Bug in a Rug

If you were on Fear Factor and had to decide between an eagle-sized mosquito drinking your blood or a hot coal thrown on your back, which would you choose? Join Vuk from the Tracing Owls podcast and I as we discuss the tall tale of the Averasboro Gallinipper, a giant mosquito that supposedly tormented the swamps of North Carolina!

Tracing Owls on Apple Podcasts

Tracing Owls | Podcast on Spotify

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Sources:

Mosquito - Wikipedia

Psorophora ciliata - Wikipedia

Gallinipper Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Are Gallnippers Giant Mosquitoes? (thoughtco.com)

Gallinipper (mythology) - Wikipedia

Averasboro Gallinipper | Cryptid Wiki | Fandom

NATIVE HISTORY ASSOCIATION - The Great Yellow-Jacket: Origin of Fish and Frogs

Averasboro (Town of) - North Carolina History Project

Cryptids and Monsters: Averasboro Gallinipper (Giant Mosquito), which was seen as large as a hawk - YouTube

Giant insects once covered Earth. Where did they go? - Big Think

How Many Mosquito Species Are There? | Ask A Biologist (asu.edu)

The Carboniferous Period: When Giant Insects Ruled the Land and Sky - Owlcation

New Zealanders had a mystery on their hands days before 1979... what were those strange lights flight crews kept seeing over the Kaikoura Mountains? It is still unknown if the lights were aliens, squid boats, trains, Venus, meteors, or Santa Claus and his reindeer going on vacation. All the CIA said was that the matter was, "...unique among civilian UFO reports because there is a large amount of documentary evidence."

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Sources:

Kaikoura lights - Wikipedia

CIA files: UFOs, mind control, and strange lights above Kaikoura in 1978 | Stuff.co.nz

The Kaikoura Mountains UFO Incident - UFO Insight

The Strange Case of the Kaikoura Lights of New Zealand (mysteriousuniverse.org)

New Zealand EAS scenario: Kaikoura Lights - YouTube

The Kaikoura Lights New Zealand's 40-year-old UFO Mystery - YouTube

Welcome to this week's matchup! In one corner, we have the Holly King who represents darkness, the night, and winter. They are at their peak power on the Winter Solstice. In the other corner we have the Oak King who represents the light, daytime, and summer. They are at peak power on the Summer Solstice. Who will win their eternal battle to win the favor of the Horned God?

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Sources:

The eight Sabbats: Witch's holidays – Grove and Grotto

Pagan Sabbats and Wiccan Holidays (learnreligions.com)

Holly King and Oak King - Wikipedia

Deities of the Winter Solstice (learnreligions.com)

Legend of the Holly King and Oak King (learnreligions.com)

The Holly King by Witchipedia

Horned God - Wikipedia

The Story of The Oak King and The Holly King – Spells8

Oak King vs Holly King the Bi-Annual Battle of the Ages Saga - YouTube

Skin-walker comes from the Navajo word yee naaldlooshii which translates to, "by means of it, it goes on all fours". These creatures were humans who harnessed the power of evil by doing unspeakable acts against those closest to them. Their shapeshifting powers are used to cause harm to individuals and communities alike. Join my friend and I as we explore the terrifying truths behind these beings. 

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Sources:

Navajo - Wikipedia

Navajo | History, Culture, Language, & Facts | Britannica

Navajo Religion (meta-religion.com)

Navajo Witchcraft: Guide to the Mysterious Practice | LoveToKnow

Skin-walker - Wikipedia

Navajo Skinwalkers – Witches of the Southwest – Legends of America

Skinwalkers Are Shapeshifting Witches in Navajo Folklore | HowStuffWorks

20 Terrifying Facts About Skinwalkers (the-line-up.com)

Skinwalkers (reddit.com)

Unsolved Mysteries Season 3, Episode 5

Steven Kubacki vanished during a cross country skiing trip on February 20th, 1978. Miraculously, he turned up on his aunt's doorstep exactly 15 months after his disappearance with evidence pointing to extensive travel across the United States. The only problem? He didn't remember a single thing that had taken place in that time. 

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Sources:

The Strange Vanishing and Weird Reappearance of Stephen Kubacki (mysteriousuniverse.org)

The disappearance of Steven Kubacki in the Lake Michigan Triangle — StrangeOutdoors.com

The Mysterious Disappearance of Steven Kubacki, and his odd reappearance 15 months later. – Strange Unexplained Mysteries (coolinterestingstuff.com)

People Who Vanished Into Thin Air at the Michigan Triangle (mysteriousuniverse.org)

Dissociative Fugue: Definition, Symptoms, and Causes (healthline.com)

36+ Best Trails for Cross Country Skiing in Michigan (awesomemitten.com)

Hammersmith, England thought they had a ghost problem in 1803. Then they ACTUALLY had a murder problem. When in reality... it was a man in a sheet problem.

