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May 14, 2025 42 mins

Those little red-hatted fellas that hang out in your garden? There’s enough for a whole Spirits episode on that? The answer might surprise you as we dig into the mythological (and alchemical, shoutout Paracelsus!) origins of just where they came from, and why they’re hanging out with your hydrangeas!


Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of grief, racism, drug use, drowning, immolation, abuse, sex, eugenics, animal attacks, and animal death. 


Housekeeping

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

- Call to Action: Check out our merch store, where we’re running a sale on pins and stickers!

- Submit Your Urban Legends Audio: Call us! 617-420-2344


Sponsors

- Tempo, where you can get 60% off your first box at tempomeals.com/spirits


Find Us Online

- Website & Transcripts: spiritspodcast.com

- Patreon: patreon.com/spiritspodcast

- Merch: spiritspodcast.com/merch

- Instagram: instagram.com/spiritspodcast

- Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/spiritspodcast.com

- Twitter: twitter.com/spiritspodcast

- Tumblr: spiritspodcast.tumblr.com

- Goodreads: goodreads.com/group/show/205387


Cast & Crew

- Co-Hosts: Julia Schifini and Amanda McLoughlin

- Editor: Bren Frederick

- Music: Brandon Grugle, based on "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod

- Artwork: Allyson Wakeman

- Multitude: multitude.productions


About Us

Spirits is a boozy podcast about mythology, legends, and folklore. Every episode, co-hosts Julia and Amanda mix a drink and discuss a new story or character from a wide range of places, eras, and cultures. Learn brand-new stories and enjoy retellings of your favorite myths, served over ice every week, on Spirits.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info


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