Deep in the peat hills of Shetland, the old folk won't cross the green mounds after dark. Those hills belong to the trows: small, grey, limping hill-folk descended from the Norse trolls. They'll steal a fiddler for a night that lasts a hundred years, and they'll trade a healthy baby for a sickly changeling.
In this episode of Freaky Folklore, we go under th ... Show More
Sep 25
A Case from My Other Show: The Sodder Children
On Christmas Eve, 1945, the Sodder family's home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, burned to the ground. Five of the ten children were never found. No remains were recovered, and the case was closed almost as quickly as it was opened. For decades, their parents refused to believe t ... Show More
5m 38s
Sep 21
Mami Wata — The Water Spirit Worshipped and Feared Across Africa
She's been called a goddess. A demon. A healer. A thief of husbands, minds, and sometimes lives. Across an entire continent — and every shore the diaspora ever touched — Mami Wata has been worshipped in shrines and feared on riverbanks for centuries, and she is not finished colle ... Show More
29m 55s
Feb 2021
216-Baba Yaga: Which Witch?
Two stories from Russia. On the first, we catch up with the famous witch, Baba Yaga, as we follow yet another young person who has been sent on an errand/to be eaten at the evil witch's walking hut. The second one is about a dragon slayer, Dobrynya, as he makes a wrong turn down ... Show More
32m 57s
Jan 2017
58-Native American Folklore: Monster
The first story today is from the Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Maliseet people, about all the things that can go wrong when creating the animals and why you shouldn't drink gross monster waste water. The second story is from Cree fokllore, about Monster Skunk farting everyone to d ... Show More
30m 43s
Oct 2025
CZM Rewind: Baba Yaga: Everyone's Favorite Witch From Folklore, Part Two
In part two of this week's episode, Margaret continues her talk with Jamie Loftus about Baba Yaga, the Slavic legend who eats children and occasionally helps people. Original Air Date: 11.9.2022See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1h 5m
Jul 2015
5A-Slavic Folklore: Tried and Died
In this story of a dangerous magician from Russian folklore, you'll learn that you should maybe believe your spouse if she says you definitely don't want to know what's behind that door in the dungeon. It's the bizarre, sad, and kind of hilarious story of Koschei the Deathless, a ... Show More
36m 55s