Astonishing Legends

Whether you're a fan of horror films or not, you've probably heard of the 2013 motion picture, "The Conjuring." This film, starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, struck such a chord with viewers that it spawned a franchise of related films like The Conjuring sequels, The Nun, Annabelle, and The Curse of La Llorona. But the initial movie was inspired by real-life events, the roughly decade-long hauntings of the Perron family that started the moment they moved into the Arnold Estate in 1970, now called "The Farm on Round Top Road" in Harrisville, Rhode Island. The colonial farmhouse, built circa 1736, would be home to 9 generations of families, including the Perrons. It seems some of the residents would never be able to leave, and some new and terrifying entities would make an unwelcome appearance during the Perron occupancy. While a few of the spirits were viciously malevolent, some were benevolent, and Andrea Perron, the eldest daughter, comprehensively chronicled the entire experience in a three-volume set of books titled House of Darkness House of Light: The True Story. While Andrea loved the cinematic adaptation of her family's story in the film, she also realizes that a movie has its own set of rules for narrative compression. Its purpose is to entertain efficiently, and therefore was only "one percent of one percent of what actually happened at the farm." Also, the famous paranormal investigative couple, Ed and Lorraine Warren were only a lesser element to the overall story. So what were some of the more frightening yet fascinating occurrences that happened to the Perrons at clearly one of the most active haunted houses still in existence that most of us have never heard? Join us tonight for part one of our examination of the true story behind "The Conjuring." Visit our website for a whole lot more information on this website, and seriously, we're talking a LOT more.

Many of us have taken an adventurous expedition to check out some local, notorious spot to see if we could witness or sense some evidence of a past famous or infamous incident. Most of the time, one only returns with a minor anecdote or pictures of an ordinary location bereft of anything noteworthy. The more realistic purpose is not so much to find a ghoulish memento but to imagine what it must've been like to have been there when it happened. But what if such an outing starts with strange coincidences and ends with the adventurers enduring a paranormal event seemingly unrelated to the original incident? This is the sort of tale we'll hear from our good friend, graphic designer, and illustrator Tommy Beaver about the time some friends went to check out the scene of a horrific crime that happened in Summerfield, North Carolina, almost 13 miles northwest of Greensboro. On June 3, 1985, the incident in question occurred when at the end of a murder spree and police pursuit, Fritz Klenner and his first cousin, lover, and accomplice, Susie Newsome Lynch, ended their standoff detonating a bomb in their Chevrolet Blazer. Klenner and Lynch had blown themselves up along with Lynch's already deceased two sons who were in the vehicle rather than face arrest. The site of this shocking finale was what the friends were hoping to explore, but their souvenir was an unsettling experience they'll never forget. Strangely, a mysterious white horse suddenly appeared to encounter the group, except that this creature may not have been a horse at all. Many people have claimed to see a spectral white horse, and the ancient Britons believed a sacred white horse was one's ride to the afterlife. Yet these friends may forever wonder, as will we, what was the connection of this beast to the tragedy if there is one? And if this wasn't a horse as we know it, what sort of monster haunts the location of one of North Carolina's most ghastly crimes?Visit our website for a whole lot more information on this website, and seriously, we're talking a LOT more.

So, as we close out our three-part series on Crop Circles, what have we all learned so far? Well, we've learned that Crop Circles are not just another fad from the 1980s and 90s. Generations of farmers going back at least to the turn of the last century have found them, and probably long before that if written accounts are accurate. They may have been the template or the inspiration for Standing Stone formations such as Stonehenge and rock paintings like the Gwion Gwion, often found in the sacred sites of our earliest ancestors. And they continue to be discovered to this day. While hoaxers have gotten more sophisticated with their designs and prodigious with their efforts over the years, simple logic and reason would suggest they couldn't have made all the now thousands that have been found all over the world. And many of these showing no signs of human touch. It applies especially to the massive and intricate patterns discovered within hours or less of their creation. Even more perplexing is the claim by many hoaxers that they felt strangely compelled to create their formations as if they had no choice. Some circle makers revealed a mysterious fog had shrouded their activities or aided by a sudden clearing of the weather or an alteration of perception by onlookers. And if an unknown entity made just one Crop Circle, then isn't the phenomenon genuine? But what is the point of all this effort and secrecy? If they are merely human-made decorations, they serve to nourish us the way all art does. Suppose they are messages from an otherworldly source. In that case, they contain a level of cleverness in their multiple layers of meaning functioning all at once, as we would expect from higher intellect. They speak to us with a mesmerizing beauty, using elements of Sacred Geometry that have always captured our imagination, with their deeper meaning residing in our unconscious. Each circle may have a particular message, with all of them combined to form an instructive narrative, and the key to unlocking this enigma may be in the circles themselves. If this is a new form of language or communication, then perhaps one clear and simple message is that the researchers, the hoaxers, the curious, and the clueless; our minds, bodies, and spirits are all connected along with the earth. Maybe it's the result of global human consciousness, an unseen intelligence, or a combination of both. Whatever the force behind Crop Circles, could it be that something tells us we need to evolve our awareness and understanding to take better care of all of it before we lose our way for good? Visit our website for a whole lot more information on this website, and seriously, we're talking a LOT more.

As we dive deeper into exploring the phenomenon of Crop Circles, it seems that the story of its research takes on the shape of other histories of paranormal investigation. Misinformation and misdirection from government and military agencies, hoaxes complicating genuinely anomalous evidence, and the phenomena itself presenting an ever-moving target for those that seek the truth are akin to the serious study of UFOs, for example. And curiously, for being thought of by many as just prankish art installations in grain stalks, Crop Circles come with a Grab Bag of High Strangeness too. For tonight's Part Two in our series, we first cover inexplicable occurrences associated with some circle formations. We'll focus on one surveillance experiment in a crop circle dubbed "Operation White Crow" with bizarre and unsettling effects for Colin Andrews, Pat Delgado, Busty Taylor, Dr. Terence Meaden, and others. Then we look at what appeared to be an attempt by the British military to discredit Andrews and other "cereologists" called "Operation Blackbird" that ironically may have generated its own enigmatic results and the question of why would they bother? And lastly, we'll begin to examine the mindset and role of the hoaxer and the symbiosis they may participate in with earnest researchers, one that hoaxers may not realize they share as they do their part to keep the mystery alive.Visit our website for a whole lot more information on this website, and seriously, we're talking a LOT more.

On a July afternoon in 1983, Colin Andrews, an electrical engineer and officer employed by the British regional government, was driving between his offices near Winchester and Hampshire when something caught his eye. Seeing something unusual in a farmer's field next to the road, he felt strongly compelled to pull over and check it out. A strange physical and mental sensation came over him as he approached and realized it was a set of five large circles forming a traditional "Celtic Cross." Unbeknownst to Andrews, within days, he would partner with meteorologist Dr. Terence Meaden, NASA scientist Pat Delgado, and the three of them, along with pilot Busty Taylor, would become the only people in the world at the time researching the global Crop Circle phenomenon. In 1989, the first book on the subject, Circular Evidence, written by Delgado and Andrews, would become known as the "Crop Circle Bible." Not only did the book cause scientists and researchers to then take the matter seriously, but it also unleashed a deluge of Crop Circle hoaxes, complicating earnest study. When two older British gentlemen, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, came forward in 1990 claiming to have made all the crop circles in England, the media and the public seemed to take their word as reason enough to lay the mystery to rest. Yet, the examples they and other hoaxers have provided as evidence don't match the precision and completion times found in circles considered authentic. While the hoaxers' techniques have become more sophisticated and impressive over the years, the genuine formations display characteristics that seem beyond the reasonable capability for the short time in which real ones are created. Authentic Crop Circles have many stalks bent in 90º angles near the ground, with the stalks interwoven in a complex fashion, anomalies found in the soil, precise lines in massive formations, and no evidence of people walking to or around them. Strange physiological effects like dizziness, nausea, euphoria, time disturbance, and bizarre sounds, to name a few, have also been reported by many who step inside one. However, most Crop Circles, both real and faked, share in common one significant trait – artistically, they employ design elements found in "Sacred Geometry," with ratios composed with the "Golden Mean." They are also often located near areas with ancient archaeological sacred sites, and reports of their existence appear to go back hundreds, if not thousands of years. So if the creators, both earthly and beyond, remain a mystery, perhaps the meaning behind the circles can be more easily fathomed. Whether the lesson is a sociological or spiritual and metaphysical one, wondrous Crop Circles do continue to exist and have a purpose. They carry a message, which could be as simple as – pay attention because you could learn something that will affect your existence.Visit our website for a whole lot more information on this website, and seriously, we're talking a LOT more.

