Spirits: Mythology, Legends, & Folklore

From Greek mythology to fairy lore, Shakespeare has always loved the magical and supernatural in his plays. With A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we chat about hot messengers, earnest amateur actors, and the parallels between rulers and fairy kings. Also, why doesn’t everyone just kiss a little?Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of genitals, death, execution, racism, exoticism, murder, human sacrifice, and abduction.   Housekeeping- Recommendation: This week, Julia recommends Life with Leo(h)- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Check out Pale Blue Pod: an astronomy podcast for people who are overwhelmed by the universe but want to be its friend! New episodes every Monday, wherever you get your podcasts! Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Shaker & Spoon is a subscription cocktail service that helps you learn how to make hand-crafted cocktails right at home. Get $20 off your first box at shakerandspoon.com/cool  Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re joined by author Samara Breger, to talk about vampires: queer vampires, Jewish vampires, and reclaiming The Vampire.Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of antisemitism, The Holocaust, eugenics, blood, homophobia/lesbophobia, misogyny, stalking, predatory relationships, animal death, sex, and death.  GuestSamara Breger writes books about women in improbable circumstances falling in love. Before she started writing books, she worked in public radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. She is a proud News and Documentary Emmy loser. If you peek into her work history, you'll find a lot of stuff about sex, reproductive health, and queer people. Her new book, A Long Time Dead, is now available. Housekeeping- Recommendation: This week, Julia recommends the game Inscryption- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Listen to Join the Party today! Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Brooklinen delivers luxury bed sheets, pillows, comforters, & blankets straight to your door. Visit Brooklinen.com today for $20 off plus free shipping.- Shaker & Spoon is a subscription cocktail service that helps you learn how to make hand-crafted cocktails right at home. Get $20 off your first box at shakerandspoon.com/cool  Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kids love triangles. Even though they’re very haunted. We tell camp stories featuring night sweeping, our desire to visit the school’s boiler room, and the RETURN OF THE DEMON PLUSH.Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of fire, genitals, death, natural disasters, insects, child endangerment, child death, and blood.  Housekeeping- Recommendation: This week, Amanda recommends Sarina Bowen’s True North series.- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Listen to Games and Feelings today! Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Brooklinen delivers luxury bed sheets, pillows, comforters, & blankets straight to your door. Visit Brooklinen.com today for $20 off plus free shipping.- Tab for a Cause, where you can raise money for charity while browsing the web! Join team Spirits at tabforacause.org/spirits Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books. About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, an independent podcast collective and production studio. Our music is "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What’s in a name? Well, it turns out, a whole lot! We dive into the religious and folkloric origins of the True Name, the fantasy works it inspired, and how names are just as powerful now as they were in the dawn of humanity.Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, animal attacks, racism, slavery, and religious persecution.Housekeeping- Links: Read more about names in Judaism here, here, and here!- Recommendation: This week, Julia recommends The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Listen to Tell Me About It today!Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo, available in your podcast app now or at jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcastFind Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books.Transcripts are available at http://spiritspodcast.com/episodes. To buy merch, hear us on other podcasts, contact us, find our mailing address, or download our press kit, head on over to http://spiritspodcast.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s time for Freya, a goddess that contains multitudes. We discuss why amber is the coolest material for jewelry, Freya’s BATTLE SWINE, and the best drink ever: The Beer of Memory. Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of sex, violence, war, death, transphobia, toxic masculinity, slut shaming, and bestiality.   Housekeeping- Recommendation: This week, Amanda recommends the Jacques in the Garden YouTube channel- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Take the Multitude summer survey now at multitude.productions/survey Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Kitsch is a global beauty powerhouse built on positivity and pure hard work. Get 30% off your order at MyKitsch.com/spirits Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books. About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, an independent podcast collective and production studio. Our music is "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What’s the deal with all these towers? We’re deep diving into the origins of the fairy tale tower, the historical reasons why they were keeping people in towers anyway, and laying out all the romance novel tropes beat by beat.Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of arophobia/aphobia, animal death, injury, imprisonment, abusive relationships, death, sex, suicidal ideation, war, misogyny, patriarchy, religious persecution, torture, beheading, death by lightning, and animal attacks.   