Episode 85: Creature of Habit

Episode 112: Facets

Of all the parts of life that we can depend on, one of the darkest parts is loss. That’s the trouble with being surrounded by mortal, fragile human beings; at some point, the people we love won’t be here anymore. Which is why the mourning process is the playground for all sorts of powerful bits of folklore.* * *This episode of Lore was sponsored by:Casper: American-made, hybrid mattresses that’s insanely comfortable—and affordable. Try it for 100 nights—risk-free—in your own home. If you don’t love it, they’ll pick it up and refund you everything. Visit Casper.com/Lore to get $100 toward select mattresses by using the offer code LORE. Terms and conditions apply.The Great Courses Plus: Hundreds of topics taught by professors and experts, all in one enormous video library. Listen or watch on your computer or mobile device. Visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/lore today to start your special FREE MONTH of unlimited access to their full lecture library—and don't miss my newest recommendation: The History and Achievements of the Islamic Golden Age.Stamps.com: Print your own postage and shipping labels from your home or office. Start your 4-week trial today, and claim your $110 bonus offer, which includes postage, a digital scale, and zero commitment. Just visit Stamps.com, click on the microphone in the top-right of the homepage, and type LORE.* * *The Lore book series: www.theworldoflore.com/booksThe Lore TV show: www.Amazon.com/LoreLatest Lore news: www.theworldoflore.com/now

Episode 110: Crooked

Not everything can be perfect. Even when there’s a clean slate and we’re given the resources and tools to make something great, humans have a way of building their flaws into it. And while there are many examples of locations built on a crooked foundation, few have the haunting historical tales to back it up.* * *This episode of Lore was sponsored by:Article: Beautiful, modern, high-quality furniture without the frustration of going into a big showroom—and flatmate shipping on all orders for just $49! Get $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more by visiting Article.com/LORE today.The Great Courses Plus: Hundreds of topics taught by professors and experts, all in one enormous video library. Listen or watch on your computer or mobile device. Visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/lore today to start your special FREE MONTH of unlimited access to their full lecture library—and don't miss my newest recommendation: Understanding Imperial China.Stamps.com: Print your own postage and shipping labels from your home or office. Start your 4-week trial today, and claim your $110 bonus offer, which includes postage, a digital scale, and zero commitment. Just visit Stamps.com, click on the microphone in the top-right of the homepage, and type LORE.* * *The Lore book series: www.theworldoflore.com/booksThe Lore TV show: www.Amazon.com/LoreLatest Lore news: www.theworldoflore.com/now

Episode 108: Debris

Our oceans are some of the most remote regions on the planet. Because of that, people have filled that darkness and space with stories that reflect our common fears and deepest suspicious. Unfortunately, the pages of history offer less reason than we might hope for, leaving us to wonder exactly what might be out there, lurking beneath the waves.

Episode 106: The Collection

Humans have a tendency to collect things. From baseball cards to Twitter followers, we enjoy bringing everything into one place. But when that collection represents the very worst of humanity—both in how it’s managed and where it comes from—the act of collecting comes with dire consequences.

Episode 104: Anchored

The ocean is very good at taking things from us, but we are equally skilled at not forgetting. Still, no matter how many stories we tell about lost ships and vanished loved ones, it will never bring them back. At least, that’s what most people believe.

Episode 102: Devil in the Details

Most of us live incredibly busy lives, and because of all that distraction, we tend to miss the little things. Whether it’s a forgotten birthday, or the small puddle of water beneath your water heater in the basement, not noticing things can have consequences. And sometimes, those details can be a matter of life and death.

Episode 100: Home Sweet Home

Every movement has a seed, that spark that sets the fire ablaze. But this spark is more than just a murder mystery, or a treasure hunt, or even a haunting unlike any other. This one is all three. Which may explain why a century and a half later, the world is still reeling from its impact.

Episode 98: Never Alone

When tragedy strikes and poor choices haunt us, sometimes the only thing we can do is move on and build on the ashes of the past. But there are places where that hasn’t worked out so well. In fact, sometimes the worst thing we can do to history is bury it. 

Episode 96: The Long Good-Bye

Life is full of challenges. From learning new skills to climbing the social ladder, most people struggle with the hurdles we’re forced to overcome. But when it’s all said and done, few things are as difficult as something all of us will have to face some day: saying good-bye.

Episode 94: Hard Rain

Our understanding of the natural world is incredibly advanced compared to our ancestors from a few centuries ago. We have established rules and order to help us frame how everything works. On occasion, though, those rules have been broken, and the results have been absolutely terrifying.

Episode 92: Stronger

There is a lot in life that we can control, but no system is perfect. Every now and then, circumstances pull the rug out from underneath us and leave us powerless. But at least one surprise turn of events had a different affect, and the results have left us with questions that are still unanswered today.

Episode 90: Mind the Gap

We tend think of rivers and lakes as tame. They are the safe and friendly counterpart to the deep and treacherous waters of the ocean. Freshwater rivers and lakes give us life, after all. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. Somewhere in the darkness beneath their calm surface, terrifying stories wait for us.

Episode 88: Crossing the Line

Humans have always sought companionship. From the communities we live in, to the pets we welcome into our homes, our need for companions is as old as we are. But that natural desire has led some to pursue some very unnatural ideas.

