Pennsylvania, AKA the Keystone State, is known for many wonderful things, like the birthplace of independence and Mr. Fred Rogers. But did you know PA is also home to the homeliest creature in the world? This week, Sarah's creature feature takes us into the Hemlock forests of Northern Pennsylvania to examine the Squonk, a creature so ugly it hides in shame and spends its day weeping. If you like this podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your favorite Pennsylvanian know! If y...
Feb 26, 2020•11 min
We bury our secrets...and sometimes our dead bodies, as well. This week, we cover two stories where the dirtiest deeds really do involve dirt. For our fairy tale, Hans Christian Andersen has us covered with the Rose Elf, a nice little tale about karma. For our true crime story, we take a trip up north to Canada and dig up some dirt on Bruce McArthur, one of the deadliest known serial killers in Toronto and the "most prolific" gay serial killer in Canada. If you like this podcast, don't forget to...
Feb 19, 2020•1 hr 30 min
Many of us fear death, both for ourselves and for our loved ones. But what if there was something to signal when a family member was going to die? Would that be better or worse? In Irish mythology, banshees do just that. These female spirits herald the death of a family member or loved one by wailing, shrieking, or keening. If you're all caught up on the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, you already know a little bit about banshees, now let Megan tell you more. If you like this podcast, don't forg...
Feb 12, 2020•5 min
We are gathered here today to talk about marriage...but it's not exactly the "happily ever after" kind. This week, we take a look at what happens when the marital bliss ends. For our fairy tale, we read you "The Falsely Accused Wife," a story about a bad friend and a kickass lady. This week's true crime story doesn't actually include murder, although someone gets to experience their own grave. We cover Ramon Sosa and his murder plot. If you like this podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscr...
Feb 05, 2020•1 hr 16 min
Cotton is a staple in the textile industry. This prehistoric fiber is soft, breathable, and a great option if you're looking to avoid synthetics. Absolutely nothing dangerous about cotton, right? Wrong! At least if you live in or near Kimotsuki. Here, there have been sightings of the Ittan-Momen, possessed roll of cotton that flies through the night skies and often attacks people. If you see an unusually large bolt of cotton flying through the air, RUN. And if you like this podcast, don't forget...
Jan 29, 2020•10 min
We are of the mindset where if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. However, we all know life doesn't work that way, not even in a fairy tale. This week, we take a look at how looks matter even to farm animals with Hans Christian Anderson's The Ugly Duckling. And to make everyone feel even worse, we cover the tragic death of Silvia Likens, the unfortunate target of severe brutality for absolutely no reason. If you're here for the darker episodes, this one is for you. I...
Jan 22, 2020•1 hr 20 min
What is hatched by a cockerel from the egg of a serpent and is reputed as the king of serpents? It's not a riddle...it's a Basilisk! This week, Megan tells us about this mythological creature found in European Bestiaries and legends. The basilisk is known for appearing in Harry Potter lore and for killing people with one simple look. Good thing this is not a visual podcast! If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your schoolmates know! If you have any questions,...
Jan 15, 2020•9 min
Happy 2020! To celebrate our first full-length episode of the year, we decided to shake things up a bit. Rather than just telling you one fairy tale and one true crime story, we bring you several! Well, we re-remember them, anyway. This week, Sarah and Megan reminisce about their favorite episodes from 2019...did your favorites make the list, too? If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your favorite people know! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or...
Jan 08, 2020•47 min
There are many creatures in Australia that could kill, maim, or simply terrorize you, but none may be quite as cute as the Drop Bear. This creature of folklore is said to be related to the Koala, possesses impressive upper body strength, and has the patience to stalk its prey from the treetops. It's also completely made up, but that's beside the point, isn't it? If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your bushwalker friends know! If you have any questions, comm...
Jan 01, 2020•8 min
'Tis the season to be jolly! Fa-la-la-la-la... To celebrate Yuletide, we're each whipping out our favorite Christmas story. Megan celebrates her Norweigan heritage with The Cat on the Dovrefjell and Sarah gets literary with Hans Christian Andersen's The Snowman. If you're looking for something short and sweet to balance out all the Christmas cookies and eggnog, this one is for you! We'll see you next year! If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your family know...
