This bedtime story is for lovers of history and gothic atmosphere. In tonight’s talk, we explore the origins and multiple faces of two myths: Werewolves and Dragons. From Ancient Greece to China, Scandinavia to Egypt, we travel the world to discover the roots of their modern, fantasy, and fiction iterations. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style bedtime stories read in a calming ASMR voice. Learn something new ...
May 18, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 72
We are returning to Ancient Egypt tonight, with an episode filled with mysteries. The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, by the archaeologist Howard Carter, captivated audiences around the world and represented a major find for egyptology. I will tell you about the tomb and some of the many artifacts discovered still intact when the chamber was opened in 1923, and also discuss the rumors of a supposed "curse of the pharaohs". Is there anything to it? Tutankhamun's predecessor on the t...
May 11, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 71
In this new episode, I invite you to a journey from Earth to the Andromeda Galaxy; we will also explore Alpha Centauri, the Milky Way, the Canis Major Galaxy, and the intergalactic void. Along the way, I will tell you about gravitation, faster-than-light travel, wormholes, dark matter, the possibility of life in other parts of the universe and the Fermi Paradox. Venture through space as you drift into a peaceful sleep. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit bac...
May 04, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 70
The age of Atlantic ocean liners is mostly over, and these giants of the seas have evolved into cruise ships. In this ASMR bedtime story, I invite you to relive the epic of transatlantic passenger lines in the 19th and 20th centuries. I tell you the stories of famous liners: the RMS Titanic and her sister ships Olympic and Britannic, the RMS Lusitania and Mauretania, the SS Savannah, the SS Great Eastern, the SS Wilhelm der Grosse and Imperator, the SS Ile-de-France and SS Normandie, the SS Brem...
Apr 27, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 68
Our sleepy episode tonight contains stories from Celtic Mythology, taken from the rich body of Irish myths. I tell you about the expansion, decline, and revival of ancient Celtic culture, which left its most important marks in the Northwest of Europe, especially in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, and Brittany. We will relive colorful stories from the Ulster Cycle: Deirdre and Naoise, the epic of Cú Chulainn including the Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge), and the appe...
Apr 20, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 67
In this episode, I explore with you the mysteries of various "out-of-place artifacts," which is to say, (allegedly) old objects that would challenge conventional chronology and/or the mainstream view of the technical advancement of ancient cultures. Forgeries, hoaxes, and pranks abound. I tell you about some of them like the Michigan Relics or the Crystal Skulls; they were fake but still are good stories. A small number of objects still retain an element of mystery or invite us to rethink our vi...
Apr 06, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 66
Tonight we explore nuclear fusion as a reaction (the fusion of atom nuclei) and as a possible source of power. I tell you about the differences with fission, the fundamental forces that hold atoms together, why fusion of light nuclei liberates energy, what plasma is, how man-made fusion devices like tokamaks work, and many other things. I hope you enjoy this sleepy science story and fall into a peaceful sleep. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax,...
Mar 30, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 65
In this sleepy bedtime history episode, I tell you about the History of the Great Wall, the "Ten-Thousand Mile Wall" (万里长城). Through it, we will explore the history of Ancient China from the birth of civilization around the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, to the Ming Dynasty, the last one to maintain and expand the Wall. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style stories read in a calming voice. Learn something ...
Mar 23, 2025•56 min•Ep. 64
In this new episode for bedtime, I tell you two great myths from Ancient Greece: • The Story of Orpheus, the legendary poet and musician, and how he tried to rescue his wife Eurydice from the realm of Hades and Persephone. • The Story of Jason and the Argonauts, who embarked on the Argo on an epic quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. In these stories we will meet numerous gods and other beings, like Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Athena, Demeter, Persephone, Aphrodite, Chiron the Centaur, Charon t...
Mar 09, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 63
In this episode, I tell you about the history of the Phoenicians and their cities (Byblos, Tyre, Sidon...), including the most famous of all: Carthage. I discuss various topics, like the Late Bronze Age Collapse, Phoenician culture, religion, and society, what Canaan and the Levant are, how ancient maritime trade worked, the rise of Carthage and how the confrontation with Rome in the Punic Wars turned out. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and...
