Story Sirens: Legends, Myths, and Laughs

It's time to dig up the truth about zombies! From zombie apocalypse courses to famous films and their dark history, enjoy another Spooky Season deep dive with your Sirens!  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-zombies https://www.britannica.com/topic/zombie-fictional-creature https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/13/250844800/zoinks-tracing-the-history-of-zombie-from-haiti-to-the-cdc https://www.library.cmu.edu/about/news/2017-10/legacy-dead-history-zombie https://mythus.fandom.com/wiki/Zombie https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/why-the-zombies-keep-coming-economic-fears-on-the-silver-screen/ https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/why-the-zombies-keep-coming-economic-fears-on-the-silver-screen/ https://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/08/06/zombie.film/index.html https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/13/250844800/zoinks-tracing-the-history-of-zombie-from-haiti-to-the-cdc

While the term 'witch' nowadays might be fun and magical, that wasn't the case until the 19th century. Join your Sirens on a chronological deep dive viewing the history of witches, and those who suffered greatly because of it. Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43189/song-of-the-witches-double-double-toil-and-trouble https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2028&version=NET https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/mesopotamian-magic-in-the-first-millennium-bc https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Hekate.html https://www.artsy.net/article/alina-cohen-artists-enchanted-witchcraft-centuries https://www.history.com/articles/witch-hat-costume-origins https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hypatia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Kyteler#:~:text=Dame%20Alice%20Kyteler%20(/%CB%88k,condemned%20for%20witchcraft%20in%20Ireland. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Joan-of-Arc https://sacred-texts.com/pag/mm/index.htm https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-witches https://www.essexrecordofficeblog.co.uk/the-trial-of-agnes-waterhouse-witchcraft-in-essex-1566/

Our first mini series is here! How many superstitions can their be around the world?! Apparently, a LOT. Join your Sirens as the dive into a few superstitions found in different parts of the world... which all somehow deal with misfortune, of course!  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/18-superstitions-from-around-the-world/kAUxTWmzJ9QvLg?hl=en https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-weirdest-superstitions-from-13-countries https://sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2021/06/06_conversation_broken_mirror.php https://www.history.com/articles/black-cats-superstitions https://www.history.com/articles/why-do-people-knock-on-wood-for-luck https://www.hawaii-guide.com/why-you-should-never-take-lava-rocks-from-hawaii?srsltid=AfmBOoqM-My8A8Gi2qtaolzEgoaDtnZQgeTPEHB4NblElyMopOOPzdbC https://www.iamexpat.de/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/most-googled-why-do-germans-make-eye-contact-when-they-toast https://www.rsc.org.uk/macbeth/about-the-play/the-scottish-play

Happy 50th Episode! We're so thrilled to have been with you all for a whole YEAR! What better way to kick off Year 2 than with a legends we've been dying to sink our teeth into! Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lamashtu https://oldworldgods.com/indian/hindu-mythology-vetalas/ https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/living-dead-chinese-hopping-vampires-006050 https://mythopedia.com/topics/empusa/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vlad-the-Impaler https://www.livescience.com/40843-real-dracula-vlad-the-impaler.html https://www.history.com/articles/vampire-history https://carnegiemnh.org/booseum-vampires/ http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/syndicated/great-vampire-epidemic-myth-dracula-born-disease-folklore/ https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2024/10/are-vampires-real-the-cursed-history-of-the-largest-vampire-epidemic

It's not always rainbows and butterflies and handsome supernatural beings... sometimes, it's darkness, fear and the undeniable truth revolving around humanity's past. Deep dive with your Sirens this week on European Folklore's Changelings. Listener Discretion Advised. Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: ‘A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend, and Folklore’ edited by W.B. Yeats  “Changelings” an essay by D.L. Ashliman (1997) https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/gerchange.html#GrimmHowTo https://lairbhan.blogspot.com/2024/03/fairy-facts-changelings.html https://www.irishpost.com/life-style/exploring-the-irish-mythology-changelings-170347 http://rhondaparrish.com/archive/changelings-in-world-mythology/ https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/bridget-cleary-changeling-murder-ireland

The most famous Gorgon with the most tragic tale. Join Sarah & Yenni as they deep dive into Medusa's life, learning about how her powers affected those around her during life and after death.  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch Art of Preserving Health: A Poem by John Armstrong https://www.britannica.com/topic/Medusa-Greek-mythology https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gorgon https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html https://www.britannica.com/topic/Athena-Greek-mythology

Join your Sirens as they deep dive into the oldest written story mankind (currently) has! Learn about Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and all the Sumerian gods... and perhaps... learn the secret to immortality?  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: ‘Gilgamesh’ translated by Herbert Mason ‘Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria’ by Lewis Spence Complete Epic of Gilgamesh translated by Maureen Gallery Kovacs, 1998 - https://uruk-warka.dk/Gilgamish/The%20Epic%20of%20Gilgamesh.pdf  https://www.worldhistory.org/gilgamesh/ https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31941827 https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/analysis-epic-gilgamesh https://jamesmarien.wixsite.com/colorsofghibli/mononoke