We have a very special guest joining us tonight, metaphysical "astralnaut," philosopher of the liminal, "Pope of the Paranormal," and host of the AM Radio talk show Dark Air, Terry Carnation. Terry first got his start in the paranormal radio genre when unexpectedly thrust into taking over for another show. While working as a late-night rock n' roll Disc Jockey for an FM station in Buffalo, NY, in 1992, Reginald Wilcox, the host of the paranormal call-in show that aired after Terry's slot was mysteriously murdered while Terry was in the bathroom... or so he claims. In his unflappable sense of duty, apparently stronger than his sense of legal obligation, Terry immediately took over the role of consigliere for listeners stupefied by the supernatural. And in Terry's words, "that's how a legend was created." Now, after a three-year hiatus, Terry Carnation returns with a new podcast, also called Dark Air, available starting April 1, 2021, wherever podcasts are given away for free. While you may not have heard of him, there will be something uneasily familiar about his voice and visage. And the audience will come to know his strange power for tearing off the head of disbelief and reaching down deep into our souls to yank out the viscera of our darkest fears and mysteries. Wrapped around our interview with Terry, our good buddy Rich Hatem joins us once again to discuss his latest adventures and projects. We'll also con him into playing our version of a game show, in the spirit of America's NPR radio program Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and Britain's Would I Lie to You? We'll tell Rich three outrageous paranormal stories, and he has to guess which one is fake. Please join us for an episode of inscrutable levity.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

As legend would have it, or at least how the story goes from Marie Caroline Watson Hamlin's 1884 book, Legends of Le Détroit, on the evening of the 10th of March, 1701, a lively banquet took place in the castle of St. Louis, Quebec. The celebratory dinner host was the governor of "New France," Hector Louis de Callière. The guest of honor was Monsieur Antoine La Mothe Cadillac, Sieur de Douaguet, and Mont Désert, who had just been granted a commission of Commandant along with 15 square acres to locate a colony and build a fort wherever he saw fit at "le Détroit," or "The Straits." At the height of the merriment, the dinner party received a strange and mysterious visitor. A peculiar-looking woman called "Mère Minique, La Sorcière" offered to read the guests' fortunes. She would astound the officials with details of their lives she could not possibly know, yet La Mothe Cadillac remained skeptical, and against the advice of Mère Minique, bade her tell him of his future. She told him he would found a great city, but his policies and pride would cause his ruin, and his colony would be the scene of strife and bloodshed. Above all, she warned, to appease the Nain Rouge, beware of offending him! It would be six years of profitable growth for the settlement before Cadillac would be able to temp his fate. While on an evening stroll with his wife, the red devilish imp crossed their path as prophesied. And it takes no sibyl to guess that Cadillac let his impetuous temper get the better of him, and he lashed out at the goblin with a curse and his cane. The rest, it is said, is history, but certainly, history mixed with fact and folklore. So was the Nain Rouge nothing more than a cautionary tale of greed and undue ambition? Maybe an imagined scapegoat for the woes of this famed city or a tulpa-like harbinger of doom? Could it be that the Nain Rouge was, and is, an actual supernatural entity as possibly described in First Nations legends? If one is entertaining this last option, or when in doubt, perhaps it's always best to respect the specter, yet remember that our fate is always in our own hands. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Jim Perry's Euphomet returns with a new season! Sneak preview. Subscribe now to Euphomet on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the years between 1764 and 1767, a real-life monster had brutally savaged the residents of the former province of Gévaudan in the highland region of south-central France. While the creature's first attack was reportedly unsuccessful in killing its intended victim, it did provide a horrific description of it. Some sort of massive, canine-like creature was stalking the villagers out in their fields of the Margeride mountains. And it would remain as elusive as its killing spree grew nightmarishly effective. In a three-year span, contemporary and modern estimates put the death toll anywhere from around 100 to 500 people, mostly women, and children. To add to the fear and suffering, these were no ordinary large animal predator attacks. Considering that only a small percentage of the victims were found partially consumed, with livestock untouched, the bodies of all were so shockingly mutilated that it could be surmised this abomination of nature was not killing out of hunger but for sport. As news of the relentless slaughter spread throughout France, tens of thousands from every walk of life, peasants, soldiers, and noblemen alike, joined in the hunt to stop this menace. Reports had even reached Versaille, where King Louis XV had placed a large bounty on its head. When survivors and eyewitnesses had given their statements, a puzzling picture of the beast emerged. Although many accounts described this creature as having some features like an abnormally large wolf, or wolf-dog hybrid, other details combined didn't fit any known animal. It was also described as the size of a calf or donkey, with reddish hair and a black stripe down its back, giant, razor-sharp teeth set in the gaping mouth of a pig-like head, a tail with a tuft on its end, and talons on its feet. This being was shot and wounded on several occasions at close range only to escape and kill again, adding a supernatural element to the legend. Many believed then as they do now that this animal must have been a canine mutation of some sort. However, without the descriptor of "werewolf" or "skinwalker" added to the story, saying it was just a vicious, big dog leaves an unsatisfactory conclusion. With no remains or taxonomy to define this murderous freak, the only name that could be given to it then is the one that remains today: The Beast of Gévaudan.Visit our webpage for a lot more information on this episode.

Who among us hasn't wanted to know the future or have insight into the hidden, at least in passing? From the first instance a human had a premonition that came true, it seems likely that the adventurous who were shocked and astounded wondered how those without the "gift" could duplicate this impossible experience. Then, when someone stared too intently into a reflective pool of liquid, a glowing ember, or even the night sky, and experienced an extrasensory perception, a technique and its medium are discovered to tap into a sixth sense. Practiced now for millennia, this procedure for obtaining occult information has become known as scrying. One interesting observation is that although there are general guidelines for preparing oneself and performing a scrying session, many mediums can facilitate the phenomenon. It appears that any object can be used that can capture the light and dazzle the eye, or a reflective surface that can offer deep introspection or a dark void that focuses the senses. But then the burning question becomes, how does this process work, and from where does the information come? Does this "second sight" materialize from deep within ourselves, external omniscience, or some combination of both? In tonight's episode, we'll look at the elements, the history, and the concepts behind this ancient and mysterious means of knowing the unknowable.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

As we wrap up our coverage of the Frederick Valentich story in Part 3 of our series, we'll continue our conversation with Melbourne resident Chris Tyler about his research into the case and other possibly related UFO incidents around the same time and area. We'll also examine the Australian Department of Transport accident report's remaining findings and discuss its conclusions. As you begin to reach your own conclusions, it's essential to keep several factors in mind which make the usual mundane explanations seem inadequate. The high number of independent sightings of aerial phenomena occurring in proximity to the disappearance suggests Valentich wasn't alone in witnessing it. The distance a Cessna cowling was found from a potential crash site and the lack of definitive markings makes its discovery inconclusive. Even if the cowling did come from Valentich's plane, it still doesn't account for what caused him to ditch, let alone other missing debris and Valentich himself. Perhaps the most surprising revelation comes from the summary of the report itself. Rather than dismissing the possibility of a UFO entanglement, an official government statement lists it as one of four likeliest scenarios. Remember that Valentich himself never suggested he interacted with a UFO in his last transmission, despite being painted as obsessed with them by his skeptics. When these factors and more are taken together, it's no wonder this incident is one of the most baffling and tragic in the phenomenon's history and leaves us all to wonder, what happened to Frederick Valentich and where did he go?Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