Dec 25, 2019•36 min
Do you ever wish your best furry friend would talk back to you? Too bad we all know animals can't talk...right? Well, for one family on the Isle of Man, they discovered "an extra extra clever mongoose" named Gef who guarded their house (and who could also speak). This week, Megan tells us all about the Irving family and their special friend. who gained the attention of parapsychologists and ghost hunters alike. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your paraps...
Dec 18, 2019•8 min
Things are not always what they seem to be. Sometimes this applies to your Tinder date, and other times it applies to your food and beverages. This week, Sarah & Megan take a look at a couple of greedy B's who try to pull the ole switcharoo (and pay the price). For our fairy tale, we take a trip to Italy with Italo Calvino's "Uncle Wolf," while our true crime story focuses on Rudy Kurniawan, famed wine collector (and fraud). If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, a...
Dec 11, 2019•46 min
We hope you've been good enough this year to get some new threads for Christmas! Otherwise, you might come face to face with the Jólakötturinn, a giant man-eating cat who lurks about Iceland's snowy countryside during Yuletide. This vicious, monstrous cat becomes a nightmare before Christmas for anyone who doesn't get new clothes. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your neighbors know! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or shoutouts for your fav...
Dec 04, 2019•8 min
Our stories tend to have a clear hero and an obvious villain--but what happens when these roles are not so cut and dry? More importantly, what happens when everybody sucks in a story? This week, we've got another round of stories close to home, but this time, it's the homeowners who aren't exact Mr. Nice Guys. If you couldn't already guess, we cover the age-old classic, Jack and the Beanstalk, with the case of Byron David Smith. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, a...
Nov 28, 2019•1 hr 15 min
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” This week, Megan takes us on a journey to Middle-earth to tell us all about her absolute favorite creatures: Hobbits. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your D&D friends know! If you have any questions, comm...
Nov 20, 2019•8 min
Home is where the heart is...it's also where home invaders are. This week, we take a look at some unsettling stories where the creature comforts of home are taken advantage of by some unsavory folks. First, we take a look at the OG version of a very popular tale: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. But in this version, the intruder isn't so golden. We also take a look at the Setagaya family murder mystery. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your housemates know...
Nov 13, 2019•1 hr 5 min
'Tis the season for turkeys to gobble, gobble, so it's only fitting that Sarah's creature feature this week is Goblin, too. We don't know exactly where they came from, but we do know they are tricksters. So, hide your kids, hide your wife, because Goblins are known to steal them and replace them with changelings. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your wife know! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or shoutouts for the child you think has been re...
Nov 06, 2019•12 min
Happy Happy Happy Haloween! And Happy anniversary to us! To celebrate Fairy Tall Tales turning ONE, as well as our favorite holiday, HALLOWEEN, we've got a special one for you, folks. This week, we take a more spooky approach to our storytelling to deliver a haunting and a mystery. Sarah tells us all about the demonic haunting of the Smurl house in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, while Megan reminds us to never hike alone...especially around the Bennington Triangle! If you like our podcast, don't f...
Oct 30, 2019•44 min
Is there anything worse than being a tortured prisoner? This week, Megan continues our celebration of spooky season by reading one of Poe's most chilling stories: The Pit and the Pendulum. Are you ready to face your fears? If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your writer friends know! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or shoutouts for your favorite rat, feel free to reach out by emailing us at fairytalltalespod@gmail.com! You can also get social ...
Oct 23, 2019•35 min
Do you suffer from uncontrollable bouts of jealousy when you look at younger people? Do you hate geometric love triangles so much that you'd contemplate murder to even the playing field? Well, you may have been bitten by the Green-Eyed Monster! So you should talk to your doctor about listening to this episode. Episode 21 features Giambattista Basile's tale about the Old Woman Who Was Skinned Alive, as well as Belgium's famous Parachute Murders ft. Els Clottemans. Side effects of Episode 21 may i...
