Lore

By Aaron Mahnke

Society & Culture History

What's Lore about?

Lore is a bi-weekly podcast (and upcoming TV show) about the dark historical tales that fuel our modern superstitions. Each episode explores the world of mysterious creatures, tragic events, and unusual places.

Because sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction.

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Episode 127: Tipping the Sc...

10.21.2019

Episode 127: Tipping the Scales If you flip through the pages of history long enough, you’ll eventually run into stories about life out of balance, and how something—fate or chance or something otherworldly—has stepped in to make it right. In ...

Lore episodes:

10.21.2019 Episode 127: Tipping the Scales Episode 127: Tipping the Scales If you flip through the pages of history long enough, you’ll eventually run into stories about life out of balance, and how something—fate or chance or something otherworldly—has stepped in to make it right. In ...
10.14.2019 Episode 126: Aftershocks Some places in our world have a dark legacy. Prior failures. Shameful acts. Painful tragedy. Even though it all took place long before we arrived there, we can still feel the tremors of that darkness—and the stories about their source ...
10.07.2019 Episode 125: Paper Trails Everyone longs for someone. That special partner who can enter their life and make is something better, something more. And while dating has taken many forms over the years, nothing is like a good, old fashioned personal ad—or the people ...
09.30.2019 Episode 124: To Die For Everyone wants to look good. And while there’s nothing wrong with beauty, sometimes people have made sacrifices—both willing and unaware—in the pursuit of it. After looking through the pages of history, though, that hasn’t always been a good thing. * ...
09.16.2019 Episode 123: Unnoticed Home might very well be what you make it, but it’s not always about beautiful decorations and comfortable furnishings. Sometimes the places we live take on elements of our own personality. Even after we’ve moved on, those pieces remain behind, ...
09.02.2019 Episode 122: The Shortest Straw Episode 122: The Shortest Straw Human nature has a number of powerful, universal characteristics. Our need for community. Our love of storytelling. Our seemingly infinite capacity to adapt and thrive. But some of the most terrifying events in history find ...
08.19.2019 Episode 121: Uninvited Guest Some threats to our safety and well-being are obvious and easy to spot from a mile away. Over the course of history, people have become very skilled at looking for danger and avoiding it. But some threats are more difficult ...
08.05.2019 Episode 120: Whistle While You Work Human ambition has led us to some amazing achievements, and taken us to unexplored places. But it has also lured us into places where there is a lot more fear and danger than we are used to, and the stories ...
07.22.2019 Episode 119: Evolution Some stories have been around for a very long time, and others are fairly new. One thing is certain, though: the tales we tell have a way of changing over time. But that doesn’t make them any less powerful—or any ...
07.08.2019 Episode 118: Ambition Some people have a fire inside them that drives them to do great things. New discoveries, breakthrough inventions, or astonishing accomplishments. But some have harnessed that passion for something darker, and they’re actions have left a painful mark on history. ...
06.24.2019 Episode 117: Bones Episode 117: Bones Everything is built upon something else. Whether it is a mighty fortress, a simple home, or the very lives of the people around us, there’s a foundation beneath everything. But don’t let that strong, smooth layer fool ...
06.10.2019 Episode 116: Something Blue No one likes to be sick, and yet it is one of the most dependable things in life. We will all, at some point, become ill, and when we do, the most important thing in our world will be recovery ...
05.27.2019 Episode 115: Perspective The way we explain the world around us is determined by the lens we view it through, especially when events sit outside the realm of the believable. And no better moment in time can illustrate that idea better than the ...
05.13.2019 Episode 114: The Gateway Most locations have an isolated history that is unique to them and only them. But some places have served as the entry point for a bigger idea and a larger impact on history as a whole. Sadly, that sort of ...
04.29.2019 Episode 113: Word of Mouth Throughout history, cultures around the world have explored the world of medicine in search of tools that can heal our bodies. We’ve used plants and minerals, of course, but the most powerful tool might also be the most taboo—and it’s ...
04.15.2019 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. ...
04.01.2019 Episode 111: Inside Job The deepest mysteries come from the places we haven’t fully explored, or where we lack the control that makes us feel safe. And yet one of the most universally mysterious places of all is closer than you might believe. It’s ...
03.18.2019 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 ...
03.04.2019 Episode 109: Assumption There’s a lot in life we can count on. Death, taxes, the sunrise, and political turmoil--these are all guaranteed, safe bets. But outside that, everything else is an assumption. And sometimes we get it tragically, horribly wrong. * * * ...
02.18.2019 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 ...
02.04.2019 Episode 107: Sight Unseen We like to think we’ll see it coming. That we can plan ahead and prepare—even defend ourselves. But death comes in all shapes and sizes, sometimes so small and featureless that it slips through our carefully constructed defenses without us ...
01.21.2019 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 ...
01.07.2019 Episode 105: Layers We love to simplify things. Easy is better than complex, after all, and simple things are easy to understand. Sadly, though, the people around us are far from simple; they are complex and layered, with deep, hidden stories just waiting ...
12.21.2018 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 ...
12.10.2018 Episode 103: Disappointment Humanity is fueled by hope. We hope for improvement, and dream of a day when things get better than they are right now. And for a very long time, there have been certain people who have taken advantage of that ...
11.26.2018 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 ...
11.12.2018 Episode 101: Worn Away Like a well-loved pair of shoes, or those jeans you bought in college and never gave up on, some things become worn out over time. But when that thing is a physical location, eroded away by thousands of years of ...
10.29.2018 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 ...
10.22.2018 Episode 99: Out For Blood Each of us holds inside ourselves a precious cargo. It is the key to life, and a worthy sacrifice when important things are on the line. And yet it also sits at the center of some of our greatest fears. ...
10.15.2018 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 ...
10.08.2018 Episode 97: Misplaced For thousands of years, humans have built rules and procedures for handling the various curveballs that life throws our way—and we place a lot of trust in those systems. Most of the time, it all works properly, but there are ...
10.01.2018 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 ...
09.17.2018 Episode 95: Out of Sight Few things disappoint us more than when our expectations aren’t met. We expect to be loved, or to be rewarded for our hard work. And above all, we expect the people in our lives to always be there. Which is ...
09.03.2018 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 ...
08.20.2018 Episode 93: A Place to Lay Your Head Humans are hard-wired for trust. It’s the secret ingredient that helps us form communities, build relationships, and grow as people. But while that trust is a noble inclination, it can also get us into trouble—trouble that can sometimes turn deadly.
08.06.2018 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 ...
07.23.2018 Episode 91: Beneath the Surface Islands have served a variety of functions for people over the years. They can be a place of safety and privacy, or of simplicity and escape. But islands have played host to other less savory events over the years. And ...
07.09.2018 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 ...
06.25.2018 Episode 89: Fanning the Flames Some cities experience a single tragedy and then live with that pain and loss for generations. They are built on a dark foundation, and everything new takes on a flavor of the past. But there are other places where that ...
06.11.2018 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 ...
05.28.2018 Episode 87: Road Trip Every now and then a story comes along that is so powerful and compelling that it creates a new branch on the tree of folklore. Yes, it has deeper roots, but sometimes a new expression of fear grows out to ...
05.14.2018 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 ...
04.30.2018 Episode 85: Creature of Habit Our home is supposed to be a safe space where we are free to relax and enjoy life. History, though, contains stories that break that mould. Places where people want to live in peace, and yet find themselves at odds ...
04.16.2018 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, ...
04.02.2018 Episode 83: Carried Away Humans have always been more than a little bit superstitious, and one of the oldest and most universal of those beliefs is the curse. The story of how that belief has evolved in relation to one particular culture, though, is ...
03.19.2018 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 ...
03.05.2018 Episode 81: On the Edge Humanity seems to always be at risk of suffering through another major outbreak. History is full with dark moments of biological chaos, and despite constant advances in medical science, there seems to be no end in sight. We’re afraid of ...
02.19.2018 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.
02.05.2018 Episode 79: Locked Away Our lives have a way of becoming magnets that attract pain and suffering. Some of us go through more than others, but in the end, we’re all running from something. Just how far we might go to get away is ...
01.22.2018 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 ...