When the facts about a paranormal event yield no more answers, investigators and the public alike tend to turn their attention to the experiencer's character to ascertain its authenticity. So what kind of person was Frederick Valentich? A once-lost aircraft accident report from Australia's Department of Transport, which resurfaced in 2012, has shed some light on Valentich's behavior and state of mind leading up to the moment of his disappearance. Through extensive interviews with his family, friends, associates, and the flight personnel he came into contact with, a picture emerges of Valentich's disposition. Although there were some puzzling actions and statements by the young pilot, overall, he appeared to be a dedicated and serious student of aviation. Yet if a paranormal cause of his disappearance is off the table of consideration, then the answer must lie in one of his shortcomings, right? This has led to speculation that Valentich intended to abscond with the aircraft and start a new life, or he planned a mysterious suicide, or that as a UFO enthusiast, he simply mistook stars and planets for a UFO and crashed trying to avoid it. As we delve further into the details and analysis from the official report in part two of our series, we're joined by listener and lifelong Melbourne resident Chris Tyler. Being quite familiar with the case, Chris will lend his own insight into the mystery and illustrate this enchanting Australian backdrop's prevailing attitudes and characteristics.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

On Saturday, October 21, 1978, at 6:19 p.m., 20-year-old Frederick Valentich took off from Moorabbin Airport just south of Melbourne, Australia, for what was supposed to be a routine training and pleasure flight over Bass Strait to King Island. A serious student aviator, Valentich had been flying for two years and had accumulated over 150 hours of solo flying time in his goal to one day become a commercial airline pilot. Although rated for night flying by instrument, the sun was still up, and with clear visibility and good weather, there was no reason Valentich shouldn’t have easily completed this trip, which he’d taken several times before. However, just over halfway through the flight at 7:06 p.m., Valentich contacted Melbourne Flight Service Unit and reported seeing an unidentified craft above him, traveling at high speed and shining four bright lights. Valentich would radio back a few minutes later that it didn’t appear to be any known aircraft, and now it had even more unusual characteristics: it was long, shiny metallic, and a green light was emanating from it. Even more unsettling, this craft he described was deliberately toying with him as it orbited above while his plane’s engine was sputtering. At 7:11 p.m., the last statement anyone would hear from Valentich would be that the object was still hovering and that it was not an aircraft. Valentich and his plane had vanished at that moment, but whether it was an elaborate hoax, a deliberate crash, or merely a misidentification combined with a mechanical failure, no investigation has been able to determine. What is not in doubt is that the case of Frederick Valentich remains one of Australia’s biggest aviation mysteries, if not in all of UFO lore.Visit our website on this episode for a lot more information.

Please join us for a very special Astonishing Legends episode – an All-Star holiday party featuring some of your favorite podcast personalities! Along with consigliere Tess Pfeifle, we welcome our very own "Alexander Leek," sage, screenwriter and good friend Rich Hatem; podcaster, compadre, and casual archaeologist Micah Hanks; our Space Brother and To The Stars professor, Rob Kristoffersen; and our special guest, inspirational pathfinder, and podfather Jim Harold. We'll engage in all the scintillating conversation and fascinating anecdotes you'd expect to hear at a holiday gathering attended by paranormal enthusiast friends and fueled by high octane egg nog, and Micah will treat us to a guitar performance near the end! We hope you'll enjoy this virtual celebration and feel part of a fellowship as we find support and unity at the end of a trying year any way we can.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode!

Our friend Seth Breedlove has a new docudrama out about the Bell Witch and guess who's in it? Forrest! http://www.smalltownmonsters.com/shop https://tinyurl.com/markofthebellwitch

Tonight's episode starts with the coverage of a strange and funny case involving aliens and holiday pies. On January 4, 1979, Mrs. Jean Hingely of the town of Rowley Regis in the West Midlands region of England was visited by three fishbowl-helmeted and friendly aliens with wings. After some spiritually uplifting exchanges, her holiday visitors thrashed her Christmas tree and nicked three of her mincemeat pies. The second part of our episode features heartwarming personal stories of hope from some of our listeners. These stories may not be proof of an afterlife for some, but for others, they may bolster the belief that our existence doesn't end with our physical death and that somewhere there is a world where everything we cherish is waiting for us, and proof that love is eternal and boundless.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode!

In a rare dual-subject episode for us, we take a look at two somewhat Christmas-themed stories, the mysterious yet not-so-mysterious "Utah Monolith" and the Warminster "Thing." In the first part of the show, we discuss the recent discovery of a 9.5-foot-tall metal triangular prism-shaped pillar we've dubbed "The Christmas Monolith." This story made the rounds after state biologists from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources spotted the out-of-place-artifact while conducting a survey of bighorn sheep by helicopter over San Juan County in southeastern Utah on November 18, 2020. Two days later, the Utah Department of Public Safety posted a photo of the monolith on Instagram, with more pictures and videos of the puzzling pillar to follow. The internet and media outlets were soon abuzz with speculation about who, human, alien, or otherwise, would've illegally planted the iconic looking structure in such a remote red sandstone slot canyon in the middle of nowhere and why. Other metal columns have appeared in Romania and California, prompting the question, are these pranks, artworks, a message, or perhaps all three? The second part of our show tonight examines a freakish "flap" of High Strangeness that's so fantastic in its details and so widely experienced at the time that it's baffling why the story has mostly become forgotten. Generally considered to have gotten its start in the early hours of Christmas morning in 1964, this saga of shocking incidents in hindsight seems to have only publically peaked on December 25th and continued well into the following year, and only gradually declined in the decade to follow. The holiday literally started with a bang for the residents of the town of Warminster in Wiltshire County in southwestern England. Numerous citizens and British soldiers training nearby awoke to a medley of piercing, thundering, clattering, metallic noises in the sky and on their rooftops, the nature of which nearly defies description. The strange and untraceable sounds would continue to accost the townsfolk, with some reporting these sonic attacks were so violent it threw them to the ground and sickened their pets. As 1965 wore on, the unearthly rackets would eventually coincide with sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena and craft so unique they sound unusual even for a UFO wave. And what bouillabaisse of the bizarre would be complete without cattle disappearances, freaky interstellar messengers, and tall, humanoid-alien visitors? Warminster had it all. All told, this series of strangeness was so beyond comprehension, and with no vocabulary to satisfactorily describe it, the phenomena became simply known as the Warminster "Thing."For more information on this episode, visit our website.

