In the wooded outskirts of Maryland, beneath an old railway bridge in Prince George’s County, locals have long warned of a figure that should not exist.

In this chapter, we examine the urban legend of the ‘Goatman’, a creature said to haunt Lovers’ Lane bridges and rural roads, swinging an axe at those who dare to enter its territory. 

Join us as we explore where the Goatman stories began and just how they spread through modern folklore.

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• If you have more information or a correction on something mentioned in this chapter, email us at [email protected]

• For more information on the show, to find all our social accounts and to ensure you are up to date on all we do, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lukemordue.com/podcast

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Long before it became a modern campfire story, the 'Pukwudgie' was described in the oral traditions of Algonquian-speaking peoples across the Northeast, a small figure of folklore.

Join us as we delve into the history of these strange creatures, just what they are, and what they are said to do across all tales. 

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In this chapter, we examine one of America’s most famous vampire cases, the story of 'Mercy Brown'.

During the tuberculosis spread of the 19th century, grief, fear, and limited medical understanding gave rise to the belief that the dead could feed on the living. Join me as we explore the real history behind this legend, how the press helped shape Mercy’s story, and why this case blurs the lines of folklore and medicine.

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• If you have more information or a correction on something mentioned in this chapter, email us at [email protected]

• For more information on the show, to find all our social accounts and to ensure you are up to date on all we do, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lukemordue.com/podcast

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In this chapter, we investigate the urban legend of the 'Platte River Death Ship'. On foggy days along the Platte, it is said that a frost-covered phantom sailing ship is known to appear, its crew gathered around a body that’s revealed to be someone the witness knows, later revealing itself to be an omen of death.

Join us as we trace where the tale appears, what details stay consistent, what changes as it spreads, and where the legend first made its appearance in our collective stories. 

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• For more information on the show, to find all our social accounts and to ensure you are up to date on all we do, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lukemordue.com/podcast

This week’s chapter steps away from the archive and into the inbox as creator Luke Mordue answers the listener questions over the years. If you have any questions you want answer, you can drop us a text, an e-mail, or DM on our social media accounts for a future edition. 

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In this chapter, we delves deep into the urban legend of the 'Jersey Devil'. From its roots in the Pine Barrens and the Leeds family story into the 1909 wave of sightings, when strange tracks, alleged attacks, and public fear spread across South Jersey and beyond. 

Join us as we examine what was actually reported, how the story travelled, and what the panic reveals about rumour, media, and the human need to give a name and a shape to the unknown.

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• If you have more information or a correction on something mentioned in this chapter, email us at [email protected]

• For more information on the show, to find all our social accounts and to ensure you are up to date on all we do, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lukemordue.com/podcast

To listen to the full chapter and the rest of our Modern Myths, join us on Patreon for just £3.00 a month by visiting https://patreon.com/urbanlegends

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Three separate stories, one title, but is there any truth?

In this chapter, we examine the 'Dog Boy' of Arkansas – tracing the documented history of Gerald Bettis, reports of abuse and cruelty inside the family home, and how that address later became a stop on ghost tours, whilst also delving deeper into two other stories that share striking similarities between them.

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In this chapter, we trace the evolution of the haunting ‘Humans can lick too’ Urban Legend. From early cautionary tales about young women alone at night through to its modern form shaped by fears of home invasion, serial killers, and the thin line between security and vulnerability in our own homes.

We examine how this legend blurs folklore and reality, how it has absorbed real crimes and media scares, it's surprisingly long history, and why the simple act of a hand reaching down in the dark continues to haunt listeners long after the story is told.

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• If you have more information or a correction on something mentioned in this chapter, email us at [email protected]

• For more information on the show, to find all our social accounts and to ensure you are up to date on all we do, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lukemordue.com/podcast

To listen to the full chapter and the rest of our Modern Myths, join us on Patreon for just £3.00 a month by visiting https://patreon.com/urbanlegends

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In this chapter, we trace the story of the so called 'Frozen Hill People' from 19th century Vermont newspaper accounts and family scrapbooks to modern retellings in magazines, folklore collections, and online media, asking where it sits between rural desperation, hoax, and horror. 

We separate what can be verified from what was likely invented, and explore why the idea of humans placed into a kind of living hibernation still fascinates us in an age of cryonics and medical hypothermia. To many, the Frozen Hill People are another Urban Legend, but for those who return to the story each winter, they are a reminder of how far people imagine they might go when the cold closes in.

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Some stories are kept secret for a reason, and among the Diné, the figures outsiders call 'skinwalkers' is one of them.

In this chapter, we examine how this subject sits within Diné teachings about witchcraft rather than monsters, why many details are not shared publicly, and how 19th-century accusations, modern reporting, and internet mythmaking reshaped the idea for the rest of the world.

We separate community perspectives and documented history from hearsay and pop-culture distortion. To many, the Skinwalker is another Urban Legend, but to those who know its secrets, it is far more than that.

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This week’s mid-roll ad features 'Out There: A Cryptid Podcast', a show that follows Josh and his team as they dive into the world of cryptids, paranormal encounters, and unexplained phenomena. Each week, Josh takes you on an adventure beyond the edges of reality - uncovering strange stories, exploring eerie legends, and asking the big questions about what might really be... out there.

Find them by searching 'Out There: A Cryptid Podcast' in your podcast app.

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Support the show

• If you have more information or a correction on something mentioned in this chapter, email us at [email protected]

• For more information on the show, to find all our social accounts and to ensure you are up to date on all we do, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.lukemordue.com/podcast