Astonishing Legends

You've heard the eye-witness accounts of encounters with the Yeti, but can you believe them? The DNA of supposed Yeti "evidence" has been tested, and it's hard to argue those results, but how do we know those bits were really from a Yeti as locals know it? And speaking of what the locals know, the western world likes to take one answer and apply it to many questions, while the eastern world knows that there can be several answers to a question. The locals also know what they saw when it comes to the question of the Yeti, and if they are right, and we combine that with the results from the scientific analysis, could there then be several correct answers as to what a "Yeti" really is?

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On November 8, 1951, noted mountaineer and adventurer Eric Shipton and Dr. Michael Ward were on an expedition to find an alternate route to ascend Mount Everest.  At approximately 17,500 feet and exploring a glacier near an Everest basecamp they came across a set of massive footprints that shouldn't have been there.  The only possible known creatures that they thought could have left such crisp footprints in the snow at that altitude were humans, bears or yaks, and they didn't look exactly like any of those to them, but more like a strange unknown barefooted hominoid.  Their Sherpa guides, however, knew exactly what had left those footprints, the legendary Yeti, known to the indigenous peoples of the region for at least hundreds of years, and was both feared and revered.  Shipton set the head of his ice ax next to the track, which measured about a foot long and 5" wide, and took a picture.  This photo, coming from such a well-regarded explorer, would help to forever leave an imprint in the collective imagination of the western world.

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Join us tonight as we sit down with Chris Williamson, the project creator of Chasing Earhart. Chris, along with his wife Vanessa and their dedicated team of researchers and producers, has created a podcast and are working on a documentary all about legendary aviatrix Amelia Earhart: her life, her persona, her fateful last flight and the controversy that surrounds her legacy. The result is that Chasing Earhart has rapidly become one of the definitive repositories of information and interviews of the authorities who continue to devote their lives to solving her disappearance. In our interview with Chris, we discuss the major researchers, their theories, and current investigations which aim to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th Century. 

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Whether you choose to think of Black Eyed Kids as demonic entities or just unaccompanied children out by themselves late at night with full-sclera Contacts trying to scare people, one thing our research and the research of those who have written extensively on the subject has concluded, this is not just an internet hoax, no matter what you keep telling yourself.  Perhaps the only proof of their authenticity is also something that is unquantifiable: a deep down, primal fear upon meeting them that is so profound it is unrelatable and incomprehensible to those who have not experienced it.  In other words, when the real thing comes for you, you'll know.  Maybe, in the end, you don't believe any of the accounts of these encounters, or you choose to believe it's simply a misidentification leading to an exaggeration of unease.  That's fine.  Whatever you need to tell yourself to get to sleep.  But maybe one day you'll hear that late-night knock at your own door, and you'll wonder just what kind of evil awaits you on the other side.

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The accounts of encounters with Black Eyed Kids vary with their observable details, except for two main factors: their dead, black eyes which you see and can never forget and the feeling of utter horror and doom which you will continue to feel every time you think about them. If the eyes truly are "windows to the soul" then these entities have no soul, or that soul resides in hell. Remember that the next time you hear a knock and think it's just a harmless kid or two, and all they want is some Halloween candy, or to use your phone, or a ride, or to come in and warm up, because what they will take is something you literally can't live without.

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First, there's a knock. A very persistent knock, at your door, at your car window. Or maybe they stop you on a walk, on your way somewhere, when you're alone. They're just kids, right? And who doesn't want to help out kids in need? Except that these aren't like any kids you've met before. They're not like any humans you've ever met before, because what humans have you seen that have completely all-black eyes and fill you with an inexplicable dread? These kids don't want money (that's what humans want) and they really don't need to use your phone, even though that's what they mostly ask for. No. What they want is to get in. Into your house, into your car, into your space, to be near you. But, they need your permission first. Why? What are the rules? And what do they want when they get in? What they want is the only thing you possess of any real value – your soul. 

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Folklore can simply be described as beliefs, customs or legends handed down and preserved among a people. Some believe they are merely made up tales designed to entertain, while others believe folklore may be based on truths that have been gilded over the years by the oral tradition, yet their truth survives as valuable instruction or even a warning. Whether the legend of the Bell Witch was based on a real poltergeist event with the details being accurately preserved, or somewhat true but padded for effect, or wholly a lie spun to cover more humanly misdeeds, we'll likely never know. But before you dismiss the Bell Witch story outright, first think about your own family's stories or even how your own true tales you've told will be perceived through the lenses of bias and time. Will you be remembered as a faithful narrator or a liar? The purported entity called "Kate" may have left her legend behind for later generations to make that judgment but there are many who live in the area today that claim something may still be lingering. So before you bravely disrespect the legend of whatever it may have been, remember there is nowhere you can hide from a force that will gleefully visit misfortune upon you to make its point.

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Every family has their stories passed down from generation to generation, but most aren't as fantastical or have made as much of an impact on regional history as the legend of the Bell Witch. From about 1817 to 1821 in the Red River Community, now known as Adams, Tennessee, some sort of supernatural entity known as the "Bell Witch" was claimed to have terrorized the family of John Bell. The activity was not just confined to the Bells, but many in the area at the time reported instances of poltergeist annoyances like slapping and pinching that then progressed to pranks and premonition, then to beatings and even murder. If the story of the Bell Witch is just a family's "tall tale" then it's one of the most fascinating and enduring family legends in American history. If the Bell folklore is even remotely true, then the consideration of trying to keep your own family safe from an omniscient, deceitful, vengeful and violent entity that wants you dead, surely makes for one of the most frightening tales ever told.

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There are two connected, yet distinct traditions of weirdness concerning Houska Castle: its mysterious, violent and spotty history of purpose and ownership, and the reported sightings of horrific creatures and terrifying specters since its founding. Regarding the castle's originally intended design; whether it was really built to keep something from escaping rather than defense from outside forces, the lack of any definitive or comprehensive historical records will only lead to debate and speculation. However, those that have been inside the walls of this fortress and others in the region will tell you that Houska's architecture clearly doesn't seem to fit with the standard intentions. Regarding the encounters with frightening phantoms, if you believe places can be haunted, Houska Castle seems to be just that. 

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The descriptor "Hell Hole" can currently describe anything from your first apartment to the workplace you dread, but where do we get that term? Ages ago, could there have been a hole that people believed led straight to the depths of hell itself? There are several sites in our world that could lay claim to that title, where the "veil" to the underworld seems a little "thin," but a historically solid contender would no doubt be Houska Castle, about 40 miles north of Prague in the Czech Republic. Tales of demonic beasts issuing forth from the chasm and visiting violence upon villagers and ghastly specters scaring those who roam the castle grounds have been known since the Middle Ages to the present, but what of the edifice itself? No matter what you believe about the folklore, what can't be denied is that the castle was not built for the usual reasons – instead of a fortification to keep people out, it was built to keep things in.

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