Episode 86: Under Siege

Our bodies are a fortress, and every day, they suffer through attacks from the outside. Over the centuries, we’re become very good at protecting ourselves from illness and disease, but all of those efforts assume everyone around us will be responsible. Illness, though, has often been misused—sometimes maliciously and other times through sheer ignorance—and the results have been horrifying.

Episode 84: A Family Affair

Nothing is more magical than when a family works together. But when their talents seem to defy all logic and reason, it might not be a bad idea to dig deeper and look for the truth. Just be careful—the truth, it turns out, isn’t always that simple.

Episode 82: Forgotten

People are really good at moving on. We rush from fad to fad at an alarming speed, and it’s difficult to predict where our interests will land next. In the process, we tend to abandon things—things like the places we live. But don’t be fooled; even after we’ve all moved on, those places are far from uninhabited.

Episode 80: Dark Imports

The places we inhabit slowly become like us, reflecting our brightest ambitions and darkest secrets. Countless cities harbor the shadows of a violent past, but few hide it so elegantly as one southern gem. 

Episode 78: Exposure

We live in a very technological world today, with constant updates and improvements over last year’s model, and while many of the advancements are amazing, few have impacted humanity quite like photography. It opened up new worlds, and changed the way we think about time and space. Some, however, might have taken that too far.

Episode 76: Talk Show

Life is a lot like a big budget movie. We click play, and then let the action wash over us. There are highs and lows, laughter and tears, and then it’s all over and the screen goes silent. The dead can’t talk back, something most people are thankful for. Still, there have been rare moments in history when that rule appears to have been broken—and the results were extraordinary.

Episode 74: All Fall Down

The sky is a source of life for everything on this planet. Rain to quench our thirst and sunlight for our food. We don’t look up too often these days, but that hasn’t changed our dependance on it. But occasionally, the sky can be a source of something else. Something much less typical than rain or snow or sunshine. History, it seems, paints a very frightening picture of the world above us.

Episode 72: A Grave Mistake

Humans have a seemingly never-ending list of fears. The dark of night, small spaces, open water…there doesn’t seem to be an area of life that doesn’t come with a few reasons to take pause and be afraid. But the greatest of those fears might just come at the end of our lives, and for over a century, that fear drove people to unimaginable things.

Episode 71: Silver Lining

We’ve conquered much of our world, but even with all of our great cities and urban sprawl, there are still shadows on the edge. And it’s in the shadows that the greatest threats still exist—creatures from our darkest nightmares that threaten our feeling of safety. Which has led some to strike out into the dark and hunt them.

Episode 70: Familiar

There’s a fine line between rationality and madness, but it’s not as easy to avoid as you might think. Throughout history, our world has played host to people who have taken their superstitions too far, but it was the chaos of the English Civil War that helped give birth to one of the worst.* * *This episode of Lore was sponsored by:ZipRecruiter: Post your job opening to over 100 job sites with a single click, and then let their powerful technology connect the best candidates to you inside their easy-to-use Dashboard. Discover for yourself why ZipRecruiter is used by businesses of all sizes to find the most qualified job candidates with immediate results. Visit ZipRecruiter.com/lore today to get start posting jobs for free.Stamps.com: Print your own postage and shipping labels from your home or office. Start your 4-week trial today, and claim your $110 bonus offer, which includes postage, a digital scale, and zero commitment. Just visit Stamps.com, click on the microphone in the top-right of the homepage, and type LORE.The Great Courses Plus: Hundreds of topics taught by professors and experts, all in one enormous video library. Visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/lore to start your free month of unlimited access to their entire lecture library. My recommended course right now is: History of Ancient Egypt. So good.* * *Official Lore Website: www.lorepodcast.comExtra member episodes: www.patreon.com/lorepodcastNovels by Aaron Mahnke: www.aaronmahnke.com/novels

Episode 68: The Tainted Well

The older the country, the deeper the roots of its folklore have grown—roots that are fed by darkness, fear, and pain. And few countries hold such a variety of frightening tales, both old and modern, as the lovely Emerald Isle. But not everything that walks those hills is safe to approach.

Episode 66: Where There’s Smoke

Fire is a dangerous tool. Used properly, it can transform a society, but if it isn’t respected, it can burn that society to the ground. Which is why we are obsessed with controlling it—and completely, utterly afraid of it.* * *This episode of Lore was sponsored by:The Great Courses Plus: Hundreds of topics taught by professors and experts, all in one enormous video library. Visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/lore to start your free month of unlimited access to their entire lecture library, plus a second month for just 99¢. My recommended course is:  The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World.Audible: Audible content includes an unmatched selection of audiobooks, original audio shows, news, and more from the leading book, magazine, and newspaper publishers. Begin your free 30-day trial membership with a free book of your choice by visiting Audible.com/Lore. If you need a recommendation, my novel Indian Summer was just released on audiobook, and I think you'll enjoy its blend of folklore and suspense.Stamps.com: Print your own postage and shipping labels from your home or office. Start your 4-week trial today, and claim your $110 bonus offer, which includes postage, a digital scale, and zero commitment. Just visit Stamps.com, click on the microphone in the top-right of the homepage, and type LORE.* * *Official Lore Website: www.lorepodcast.comExtra member episodes: www.patreon.com/lorepodcastNovels by Aaron Mahnke: www.aaronmahnke.com/novels