamanisticor even demonic.
I'm not sure who the instigator is,but a picture is snapped
of this odd individual with his arm aroundDamien.
But, seems harmless enough.
(27:46):
And then the stranger disappearsas quickly as he had appeared.
Well, whatever.
The Godson family goes on to enjoy
the rest of the eveninguntil it's just after 10:00.
They have four ride tickets left,so they decide that
their last ride of the nightis going to be on the Ghost Train.
The Ghost Train is this ridewhere the riders get into a car
(28:09):
that takes them inside of a structurethat is almost completely dark inside.
As the car goes around the track, various
jumpscaresand effects are used to try and creep out
the riders, who are eventuallybrought back to the beginning.
The Godson family is patientlystanding in line,
when Jenny, the mom, gets a hankeringfor some ice cream.
(28:31):
So she tells John, “Stay in linewith the boys.
I'll be right back.”But the line moves while she's gone.
And for reasonsthat Jenny will never understand,
John decides to take the two boyson the ride without her.
By the time Jenny returns, black smoke
and fire is pouringfrom the openings of the building.
(28:53):
And it doesn't take long beforeJenny's worst fears are confirmed.
John, Damian, and Craig are all dead.
takes a while beforeJenny develops the film
in her camera from that horrifying day.
When she does, she sees that picture
with the ominous man in the mask.
(29:14):
Jenny calls Luna Park to find outwho that person is, only to be told
that the park does not have any employeeswearing a costume like that at the park.
So who was this guy?
Well, some people have speculated,based on his bizarre
headdress,that he was some kind of Moloch figure.
Who's Moloch?
Well, he's an ancient Canaanitegod who is usually depicted with the body
(29:39):
of a man and the head of a bull,
to whom child sacrifices were given.
Sacrificed how?
By fire.
But this episodeis about harbingers of doom.
So maybe this guy was sent
from the same placeall the other harbingers are sent from,
to be some kind of pattern interruptin the Godson’s day.
(30:02):
But just like the other harbingers.
Why do they have to be so cryptic?
It seems to methat they would save a lot more people.
They would just say something.
So some of you may have noticed
that the blackbird of Chernobyl soundsan awful lot like Mothman.
(30:23):
But I also found outthat there are way more Mothman
like harbingers than just those two.
So as soon as I get a chance to read JohnKeeley's book on Mothman
can't do a mothman episodewithout reading that book),
I will get a full on Mothmandeep dive in the works.
In the meantime,if you want to keep barreling down
(30:43):
your current highway of high strangeness,click on this video right here.
Just do it.
You know you're going to love it.
Be careful out there.
And I will see you here againon the in between.
That's a wrap.
Thanks for tuning into The InBetween Podcast.
(31:03):
Enjoy the full visual experiencewith me over on YouTube.
Just search for @TheInBetweentales.
I'm Carol Ann,and until next time, be careful
out there.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com