Sinister Sisters

This week, watch out because this episode has teeth! And so do these women…

First up, Felicia explores the mythological toothed vagina, or Vagina Dentata - a myth rooted in the fear and mystery around female sexuality and the female body. Inspired by the new musical TEETH (based on the 2007 indie horror movie of the same name), Felicia dives deeper into the history of the toothed vagina, from Greek mythology with Medusa to how it appears in other folk tales across history from countries around the world.

Next, keeping the toothy theme going, Lauren tells us about Scylla - a supernatural female creature also from Greek mythology that first appeared in Homer's Odyssey. In some descriptions, Scylla had  "12 feet and six heads on long snaky necks, each head having a triple row of sharklike teeth, while her loins were girdled by the heads of baying dogs" keeping her lower body very protected from men. She also devoured sailors who ventured into her cave. Our kind of lady. 

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This week, it's a couple of mysterious creatures from the swamp and the forest!

First up, Lauren goes on the hunt for the Bunyip - a Cryptid creature from the Indigenous Aboriginal mythology of southeastern Australia dating back to as early as 1812. The Bunyip has been described as an amphibious creature that lurks in local swamps, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes, but the other characteristics vary widely. Most of the sightings say they resemble seals or swimming dogs, but others claim to have seen long-necked creatures with small heads. Listen to hear more wild sightings of the man-eating monster!

Next, Felicia tells the tale of the Samodiva - woodland fairies or nymphs found in South and West Slavic folklore and folk songs. These ethereal maidens are typically depicted with long, loose hair, and sometimes wings and are commonly seen riding deer or winged horses using snakes as the reins. Metal! A Samondiva can either be kind to humans or lethal depending on how she feels about you. And in some versions, their power comes from a magical gown or veil and if they lose the clothing, they have to reclaim it to get their power back. Listen to learn more about this witchy, free-spirited creature! 

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This week, it's two folktales - one if by land, one if by sea!

First up, Felicia goes in between the pages of the classic folktale of Sleepy Hollow! From "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" - the original 1820 short story by Washington Irving featuring the famous Ichabod Crane & the Headless Horseman with his flaming jack-o'-lantern - deeper to the mythical Headless Horseman's origins and roots in Irish and Scottish folklore, as well as the English tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. And of course no conversation about Sleepy Hollow would be complete without touching on Tim Burton's 1999 film Sleepy Hollow along with Disney's 1949 animated short "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad." 🎃

Next, from New York all the way up North, Lauren takes us to Canada to explore the Ogopogo - a mythological lake monster rumored to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia (similar to Scotland's Loch Ness Monster). Its history begins all the way back in in First Nations folklore where they referred to it as "The Naitaka." Oral traditions kept the sea monster popular until Canadian author and pioneer Susan Allison's 1872 sighting, which was the first detailed Ogopogo account from a white settler. There have been many sightings of the serpentine creature since then…but have any of them been substantiated? Listen to hear more about the creature and people who tried to capture it on camera to provide proof of its existence! 🐉

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This week it's two terrifying tales about more than meets the eye! 

First up, Lauren takes you on a ride through the uncanny valley with the "Laff in the Dark" mannequin at the The Pike amusement park. In the early '70s, children visiting the boardwalk in Long Beach, California noticed one of the mannequins in the funhouse attraction looked a little…off. But it wasn't until some years later, when a production crew from a popular TV series were shooting in the funhouse in 1976, something more was discovered beneath the surface. How did this grotesque mannequin end up as a set piece in the amusement park ride and where did it come from?! And what was the glow-in-the-dark paint it was covered in actually hiding?! 

Next, Felicia profiles William H. Mumler - a spirit photographer from the 1800s. People took notice of Mumler's photography when he developed a self-portrait that appeared to feature the ghost of who he claimed was his cousin that had been dead for 12 years! This portrait is believed by many in the paranormal world to be the first spirit photograph ever. But William had both famous clients and famous critics, including infamous flim flam man P.T. Barnum. Listen to hear more about his fascinating work!

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This week it's horse girls and hoarse guys!

First up, Felicia covers another supernatural creature from Central American folklore - the legend of the woman Sihuehuet who, in some cultures, turned into La Siguanaba by a curse. Similar to other Siren stories, La Siguanaba initially takes the form of a beautiful woman....she looks like any other attractive, long-haired woman who happens to be scantily clad or, in some cases, just fully unclad (naked). La Siguanaba then lures unsuspecting men in this way before she reveals her face to be A HORSE HEAD! (Do you think when she did this she said "Hayyyyy"?)

Nay, we digress. Next, Lauren explores the case of Giulia Tofana, an Italian woman who was a "professional poisoner" in the 1600s. Her main product - a poison called Aqua Tofana that she sold to women who wanted to murder their abusive husbands. She even went so far as to set up a kind of underground poisoning ring under the guise that she was selling cosmetics to women. Giulia was actually able to get away with it for quite a long time...but wait until you find out what happened when one woman got cold feet about killing her husband...

