Podcast episodes on mythology, folklore, and urban legends, discussed by two tipsy history nerds. 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 re-tellings of your favorite myths, served over ice every two weeks, on Spirits.
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Transcripts are available for every episode. Just click the episode title to read the transcript!
Not sure where to start? You don’t need to listen in order! Click a tag that interests you or search our archive below.
This Passover, Eric Silver joins us to tell the story of the Jewish holiday and leads us through the Seder with all its mandatory cups of wine. He explains why Moses was clearly the first telling of the Hero’s Journey, sings “When You Believe” like an angel, and doesn’t forget to serve the ghost.
Read MoreWe’re not letting society dictate to us what it means to be a woman - we’re taking a leaf out of Isis’s book. We explore all of the aspects of this layered Egyptian goddess, from her roles in motherhood and magic to universality and more! Also featuring sad falcons, Queer Eye, and the world’s tiniest Pegasus.
Read MoreWrestlemania is this SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY, and Editor Eric has been dying to talk about the mythos of his favorite wrestler of all time, The Undertaker. Even if wrestling isn’t your thing, we think you’re going to enjoy the journey of how the Deadman went from wrestling mortician to a leader of his own cult of the undead. It’s a modern hero’s journey. Just, with more piledrivers.
Read MoreThis episode is full of scary stories and too many children having to camp. You have been warned. We also learn about the importance of doing your research on a haunting, wonder why ghosts are creepier when they can run, and debate the Reese’s Peanut Butter brand of products.
Read MoreAnd now for something a little different: we revisit Disney’s classic 1997 film Hercules! Unlike when we were 5, we now have plenty of booze in hand to explore what Disney got right and got wrong with Greek mythology. We review how the 90s were a WILD time, play 20 questions of Zeus fuckery, and realize the past is probably FULL of bad smells.
Read MoreWe’re getting meta in this episode, featuring Internet Linguist, Gretchen McCulloch. We talk about the ways names are important not only in mythology and folklore, but in our own lives and online as well. Also featuring the Amanda Sins Podcast, a podcast within a podcast, so many throwbacks to the 90s, and what kind of kids did the Bloody Mary thing at sleepovers.
Read MoreWe’ve all heard of the Loch Ness Monster, but what about all of the other lake-dwelling creatures? We do a deep dive (Get it? Because lake monsters?) into what lurks in the deep around the world. Hear about the motivation of monsters, what our ideal Thai supernatural soap opera would look like, and our hypothesis on ocean vs. lake creatures.
Read MoreThis episode is coming at you straight from our live show at the Listen Up Festival in Portland, OR. We shared some of our favorite listener-submitted hometown urban legends to a sold-out audience in the basement bar of the Hoxton hotel. Featuring a liminal fae town where time doesn’t exist, creepy haunted buildings of Napa Valley, and Eric attempting to defend his childhood sleepwalking.
Read MoreWe’re back this week to finish out the story of Gilgamesh! We discuss grief and then journey with Gilgamesh to the land of the dead, which features She-Ra references, befriending crows, and the ending to Little Shop of Horrors. We also remind you: Choose joy.
Read MoreThe story of La Llorona is so much more than that trailer you keep seeing with Linda Cardellini. We invited podcast critic Elena Fernández-Collins to tell us a little bit about La Llorona, the historical figure that might have inspired the tale, and her own personal experiences with the spirit growing up in Puerto Rico. We also talk about the strange rules to get into heaven, government influence on the stories we tell, and why you should never yeet your children.
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