Castles & Cryptids

Our international true crime series continues this week as we dive into 2 ( or maybe even 3) cases of murder in Scotland. First, Kelsey shares the extremely angering World's End Murders, the tragic death of 2 girls at the hands of a man who had a shockingly long wrap sheet. We discuss what role bad character evidence and the laws of double jeopardy play at trial, and how there may always be exceptions to a rule. Alanna closes out the ep with a massacre from medieval times that will give you total Red Wedding vibes (shout out to GOT fans!), along with a reading from a very special book. We hope you enjoy the ep, and until next time, keep it cryptic.  

Tags: The World's End Murders, Christine Eadie, Helen Scott, Angus Sinclair, The Black Douglas, The Black Dinner, The Massacre of Glencoe, The Clanlands Almanac

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Hi and Hej hej(hey hey)! It's time for Swedish folklore, let's gooo!! We've barely grazed the surface on any Scandinavian or Norse mythology, so for this one, we're keeping it simpler with tales straight outta Sweden.  From the Aurora borealis and its associations, to the Lindworm/Lindwurm-um, yikes, to the Vittra, we've got something almost from A-Z! Kelsey takes on the Lindwurm, a fearsome beast from below that is sure to remind you of one movie or another, and all it's other incarnations. Followed up with a second course full of Northern Lights myths and legends, sure to dazzle and delight. Alanna caps it off with a handful of names like the Nack, a nude dude that hangs out in the river and might drown you, to be confirmed, and the Vittra who may sound familiar if you've listened to episode 91! But they are a little different, because they have invisible cows this time. So lasso up your headphones for an eclectic episode of Sweden's best lore and legends!

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 Tags: Lindwyrm, aurora borealis, the nack, the huldra, vittra/vatte, the Werewolf tale

This week we explored two very different cases of arson. Kelsey covers the Pillow Pyro, who set dozens of fires in fabric stores that ultimately led to the deaths of four people. The case becomes even more complicated when the culprit attempts to profit from the fires by blurring the line between fact and fiction. Alanna shares the story of a devastating fire at The Happy Land Club. With a single staircase as the only exit, unsuspecting partiers were left fighting for their lives against the flames. We hope you make it all the way through the ep, it's a sad one. Thanks for listening.  

Tags: Arson, The Pillow Pyro, The Happy Land Club Fire 

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We wouldn't be who we are today without cryptid stories!! This time we rounded up some kooky, weird and claw-some creatures that can be found in rather chilly climates.  Kelsey brings the gnome-guys home with the Barbegazi, who give off some Hobbit vibes and are found in France and Switzerland. Then the Nisse, aka the Tomte, who are a cryptid of many names! Not to be confused with Nessie, slightly different! think more helpful on the farm....less plesiosaur.  To top it off, Alanna had to highlight a combo cryptid called Batsquatch, who might be a cousin to Mothman?? Plus a Beaver Eater from up north and a cryptid   connection of Cyclopian eyes?? Unintentionally Cyclopian is our new band name, it's canon. Keep it cryptic, friends! 

Tags: Barbegazi, Nisse, Batsquatch, Beaver Eater, Hugag

Welcome to part 2 of our hostage crisis episodes. This week Alanna takes a deep dive into the origins of the term Stockholm Syndrome. What starts as a bizarre bank robbery transitions into a hard situation for police to handle when hostages begin to take the side of the criminals. Is it a real thing, or has the term been applied a few too many times? We discuss this and more in the exciting conclusion for one of our wildest ep topics yet. Happy listening! 

Tags: Stockholm, Stockholm Syndrome, Stockholm Bank Robbery 

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Have you heard about the hostage situation that took place in 1988 in Gladbeck, Germany? If not, buckle up, you are in for a very wild ride! One that the hostages could probably never have imagined finding themselves in. The criminals attempt to rob a branch of the Deutsch bank in Gladbeck,  North-Rhine Westphalia, and the resulting run from the bank turns into sort of a mashup of Speed meets Taken...only there's no Liam Neeson in sight to save them. Tragic and terrifying, the situation played out almost like a Hollywood movie. In fact, the media covered every minute in great detail, prompting questions and reformed laws on how hostage situations are covered and handled by reporters in the future..... 

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We are seeing double this week as we cover two cases of very strangely behaved twins. Kelsey covers the Spahalski twins, Stephen & Robert, who seem to share more than just genes with each other. Then, Alanna walks us through the bizarre story of Ursula & Sabina Eriksson, who suddenly began acting strange and caused a huge scene on a highway, before one of them eventually murdered someone. At what point does twin telepathy go too far, and can one twin's illness or murderous impulses be caught by the other? We explore these questions and more during this week's ep. Happy Listening!  

Tags: Twin Telepathy, Stephen & Robert Spahalski, Ursula & Sabina Eriksson 

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This week we time travel back to the 1800's to bring you some vintage crimes, all in honor of Kelsey's birthday! This one goes out to all the Capricorns out there! For Kelsey's birthday wish she covered H.H. Holmes, a murderer wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a lot of misleading media coverage. But of course, when you use names like the Murder Hotel or Holmes Horror Castle, things are bound to get blown out of proportion.. so how well do you really know Herman Webster Mudgett? We step forward in time a bit to the 1920's to talk about the Hex Hollow murder in Pennsylvania. This harkens back to our previous episode because the practitioners of an old sort of folk magic in this region believed strongly in curses. And would do almost anything to get rid of one... Alanna tells us the dark tale of how one man's life ended because of a curse, poor Nelson Rehmeyer. And he had no way to ever see it coming.....

Welcome back all our loyal listeners, and happy Friday the 13th! We are kicking this year off with a fun ep filled with numbers and different superstitions surrounding them. Kelsey takes a deep dive into the history behind friggatriskaidekaphobia, or the fear of Friday the 13th. Then, Alanna shares the good numbers and bad numbers from cultures all around the world. Which ones are good luck and which ones are a bad omen, listen to find out. Happy new year, and keep it cryptic! 

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Tags: Superstitions, Triskaidekaphobia, Friday the 13th, Paraskevidekatriaphobia, friggatriskaidekaphobia, Number Superstitions, Smoking Superstitions

Happy Holidays cryptic cuties! Our very special gift to you is an ep all about Christmas Traditions from around the world. We hope you have been good this year, or else the subject of Kelsey's segment might pay you a visit. If you live in Europe you may know all about this frightening figure, he brings beatings to misbehaving children, or may even take them back to his lair to eat later.  

Alanna closes out the last ep of 2022 with two interesting Yule Witches, Frau Perchta and Befana, neither one you would want to meet if you have been naughty instead of nice this year. Gruß vom Krampus, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from Alanna & Kelsey, we appreciate each and every one of you! We will catch up with you all in 2023.  

Tags: Christmas Traditions, St. Nicholas, Krampuslauf, Krampusnacht, Perchtenlauf, Krampuskarten, Frau Perchta, Befana

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