In tonight’s Part Two of our discussion of Joe Fisher’s book, The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, with Special Guest Rich Hatem, we continue to examine the narrative of Fisher’s interactions with Spirit Guides through Channeling and their troubling results. With the messages and guidance becoming increasingly confusing, frustrating, and seemingly misleading, Fisher and those in his Channeling group start to doubt the intentions and purpose of voices from the other side. Even as the entreaties grew insistent and hopes turn to dubiety, the Guides would provide unknowable details beyond rational explanation, which only served to fuel the desire for understanding. As Fisher followed just one more breadcrumb after breadcrumb down a blind alley, we’ll never know if he found his answers in the afterlife or if the truth was there all along amongst the living. When it comes to finding meaning through channelling in Fisher’s case, the pertinent answer is that the medium is often the message.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Sure, maybe most of us would find it enticing to receive "inside information" from a mystical plane, our very own oracle of knowledge beyond what's possible in our earthly human existence. Who wouldn't want access to a Spirit Guide, one that could lend us valuable insight to better our lives and give a glimpse of what awaits us on the other side? Perhaps this supernatural soothsayer could also provide a longing companionship or, even better, prove to be a soulmate from a past life? It sounds like a delightful gift, right? But what if the source of this metaphysical communication ended up having as many foibles as any ordinary untrustworthy "frenemy?" What if the messages proved to be increasingly inaccurate or questionable, with the attitude of your once beatific benefactor becoming demanding, desperate, petty, contentious, and maybe even obsessive and possessive? Perhaps it wasn't looking out for your best interests, after all? This twist seemed to be the compelling and chilling experience of Toronto-based journalist and author Joe Fisher when he became entangled with a consuming investigation into Channeling and Spirit Guides. In Part One of our examination of Fisher's book, The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts, we're joined by our own Spirit Guide and good friend, Rich Hatem, for a discussion about Fisher's enigmatic journey into a sometimes troubling relationship with Channeling and the personalities, once-human and otherwise, that come through a medium. What materializes is realizing that our expectations of wisdom and comfort from a Higher Source can gradually lead to suspicion, fear, and doom.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In tonight's continuation of our conversation with author and paranormal researcher David Weatherly, we discuss the rest of the creatures from the remainder of his book, Strange Intruders. This unholy host of insidious beings include such wide-ranging descriptions as reptoids appearing as aliens or disguised as humans, black-eyed kids and adults, the Night Hag, Psychic Vampires, Slenderman, and David tells of his own encounter with a Grinning Man. We'll hear not only of David's ideas about them but also stories from people who've suffered the consequences of their terrifying intrusions. One recurring pattern throughout these cases is that it didn't seem to matter whether the individual believed in their existence or not. Most of the victims didn't or were unaware of their definitions, that is until they encountered one for themselves. It seems all some of these witnesses merely did was to notice them, and once they noticed being noticed, it never goes over well. These are monsters you don't need to go out of your way to search for because somehow they find you.Visit our website for more information on this episode.

Visiting a spooky location can be scary because of the spirits and monsters which may await you there. However, one can avoid these horrors by merely not going to these places, right? But what if these frightening creatures came to visit YOU? What if they knew where you lived, your secrets, what terrified you the most, then used that knowledge and their supernatural powers against you? Native elders had always spoken of mighty beings who inhabited the earth before us and enjoyed their reign over it. When humans began to populate the land, they were displeased with our presence and our ways. They retreated or were banished to the realms beyond our reality, forever holding a grudge. They can visit us in our world as they please, but theirs is a dark place, and they can bring their darkness with them. This may sound like folklore or myth, but judging by the myriad of modern-day accounts, they have since been and will always be with us. So how do we know what we’re dealing with? What is going on, what do they want with us, and what can we do about it? Who is willing to investigate these sinister encounters and tell the rest of us about them? Tonight’s guest is one such fearless explorer of the unknown. David Weatherly has researched paranormal phenomena for most of his life. He’s traveled the world in search of the answers to ghosts, cryptids, UFOs, magic, and more. He’s visited ancient and mysterious sites where many would fear to tread and studied with masters of the mystic arts and shamanic traditions from many cultures. David has been a featured lecturer at numerous paranormal conferences, a frequent guest on shows such as Coast to Coast AM, and has nearly a dozen books dealing with Forteana to his credit. Although he’s written about subjects ranging from Black-Eyed Children to cryptozoology to haunted places and objects, tonight, we’ll be focusing on his compendium of creepy beings, Strange Intruders. As fascinating as it is disturbing, this book provides anecdotes from witnesses along with insights and context about some of the most dreadful and terrifying unwelcome visitors, you might have the misfortune to meet. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode!

Last week's episode on the Ouija board's history and sociological context illustrated that its use was regarded mostly as a virtuous parlor game for over half its life. But then, in the later period of the 20th century, the board's reputation changed from being an innocent way to contact the deceased to often being an oracle and instigator of supernatural dangers. Which leads us to the question of whether it's merely that our cultural norms have changed, or is it that the communication and the resulting coincidental events have become more diabolical? Have our attitudes about Ouija evolved because it got more sinister, or have we altered what comes through the board due to a change in ourselves? In other words, is this "talking board" a window to a manipulative, omniscient intelligence, or more of a mirror reflecting our darker human essence? Whether it's the fact that we're unaware of the more iniquitous interactions of Ouija's earlier years, or the nature of it has indeed changed, we now have no shortage of anecdotes where this "game" delivered terror rather than comfort. In tonight's episode, we'll first examine some historical cases where there's a connection to Ouija and crimes. We'll then hear stories from a few of our listeners where a session with the board took a turn for the worst. The lesson here is that one should be extremely cautious if opening the door to the occult, as you never know what's waiting for you on the other side. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode!

Most of us are familiar with the name and iconic image of the magical Ouija board. Many have dared to test it, either seeking answers from the great beyond or for spooky entertainment or both. The Ouija board has always been advertised as a family-friendly game. However, for about the last 50 years, Ouija became associated with the forbidden, a taboo tool of the occult. But has it always had this reputation for unleashing evil, and when did this shift in perception occur? Is it a variation of an ancient scrying device or portal for speaking with the dead, or is it a more modern amusement? How could such a pop culture symbol that is so pervasive have such a mysterious background? It seems the board's manufacturers have intentionally kept the details shadowed from the start, adding to the marketing appeal and popularity. Although the practice of attempting communication with the spirit world is as old as philosophy, the board we recognize today had its beginnings with the Spiritualist Movement of the nineteenth century in America. Yet in that era and into the first part of the twentieth century, using the board to contact spirits was seen as wholesome family fun and nothing to fear or shun. Why did the Ouija board take a turn for the dark side, and what is its real story? As we search for clues, tonight's guest will shed more light on its history and cultural relevance. Brandon Hodge is one of the world's foremost researchers and historians of spirit communication devices. His website, mysteriousplanchette.com, is a wealth of information on these instruments, and his Austin-based collection houses an astounding display of planchettes, "talking boards," dial plates, and psychographs, everything an adventurous Victorian soul searcher might use. Please join us to discuss why a simple board with printed letters, numbers, and a pointer managed to inspire such enduring wonder and apprehension with its mystical nature. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode!

In Part Three, the commercial-free final "mega-sode" of our D. B. Cooper series, we continue with the FBI's profiling of the infamous skyjacker and learn of their Lead Agents' conclusions, Ralph P. Himmelsbach and Larry Carr. While the FBI investigation would practically come to a dead-end stalemate with their inability to "prove culpability beyond a reasonable doubt," that hasn't stopped scores of amateur and some professional sleuths from continuing the chase, with scientific evidence surfacing as recently as August 2020. One factor that has kept curiosity alive is that several likely suspects have emerged in the years since his disappearance, some having an uncanny number of bizarre coincidences to the case. As we close out our coverage with an in-depth look at these candidates for Cooper's legacy, perhaps doubts about their suitability should remain. One of the enduring aspects of his story for many is that a seemingly average guy may have gotten away with a mischievous and lucrative daydream. For the sake of our fondness for legends, especially more modern ones, perhaps some mysteries are best left unsolved. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode!

What makes the legend of D. B. Cooper so enduring is not so much the crime itself, but everything that happened after. Cooper's skyjacking was just one of many during a wave in the era. His method of escape was only somewhat novel. Although he seemed to know about some commercial jet aviation aspects, a few of his choices left authorities questioning his skills, rationale, and, therefore, his background. But what continues to capture the public's imagination is the mystery of his disappearance and speculation about his identity. The two pieces of verified evidence found outside the plane to date, a placard for the Airstairs and a few ransom money packets, raised more questions than provided answers about where he landed and if he survived the jump. Could a plan so daring and defiant have worked, or did cavalier confidence doom him? Part two of our series will continue with the investigation that triggered one of the most extensive manhunts in U.S. history and lead to the final mystery – just who was D. B. Cooper? Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode!

