Ever since we could travel the seas, sailors have told ominous warnings of the dangers of the deep. Sailors are superstitious by nature, but when a crew reports spotting a ghostly green schooner piloted by the Devil himself, you know you've come into contact with the Flying Dutchman.

The Yuki Onna is one of Japan’s most well-known and yet unknown yokai. There is no single story of the Yuki Onna. From dread snow vampire of the mountains to a loving bride and mother, she has played many roles over the centuries; worn many costumes. She is ephemeral as a windblown mist of snow, and as impossible to hold.

We'd like to think that myth is forever, that the stories we grew up with won't change with time, but myth and legends are often told and retold to quit whatever time period is listening. Heroes change, their actions giving new meaning to the current age, and sometimes monsters become less of a monster. In this episode of Old Gods we explore the story of Medusa and how her story changed from evil monster vanquished by a valiant hero to tragic victim of a violent assailant.

Vampire myth is everywhere, in every continent on the planet. They all differ in how they prey, what they eat, and what can kill them. The Philippines, however, may just have the most disturbing vampire lore yet; the Manananggal. A hideous woman-like creature who separates her torso to fly off into the night in search for prey. Let's learn about them, yeah?

Optimism is hard to come by if you've only ever seen the world as a problem. It's hard to imagine what good can come from the bad things that happen to us. As the saying goes "as one door closes, another one opens." Keep looking out for the good that may come from the bad. That's what happens to the African King in this story of friendship and hardship. With humility, we can learn that even when things are rough, good things are yet still to come.

It's Christmas, y'all! I decided to release a special bonus episode to tell some macabre stories of strange Christmas traditions. Hope you know some Welsh Christmas carols, or the Mari Lwyd'll get you.

Nearly every civilization in history has had the concept of a soulmate; someone we can share our most intimate thoughts with, and who would make us feel happy. In this episode we explore two creation myths that center on the concept of soulmates. The first is the Norse myth of Ask & Embla, two soulmates who were created for eachother. The second is the Greek story of how Zues feared the power of the human bonds and sought to drive us apart.Special thanks to Alexander Nakarada for the song Efter Storm used in the Ask & Embla portion of the podcast, and to Oblivion Epiphany for the song used in the Greek portion of the podcast.

Coming soon, the Old Gods podcast.Thanks to S'Hill for the killer chillstep. open.spotify.com/artist/6VNlu7sqC…D7Q_aJVGozZHSLeA