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.
That’s right, we’re heading BACK TO THE PHILIPPINES! We chat about creation myths, supreme deities, and more importantly, the badass women goddesses of Tagalog religion. Amanda creates a brand new dance move that is sweeping the nation, Julia gushes over her love of etymologists, and Amanda admits her late-in-life cloud revelations.
Read MoreHappy Pride! We’ve invited our friend Andrea back to do a revamp of our FlameCon panel from last year, discussing myths and legends from around the world that subvert gender norms! We chat about how you should never trust your Trickster God to make a business deal, being invested in snakes’ love lives, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and #myfavoritearse.
Read MoreTake a moment and picture this: You’re hanging out, minding your own business, when suddenly the sky opens and a Dark and Mysterious Woman emerges riding a flaming phoenix. Yeah, we’re also super impressed. Which is why we love the story of Jiutian Xuannü! We dive into the stories of the goddess, what our wrestling personas would be, crave some Cinnabon, plan a zoo trip, and have a lot of fun with phrases like “invisibility ability” and “physiological cosmology”.
Read MoreA hell dimension was opened, and once again, we go off the rails in this week’s Your Urban Legends! We battle over who deserves the title King of Crawdads, discuss the misleading aspects of the Air Bud franchise, debate which version of the Grinch is scariest, and attempt to save Editor Eric from a bad case of the beer sweats. Also, there’s some creepy stories in there. Just wait until you hear about Kimberly.
Read MoreWe’re joined this week by Finnish podcaster, Elena, who shares the story of Kalevala - an epic tale of magic, trickery, heroes, and just… a lot of failed marriages. We talk about the ultimate Finnish Fanfiction, singing as magic, the Devil’s Zoo, magical saunas, and how sometimes you have to take one for the team if it means world peace.
Read MoreWe love a Bigfoot story, but we’re going across the world for this one! The Australian Yowie has a lot of great stories; from backwards feet, ancient wars, and just wanting a beer from your garage, we bring you through the ins-and-outs of one of Australia’s most popular cryptids. Also featuring some Star Wars fact-checking, Victorian naturalist slamming, and our newest friend, Tim the Yowie Man.
Read MoreWelcome to Fake or Folklore, the game show sensation that’s SWEEPING the nation! Hosted by Charles the Gamesman, aka Eric Silver of Join the Party, Amanda and Julia are put to the test to see if they can parse actual folklore from a morass of weird stuff from Eric’s brain, the internet, and beyond! The best part is, you can play along at home—download your scorecard on our Patreon.
Read MoreIt’s GRANDMAS GRANDMAS GRANDMAS. All the grandmas! From demon grandmas in Texas, motivational ghosts (You Only Ghost Always), to helpful anti-murder spirits. We also debate the habitat for Ghost Charizards, ask if you have to pay finders’ fees for ghosts, and enjoy some Ohio color commentary from Editor Eric. Then we all cried over Amigo, the Stone Dog. #stonedoggo
Read MoreThis week, we get excited about religious traditions and physics, which is… on-brand for us. Julia teaches Amanda about the Orishas of the Yoruba tradition with the help of liminal spaces, our Ocean Mom, your own personal deity, and reflections on third culture kids.
Read MoreWe thought we knew all about Tolkien and Middle Earth. We were WRONG. Guest Emma Sherr-Ziarko (Wolf 359, Pairing Podcast) schools us on the creation of the world, the Silmarillion, and all its intricacies. We talk about how eagles are apparently better than wolves, the goddess of empathy and sorrow, the reason music is so legit, silver fox elves, and sooooooo much more. Seriously, this is a buckwild episode.
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