Fab Figmentals

This week we’re going to look at a famous Japanese folktale: Momotarō, the story of the “peach boy.”

This week’s story is called "The Peach's Son,” and it was first published in a book called Myths and Legends of Japan, by F. Hadland Davis.

This episode was researched and written by Lindsey Morse. Our theme mu...

Here in the states, we talk a lot about the witch trials in Salem, but Scotland has a vast and dark history with witches, too. Today, we’re going to zero in on the folklore and history of witches in Scotland, known as bana-bhuidseach.

Niall Cooper joins the show to read an excerpt from Robert Burns’ “Tam O’Shanter.”

This episode was researched and written by Lindsey Morse. Our theme music was compo...

It’s been months and months since our last episode, but we’re back. And today, in honor of Halloween (and our show being resurrected from the dead), we’ll be looking at zombies.

Today’s episode features an excerpt from William Seabrook’s The Magic Island.

This episode was researched and written by Lindsey Morse. Our theme music was composed by Graeme Ronald.

Additional music: "Nightmare"...

In Iceland, you won’t find much talk of Santa Claus or St. Nicholas. Instead, the holidays are ruled by a child-eating giantess named Gryla, her 13 sons - trolls collectively known as the Yule Lads - and their bloodthirsty feline, the Yule Cat.

Today’s episode features an original story written by Niall Cooper.

This episode was researched and written by Lindsey Morse. Niall ...

This week we’re feeling the holiday spirit here at Figmentals headquarters. In honor of the upcoming holidays, today’s episode is going to be Christmas-themed. But we’re not going to be talking smiling, rosy-cheeked bringers of yuletide cheer. Oh, no. Instead, today we’re going to take a look at the darker side of the season. So, let’s venture into Christmas’ creepy underbelly— and meet Krampus.

Krampus is a...

Each episode, we dive into the folklore and history of a different legendary creature and share a story about it, and this week, in honor of Thanksgiving, we’re taking inspiration from well-stocked tables and harvest bounty to look at a figure known to some North American indigenous agricultural tribes as being responsible for the origin of maize: the Corn Mother.

Today’s episode features a story that’s adapt...

Today we’re going to be looking at a creature that’s always given me a mad case of the heebie jeebies— The Changeling. Picture this: your young child, who has always been happy and healthy, all of the sudden one day seems… different. Once content and carefree, the little one is now irritable and grouchy. As time passes, the poor youngster doesn’t seem to be growing at all, and instead looks weak and sickly. Could it be ...

The subject of our show today might just be the creepiest so far: jikininki. Unlike a lot of the monsters from legend, Japanese jikininki aren’t scary because of the danger they pose. If you come face to face with one, it’s likely to freeze with fear— the old saying, it’s more afraid of you than you are of it rings true in this case— and if you’re healthy and, well— alive— there’s nothing a jikininki wants from you. No,...

This week, we’re going to be looking at my favorite weaver from classical mythology, Arachne. Arachne was a mortal weaver, famous for her skill and innovation— she is credited with the invention of linen and nets. But Arachne was a proud woman, and boasted that her talent was greater than that of any other weaver, even Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts. This— are we really surprised— got quickly back to Athena, who s...

Over the course of the last several weeks, we’ve looked at Frankenstein’s Monster, the Headless Horseman, mummies, and werewolves, and today we’re rounding out our Halloween-themed episodes by looking at a monster that’s captivated audiences for over a hundred years— Count Dracula. Count Dracula is the invention of Bram Stoker, who featured the famous villain in his 1897 novel, Dracula, but vampires have existed— in som...

In this episode, we’re traveling to Egypt, land of the pyramids and the ancient stomping ground of the pharaohs, to look at a monster that’s perhaps more real than any creature we’ve explored so far on this show— the mummy. As early as 2800 bc, deliberate mummification became an integral part of Egyptian death rituals, and was a key aspect of religion. The Egyptians believed that preserving the body was necessary if one...

This week, we’re taking inspiration from one of my favorite Halloween classics: Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” As you probably already know, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” follows the misadventures of Ichabod Crane, a superstitious schoolmaster who comes face-to-face with the Galloping Hessian of the Hollow— better known as the Headless Horseman— a specter that’s believed to haunt the area near the to...

Today, we’re going to talk about a shape-shifter whose widespread legend has captivated minds for centuries, the werewolf. It’s a story we all know well: an unlucky someone is bitten or cursed and becomes a slave to the lunar cycle. Every full moon, he transforms into a wolf and roams the night, hunting. Try as he might to avoid the inevitable transformation— perhaps by hiding from the moon’s bright glow, maybe locking ...

We’re kicking off our Halloween-themed October episodes by looking at Frankenstein, or— more accurately— Dr. Frankenstein’s monster. If you took a random poll asking people what Frankenstein’s monster looks like, I’m certain most people would immediately start describing the large, green-hued creature with neck bolts and a flat-top black & white hairdo, that was made famous by the hit 1931 film. This is the Frankens...

This week, we’re talking about the golem, a creature found in Jewish folklore that’s built out of inanimate material— often mud or dirt— and brought to life by magic. The golem can be traced all the way back to ancient times, and it even makes an appearance in the Old Testament. We are told that Adam’s first 12 hours of existence are spent as a golem— meaning “body without a soul.” It’s not until god breathes life into ...