On the afternoon of Thanksgiving eve, November 24, 1971, a smartly dressed man approached the flight counter for Northwest Orient Airlines at Portland International Airport and purchased a one-way ticket to Seattle. The name he gave was "Dan Cooper" as he paid cash to board Flight 305, a short 30-minute trip that would turn into one of the longest criminal manhunts in modern history. Once aboard, Cooper's requests to Flight Attendant Florence Schaffner were simple: a bourbon and soda, and a note to be delivered to the captain demanding $200,000 in cash and four parachutes. To add emphasis to his order, Cooper briefly showed Schaffner what appeared to be a bomb in the black attaché case he carried with him. Calm and polite throughout the ordeal, Cooper was now instructing the pilots to take him to Mexico City during the refueling stop in Seattle. However, it was never his intention to go that far. Cooper's additional demands were now that the Boeing 727 fly not higher than 10,000 feet, with the landing gear still deployed, the wing flaps lowered, the cabin depressurized, and at the lowest airspeed possible without stalling the aircraft. Around 8:13 p.m., the aft airstairs of the jet deployed, and Cooper would leap into a cold rainstorm of a western Washington night and popular culture forever. Due to a name mixup with an early suspect by a local news reporter, the public would also forever know "Dan Cooper" as "D. B. Cooper." The mystery of Cooper's true identity and fate, along with the whereabouts of most of the ransom money, would launch a 45-year investigation by the FBI. His piracy would become a legend and the only unsolved skyjacking case in the history of commercial aviation. For a lot more information on this episode, visit our website!

In the continuation of our interview with the mastermind behind the infamous and legendary Alien Autopsy film, director, producer, conceptual artist, and magician, Spyros Melaris, we learn more about the process of its creation and the aftermath of its release upon the world. But if you think this is just one more case of "Mystery Solved! Nothing to see here, folks!" you may not be considering its broader scope. Because not only is this a rare case where the magician reveals how they did the trick, but its story reveals a glimpse into human nature, a peek behind the curtain of our beliefs and disbeliefs. The smaller picture is the mechanics behind what we see in the frame. The bigger picture is a contemplation of how and why we believe the things we do. Keeping in mind that nothing in the film could be disproven at the time; if you didn't buy what you saw or didn't bother to look, ask yourself, was it because what you saw didn't look authentic in your estimation, or was it because you think the reality of it is impossible? For those who demand proof of aliens before they accept the idea, why not look at all? For those that believed, was it an open mind that entertained its veracity or merely wishful thinking, and what does it take to foment disbelief? What keeps some believing even after revealing the trick? With the word hoax being so currently prominent in our society, it certainly seems beneficial to examine one of the world's greatest hoaxes and the hoaxer's methods. The Alien Autopsy film defined for many the adage "Seeing is Believing" to mean seeing in person, but how can we trust what we see? The proof of alien life would be the biggest story on the planet. What we would consider the evidence and how we would handle it is our own biggest mystery.For more information on this episode visit our website!

Indeed, there is no shortage of debatable evidence and probable hoaxes when it comes to the subject of UFOs and aliens. Yet as with any cultural phenomenon, there are those prime examples that rise to the top to become forever cemented into our collective consciousness. One such artifact is a 17-minute black-and-white film that became so iconic it is merely, and famously known only as "Alien Autopsy." The film sequence purported to show government or military Medical Examiners performing an autopsy on an alien lifeform supposedly recovered along with debris from an equally famous event, the 1947 Roswell UFO crash. One could argue that the film has become more well-known than the incident upon which it was supposedly based. The first public screening of the film occurred on May 5, 1995, in a small theater at the Museum of London. The organizer of the event who had possession of the film at the time, a music and television producer named Ray Santilli, had invited the Press, UFOlogists, and even clergy members to witness the extraordinary footage to generate buzz and controversy. Accomplishing both aims, news outlets around the world picked up on the story. But the biggest sensation sparked on August 28th of that year, when Fox Television aired a documentary Special featuring the footage titled, Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction. The Special was re-broadcast two more times, with each one generating millions of more viewers. The backstory Santilli stated then was that he purchased the footage from a retired military cameraman who shot the film during the actual autopsy at the Roswell Army Air Field. However, just before the release of a 2006 British comedy called Alien Autopsy, which dramatized the story of the events surrounding the film, Santilli admitted that the film he and his partner Gary Shoefield released was a recreation of the original footage he acquired in 1992. He claims that in the time he first viewed the 22 original reels and the 1995 release, the film deteriorated so severely that his team needed to recreate the shots based on what he had seen. But Santilli also insists that they spliced frames from the original footage into the film they released – that an authentic, 1947 autopsy film existed. But that is his story, and as we all know, there are always more sides to one. Enter tonight's guest, magician and media producer Spyros Melaris. Spyros has a convincing story of his own, that he and his friend, sculptor and Special Effects artist John Humphreys created the film and everything seen in it – that there is no authentic autopsy film. Whatever you may decide after hearing part one of our interview with Spyros, one thing is sure: the Alien Autopsy film captured the imagination of the world and might be one of the greatest hoaxes of all time. For more information on this episode visit our website!

In the continuation of our interview with esteemed UFO and paranormal investigator Stan Gordon, he relays case studies that indicate that the event at Kecksburg may have been merely one incident in a long and continuing saga of High Strangeness. In his 61 years of research so far, beginning in 1959 at the age of ten, Stan has interviewed thousands of UFO witnesses and hundreds of people who've claimed to confront Bigfoot. In the decades of data collection and analysis, reaching a crescendo with the Pennsylvania UFO "Flap" of 1973 and continuing to this day, a startling and incomprehensible pattern began to emerge. Many of these accounts of two traditionally thought of as disparate types of phenomena, UFOs and Bigfoot, occurred in the same places and within days, hours, or minutes of each other. In a few of the most bizarre cases, Bigfoots appeared to interact with a UFO encounter, as if one may be responsible for the other. Yet reports over the years weren't limited to these two favorites of Forteana. Stan had also investigated connected reports of other cryptid sightings, strange environmental phenomena, spirit activity, and had himself come across footprints of 3 and 4-toed unnatural creatures, along with classic Bigfoot tracks that inexplicably stop as if the being had vanished. A significant number of reports originate in the Chestnut Ridge region, an approximately 75 mile-long westernmost ridge of the Allegheny Mountains extending into West Virginia. However, incidents have spread out like a virus over the decades to cover most of Pennsylvania. Some paranormal researchers would be hesitant to publicly consider an association between these marvels or even scoff at the notion. But a lifetime of investigation leaves Stan with the conclusion that a mind-blowing connection between these cases indeed exists. That these connections would be statistically unreasonable to ignore, and this camp of thinking is growing. As we conclude this interview, one might be wondering, what are the implications if a correlation is real, and if it is, is Chestnut Ridge, the Skinwalker Ranch of Pennsylvania?For more information on this episode visit our website!

Tonight's show will be a special treat for those listeners who've been patiently awaiting a revamping of our coverage of the Kecksburg UFO incident. Those unfamiliar with the case but entertain a curiosity with mysterious, non-organic objects falling from our skies meeting an equally mysterious fate will also find this episode fascinating. In the late afternoon of December 9, 1965, thousands of citizens watched as a large, fiery object streaked through the skies over at least six to eight U.S. States and Ontario, Canada. Many who observed its unusually slow path claimed it seemed to be under "intelligent control." While astronomers continued to assume it was merely a meteor bolide entering Earth's atmosphere, some type of craft crash-landed in the woods near the town of Kecksburg, Pennsylvania. Local eye-witnesses and First Responders who descended onto the scene described the object as looking like a giant acorn, large enough for a human to stand in, and encircling a band near its base were strange markings some likened to Egyptian hieroglyphs. Uncharacteristically for something as natural as a meteor landing, military authorities, purported NASA personnel, and State troopers immediately arrived and cordoned off the crash site and shooed away onlookers. The object was loaded onto a flatbed truck along with multiple unknown containers, tarped and hauled away to some government facility, which would be the last time any unauthorized civilian would see it. This was before initial reports that the U.S. Air Force and State troopers found "absolutely nothing" during their search. There have since been speculations that the craft was a downed Soviet space probe called Kosmos 96, or perhaps a General Electric Mark 2 Re-entry Vehicle. While we could've revisited the story with just these oft-told elements and our own speculations, we thought it was best to wait patiently to speak to an authority who's studied the case for decades for some much-needed insight. We're finally fortunate enough to talk with Stan Gordon, a paranormal investigator from the area who's researched the Kecksburg crash since his teens, and has tracked all of the associated High Strangeness that has followed. Also joining the conversation is Stan's friend Ron Struble, a witness to the original incident as a Kecksburg Volunteer Firefighter. This a discussion that not only examines a plausible scenario through reported facts but one that has altered our assessment of one of the most well-documented cases in UFOlogy, one that has become known as "Pennsylvania's Roswell."For more information on this episode visit our website!