Giulia probably just needed a signature tagline for her scent. Aqua Tofana - "Strong enough for a man (to die), but made for a woman (to kill he husband)" 

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This week, we're covering two topics that are close to our horror hearts and our heritages! 

First up, Lauren explores the legend of The Demon House of Pennsylvania - a haunted house she recently visited in Monongahela, PA. It may just be a fictitious haunted attraction these days, but the horror and the true crime history that the McCue Mansion has held within its walls since the 1800s is very real. Was the former proprietor just a healer…or a witch? And what did they discover when excavating for the original mansion? Rumor is they unleashed an evil that is found in the Demon House to this day! And that maybe the haunts aren't so staged after all…

Next, Felicia explores a creature of local Costa Rican folklore - a tale she heard told from her father during his childhood in CR. The Duendes are Dwarve-like fantastical creatures (similar also to Gnomes or Leprechauns) with roots in Latin American, Iberian, and Ibero American culture. Depending on the location and version of the mythology, Duendes can be playful tricksters full of mischief or wicked punishers of children. Imagine Dobby from Harry Potter…if he looked like wanted to murder you. Listen to hear Felicia's personal twist on the Duendes, and someone's possible real life encounter!

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Merry Christmas, all you naughty boys & girls! This week, it's a little ho-ho-horror for the holidays with a double feature of Christmas creatures!

Felicia unwraps the first present with the legend of Sinterklaas, or Sint-Nicolaas - a mythical figure based on the patron saint of children, Saint Nicholas. If it wasn't obvious, Sinterklaas is one of the sources for the classic Santa Claus mythology and has mainly been celebrated in the Netherlands as far back as the early 19th century. Felicia actually has some of her own personal experience with the story from attending the Sinterklaas Festival Day in Rhinebeck, NY. Though things turn sinister as she explores some of the more offensive origins of the figure and festival. 

Next, Lauren stuffs your stocking with another Christmas icon - Frau Perchta aka the Christmas witch! This 10th century German winter goddess has a beaked nose made of iron and stalks humans to make sure they have completed their spinning of flax and/or other domestic chores by Twelfth Night. And you thought your family's holiday traditions were boring! Other versions of the legend even feature an army of lost souls, including the Krampus-like demonic-looking Perchten. Her story may sound similar to other dark Christmas mythologies - after all, she knows who has been bad or good…but her way of dealing with naughty people is much more vicious than a lump of coal. Deck the halls with disembowelment!

Listen to hear more about both of these Christmas creatures and how they tie-into our modern mythology. 

PS: As always, thank you for listening and supporting our show throughout 2023. Have a safe & scary New Year's evil and we'll see you with lots more sinister stories in 2024!

Happy belated Thanksgiving, turkeys! This week it's a frightful feast, featuring a double heaping helping of two Thanksgiving-themed horror stories!

First, Lauren explores how one grandfather's annual Thanksgiving ghost story (yes, that was apparently a thing for this grandpa) led brothers to uncover a mysterious mass grave site from the 1800s. Over 50 Irish immigrants died at a railroad site in Pennsylvania during the cholera epidemic in 1832…but did they actually die from cholera?!

Next, Felicia tells a Thanksgiving true crime tale that will truly not be a story you're thankful for. Omaima Nelson was an Egyptian former model who immigrated to the US in 1986 and, 5-years-later in October 1991, met 56-year-old pilot William E. "Bill" Nelson when she was still only 23. Within days of meeting, the two were married despite their 33 year age difference. But it was not a happy holiday for the couple in November 1991, just a month into their marriage. We're not going to spoil your dinner with the "just deserts," but let's just say the turkey wasn't the only thing that was carved that year. And you thought Thanksgiving dinner with your family was weird…

Listen to hear the cornucopia of a twist in this terrifying Thanksgiving tale!

This week, it's sharp axes and even sharper psychics!  

First up, Felicia explores the infamous, notorious Lizzie Borden - the axe murderer of Fall River, Massachusetts. While Borden may have been acquitted for the axe murders of her father and stepmother in 1892 when she was only 32, she forever remains linked to that horrific case. Her story has been immortalized, told time and time again in movies, television series, plays, books…and now this Sinister Sisters episode! 

Next, Lauren covers the case of the 1987 disappearance of 27-year-old Andre Daigle in New Orleans, Louisiana. When Daigle didn't show up to work after a night out with a friend, desperate his sister Elise contacted psychic Rosemarie Kerr, who she had received a psychic reading from only 2 days prior. Kerr used her clairvoyant abilities to help Elise find her brother and his kidnappers/killers - her visions so accurate that she was the first psychic to be placed on the witness stand for a murder trial and a case they helped solve. But you won't believe the scary details of this sad case and just how accurate and detailed Kerr was…

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For part two of our spooktacular Halloween special, we are taking a look back at our costumes from past Halloweens. Listen as we rank our costumes, telling some stories along the way. Stay safe and Happy Halloween, boos and ghouls! 

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