You'll find statues of him throughout businesses, martial arts schools, restaurants and even in homes! Deep dive with your Sirens to uncover the story of General Kwan (or General Guan Yu) and understand why he's so revered in Chinese culture. Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: Romance of the Three Kingdoms attributed to Luo Guanzhong https://www.martialjournal.com/general-kwan-patron-saint-of-kung-fu/ https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/guan-yu.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guan_Yu https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/three-kingdoms.htm https://classicalpoets.org/2021/08/a-translation-of-the-peach-garden-oath-from-romance-of-the-three-kingdoms/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Bei

Our Movie Myth Month ends with the infamous GODZILLA. Who and what is this creature? Why does it seek to destroy? What's it's purpose? Deep dive with your Sirens on this 70-year-old movie monster!  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/13/6/145 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Godzilla https://www.ign.com/articles/the-history-of-godzilla-movies https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-brief-history-of-godzilla-our-never-ending-nuclear-nightmare/ https://www.reddit.com/r/GODZILLA/comments/16ji0mq/so_which_works_better_godzilla_being_a_allegory/ https://shscourier.com/50319/arts-and-entertainment/the-symbolic-importance-behind-godzilla-1954-to-present/ https://www.tohokingdom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?style=44&t=33292 https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/godzilla-and-world-war-ii-long-live-king-monsters https://www.historyvortex.org/GodzillaSymbolism.html https://easysociology.com/sociology-of-media/sociology-of-film/the-cultural-relevance-of-godzilla-for-japan-a-sociological-perspective/ https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2020/08/25/godzilla-is-a-metaphor/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daigo_Fukury%C5%AB_Maru https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(franchise)

Sit on your Couch, Couch, Couch! and listen to Week Four of our Movie Myth Month! Join your Sirens as we talk all about the Korean myths and folklore found sprinkled throughout Netflix's KPOP DEMON HUNTERS!  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: Netflix's KPOP Demon Hunters https://www.90daykorean.com/korean-myths/ https://disco.teak.fi/asia/korean-shamanism-the-origins-of-indigenous-culture/ https://www.hanna-one.com/fan-jeoseung-saja.html https://gwangjunewsgic.com/arts-culture/korean-myths/behind-the-myth-korean-ghosts/ https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=193837 https://jaehakim.substack.com/p/kpop-demon-hunters-review-ahn-hyoseop-interview

It's Week 3 of our Movie Myth Month and how could we not talk about the hottest wizard out there, Howl Pendragon?! Deep dive with your Sirens into Howl's Moving Castle!  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Hayao Miyazaki's How's Moving Castle (2004)

Week Two of our Summer Blockbuster Month rolls in with 1982's 'The Last Unicorn'. Where did unicorns come from and where did they go? Join your Sirens for a deep dive into the film and the story behind it! Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/land/unicorns-west-and-east https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1629/the-unicorn-myth/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M0FVtHszN4&t=640s https://dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Elasmotherium https://www.worldhistory.org/Qilin/ https://www.kathleenjshields.com/unicorn/the-5300-year-history-of-unicorns-and-bible-scripture-since-1395/ https://stephraemoran.substack.com/p/the-legend-and-history-of-the-unicorn https://reactormag.com/joy-sorrow-regret-and-reassurance-the-singular-beauty-of-the-last-unicorn/ https://medium.com/@edanur.kuntman/love-is-the-magic-reflecting-on-the-last-unicorn-73b5ce64ff3e

Welcome to our Summertime Movie Month, where we deep dive into our favorite blockbuster films of the past, as well as some news ones! We hope you are enjoying Jurassic World: Rebirth, because we certainly are! What better way to celebrate the new movie than deep diving into Michael Crichton's (and Stephen Spielberg's 1993) JURASSIC PARK!  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: JURASSIC PARK by Michael Crichton https://www.childrensmuseum.org/stories/what-jurassic-park-gets-wrong https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/jurassic-park-an-unexpected-parable-for-the-modern-age/ https://medium.com/the-pen-and-the-sword/jurassic-park-isnt-about-dinosaurs-102b1045f4b1 https://jurassicmainframe.forumotion.com/t710-symbolism-metaphors-and-allegories-in-jurassic-films#google_vignette https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/jurassic-park-10-things-you-might-have-missed/ https://gizmodo.com/jurassic-park-retro-review-dominion-steven-spielberg-re-1848922793

How could a portion of the sea be so dangerous? Join your Sirens as they venture to The Bermuda Triangle: one of the most famous spots in the world where lives are lost and no clear answers can be given to explain how disaster struck, why, and where the remains can be. Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: https://www.britannica.com/place/Bermuda-Triangle https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2023/01/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-ghost-ship-carroll-a-deerings-crew/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cyclops https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/wwi/wwi-convoys/uss-cyclops-mystery-1918.html https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/disasters-and-phenomena/flight-19.html