For children, the world is still new and full of wonder. Every day is a chance for an adventure, discovering exciting possibilities, and meeting interesting people. Sadly, today's world is a little less safe for kids to explore on their own than it was in the nostalgically idyllic year of 1973. In early May of that year, two kids would make a new friend that may have literally been out of this world. A 7-year-old girl known as "Fay" and her friend, a boy about the same age, took a walk near Lake Common, adjacent to the town of Sandown, on the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England. Around 4:00 p.m., the pair heard a strange wailing sound coming from across the nearby golf course. They followed the noise until it ceased. The children were walking over a wooden footbridge that crossed a narrow stream when suddenly a hand wearing a blue glove appeared and out from under the bridge a most bizarre being emerged. After some initial slapstick-like fumblings, what eventually followed was an encounter and discussion with a creature whose actions and description seem beyond the imagination of even the most precocious child. Fay and her friend described its appearance as nearly seven feet tall and similar to that of a partly wooden, partly mechanical, partly flesh clown, and not like from any circus you're likely to see. It introduced itself as "...all colours, Sam." Seemingly friendly, and perhaps a little lonely and certainly misunderstood, the children began to ask "Sam" what he was, whether a man or if not that as best they could figure, a ghost. The cryptic answer they received was, " ...Well, not really, but I am in an odd sort of way." The two would spend around 30 minutes visiting with their new friend in his liminal, metal shack, which later vanished. Whether Sam was some "Ultraterrestrial" entity, a sentient cyborg from another world, or merely the "whimsy of a child," this is a story that is precisely the kind we like to talk about... nay, MUST be discussed. And that's what we're going to do in tonight's episode, with the help of our good friends Micah Hanks of the Micah Hanks Program and Rob Morphy from the Cryptonaut podcast. We may never understand what Sam indeed was, but there are enough weird and wonderful elements to this case that neither child nor adult could ever forget meeting Sam the Sandown Ghost Clown.For more information on this episode visit our website!

In the second & final part of our Question & Answer interview with the inimitable Rich Hatem, Scott & Forrest continue to babble & blather on & on about everything from UFOs & Ghosts to vampires & Yetis, and everything in-between. Because, you know, everything is connected. And if everything is indeed connected, then is anything really, a long, drawn-out, tedious tangent? Why not dare to find out?! Let's face it, if you've stuck with us this far, you might as well see it through to the end, and we'd be so glad to have you!For more information on this episode visit our website!

Believe it or not, we've always viewed this podcast as a journey. Initially, we wanted the feel of the show to embody the spirit of why we wanted to start a podcast in the first place – because we enjoyed discussing the strange and mysterious stories of this weird and wonderful world of ours with good friends. We hope that spirit of camaraderie, curiosity, and discovery remains. We're still unsure where this adventure into the unknown will take us, perhaps to some enlightenment or just more questions, but we couldn't be more grateful and honored that you've decided to travel with us. Along the way, many listeners have had questions for us or wanted to share an anecdote about their own experiences. As we've said many times before, one of our few regrets is that we haven't had the time to answer or respond to all of them directly, but perhaps these next two episodes will help a bit with that. We felt it was a good time to take a moment, well, two very long moments spread out over two episodes to address some of the most frequently asked questions and also engage in a little introspection on where we're all at since starting this show in October of 2014. And what better host and moderator to guide us and embrace that feeling mentioned above than our good friend Rich Hatem. We'll talk about our backgrounds, motivations, intentions, processes, thoughts on our topics, and how our beliefs have changed... or not. We hope you'll join us for a reflection as we continue on this journey together.For more information on this episode visit our website!

Bonus show on the Hellfire Club of Dublin, originally posted to Patreon, now being shared on our main feed during this dark week.No associated webpage for this episode, but here is a link to Part 1 of the original Loftus Hall Series.

We are sharing 2h45m uninterrupted audio file of heavy surf at high tide from February 14th, 2020 late evening at Carolina Beach. Recorded with a Zoom H4N at a high sample rate. Use it for sleep, meditation, ambience or don't use it at all. Share with anyone you'd like, but not for profit. All rights reserved by Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC

It seems Lady Wonder was much more than a "One-trick Pony." But even if you consider her one trick to be an abnormal aptitude for intuitiveness and the ability to express it, that's quite a trick for an animal. Her impressive skills were at least intriguing enough to garner a scientific study of her phenomenon by a couple of leading researchers of the day. Joseph Banks Rhine or "J.B." as he was known, and his wife Louisa E. Rhine were the founders of the branch of psychology known as parapsychology, with J.B. credited with coining the term Extrasensory Perception, or E.S.P. In a week, they conducted around 500 experiments on Lady Wonder's powers. While there was no conclusive proof that the horse had an individual and infallible psychic perception, the data collected was enough to astound the Rhines since no human trickery was detected. In the following years, J.B. Rhine would come to doubt his initial conclusions, although he never expounded on his later thinking. Still, he wondered if there wasn't instead a form of telepathy between Lady and her handler Claudia Fonda, which would be nearly as remarkable. Skeptics have claimed that this mere parlor trick was performed by having Lady move over each letter on her "typewriter," at which point Claudia would somehow signal Lady to tap the correct key. However, this would necessitate Lady having to step several feet in either direction to cover every possible letter and number, and the Rhines observed that when she was most effective, the horse was near motionless while in an almost trance-like state. It would also not explain how Claudia then could have answers to questions she would not logically know. If J.B. Rhine's rethinking of his conclusions was correct, it might be just as extraordinary if there was psychical cooperation between Lady and Claudia, one that perhaps Claudia was not even aware of herself. Whether you believe psychic ability with any living creature is real or not, at the very least, the story of Lady Wonder illustrates the profound and special bond humans have with the animals they love. For more information on this episode visit our website!

Many folks simply don't believe in psychic abilities. But those that have had a total stranger tell them something about themselves that the person couldn't possibly know have often had a change of heart. But what if that impossible information came from a horse! There have been quite a few trained animals over the years that have displayed an uncanny ability to perform human-like mental feats. From counting numbers and communicating to predicting the outcomes of sporting events, these clever animals have delighted and entertained us with their tricks. But none have come close to the prodigious prognostication of a horse named "Lady Wonder." Lady Wonder was a mare raised by Claudia and Clarence Fonda on their farm in Richmond, Virginia. From her beginnings as a weeks-old foal, it was clear to Claudia that Lady was special, as she demonstrated an almost supernatural ability for intuitiveness. Claudia soon trained Lady to recognize the alphabet with the use of toy blocks. As she grew, Clarence fabricated a sort of giant typewriter where Lady could tap out the answers to questions posed to her. But Lady's answers weren't relegated to the obvious, incredible as that act alone would seem. Lady also knew things about the inquisitor that no one else could know. As soon as this ability became known to the public, Lady was soon seeing hundreds of visitors a week, answering questions about subjects such as personal advice, business, romance, and of course, lucky gambling picks. But most mystifying of all were her predictions of future events and knowledge of missing people. Although like most human psychics, Lady was sometimes wrong about her prophesies, she was right enough throughout her life to spark public fascination and scientific study, earning her the name of "Lady Wonder." For more information on this episode visit our website!

