Spirits: Mythology, Legends, & Folklore

We’re back this week to finish out the story of Gilgamesh! We discuss grief and then journey with Gilgamesh to the land of the dead, which features She-Ra references, befriending crows, and the ending to Little Shop of Horrors. We also remind you: Choose joy.Eric’s recommendation this week is the His Dark Materials series. Sponsors-Calm, the #1 app for meditation, mindfulness, and sleep. Get 25% off a Premium subscription at calm.com/spirits- Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service that finds and delivers clothes, shoes, and accessories to fit your body, budget, and lifestyle. Get started at stitchfix.com/spirits for 25% off when you keep your whole box!Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.

The story of La Llorona is so much more than that trailer you keep seeing with Linda Cardellini. We invited podcast critic Elena Fernández-Collins to tell us a little bit about La Llorona, the historical figure that might have inspired the tale, and her own personal experiences with the spirit growing up in Puerto Rico. We also talk about the strange rules to get into heaven, government influence on the stories we tell, and why you should never yeet your children.This week Amanda recommends Fabrizia Italian Limoncello Margharitas. Elena recommended Cocotazo Media and Flyest Fables. Guest- Elena Fernández-Collins is a podcast critic and reporter and a forensic sociolinguist living in Portland, OR. She curates a biweekly newsletter about audio fiction, Audio Dramatic, where she reviews episodes and provides essays and news for the community. She also covers the audio fiction podcast beat for The Bello Collective, an indie online publication about podcasting. You can also follow her on Twitter @ShoMarq. Sponsors- Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn—and teach—just about anything. Visit skillshare.com/spirits2 to get two months of Skillshare Premium for free! This week Amanda recommends “The Staples of Branding.”- Zola: To start your free wedding website and also get $50 off your registry on Zola, go to ZOLA.com/SPIRITS Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.

If you haven’t heard of or read the Epic of Gilgamesh, it has EVERYTHING. Kings, gods, epic monster battle, prophetic dreams, and more. But it also has surprising friendships, bad advice, and enough parallels to Frankenstein for Amanda to get use out of her literature degree. Join us as we talk about Gilgamesh’s dating profile, cocktails for when you’re visiting the realm of the gods, and a bull’s butt.This week, Julia recommends the new Netflix show Russian Doll.Sponsors- Mrs. Fields - Get 20% off your order of Valentine’s Day treats with promo code SPIRITS- Care/Of - Get 50% off your first month of personalized vitamins with code SPIRITS50Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.

Lots of hauntings in this episode. So many. Haunted castles, haunted mirrors, haunted… punch bowls? Also featuring a hot air balloon accident, an influx of priests, and our own version of The Bee Movie. This week Amanda recommends Object Lessons by Bloomsbury.Sponsors- Calm, the #1 app for meditation, mindfulness, and sleep. Get 25% off a Premium subscription at calm.com/spirits- Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn—and teach—just about anything. Visit skillshare.com/spirits2 to get two months of Skillshare Premium for free! This week Julia recommends “Making A Hero: Protagonist Development for Film & Fiction.” Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.

We’re rounding up some of the most interesting Brazilian mythological creatures. From chaotic good tricksters, to snakes that just want to be left alone, to headless mules that are definitely on fire, there are some great stories this week. And remember, gotta take the stink with the wish. Sponsors-The dark fantasy TV show Siren returns on Thursday, January 24th at 8 p.m. on Freeform! Be sure to watch!- Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service that finds and delivers clothes, shoes, and accessories to fit your body, budget, and lifestyle. Get started at stitchfix.com/spirits for 25% off when you keep your whole box!Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.

Our good friend Andrea is BACK, this time to lead us through a history of cross-dressing in mythology and folklore. We tackle stories from ancient Greece, Norse mythology, Chinese poetry, and beyond! We also chat about disaster bis, make too many puns and portmanteaus, and debate how best to cut a bagel. And remember: Never Sleep.Julia’s recommendation this week is The Cryptonaturalist. GuestAndrea Lam is a writer and actor. Follow her on Twitter @AndreaNLam!Sponsors-The dark fantasy TV show Siren returns on Thursday, January 24th at 8 p.m. on Freeform! Be sure to watch!- Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn—and teach—just about anything. Visit skillshare.com/spirits2 to get two months of Skillshare Premium for free! This week Amanda recommends “Flex Your Creativity with Drawing & Doodles”.Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.

This week, Julia decided to give us all a history lesson. We’re talking about The Benandanti - a group of witches from Northern Italy. We’ve got fennel stalks, we’ve got primary source accounts, and we’ve got discussions about how you can make your community just a little bit better. Sponsors- Calm, the #1 app for meditation, mindfulness, and sleep. Get 25% off a Premium subscription at calm.com/spirits- Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service that finds and delivers clothes, shoes, and accessories to fit your body, budget, and lifestyle. Get started at stitchfix.com/spirits for 25% off when you keep your whole box!Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.

Disclosure: We might have been creepy kids as children. We wanted to let you know because it’s the creepy cool LAW. We also learn not to trust your house ghosts, talk about spooky friendship goals, the weirdest summer trip EVER, and why “lock ins” are just the creepiest form of sleep over. Amanda recommended this week the podcast, Working Sunday!Sponsors- Lola, providers of organic cotton tampons, pads, liners and more. Use code spirits to get 40% off any of their flexible subscriptions at mylola.com.- Skillshare is an online learning community where you can learn—and teach—just about anything. Visit skillshare.com/spirits to get two months of Skillshare Premium for free! This week Julia recommends Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact.Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.

We’re all out enjoying the holidays, but we also wanted to celebrate with you! So we did a quick round up this week about a bunch of different ways the Winter Solstice is celebrated around the world. We got recipe ideas, talked about death and darkness a lot, and talked about poetry. Y’know, all the Spirits classics. Sponsors- Audible, the best place to get audiobooks and more. Go to audible.com/spirits or text spirits to 500-500 to start your free trial and redeem your free audiobook. This week Julia recommends Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory. - Poshmark is the easiest way to buy and sell fashion items from millions of closets across the U.S. Download their app and use promo code spirits5 for $5 off your first purchase.Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus Your Urban Legends episodes, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.

How would you like to hear a story about... all of the stories? It’s time to learn about Anansi, the trickster figure of Western Africa and the African diaspora. We share a couple of classic Anansi tales, including how the world got stories, how Anansi (accidentally) shared wisdom with the world, and one featuring, of course, death. Our recommendations this week are Cinnamon & Gunpowder, DisneyWar, & Black Culture and Black Consciousness. Sponsors- Mrs. Fields is your destination for fresh-baked holiday gifts. Get 20% off your order of any gift when you go to mrsfields.com and enter promo code SPIRITS at checkout.- Poshmark is the easiest way to buy and sell fashion items from millions of closets across the U.S. Download their app and use promo code spirits5 for $5 off your first purchase.Find Us OnlineIf you like Spirits, help us grow by spreading the word! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, & Goodreads, and review us on Apple Podcasts to help new listeners find the show. You can support us on Patreon to unlock bonus audio content, director’s commentaries, custom recipe cards, and so much more. Transcripts are available at 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 SpiritsPodcast.com.About UsSpirits was created by Julia Schifini, Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Schneider. We are founding members of Multitude, a production collective of indie audio professionals. 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.