Oct 16, 2019•1 hr 24 min
To celebrate #spookyseason, we're interrupting your regularly scheduled creature feature in favor of a spoooooky tale by none other than Edgar Allan Poe! In this episode, Sarah narrates one of his most popular stories, The Tell Tale Heart. So sit back, relax, and try not to murder anyone, ok? If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your vulture-eyed roommate know! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or shoutouts for your favorite criminal, feel free t...
Oct 09, 2019•18 min
What is this? An episode that involves food but not cannibalism? To add icing to this deadly cake, it may not even involve any murder! This week, we cover The Little Hunchback, a story from Arabia Nights. We also cover the tragic death of Joan Olive Robinson Hill, whose mysterious death may or may not be a heinous murder. Did the husband do it? Let us know what you think! And stay tuned as we celebrate birthday month! If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your...
Oct 02, 2019•1 hr 38 min
As we're nearing SpOoKy season, it's only fitting that we start to get a little witchy. And just like trick-or-treating itself, this one is short and sweet. This week, Megan tells us a bit about one of the most feared of Cherokee witches: the Raven Mocker. If you want to keep your heart in the right place, you might want to be wary of old people because they might actually be an evil spirit (just sayin'). If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your best bitches...
Sep 25, 2019•3 min
Birds of a feather may lay together, but sometimes people just suck. Whether you're a witchy woman or a serial killer real estate agent, you should not go around keeping women in cages. Or anyone in cages, for that matter. This week, we retell the German fairy tale of Jorinda and Joringel alongside the awful actions of North Carolina-based serial killer, Todd Kohlhepp. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your significant other know! If you have any questions...
Sep 18, 2019•1 hr 5 min
Is the Jersey Devil more than just an NHL Hockey Team from the garden State? Nobody knows! But this week, Sarah takes a look at the possible origins of the Jersey Devil and how it made its way from the Pine Barrens to popular culture. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your east coast friends know! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or shoutouts for your favorite hockey team, feel free to reach out by emailing us at fairytalltalespod@gmail.com! ...
Sep 11, 2019•12 min
A picture's worth a thousand words, but what's a portrait worth if the pretty woman doesn't look a thing like your bushy bride? I think the words you're looking for are "what the 'ell?!" Whatever words you choose, be careful what you say on the internet...you never know if the CIA is listening. This week, we cover two very different kinds of catfishing (and no, neither of them require any type of pole). For our fairy tale, we take a look at the Norwegian Bushy Bride, as collected by Andrew Lang....
Sep 04, 2019•1 hr 21 min
RELEASE THE PODCAST! This week, Megan takes us under the sea with her naut-y (you know, nautical) creature feature on none other than the Kraken! More than just a spiced rum, this legendary cephalopod-like sea monster dwells off the coasts of Norway and Greenland and terrorizes nearby sailors. At least according to Scandinavian folklore. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your best seamen know! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or shoutouts for...
Aug 28, 2019•6 min
Weeee're back! And we decided to kick off season 2 with a bit of a bang! Well, not literally. Here's a bit of a warning: this episode may be a bit hard to swallow for some people, and we don't recommend this episode for small children. Why? Well, we're afraid they might get eaten. This week, we cover the famous tale of Hansel & Gretel and one of the most gruesome murders to date: Albert Fish. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your [adult] children know...
Aug 21, 2019•1 hr 31 min
There are at least 2 things in this life you cannot escape: death and taxes. And while, for a while, some of the main characters in today's stories seem like they may escape the inevitable, we only have one response: Nah, bro. This week, Sarah and Megan take a look at death's siren call in "The Voice of Death" and the seemingly indestructible Michael Malloy, AKA "Rasputin Of The Bronx." This is going to be the last episode before our season break, but stick around! We'll have some great new cont...
Jun 05, 2019•36 min
Some people have a good head on their shoulders. Other have one on their...chest? This week, Sarah journeys into the unmapped regions of the historic globe and tells us all about the Blemmyae, a race of men purported to headless. Sternum nose? Check. Boob eyes? Check. Ear pits? Well...you get the idea. If you like our podcast, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and let your history profs know! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or shoutouts for your favorite mapmaker, feel free...
May 22, 2019•8 min
