A Handbook to Spirit Hunting
Book •
Modupeoluwa Shelle's 'A Handbook to Spirit Hunting' is a narrated, in-universe manual that catalogues spirits—dark, nature, and transcendental—drawing on Yoruba mythological elements and inventive folklore.
The handbook provides descriptions, warnings, and guidance for novice spirit hunters, blending worldbuilding with tonal shifts between practical instruction and cautionary tale.
Through entries on beings like the Arbiku, Arbarko, and Heimere, the text explores themes of cultural memory, exploitation of the environment, and the ethical complexities of confronting the supernatural.
The piece balances grim consequences and wry observations, using the handbook format to create immersive lore while hinting at larger histories and relationships between humans and spirits.
It functions both as a guide within its fiction and as a vehicle for broader commentary on loss, stewardship, and the costs of hubris.
The handbook provides descriptions, warnings, and guidance for novice spirit hunters, blending worldbuilding with tonal shifts between practical instruction and cautionary tale.
Through entries on beings like the Arbiku, Arbarko, and Heimere, the text explores themes of cultural memory, exploitation of the environment, and the ethical complexities of confronting the supernatural.
The piece balances grim consequences and wry observations, using the handbook format to create immersive lore while hinting at larger histories and relationships between humans and spirits.
It functions both as a guide within its fiction and as a vehicle for broader commentary on loss, stewardship, and the costs of hubris.
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Presented and read on the podcast by ![undefined]()
Stefan Rudnicki
"Warren's Tentacle" by Susan Palwick + "A Handbook To Spirit-hunting" by Modupeoluwa Shelle
