Episode 1 - The Jorogumo

In our very first episode(!), we talk about the Jorōgumo (絡新婦, aka the 'whore spider' or 'entangling bride'), Japan’s shapeshifting spider-woman Yōkai (妖怪). Yōkai is a blanket term for a variety of supernatural creatures, monsters, and phenomena. Along with our Jorōgumo breakdown and surrounding folklore / tales, We discuss a super cool location in Kyoto, Japan called Yōkai Street (一条妖怪ストリート); the actual arachnid inspiration for the Jorōgumo, the Jorō Spider (ジョロウグモ); a bit about women and courtesans in Edo period Japan; and some of the many places spider-women have appeared in popular culture. If you have any personal stories about creatures, monsters, or cryptids (even if you don't know what it was), please email us at [email protected] so we can eventually do a listener episode! Visit us at folkloreontherocks.com for more in depth notes, links, and pictures.  Once we hit 100 iTunes reviews, we'll release a bonus episode with a listener selected creature! Please rate and review us when you have a moment, as it will help us immensely!   Website: www.folkloreontherocks.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/folkloreontherocks/ or  @folkloreontherocks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FolkloreOnTheRocks/ or @FolkloreontheRocks  Twitter: https://twitter.com/FolkloreRocks or @FolkloreRocks Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FolkloreOnTheRocks       Keywords: podcast, podcast, podcasting, folklore, cryptid, cryptids, creature, creatures, monster, monsters, cocktail, cocktails, whiskey, booze, alcohol, drink, education, learning, scary, spooky, creepy, funny, comedy, streaming, audio, listen, lore, legends, mythology, culture, worldwide, world, interesting, informative