Housekeeping- Recommendation: This week, Julia recommends Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott!- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Games and Feelings is an advice podcast about games. Join Question Keeper Eric Silver and permanent guest Jasper Cartwright weekly as they recommend games, answer advice questions, and play whatever quizzes Eric comes up with. New episodes every Friday! Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Shaker & Spoon is a subscription cocktail service that helps you learn how to make hand-crafted cocktails right at home. Get $20 off your first box at shakerandspoon.com/cool  Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We hear about Amanda’s bathroom ghost, how all science laboratories are haunted, and cars are just horses and that’s why it works better for some people compared to others. Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of heart attacks, death, implied child death, clowns, body horror, and child endangerment. GuestJanet Varney is an Emmy-Nominated actor, comedian, writer and producer. Her podcast on the Max Fun network, The JV Club with Janet Varney, has been going since 2012 and features almost 400 interviews with celebrities about their awkward teenage years.Housekeeping- Recommendation: This week, Amanda recommends volunteering at a local garden!- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Check out the MultiCrew! Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo, available in your podcast app now or at jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcast- Calm is the #1 app to help you reduce your anxiety and stress and help you sleep better. Get 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at calm.com/spirits. Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re feeling nostalgic, so we’re bringing back an old favorite: THE BIRD HUSBAND. We explore the trope, its origins, and various types of birds who wind up as various types of husbands. As we discover, it’s hard to be a bird. Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, animal death, animal injury, abusive relationships, imprisonment, forced marriage, sexual references, and violence. Housekeeping- Recommendation: This week, Julia recommends the video game, Dredge. - Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Check out Exolore: Helping you imagine other worlds, but with facts and science! Every other week, astrophysicist/folklorist Dr. Moiya McTier explores fictional worlds by building them with a panel of expert guests, interviewing professional worldbuilders, or reviewing the merits of worlds that have already been built. Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Kitsch is a global beauty powerhouse built on positivity and pure hard work. Get 30% off your order at MyKitsch.com/spiritsFind Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join us as we talk with writer and academic, Colin Dickey, and discuss hot takes of ghost hunting shows as reality TV, the banality of evil, and how haunted architecture reflects what society is most afraid of.Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of death, the Satanic Panic, ableism, gun violence, toxic masculinity, murder, Flat Earth and conspiracy theories, anti-semietism, sexual assault/abuse, infanticide, and assassination. GuestColin Dickey is a writer, speaker, and academic, and has made a career out of collecting unusual objects and hidden histories all over the country. He’s the author of multiple books, including Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, and The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained. A regular contributor to the New Republic and Lapham’s Quarterly, he is also the co editor of The Morbid Anatomy Anthology. Check out his upcoming book, Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American Democracy.Housekeeping- Recommendation: This week, Julia recommends The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Check out Join the Party, a collaborative storytelling and roleplaying podcast co-hosted in part by Julia and Amanda. Search for Join the Party in your podcast app, or go to jointhepartypod.com.Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo, available in your podcast app now or at jayacunzo.com/unthinkable-podcastFind Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We couldn’t do It’s Norse, Of Course without talking about our favorite trickster, Loki. We chat about his origins, the shenanigans he gets himself into, and why everyone is mad at him basically all the time!Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of sexual situations, misogyny, pregnancy, abduction, death, genitalia, crude humor, toxic masculinity, slavery, and violence. Housekeeping- Recommendation: This week, Julia recommends The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books- Call to Action: Games and Feelings is an advice podcast about games. Join Question Keeper Eric Silver and permanent guest Jasper Cartwright weekly as they recommend games, answer advice questions, and play whatever quizzes Eric comes up with. New episodes every Friday!- FLASH SALE: Get 25% off ALL MERCH at the Spirits Merch Store! Sponsors- BetterHelp is an online therapy service. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/spirits- Blueland creates everyday eco-friendly cleaning productions that save you money and space, without any plastic waste. Get 20% off your first order when you go to blueland.com/spirits. Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us @SpiritsPodcast on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon (http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast) to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. We also have lists of our book recommendations and previous guests’ books at http://spiritspodcast.com/books.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.