Older episodes

Lore

What's Lore about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Lore episodes:

Episode 127: Tipping the Scales

Episode 126: Aftershocks

Episode 125: Paper Trails

Episode 124: To Die For

Episode 123: Unnoticed

Episode 122: The Shortest Straw

Episode 121: Uninvited Guest

Episode 120: Whistle While You Work

Episode 119: Evolution

Episode 118: Ambition

Episode 117: Bones

Episode 116: Something Blue

Episode 115: Perspective

Episode 114: The Gateway

Episode 113: Word of Mouth

Episode 112: Facets

Episode 111: Inside Job

Episode 110: Crooked

Episode 109: Assumption

Episode 108: Debris

Episode 107: Sight Unseen

Episode 106: The Collection

Episode 105: Layers

Episode 104: Anchored

Episode 103: Disappointment

Episode 102: Devil in the Details

Episode 101: Worn Away

Episode 100: Home Sweet Home

Episode 99: Out For Blood

Episode 98: Never Alone

Episode 97: Misplaced

Episode 96: The Long Good-Bye

Episode 95: Out of Sight

Episode 94: Hard Rain

Episode 93: A Place to Lay Your Head

Episode 92: Stronger

Episode 91: Beneath the Surface

Episode 90: Mind the Gap

Episode 89: Fanning the Flames

Episode 88: Crossing the Line

Episode 87: Road Trip

Episode 86: Under Siege

Episode 85: Creature of Habit

Episode 84: A Family Affair

Episode 83: Carried Away

Episode 82: Forgotten

Episode 81: On the Edge

Episode 80: Dark Imports

Episode 79: Locked Away

Episode 78: Exposure

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