Mar 02, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 62
The Ninth Legion (Legio IX Hispana, also sometimes called the "Lost Legion") had a long history. It served under the command of Julius Caesar during the First Century BC, on the side of Octavian in the civil war against Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and was sent to Spain, Germania, Pannonia, and Britain. In Roman Britain, it fought against rebellions, including the rebellion of Queen Boudica in which it narrowly avoided destruction. But its trace was lost in Northern England in the early Second Cen...
Feb 23, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 61
This soft-spoken bedtime story is a journey to the discovery of exoplanets. We will visit some of them, like Proxima Centauri B, OTS 44 and Kepler 438b. I will also tell you about the different types of planets and stars, including stars that no longer shine like old white dwarfs or neutron stars; methods to discover planets that are invisible from Earth, like Transit Photometry or Doppler Spectroscopy; and astrobiology: the field of research that studies the possibility of extraterrestrial life...
Feb 09, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 60
In these bedtime stories, I tell you three different myths from Ancient Greece: The story of Perseus, how he was conceived by Zeus and Danaë, went on an adventure to cut off the head of Medusa the Gorgon, and rescued Andromeda. The myth of the Labyrinth, built in Crete by Daedalus for King Minos to contain the Minotaur, and how Theseus slew it with the help of Ariadne. The myth of Prometheus, who stole the secret of fire to give it to mankind and was punished for it. Timestamps 00:00 Introductio...
Feb 02, 2025•59 min•Ep. 59
In this soft-spoken sleepy bedtime story, I tell you about the History of Astrology: how it appeared as a discipline that was not formally separated from Astronomy across different cultures (Babylon, China, India, Egypt, Greece, the Islamic World, the Maya...), and how it evolved. Western Astrology, with its zodiac signs, birth charts, horoscopes, and individualized predictions, is a tradition that began to form more than 2,000 years ago in the Eastern Mediterranean. Even though critiques of the...
Jan 26, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 58
This bedtime story takes us on a journey through time and space. We explore the appearance and evolution of life in Earth's oceans, from the first microorganisms and the diversification of life forms that happened during the Cambrian and Ordovician explosions, to our time. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to Prehistoric Oceans 05:05 How Oceans and Life Appeared on Earth 19:59 Cambrian Explosion 31:16 Fish, Arthropods, and Mollusks 45:08 From Paleozoic to Mesozoic 56:49 Towards Modern Marine Ecosyst...
Jan 12, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 57
For tonight's talk, I invite you to explore the history of wine from the very beginning, including the history of famous wine regions like Bordeaux and Champagne. I explain the most important elements that distinguish the styles of wines, the varieties of grapes, and the terroirs, as well as a few tips about tasting, storage, and how to make the best of it! Timestamps: 00:00 All About Wine 04:11 What is wine? 07:26 Discovery of fermentation 10:18 Ancient Egypt and the Phoenicians 16:14 Wine in A...
Dec 22, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 56
For tonight, I tell you the stories of different "lost treasures" and other legends attached to: 1- The Knights Templar, a religious military order that emerged during the Crusades but became so wealthy and influential that it made powerful enemies; 2- The Cathars, a Christian sect from the 12th to 14th Centuries in Southern France and Northern Italy, which was persecuted until it disappeared; 3- The Fabergé Eggs, exquisite pieces of jewelry that were made for the Romanovs in Saint Petersburg in...
Dec 08, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 55
Tonight, I tell you about several creation myths from the Apache and Navajo traditions, including the Kiowa Apache myth of Kuterastan and the Navajo Diné Bahaneʼ ("Story of the People"), in our usual relaxing and ASMR-ish style. We also discuss the historical roots of these peoples in the American Southwest and the north of Mexico, how they used to live, their linguistic connections across North America, and the figure of Geronimo. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure ton...
Dec 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 54
In this new astronomy episode, I take you on a discovery journey of meteors (shooting stars) and meteorites, asteroids in the Solar System, and comets. I tell you about 'Oumuamua, Halley's Comet, Hale-Bopp, and several phenomena like ram pressure and highly eccentric orbits. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style stories read in a calming voice. Learn something new while you enjoy a restful night of sleep. Liste...
Nov 24, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 53
In this sleepy episode, I tell you about the long history of timekeeping devices, from the first sundials and water clocks to mechanical clocks, quartz timers, and atomic clocks. Beyond technique, we also explore how the perception and management of time are cultural phenomena. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style stories read in a calming voice. Learn something new while you enjoy a restful night of sleep. Li...
