The Wampus Cat is a human-feline hybrid that stalks the woods of Appalachia and terrorizes young and old alike. But while legends of the Wampus have been around since the 19th century, its true origins may lie in the tale of the Ewah — a mythical Cherokee creature who is both predator and protector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From Japanese folklore, the Bakeneko is a cat with supernatural powers. Unlike its benevolent cousin, the magical Maneki Neko, Bakeneko terrorized medieval Japan — but it has also been known to avenge cruel injustice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Jaguar is the animal embodiment of Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec god of chaos. While the Aztecs fear and celebrate him, their Spanish conquerors brush him off as a pagan myth… until the Jaguar returns to avenge his worshippers with sharp claws and madness-inducing magic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
She’s no Santa Claus: Frau Perchta is a Germanic Christmas witch who punishes lazy, unproductive people in sadistic ways. When a flax spinner named Anna spends a year mourning a loss, a visit from the Frau brings sharp clarity… and impending wrath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A Norwegian water spirit will bestow the gift of musical talent upon desperate pupils — for a price. But a barter with this bard can be treacherous: Fail to uphold your end of the deal, and pay more dearly than you ever intended. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A brew of blood and honey bestows knowledge upon Fjalarr and Galarr, dwarf brothers in Norse mythology who begrudge their lowly status among the gods and their creations. But enlightenment brings its own set of troubles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jólakötturinn is the Icelandic Yule Cat, but this massive feline is anything but cuddly. He emerges from the dark mountain woods once a year to feast on lazy children… and this Christmas, a rude little girl named Margrét is on Jólakötturinn’s wish list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the dense woodlands of Scandinavia, a beautiful maiden walks amid the pines. Her melodious song murmurs through the branches — and lures wandering men into her clutches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Colossal fangs filled with venom. A body so large it encircles the world. Jörmungandr is the sea serpent middle child of Loki and Angrboda, and a Norse monster so menacing, his mere existence is a threat to humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The gods of Asgard use deception and wiles to betray the fearsome Fenrir, courting their own doom even as they make the giant wolf their prisoner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Reborn again and again from ashes, with brilliant red and gold feathers and wisdom to dispense, the phoenix is a guide through the ages. And when a young apprentice spies the magnificent bird in a forbidden temple, he undergoes a reinvention of his own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From ancient Greece comes a mischievous hybrid of human and animal, with a penchant for parties and wine. The satyr is often used as comedic relief in myths… but its lecherous behavior also acts as a warning against unbound inhibitions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the 1700s, a Serbian soldier encountered a bloated corpse with a hunger for human flesh, known as a Vrykolakas. But when he tried to break the creature’s power over him, he created a monster even more terrifying. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Wolfman is more than just a Universal Monster — it’s a representation of man's capacity for evil. Today's story retells one of the original werewolf stories from Norse mythology's The Saga of the Volsungs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When the demi-god Heracles is tasked with defeating the three-headed guard dog of Hades, we see what happens when the world’s greatest hero meets the underworld’s greatest monster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Their ubiquity in pop culture suggests zombies are a recent creation, but the ideas animating these cannibalistic cadavers originated in a 16th century French colony. Enslaved Africans conceived of a soul in unrest, occupying the ether. In Western culture, zombies transformed into flesh-eating ghouls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
She’s the queen of death, a folk saint known as the champion of lost souls. Those who pray to Santa Muerte are granted what they desire without judgement. But her generosity comes with a dark side. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Before “Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones,” dragons stalked the pages of mythology across the world. The European version became a powerful metaphor for the evils that supposedly stalked mankind. And that's where we get the most iconic European Dragon Story, featuring a man known as Saint George. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From Jewish mythology, a dybbuk is a ghost with the power to enter and seize control of the body of a living person. While they are often the malicious soul of a particularly sinful person, possession by even the most well-meaning dybbuks can have disastrous consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
To the ancient Egyptians, Ammit was known as the Devourer of the Dead and the Eater of Souls. A hybrid creature and a demon of the underworld, she plays a vital role in the Final Judgment of souls, doling out deadly punishment to those found unworthy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Djinn that appear in the Qu'ran and throughout Arabic mythology are far more terrifying and dangerous than the wish-granting entities known as genies. They’re complicated spirits with incredible powers and free will, able to grant immense fortune… or gruesome death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Roc is an enormous bird of prey from Arabic mythology that was said to be large enough to carry elephants in its huge talons. It was once the ultimate symbol of adventure, and featured heavily in the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
They’re mysterious ghost lights, lurking in swamps and marshes. In European folklore, the Will O’ the Wisp, or Ignus Fatuus, are said to be the spirit of a sinful man, using his lantern to lure travelers to their deaths… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s known the world over as a symbol of innocence and purity… But the unicorn has a history as dark as any other beast in the mythological menagerie. Through its evolution from dangerous and deadly to noble and majestic, its story has always been one of blood, sacrifice, and transformation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hailing from Arthurian Legend, the Questing Beast is not so much a horrific predator or a noble creature… It’s an enigma, layered with symbolism and competing interpretations. With a bizarre appearance—and even more confounding purpose—the barking animal conjures a sense of immense strangeness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It’s a symbol of chaos and destruction. A chimeric beast with the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, the face of a human man… and an appetite for human flesh. But is the manticore’s horrific visage a mirror for humanity’s own evil propensities? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Vampiric and reptilian, the Chupacabra first appeared in Puerto Rico in the 1990s. It’s known for sucking the blood of goats, but its true victims are the communities it destroys. Its thirst is so great, it will feed and feed until nothing is left… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In some legends, this elemental creature is considered a sacred force for good, while in others, it is a dangerous figure with the power to create unparalleled chaos and destruction. In every telling, it’s clear: the Thunderbird inspires equal amounts of awe and terror. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Leviathan is an enormous sea monster, often depicted as a serpent or dragon. While best known for its appearances in the Old Testament of the Bible, its story is part of a mythological tradition that stretches all the way back to the very first civilizations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
An ancient alien goliath slumbers at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, awaiting the day when he will rise again to destroy humanity. From the mind of weird fiction author H.P. Lovecraft comes Cthulhu, a cosmic entity of almost unimaginable scale and power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
