What really waits for us at the crossroads?

Across cultures and centuries, crossroads have been feared, revered, and ritualized as places where worlds overlap. In this episode of the Wondering Monsters Podcast, we explore the dark folklore of crossroads spirits, supernatural bargains, and the enduring legend of selling your soul for success.

From ancient offerings to Hecate and Hermes, to Grimm fairy tales of tricking the Devil, to the blues mythos surrounding Robert Johnson, the crossroads has long been seen as a dangerous threshold where power can be gained—but never without consequence. We examine why crossroads rituals appear across the globe, why midnight matters, and why these stories still resonate in a modern world of ambition, algorithms, and shortcuts.

Are crossroads truly supernatural hotspots, or do they reflect something deeper about fear, choice, and desperation? And if you were brave (or desperate) enough to stand at one alone in the dark, would you make a deal?

Listen now and decide which path you would take.

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Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:42 - Robert Johnson
4:04 - Grimm's tales and selling your soul to the devil
11:02 - Hecate, the crossroads, and other gods
14:45 - The devil, plagues, holidays, and traditions
18:12 - American, European crossroad history
19:25 - Crossroads and offerings
22:03 - the Greek Magical Papyri
27:21 - Blues music, briefly
29:18 - Modern version of the crossroads
30:48 - Deal with the devil logistics
35:25 - How the offering works
40:47 - Crossroads traditions around the New Year
43:47 - Circles and the crossroads
45:27 - Offering specifics
46:59 - Rankings
1:00:17 - Leave a Review
1:00:26 - Outro

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Also Mentioned in This Episode:

• Are Ouija Boards Real?
• Is Bloody Mary Real?
• What are Liminal Spaces and Why Do They Feel So Weird?
• Why are Graveyards SO Scary?
• Mothman and a Horrific Bridge Collapse
• The Legend of the Headless Horseman and Sleepy Hollow
• The History of the Boogeyman
• Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and the Wild Man Tradition

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Full Show Notes and Licensing Information.

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