Many of us have seen all those ghost hunting shows on Cable Television and elsewhere. They usually feature an intrepid team of Paranormal Researchers trying to capture supernatural activity using electronic equipment like Night-vision cameras, audio recorders, and specially modified gear to aid in Instrumental Trans-Communication, or “ITC.” The evidence gathered is often compelling and entertaining, but usually frustratingly lacking in details. What we want to know is, who or what is this thing making its presence known, and most chillingly, what does it want? For those answers, some shows employ a psychic or a medium, and yes, there’s a difference. What these gifted individuals can tell us is what they can supposedly see that the cameras cannot, messages the recorders cannot hear, and sensations no device can detect. We’re fascinated by the insight because the answers lead to the more significant question, and that is, what happens to us after we die and what’s it like “beyond the veil?” And whether we believe in these claims or not, haven’t you thought how interesting it would be to speak with and ask questions of someone with these powers? So did we. Tonight’s guest is just such a conduit to the Other Side. Jim Hunt is an “Intuitive Life Coach” who uses his psychic abilities to help his clients understand their personal path. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Jim was the resident Psychic Medium for the ghost hunting show Knock Knock Ghost, which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. With a respectful and comforting manner, this on-camera approach, combined with seemingly uncanny confirmations of his observations through the ITC devices, made us think he might be fun to talk to, and we were right. In our conversation with Jim, he talks about his experiences in eastern Canada’s historically haunted locations and gives us both a bit of a “reading” where we just might gain a little insight into our own stories and that of the podcast. For more information on this episode visit our website!

For nearly a month, the boys who originally discovered the "Kera Object" continued to search for and experiment with it, almost like a wild animal they hoped to tame. The tale of their exploits with the bizarre item would be more comfortable to pass off as a childish prank if not for the corroboration of its existence by at least a couple of adults. One of the boys, Yasuo, brought home the device to be examined by his father, Matsuo Fujimoto, who was then the director of the Center for Science Education in Kōchi City. The boy's father, someone with scientific training, gave the object a cursory examination. He determined that it appeared similar to an antique cast iron ashtray, but too light for the real thing. Peering through the holes in the bottom, Mr. Fujimori noticed that the internal components were similar to a radio's. However, he was unable to look any closer since it could not be opened and lost interest in the find. He would later express regret for not having studied the object more closely. Katsuoka Kojima's mother, Aiko, had also reported that the object glowed like fireflies, while Yasuo Fujimoto's mother had her own sighting of a small UFO about a month later. In contrast to these possible confirmations of authenticity, a local astronomer interested in the phenomenon, Tsutomu Seki, had interviewed the witnesses and was impressed by them and their story, but still maintained doubts about various elements of the case. To add to the mystery, at least two other reports of encounters with strikingly similar objects had occurred, one in 1976 about 25 miles to the west from Kera, and another as far away as Suonenjoki, Finland in 1979. So what are we to make of all the varying details concerning these impossible objects? If we are to believe ongoing reports, certain authorities already have extraterrestrial items in their possession, but they are strictly guarded secrets not meant for public knowledge. If we are to believe the thousands of accounts from ordinary citizens, these alien articles are egalitarian in who they choose to appear to. Perhaps one day, if one of these phenomenal objects can manage to be kept and operated by one of the "Little People," it will open up a new world of discovery and understanding for all of us. For more information on this episode visit our website!

Some of the most extraordinary and interactive encounters with UFOs or anomalous objects are surprisingly the least well-known. And yet elements of the tale once heard could seem to be quite familiar. Tonight’s subject appears to be just one of those cases. Although there are variations in the details of the incident, the general narrative goes as follows. In the afternoon or early evening of August 25, 1972, 13-year-old student Michio Seo was passing by a rice paddy in his neighborhood of Kera near Kochi City on Shikoku Island in southern Japan when something caught his eye. A small, strange hat-shaped device was flying erratically several feet above the field. With a dull silver metallic finish, and a wide brim sloping upward to a bell-shaped flat top, Michio would describe its flight pattern as like a bat zig-zagging to catch insects. Mustering his courage, Michio cautiously approached the tiny UFO until it seemed to sense his proximity and shot a bright beam of light in his direction, chasing him away. Michio Seo then did what any adventurous teenager would do, he rounded up his four best friends and returned to the scene, hoping to prove his wondrous discovery. To their surprise, the craft eventually returned, this time pulsating with multicolored light as evening fell. As one of the boys got closer, the gadget once again sensed the approach and sounded a loud pop and shone a blue glow, sending them all running. Over the next several weeks, the boys would play a cat-and-mouse game with the incredible gizmo, photographing it, even capturing and experimenting with it, only to have it mysteriously escape each time. While this account may sound like the inspiration for a Hollywood movie, there is shockingly little information about the incident outside of Japan. To add to the uniqueness of this encounter, not only is the contact unusually spirited, it’s characterized by elements of Pop Culture, Urban Legend, and Japanese folklore. However, with the tremendous research help of writers and podcasters Micah Hanks and Rob Morphy, we aim to get to the bottom of an amazing story about what’s become known as “The Kera Object.”For more information on this episode visit our website!

After a long and successful piratical career in the Gulf of Mexico, the United States government finally, and firmly, requested the Laffite brothers leave Galveston Island forever. On May 7, 1821, Jean Laffite left without protest, but not before he had his men torch his Maison Rouge headquarters and all buildings within the settlement of his Campeche compound. It’s also likely he took with him his massive hoard of ill-gotten booty, possibly loaded onto four ships, one of which was his vessel, the Pride. But the corsair life was in their blood, and Laffite could not leave it nor the Gulf. He and his men would continue to take prizes there and in the waters off Cuba and Central America until his debated end sometime between 1823 and 1826. The mysteries of his legend would continue to live on, as the search for his millions never ceased. Although no one has publicly claimed to find his treasure, our interview guest, Cody Hix, may have found tantalizing clues leading to Laffite’s lost ship. Cody, his brother Chuck, and their cousin Jay Hix-Jones appeared in an episode of Expedition Unknown with Josh Gates. During their segment, they not only outlined their theory on a family connection to Laffite’s lineage but also find evidence of a possible shipwreck in a promising location. Join us tonight as we dive deeper into the background of Cody’s family history and the details of their amazing find. We’ll also discuss the even more persistent and enduring tales than that of Laffite’s buried treasure, those of the ghost of his tormented soul. One legend has it that due to Laffite’s eternal guilt over his crimes, his spirit searches for an honorable and beneficent seeker to whom he will reveal his treasure. Perhaps he has finally found worthy heirs.For more information on this episode visit our website!

Some lost treasures are legendary because of what is hidden. Some are legendary because of who did the hiding. Both types of captivating tales are found in the book Coronado’s Children. Published in 1930 and written by Texas folklorist and author J. Frank Dobie, Coronado’s Children is an enthralling collection of stories about buried treasure, Old West capers, and the often dangerous quest for a fleeting fortune by adventurous characters. Usually a blend of documented events and dubious oral history, these stories are not merely Tall Tales but testaments of a pioneering spirit that furthered the exploration of the American southwest and was foundational to the United States as a country. One such account that stood out to us was the legend of Jean Laffite and his brother Pierre. Spelled “Laffite” by the brothers themselves, but recorded in contemporary official US documents as “Lafitte,” theirs is a chronicle that begins and ends in mystery and everything in-between became firmly entrenched in the early history of Louisiana and Texas, from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Arriving in New Orleans around the time of the Louisana Purchase in 1803 from debated origins, the Laffite brothers soon established a blacksmith shop in the French Quarter, which still stands today. Not long after, they realized the real profit would come from using the shop to “fence” pirated goods stolen by the privateers who preyed on Spanish merchant ships in Barataria Bay. Using their natural business acumen, the Laffites would expand their criminal enterprises enough to make themselves some of the richest and most powerful men in the region. Even when their flagrant operations had threatened the sovereignty of the US government, Jean Laffite was able to gain at least temporary pardon and acclaim by greatly aiding then General Andrew Jackson to victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans. In a career of contradictions and double-dealings, Jean Laffite would enjoy such occupations as a prominent businessman, smuggler, military hero, spy, slave trader, and criminal mastermind, but popular opinion regards him most generally as a pirate, a moniker he detested. Whatever his actual life story is and the fate of his amassed fortune, his legacy is perhaps best described by J. Frank Dobie as, “Legend, Paradox, Mystery.”For more information on this episode visit our website!

