Plot Twist Podcast: A Grave Affair

We're highlighting two unusual cemeteries for this episode: the Merry Cemetery in Romania, with its clever epitaphs that reveal the community's secrets, and Neptune's Memorial Reef, an underwater graveyard that incorporates cremains into a living reef. Bring a notepad and get some inspiration on where to spend eternity!

Merry Cemetery epitaphs: https://peterkayafas.com/the-merry-cemetery-of-sapanta/

Neptune Memorial Reef: https://www.nmreef.com

Resources:

Atlas Obscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/merry-cemetery

"Death, Color, and Conflict Collide at Europe's Most Viral Cemetery" by Mircea Barbu, Vice

Rolandia https://rolandia.eu/en/blog/unique-places/the-merry-cemetery

"The Last Laugh- In the Merry Cemetery, Grave Markers Celebrate Life with Beautiful Images and Gentle Wit" by John Moore, Romania Tourism

5 555555bb

We're getting down and dirty with bodies preserved for thousands of years buried under European bogs!

Resources:

"What is a Bog?" National Geographic

"Who Were the Ancient Bog Mummies? Surprising New Clues" by Christine Dell'Amore- National Geographic

"The Mystery of the Gauballe Man, The Iron Age Body Preserved in a Peat Bog for 2,300 Years" by Marco Margaritoff- All Things Interesting

"The Grauballe Man" by Seamus Heaney

"Europe's Famed Bog Bodies are Starting to Reveal their Secrets" by Joshua Levine- Smithsonian Mag

"Bogs, Fens, and Pocosins" NH PBS

"Mummies, Disease, and Ancient Cultures" by Aidan Cockburn, Eve Cockburn, & Theodore A Reyman

"We Have Done a Great Deal of Damage to Bogs in a Very Short Space of Time" by Anja Murray

"America's Bog People" by Peter Tyson- Nova

"Peat- the Forgotten Fossil Fuel" National Geographic

"Clonycavan and Old Croghan Men" by Jarrett A Lobell and Samir S Patel

"Ireland, Iron Age Bog Bodies" World Archaeology

"Murdered 'Bog Men' Found with Hair Gel, Manicured Nails" by James Owen- National Geographic

Tik Tok- @joecastlebaker

This week we're discussing the mummies of St. Michan's crypts in Dublin, Ireland. We'll tell you about the history, some recent grave robberies, and most importantly, our own trip to the crypts.

Resources:

Jenelle's Ireland journal including quotes from St. Michan's tour guide

Atlas Obscura- Dublin, Ireland- St. Michan's Crypts

St. Michan's Official Website

"Head of 800-year-old 'Crusader' Mummy Stolen from Dublin Vaults" by Sorcha Pollak- the Irish Times

"Man who stole 800-year-old mummified head jailed for 28 months"- The Irish Times

Explore Dublin's Dark Side, the Mummies of St. Michan's Church- thefairytraveler.com

"Mummy's Head Returns to Dublin Church" by Mark Michael- living church.org

"Head of 800-year-old Mummy Stolen from Dublin Crypt" by Frances Mulraney- Irish Central

"800-year-old ‘Crusader’ mummy decapitated at Irish church" by Rob Picheta- CNN Travel

"Vandal Played Football with Skull" by Diarmid MacDiarmid- Independent.ie

"How Ghoul Got a Head" by Stephen Breen- The Irish Sun