12.2.24Paranormal Pajama PartyThe Night Hag, the Mare, and the Succubus | 4Chances are good, I'm sorry to say, you've already had a run-in with the old hag, also known as the Night Hag. She's haunted the dreams of many across cultures for thousands of years.She's strongly connected to the mare, a spirit known for riding sleepers, horses, and even trees. To understand the cultural origins of the mare, we also have to understand the outlook of some rural farming communities, where misfortune was attributed to external forces, often targeting vulnerable individuals like older, unmarried women.There's one more famous lady of the night to cover in tonight's episode – the succubus, who's plagued dreams since at least the Middle Ages. Tonight's entities are also the first we've dealt with with a real-world body count: The story of the dab tsog, and the tale of Bridget Bishop and the Salem Witch Trials show how cultural beliefs can impact lives.Key moments0:50 My paranormal run-in10:29 What is sleep paralysis?12:08 The night hag13:46 The mare19:31 The succubus24:56 The Hmong and the Dab Tsog28:06 Bridget Bishop at Salem(Some) Sources"Contemporary Cauchemar: Experience, Belief, Prevention""Narratives and Rituals of the Nightmare Hag in Scandinavian Folk Belief", Catharina RaudvereMare (Wikipedia)Night Hag (Wikipedia)"Sleep Paralysis and Folklore", Ann M Cox"The Nightmare Experience, Sleep Paralysis, and Witchcraft Accusations", Owen Davies"The Dark Side of the Placebo Effect: When Intense Belief Kills""The Nightmare – A Riding Ghost with Sexual Connotations", Eivind Haga"Why the Nightmare Hag? Points of Departure", Catharina Raudvere"Spirit Lovers: Incubus and SuccubuIf you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcipt here.Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram.

5.2.24Paranormal Pajama PartyBloody Mary | 3If you've been a preteen at a slumber party, chances are you've heard the chilling tale of Bloody Mary. Today, we'll dissect the origins of Bloody Mary and the various interpretations surrounding her name.Bloody Mary, the spectral figure said to appear in mirrors when her name is called 3-13 times (it's unclear and not a risk I'm willing to take), has been a staple of sleepovers and late-night dares. While some might dismiss it as a simple game, we're taking a closer look into the mirror tonight, and into the possible inspirations behind this eerie tale.One theory ties the legend to Mary Tudor, Queen of England, whose tumultuous life and reign left a legacy of fear and brutality. Other contenders include an accused Salem witch and infamous Hungarian serial killer Countess Elizabeth Báthory.Beyond Mary's identity, it's interesting to learn why this game is so appealing to the 10-13-year-old PJ-party crowd.Is it a ritual for girls anxious about the transition into womanhood? Or might she represent a way for young girls to reclaim a sense of power in a world where they often feel powerless?Key moments3:29 Who is Bloody Mary?11:02 Why do we play?14:42 The history of the gameSourcesBloody Mary story (Snopes)Bloody Mary (folklore) (Wikipedia)Bloody Mary: The Mystery of Ritual and MythJanet Langlois, Confessions of a Legend Hunter in the U.S.AJanet Langlois (interview transcript)Dundes, A. (1998). Bloody Mary in the Mirror: A Ritual Reflection of Pre-Pubescent Anxiety. Western Folklore, 57(2/3), 119–135.The Forgotten Halloween Games That Predict Who You'll Marry—And When You'll Die‘Bloody Mary’: Is an English Queen Behind the Haunting Urban Legend?The True Story Of Bloody Mary, The Woman Behind The MirrorThe Salem Witch Trials Victims: Who Were They?If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcipt here.Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram.

29.1.24Paranormal Pajama PartyThe Rusalka | 2Get ready for a spooky episode as Steph delves into the Slavic legend of the rusalka. Although often associated with water, these spirits are far from the mermaids we might imagine. Instead, they're more like zombies... permanently trapped in puberty. It doesn't sound fun.At tonight's pajama party, we'll explore the origins of the rusalki and their connection to both fertility and death. We'll also discuss the in-between state these spirits inhabit, caught between girlhood and womanhood, river and field, and life and death. There will be dancing, tree-climbing, hair-styling, and a deadly amount of tickling.Key moments:1:09 Ivan and the rusalka6:29 Meet the rusalki9:25 The unclean dead12:48 Green Week14:49 Rusalki pubertySources from today's episode:Rusalka (Wikipedia)Slavic folklore (Wikipedia)Slavs (Wikipedia)Supernatural beings in Slavic religions (Wikipedia) Ivanits, L. J. (1989). Russian Folk Belief.Dynda, J. “View of Rusalki: Anthropology of time, death, and sexuality in Slavic folklore” Macaulay, A. “What Do Aquawomen Want?”Green Week (Wikipedia)A transcript of today's episode is available here.If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcipt here.Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram.

22.1.24The Vanishing Hitchhiker | 1Welcome to the Paranormal Pajama Party! I'm so glad you could join. Get cozy, because we’re kicking off our first-ever party with a campfire standard — the vanishing hitchhiker.In this classic urban legend, a male driver picks up a seemingly innocent passenger, but the journey upends life — and death — as he knows it.This episode examines the surprising connection between this modern legend and historical or mythological female figures of old. Where did the story of the vanishing hitchhiker come from? And what's her connection to the Oracle of Delphi, the New Testament, and even to Ancient Egypt's snake-headed goddess Wadjet? Join the party and uncover the fears that society projects onto women with help from this urban legend.Key moments:Picking up the hitchhiker [00:26]A prophetic ghost [04:36]Subverting expectations [06:43]Sibyls [10:31]Back to the backseat [18:03]Sources from today's episode:Snopes Fact Check: The Vanishing HitchhikerBeardsley, R. K., & Hankey, R. (1943). A History of the Vanishing Hitchhiker. California Folklore Quarterly, 2(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.2307/1495651Beardsley, R. K., & Hankey, R. (1942). The Vanishing Hitchhiker. California Folklore Quarterly, 1(4), 303–335. https://doi.org/10.2307/1495600Sibyl (Wikipedia)SibylsDelphic Sibyl (Wikipedia)Wadjet (Wikipedia)Oracle (Wikipedia)A transcript of today's episode is available here.If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcipt here.Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram.

From women in white to witches, have you ever noticed how often the horrors in our favourite scary stories tend to look a lot like, uh… ladies?Paranormal Pajama Party is a podcast that brings you classic ghost stories and legends featuring female phantoms and femme fatales.Join me, Steph, a horror fan and feminist, as we dig up the social and cultural contexts behind each ghoulish gal, and then challenge the often one-dimensional portrayal of women in horror. Turns out there’s nothing scarier than the patriarchy.This season on Paranormal Pajama Party, you can expect witches and their familiars, the Malay Peninsula's scariest ghost, a horror story from the American frontier, Bloody Mary's origin story and more.If you’re enjoying the show, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review Paranormal Pajama Party to help others discover it!View all my sources for each episode and read the episode transcipt here.Follow @ParanormalPJParty on Instagram.