Nov 10, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 52
This bedtime story tells you the Epic of Gilgamesh based on the Standard Babylonian Version. I also tell you about Mesopotamian mythology and the emergence of civilizations in the region, from Sumer and Akkad to Assyria and Babylonia. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a sleepy adventure tonight. Sit back, relax, and fall asleep to documentary-style stories read in a calming voice. Learn something new while you enjoy a restful night of sleep. Listen ad free and get access to bonus content...
Nov 03, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 51
Tonight, I tell you the sleepy stories of four different ghost ships, together with their historical context and what happened to them. Two are fictional: the Flying Dutchman, a flute from the Age of Sails that would have traded between Amsterdam and the Spice Islands, and the Caleuche, a legendary ship on the island of Chiloe, Chile. Two are real: the Mary Celeste that mysteriously lost her crew in the Atlantic Ocean, and the Baychimo, which was abandoned but unexpectedly kept wandering for dec...
Oct 27, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 50
In this bedtime story, I take you on an underwater cruise to the various layers of the Earth's oceans. I talk about marine life, its evolution, and the conditions it had to adapt to. Types of animals or species we look at in more detail include jellyfish, coral, sharks, giant squids, sperm whales, the components of plankton, fishes from the bathyal zone and below, or the inhabitants of ecosystems around cold seeps and hydrothermal vents. We also make a bit of time travel, and I tell you about so...
Oct 13, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 49
This bedtime story is about One Thousand and One Nights (also known as "Arabian Nights"). I tell you several famous stories from this compilation of Middle Eastern and North African folk tales and legends. These include the framing story with Scheherazade and Shahryar, "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," "The Merchant and the Genie," "Sinbad the Sailor" and his seven voyages, and "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp." I also tell you a little bit about where this compilation of stories comes from. Welcome ...
Oct 06, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 48
Tonight, I tell you three different stories: - Area 51: How did this USAF base gain its reputation for being at the center of numerous conspiracies, including the dissimulation and reverse-engineering of alien technology? We take a look at what is documented, from its creation in 1955 as a test facility for the Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, to the study of foreign technology and the intense secrecy around the base's activities.- Chaco Canyon is a large archaeological site in New Mexico, ...
Sep 29, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 47
This is a soft-spoken science bedtime story about Earth: its formation, its structure, and how mankind perceived the World before its exploration and the space age. In this video, I tell you about what we know or suppose of Earth's formation in the solar system, its geology, its internal structure from the crust to the core, and how all these interact. We discuss plate tectonics and continental drift, the chemical elements our planet is made of, its temperature, its future in several billion yea...
Sep 15, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 46
In these three new historical mysteries, I tell you about the Pythia, the High Priestess of Apollo in Delphi, who for more than a millennium delivered sought-after prophecies in a state of frenzy - but the Oracle may have been more ancient than Classical Greece. The second story is about the myth of changelings, that is to say newborns, or young children that would have been exchanged by fairies, or trolls in the Scandinavian version. Why this belief, and how did it appear? I also added a touch ...
Sep 08, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 45
In this soft-spoken bedtime story, I tell you about the History of the Norsemen in the Middle Ages. At the end of the Eighth Century, they embarked on raids, explorations, and conquests farther and farther from their homelands in Scandinavia. This took them as far east as the Volga River in Russia and Byzantium, and as far west as America, even though they did not stay there for long. They founded colonies such as Iceland or Vineland in Newfoundland, Canada, created new states such as the Kievan...
Sep 01, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 44
In tonight's ASMR story, I tell you myths from Polynesia, especially Hawaii and Aotearoa (New Zealand), and I explain the origins and connections of Polynesian people. We will discover the story of Maui, his fight with goddess Hine, the origins of the gods starting with Rangi and Papa from the Maori tradition, more divinities (Tane of the forest and the birds, Tangaroa of the sea, Tawhirimatea of storms and winds...) and the creation of men and women. Welcome to Lights Out Library Join me for a ...
Aug 18, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 43
As the Olympic Games come to a close and become another page in history, I believe you will enjoy these bedtime stories. Tonight, we go on a trip to the City of Lights, Paris, and I tell you several mysterious stories from the past two centuries: the intriguing and clandestine life of the Countess of Castiglione, the foundation of spiritualism by its visionary pioneer, Allan Kardec, and the audacious theft of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, in the year 1911. Welcome to Lights Out...
Aug 11, 2024•59 min•Ep. 42
