MonsterTalk

We’re delighted to get to talk with Adrian Shine, who has worked for decades to raise awareness about Loch Ness and investigated the legendary creature said to inhabit the dark waters of that deep Scottish lake.  He’s written a new book about Sea Monsters and their connection to the Loch Ness Mystery which releases April 1st, 2025. 

A Natural History of Sea Monsters (affiliate link)

The Loch Ness Centre

In the intro you hear a clip of IN SEARCH OF from S01E20 – which features a young Adrian. Check out In Research Of’s coverage with guest Daniel Loxton here.

The post S04E26 – A Natural History of Sea Serpents with Adrian Shine appeared first on MonsterTalk.

We’re back with part 2 of our interview with Dr. Eleanor Janega to discuss Demons in Medieval Europe – and a lot of that has to do with sexy sex.  So… another EXPLICIT tag! 

Eleanor’s Blog Going-Medieval

Eleanor’s book The Once and Future Sex

The Apocalypse Tapestry of Angers (The Guardian)

The Apocalypse Tapestry (Wikipedia)

YouTube videos with Eleanor 

Monty Summers translation of the Malleus Maleficarum  (AMZ affiliate link)

The post S04E25 – Demon Sex in Medieval Times PT 2 appeared first on MonsterTalk.

We’re joined by the engaging historian Dr. Eleanor Janega to talk about how the people of Europe considered demonic sex during the medieval period of history. This episode is in two parts, and both are explicit. 

Presenter on the History Hit channel – https://www.historyhit.com/ 

Blog – https://going-medieval.com/ 

Medievalist, author, blogs about medieval history, pop culture, and swearing 

Author of: The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women’s Roles in Society

Article: “On sex with demons” – https://going-medieval.com/2020/07/30/on-sex-with-demons/

The post S04E24 – Demon Sex in Medieval Times (explicit) appeared first on MonsterTalk.

A brief remembrance of our friend, Joe Nickell. (December 1, 1944 – March 4, 2025) Joe Nickell’s extraordinary life came to an end on Tuesday, March 4th and we’re posting this brief remembrance this week instead of our regular episode.

Check out Joe’s many “personas.”

The Science of Monsters: Tracking the Real-Life Creatures

Archive episodes with Joe

The sourtoe cocktail

The post S04E23 – Remembering Joe Nickell appeared first on MonsterTalk.

We’re joined by Allison Jornlin (paranormalwomen.com) to talk about the footprint of women in the field of parapsychology and paranormal investigation.

We most recently talked with Allison during “the dark times” on our COVID-era MonsterTalk Live series.

She also covered the Chicago Mothman flap with us back in 2018!

The post S04E22 – Women in the Paranormal appeared first on MonsterTalk.

Is the cave of the winds near Manitou Springs, CO HAUNTED!? Matt Baxter has investigated and he joins us to talk about what he found.

Related Links:

Spooky Science Sisters – Roanoke episode with Karen

In Research Of… The Lost Colony – Blake & Jeb Card discuss the In Search Of… episode about Roanoke.

Eclectic Shopping options in Manitou Springs

The history of Manitou Springs

The Cave of the Winds (Official Site)

The Manitou (1978 film)

Manitou – the spirit

The post S04E21 – The Cave of the Winds appeared first on MonsterTalk.

We’re joined by Dr. Justin Mullis to get a better understanding of the incredibly lore-dense anime series Dan Da Dan. 

Justin’s academia profile

Legend of Momotaro

Some links recommended by Justin:
This is a really good video about the history of the Flatwoods Monster in Japanese video games. Highly recommended.

This is the Religious Dispatches article about koro.

Here’s the Japan Today interview with the current editor of MU magazine.

And here’s the MU magazine article I mentioned about Turbo Granny (in Japanese).

The book on Japanese mountain witches I mentioned.

And here’s an article by Japanese folklorist and manga translator Zack Davisson on Dandadan. 

Additional: 

Dan Da Dan (Netflix)

Karen’s book Missed Conceptions is mentioned in the episode – get it here.
And her latest book too:  Bitch: The Journey of a Word

The post S04E20 – Understand Japan’s Dan Da Dan [Explicit] appeared first on MonsterTalk.

As Valentine’s day bears down upon us, we turn to the monsters whose origins lie in passion, betrayal, and tragedy. If love is the strongest human emotion, surely rage at betrayal is its nightmarish mirror – and such emotions are embodied in a variety of creatures around the world and throughout history.

Content Warning – this episode contains stories of child death, suicide, murder, and other unplesantness. And also some discussion of candy. So there’s that.

Don’t forget to pick up Karen’s latest Book: Bitch: The Journey of a Word

The post S04E19 – Monsters of the Heart appeared first on MonsterTalk.

Cemeteries Cleaning and Grave Rubbing – Karen and Blake are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss the ethics and best practices around maintaining and preserving graveyards. 

Links for Grave Rubbers from CyberSpace:

The article that inspired this conversation (via The Conversation)

Ken Feder (friend of the show and emeritus professor of archaeology) sent along this helpful article about grave preservation.

The woman with the pink foam (Kaeli Mae McEwen – aka “Clean Girl”) has a site where she sells the stuff.

In Atlanta – at historic Oakland Cemetery – they have community cleaning projects.  They list this under an article titled “Pro Team Field Notes on Scrubbing the Surface“

Thoughts on Grave Rubbing from a blogger.

Additional Links:

Since we mentioned The Conversation, by coincidence Jeb Card got interviewed about his paranormal course at University of Ohio – check it!

Karen’s book Bitch: The Journey of a Word is out now – grab a copy! (affiliate link)

Don’t forget to grab a copy of Joe Nickell’s The Science of Monsters: Tracking the Real-Life Creatures – every sale helps MonsterTalk! (affiliate link)

And if you want to meet me at sea in the Bermuda Triangle, sign up for the Skeptoid Adventure – there’s still a few cabins left! (as of 2/1/2025)

The post S04E18 – GRAVE RUBBERS FROM CYBERSPACE! appeared first on MonsterTalk.