Don't Look Now

This week we discuss Native American origin stories.  Just about every culture has a story for how the world was created that tells you something about it's core values and beliefs.  Many Native cultures in the Americas share a creation story involving the creation of the land on the back of a turtle.  For this reason, North America is sometimes referred to as Turtle Island.  Take a listen and learn a bit about the creation of the world.

In the late 60s people started reporting seeing the dead rising from Highgate Cemetery in London.  General wave of mass hysteria broke out leading mobs of people to flock to the cemetery with stakes to hunt the vampire.  It also produced one of the strangest rivalries between two occult "experts" who both claimed to have successfully hunted the vampire. 

There are legends among the Cherokee and other Native American tribes of a people that existed in North America well before the arrival of Columbus  that had very light skin and large "moon eyes".  Theories have abounded about who or what these Moon Eyed people were, from Albinos, to decedents of pre-Columbian  Welsh explorers, to Aliens (of course).  Take a listen and see what you think is behind the stories of the Moon Eyed People

Mankind has been practicing many forms of body modification for tens of thousands of years.  Most are aware of things like piercings and tattoos, but there are some more extreme forms that have been used across the globe at different times by different societies.  One of these, is intentional cranial deformation, or skull shaping.  Many groups have bound the heads of their children to create a particular skull shape that was considered aesthetically pleasing or a sign of high social standing.  Listen in and find out all about the art of shaping one's head. 

One of the most enduring myths from the time of Spanish conquest of the New World is the take of El Dorado, the city of gold.  We discuss the actual historical roots of the myth and how the Spanish and other colonial powers began to dream of cities full of gold.

This week's podcast details two tales of missing persons who were assumed dead in strange circumstances and were eventually found years later.  Always good when a disappearance has a happy (ish) ending.

This week we discuss the Unification Church, more commonly known as The Moonies.  The church was founded by Sun Myung Moon and began to grow in the years after World War II.  Moon claimed to be the second coming of Jesus Christ, sent to complete his mission on earth and bring about The Kingdom of God.  The church is widely considered to by a cult and is mostly known for it's huge mass marriage ceremonies, marrying thousands of couples at once.  Interestingly the church has branched in to politics and business, with forays into seafood and world politics.  Come take a listen and learn more.

The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was the deadliest industrial disaster in US history.  146 workers lost their lives when a fire started in the factory, located on the 8th - 10th floors of the Asch Building near Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village.   The owners of the building kept the doors of the factory locked during working hours to prevent the workers from taking unauthorized breaks and lead to the great loss of life.  Come learn about the fire, and the effect it had on worker safety in America.

Time for a little story about mysterious treasure, tons of gold, land lost to immanent domain, and the whole lot possibly stolen by... LBJ?  The treasure of Victorio Peak was found by Doc Noss in 1937, and supposedly dwelled without hidden caverns under the mountain.  However, before he could removed it all, the area was taken over as part of White Sands Missile Range.  Legal battles raged over who owned the treasure and who could search for it and rumors even persist that Lyndon Johnson himself showed up on the scene to run off with the gold.  Come take a listen to the story of lost Mexican gold... it's a wild one. 

Time for a deep dive into some lesser known mythology.  Rather than Greeks, Romans, or Norse, we take a look at a figure from Irish mythology, The Morrigan.  The Morrigan is an Irish goddess of war and fate that plays a role in many ancient Gaelic stories.  She backs various figures in battle, controls the fate of kingdoms, and often like to hang out as a raven or cow.  What's not to like?  Tune in and find out more.