Why are humans so fascinated with selling their souls for the chance at success and fame? Join us as we deep dive into the most famous stories of humans bargaining with devils.  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Books: FAUST - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14591/14591-h/14591-h.htm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m94UDng-Uc THE TRAGICAL HISTORY OF THE LIFE AND DEATH OF DOCTOR FAUSTUS - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/779/779-h/779-h.htm Research Material: https://lorehaven.com/speculativefaith/the-deal-with-the-devil/​​ https://www.openculture.com/2018/01/a-brief-history-of-making-deals-with-the-devil.html https://www.openculture.com/2018/01/a-brief-history-of-making-deals-with-the-devil.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Elixirs https://www.litcharts.com/lit/doctor-faustus/summary https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2022/08/devil-didnt-make-him-debunking-robert-johnson-myth-3dw/ https://catholicexchange.com/st-wolfgang-and-the-church-the-devil-built/ https://abeautifulresistance.org/site/2020/1/23/imbolc-musings-folklore-of-the-crossroads

One ancient Egyptian myth episode wasn't enough for us! Join us as we deep dive into more myths and legends regarding ancient Egypt, featuring author of THE HOUSE OF TWO SISTERS, Rachel Louise Driscoll! Get read for mummies, kites, goddesses and cats!  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Author Links:  Follow Rachel on Instagram & check out her Linktree!  Grab a copy of THE HOUSE OF TWO SISTERS, available now: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/779561/the-house-of-two-sisters-by-rachel-louise-driscoll/ Research Material:  LINKS TO RESEARCH:  https://www.si.edu/spotlight/ancient-egypt/mummies#:~:text=They%20could%20think%20of%20no,the%20spirit%20might%20be%20lost. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Pettigrew https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk https://www.history.com/articles/cats-ancient-egypt https://egyptianmuseum.org/deities-Bastet#:~:text=Bastet%20was%20the%20goddess%20of,most%20commonly%20in%20Lower%20Egypt. https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/everything-you-ever-wanted-know-about-rosetta-stone https://oldoperatingtheatre.com/dr-thomas-joseph-pettigrew-a-k-a-mummy-pettigrew-a-short-biography/ https://thecuriousegyptologist.com/2021/08/06/the-kites-of-nephthys/

Season 2 begins with revolving around Arthurian Legend! Enter Lancelot du Lac, King Arthur’s most faithful friend and ally, and also his wife's secret lover. Get ready for a drama-filled episode!  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi Research Material: Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lancelot https://study.com/academy/lesson/knights-of-arthurs-round-table-legend-quiz.html https://www.worldhistory.org/Lancelot/

Today your Sirens cover one of the most popular myths of all time: the story of Persephone and Hades. Olympian and cthonic deity, light and dark, life and death, the two brought together and a *theoretically* story of love.  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi & Artwork by Alexis Torres Rachel Smythe's Lore Olympus on Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/lore-olympus/list?title_no=1320  Rachel Smythe's website: https://rachelsmythe.com/books/ Links to Research: https://medium.com/autumns-august/hades-and-persephone-a-story-of-love-power-and-the-cycle-of-life-fa70f442f8 https://www.thecollector.com/did-persephone-love-hades-lets-find-out/ https://spgs.org/ipaulina/hades-and-persephone-stockholm-syndrome-or-rare-romance/ https://www.hellenic.org.au/post/persephone-and-the-seasons https://thegoddesscircle.net/visionary-writing/persephone-hades-dance-shadow-light https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Minor_Gods/Melinoe/melinoe.html#google_vignette https://www.worldhistory.org/Zagreus/

Story Sirens welcomes Intercultural Studies Scholar, and Creative Director of the publishing house and studio Cold Open Stories' Colyn DeGraaff! Today we cover Mothman: a cryptid that has been perfectly reinterpreted for modern anxieties of Americana, myth, and legend. But can this cryptid be as scary as legends say? Or just a misunderstood soul? Colyn & your Sirens will find out!  Check out Cold Open Stories at www.coldopenstories.com ! Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi & Artwork by Alexis Torres Links to Documentaries: Animal Planet's Lost Tapes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aKB_FTgxmY Netflix's Inside Job: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqxZ5KxMMkc Books: The United States of Cryptids by J.W. Ocker Chasing American Monsters by Jason Offutt The Big Book of Cryptid Trivia by Bernadette Johnson Links to Research: https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/mothman-point-pleasant-west-virginia https://www.mythfolks.com/mothman-legend https://transportation.wv.gov/highways/bridge_facts/Modern-Bridges/Pages/Silver.aspx https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2279&context=researchweek https://uwm.edu/letters-science/in-focus-2021/history-student-tells-the-story-of-the-mothman/ https://medium.com/@jackpatrickbrooks/mothman-the-harbinger-of-death-1652671ef71c https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/31-days-of-halloween/the-true-story-behind-the-mothman-of-west-virginia/

Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a terrifyingly beautiful dark fantasy that has captivated our Siren's interests! Join them as the deep dive into the film and it's magical creatures and myths.  Follow us on Instagram @StorySirensPodcast Support us on ko-fi.com/storysirens  Join our Discord on https://discord.gg/YvVRCQHAYe Music by Donald Guzzi & Artwork by Alexis Torres Links to Research:  Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 Pan’s Labyrinth https://mythology.net/roman/roman-creatures/faun/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC539425/