This whole situation set off an argument in the court system that lasted 180 years! The question... could one get away with murder if they thought they were shooting a ghost?

Twitter and Instagram - @biarpodcast

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Sources:

Hammersmith - Wikipedia

15 Best Things to Do in Hammersmith (London Boroughs, England) - The Crazy Tourist

Hammersmith Ghost murder case - Wikipedia

The Newgate Calendar - FRANCIS SMITH (exclassics.com)

The Hammersmith Ghost – Michael Carver — Historical Interpreter/Reenactor (colonialbrewer.com)

The Hammersmith Ghost | Europaranormal

Hypnogoria: FOLKLORE ON FRIDAY - The Curious Case of the Hammersmith Ghost Part I

The Haunting Murder Case Of The Hammersmith Ghost - YouTube

I've never celebrated Halloween by robbing a bank, but that doesn't mean it's never happened before! Take Bennie and Stella Dickson for example... they pulled off a "Halloween Heist" in 1938, getting away with over $350,000!

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Sources:

Bennie and Stella Dickson - Wikipedia

Bennie and Stella Dickson – Depression Era Bank Robbers – Legends of America

Halloween 83 years ago: Brookings’ first ever bank heist (substack.com)

Brookings Register | Halloween 83 years ago: Brookings’ first ever bank heist

The Ballad of Ben and Stella Mae... a book by Matt Cecil

We have decided to form a cult! Magdalena Solis was suggested to us when we were wondering where to begin. She was known as The High Priestess of Blood, and while we find her knack for nicknames pretty cool... we don't really agree with the whole human sacrifice thing she had going on. 

Twitter and Instagram - @biarpodcast

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Sources:

Magdalena Solís - Wikipedia

Coatlicue - World History Encyclopedia

Ejido - Wikipedia

The Haunting Story Of Magdalena Solis, The Mexican Prostitute-Goddess Who Took Over A Murder Cult (ranker.com)

The High Priestess of Blood - Grim Happenings

Inside killer cults where ‘prostitute priestess’ drank blood of human sacrifices & voodoo fanatics led murder sprees | The US Sun (the-sun.com)

Magdalena Solis | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Magdalena Solís con los Hernández y su secta sexual (wordpress.com)

The strange story of Magdalena Solis, the High Priestess of Blood – Strange Unexplained Mysteries (coolinterestingstuff.com)

La Yerbabuena (Tamaulipas) Güémez, Mexican village (pueblosamerica.com)

Yerbabuena: página negra de Villagrán - Expreso

The Smiler and Verruckt were both record-breaking amusement park rides that had thrill-seekers flocking to their gates. The Smiler and Verruckt are ALSO both record-breaking amusement park rides that have had tragic accidents occur during their operation. 

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Sources:

Oldest amusement park in operation | Guinness World Records

What is the Oldest Amusement Park in the World? - WorldAtlas

Amusement park accidents - Wikipedia

Amusement Park Accidents and Injuries Statistics | BMW Law Group

The Smiler

The Smiler - Wikipedia

Roller coaster element - Wikipedia

The Smiler [4K] 2019 Front Seat POV - Alton Towers Resort - YouTube

Nemesis94DJW - YouTube

Alton Towers Smiler crash: Four seriously hurt - BBC News

The Smiler rollercoaster crash - RoSPA

Verruckt

Verrückt - Wikipedia

The Verrückt Waterslide Accident at Schlitterbahn in Kansas City - The Atlantic

The World’s Tallest Water Slide Was a Terrible, Tragic Idea - YouTube

Charges dropped against owner, designer of Verruckt waterslide where boy was decapitated in horrific accident - ABC News (go.com)

No one knows whether ghosts or Tommyknockers are responsible for the strange occurrences in Flinderation Tunnel. This old West Virginian railway tunnel allegedly resides under an even older cemetery, and visitors claim to hear strange noises, see dense fogs, or even come face to face with apparitions! Join my parents and I as we discuss the spooky history...

Twitter and Instagram - @biarpodcast

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Sources:

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad - Wikipedia

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Fairmont Subdivision - Abandoned (abandonedonline.net)

Haunted Brandy Gap Tunnel #2 in West Virginia (nuttyhiker.com)

Haunted Salem — Flinderation Tunnel  Salem, West Virginia In... (tumblr.com)

Haunted Tunnel In West Virginia: Flinderation Tunnel (onlyinyourstate.com)

North Bend Rail Trail - West Virginia State Parks - West Virginia State Parks (wvstateparks.com)

Parkersburg to Clarksburg---Waist of the B&O Main--Part II - WVNC Rails

Tommyknockers of the Western Mines – Legends of America