Spirits: Mythology, Legends, & Folklore

Gardeners, as you start to see your plants begin to sprout, be cautious that there might be nature spirits lurking in your (garden) beds! This roundup, we talk about the various yokai that might be haunting your trees, fruits, and vegetables this spring and summer - gangly pumpkin spirits, dueling melons, and the BEAN BOIS!

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, animal death, il...

We’re joined by the fabulous Keala Kendall to deep dive into the history of Hawaii, the ghosts of imperialism that haunt the island, and what Hawaiian Gothic looks like as we discuss her new book, That Which Feeds Us!

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of family death, colonization, racism, enslavement, gentrification, stillbirth, grief, sexual assault, genitalia, and queerphobia.&nbs...

Okay, sorry it took us this long to do a vampire episode. As an apology, here’s ALL of the vampire stories you could possibly want from across the world - except for that classic European vampire. Because there’s way cooler ones across the globe!

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, blood, pregnancy, stillbirth, child birth, miscarriage, colonization, sexual assault, and xenop...

You know, we don’t have to scar children with stories of how they’re going to be eaten in the woods. But also, if we didn’t, would we have as many wonderful listener submitted stories to read in our Urban Legends episodes? Also, what is the most haunted appliance in your house and why is it your printer? 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, family member death, decapitat...

We’re creating the normie to trickster pipeline with the help of scholar and game designer, Isaac Sanders! We talk about their work around the archetype of the trickster, not only in folklore and mythology, but in day to day life. 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of queerphobia, racism, fascism, and spiders. 

Guest

Isaac Sanders (they/them) is an Afro-Indigenous, non-bi...

We’re getting into Rome’s festivals, and April is FULL of them! We’re celebrating the harvest, we’re celebrating sex, we’re celebrating wine, shepherds, flowers and more! Get excited for the month ahead! 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of animal death and sacrifice, sexual content, slut shaming, misogyny, pregnancy, immolation, death, and murder. 

Minneapolis Spotligh...

We love mess, and Queen Guinevere of Arthurian legend? There’s a lot of mess there! There’s scandal, there’s infidelity, AND AN EVIL TWIN!! We discuss a woman that a lot of Arthurian scholars and writers simply don’t know what to do with. 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of infidelity, misogyny, abduction, death, immolation, sexual assault, sexual content, and violence. 

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Check out this episode from our friends at Historical Homos all about the Queer History of Witchcraft! In this episode, they ask and answer questions like when did “wise women” in the woods become “evil hags”? How did colonialism export Europe’s hag-phobia worldwide? And how did queer people turn witchcraft into a symbol of defiance, glamour, and spiritual fulfilment?

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations...

The world is READY for this Urban Legends episode, featuring ghostly white pants on a muddy hike, creepy child phrasing, and of course, a call back to our favorite ghost, Crince. 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of colonization, pregnancy, stillbirth, and miscarriage. 

Housekeeping

- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritsp...

Have you ever heard a rooster crowing in the new day and wondered why they did that? Would it surprise you to learn that there’s a bunch of myths explaining why? From China to Ancient Greece and Portugal, legendary roosters and chickens have captured the imagination of storytellers!

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of animal death, animal fighting, colonization, bodily functions, ge...

You might not think about love, sex, and gender when you think about the Middle Ages, but you might be surprised! We are joined by the co-curators of the Spectrum of Desire exhibition at The Met Cloisters to talk about topics like queering the past, gender identity, and what art can tell us about those things during the Medieval period. 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of sex,...

The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that Spirits Podcast has to of course do a Lady of the Lake episode as part of our Arthurian series!

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of war, violence, drowning, religious persecution, death, blood, murder, violence against women, and ...

We are joined by podcaster extraordinaire, Eteng Ettah, as we dive into urban legends submitted by you, our Conspiriters! From after-school haunted shenanigans, to a make-up stealing ghost (Sephora is EXPENSIVE), this episode has a little bit of something for everyone. 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, elder abuse and manipulation, hanging, suicide, family death, weig...

Years ago, we had a cursed episode all about horses. Now, to celebrate our 10 year anniversary AND The Year of the Horse, we visit some new horses (and murder horses) from folklore and mythology around the world. 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of murder, gore, drowning, sexual assault, animal death, abduction, violence against women, gun violence, and sex.  

Hou...

Happy 10 Year Anniversary from your friends at Spirits! To celebrate, we’re revisiting the subject of our first ever episode: Persephone and Hades. We look at the story through a decade of new experiences, life changes, and so much more. Thanks for joining us. 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of racism, death, animal death, blood, pedophilia, abduction, sexual assault, misogyn...

A new year, a NEW MYTHOLOGY SERIES. Welcome to our Arthurian Legend series. We’re starting with its namesake: King Arthur - the man, the myth (???), the legend. We talk about historical origins, Rome demanding “money please!!!”, and the surprising retrieval of the sword in the stone!

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of sexual assault, infidelity, warfare, misogyny, and death. 

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It’s a new year and a CHONKY urban legends episode is waiting for you. Featuring a long-time bathroom haunting, the cosplay to spouse pipeline, and how sometimes retail jobs are scarier than the monster under the bed! 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of child endangerment, abusive relationships, kidnapping, and illness.  

Housekeeping

- Books: Check out our previou...

If you’ve ever wondered how myths were made, especially during the Medieval period, we’ve got you covered! We’re joined by Professor Matthew Gabriele, host of American Medieval, to talk about Medieval mythmaking, Castlecore vs Crusadecore, and Romantasy as a way of reflecting on the Medieval period! 

Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of fascism, white supremacy, islamaphobia, mi...