We’re all sequestered in our respective locations these Strange Days, with many of us using teleconferencing applications to connect with co-workers, friends, and family. It’s a tool we use in our regular production of the podcast since we’ve been separated by a continent. But now we thought it was time to put it to even better use to check in with our good friends Rich Hatem and Rob Kristoffersen. We first met Rob in 2016 when he graciously helped us research UFO subjects. He has since gone on to produce his own podcast, Our Strange Skies, a captivating and in-depth program on the phenomenon. Rich was introduced to us through a mutual friend when an uncanny discovery occurred. He was not only the screenwriter of The Mothman Prophecies, a film we often discussed, but he also had a vast knowledge of, and a shared passion for the paranormal. We’ve had both fine gentlemen on past episodes separately, but never with all of us on together. Tonight’s show will be a free-wheeling, casual conversation covering such topics as Charles Hoy Fort, the namesake of paranormal phenomena dubbed “Forteana,” recent developments at Skinwalker Ranch, and even our setups for podcast recording and teleconferencing at home. We hope you’ll find tonight’s episode to be in the same spirit that our show is meant to be for all of our audience. That is, an engaging discussion and enduring camaraderie no matter how strange things get. For more information on this episode visit our website!

Astonishing Legends presents the premiere of Season 2 of our additional show, The Midnight Library. The remaining 12 episodes can be found, dropping weekly on Sundays, on The Midnight Library's own feed. Please find and subscribe to it wherever you get your podcasts!Welcome back, Dear Guests! - Goddess Tree, Witch Tree, Bearer of a Gift Tree; Tonight we gather to learn what ancient magical powers can be found in a Rowan tree. Infused with myths, imbued with luck, and sacred to this day, the Rowan tree may be just the thing to bring joy to your garden, or it may even save your life!For more information on this episode visit our website!

Valid hypotheses about the Lost Colony of 1587 on Roanoke Island have existed since the settlers' disappearance. In 1603, Bartholomew Gilbert attempted the last contemporary expedition to locate the colonists, but his search ended with the death of himself and four crewmen at the hands of Algonquian natives. John Smith, an influential leader of the Jamestown Colony of 1607, had heard stories from Native American chiefs about villages where some of the men wore European-style clothing. His search efforts would come up empty-handed, except for producing a map showing the locations of the suspected communities with walled housing. It wasn't until 1701 with John Lawson's expedition to the then Province of Carolina that a European exploration would again check the Roanoke site along with the Croatoan area, which became Hatteras Island. Lawson's examination of Roanoke yielded few clues except for the ruins of a fort and some English items. His meeting with the Hatteras natives, however, provided a curious revelation: some of the Hatteras tribal members had gray eyes and claimed a few of their ancestors were white. After Lawson's search, with inconclusive evidence and no forensic methodology at the time, interest in the Lost Colony's fate faded over the decades. In the 430 years since the colonist's disappearance, hypotheses ranging from massacre and conspiracy to assimilation have remained unprovable. Even with tantalizing finds through recent archaeology and DNA research, we are still one conclusive discovery away from declaring the story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, a "Mystery Solved!" For more information on this episode visit our website!

Few realize or remember that the very beginnings of English colonization in North America were fraught with tremendous hardship, peril, and connected to an enduring mystery. A charter was granted to Sir Walter Raleigh by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1584 to explore and colonize lands unclaimed by Christian kingdoms, south of Newfoundland, and north of Spanish Florida. With hopes of finding vast riches as the Spanish Empire had done in Central and South America and a possible Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean, Raleigh had initiated two attempts at establishing an English settlement along the coast of present-day North Carolina. The first colony was set up by Governor Ralph Lane in 1585 on Roanoke Island, located in the Outer Banks. This enterprise would end in failure and evacuation from scare resources and hostile relations with the local Native American tribes. A second attempt at a colony came in 1587 with Governor John White and around 115 men, women, and children who had agreed to settle in this wondrous but challenging new country. Unfortunately, a curious order left these hapless planters on Roanoke Island, which had now become dangerous from the actions of the former colony. The colonists persuaded White to return to England to plead for help, but due to a variety of unforeseen circumstances, he was not able to return to Roanoke until 1590. When White and the relief mission finally made their way to their last known location, the settlers had vanished, including White's daughter and his infant granddaughter. White's granddaughter Virginia Dare would be known as the first English child born in a New World English possession, but what happened to her remains unknown. The only clue as to their whereabouts were the letters "CRO" carved into a tree and the word "CROATOAN" carved into the fort's palisade. These enigmatic carvings and the strange disappearance of the Lost Colony at Roanoke would ensure that their fate would become one of the first and lasting mysteries of the English occupation in the New World. For more information on this episode visit our website!

On November 29, 1925, the tramp steamer SS Cotopaxi left port at Charleston, South Carolina, under the command of Captain William Meyer loaded with her usual cargo of coal, and headed for Havana, Cuba. The voyage was routine until the ship ran into a fierce tropical storm off the eastern coast of Florida near Jacksonville. On December 1, the Cotopaxi sent out a distress call saying it was taking on water and listing badly. A thorough search of the area found no trace of the vessel or its thirty-two crew members, and the Cotopaxi would become another entry in the long record of seafaring mysteries, with many believing it had also become a victim of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. Although a notable tragedy in its day, the story of the Cotopaxi would fade from the public's memory, that is until it made a surprising cameo in Steven Spielberg's 1977 motion picture, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What would later become even more surprising was the discovery of a shipwreck matching the Cotopaxi's description sometime in the decade following the film. However, due to the sunken ship's concealment in ocean sands, no one would realize the similarity at the time. Laying in about 100 feet of water and 35 nautical miles east of the coast of the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida, the site became popularly known as the "Bear Wreck," an assumption of its association with another lost ship. It would take a nagging hunch and nearly 15 years of diving on the wreck for marine biologist and underwater explorer Michael Barnette to finally have enough of the puzzle pieces to make a solid connection to the Cotopaxi. While the wreck's dimensions, various recovered parts, and a position correlated with newly discovered insurance records make this site a strong candidate for the Cotopaxi, there is still a missing clue that could positively identify the doomed steamer. Please join us for a more casual conversation about the recent news that may be a rare occasion where the headline is earned, "Mystery Solved!" For more information on this episode visit our website!

As with any mysterious event, it’s often said that we should look to the simplest solution as being most likely the right one. The idea that when presented with competing hypotheses that make the same predictions, the solution with the fewest assumptions should be chosen is usually attributed to the principle of “Occam’s razor.” But what happens if we try to apply this cure-all of an axiom to explain a medieval legend that has few clues associated with it? In Part Two of our series on The Pied Piper of Hamelin, we’ll explore several of the leading hypotheses on this bizarre event such as the plague and Murine Typhus, forced emigration, the “Dancing Madness” and ergotism, slavery, the Crusades and even alien abduction. And if we return to applying “Occam’s razor” to this mystery from the Middle Ages and accept the contemporary accounts? Then what remains is the disturbing thought that somehow, a nefarious charmer simply used a flute to tragically persuade a large group of children to follow him into oblivion. They may be lost and their names are forgotten, but they and their Piper shall be forever remembered as one of the most famous legends of all time. For more information on this episode visit our website!

In the year 1284 CE, a remarkable and colorfully dressed young man came to the town of Hamelin in Lower Saxony, Germany. There are two documentations of this wanderer’s visit, the originals of which have since been lost. According to the contemporary Hamelin chronicle and a depiction in a stained glass window in a local church, this handsome stranger began to play his flute through the streets. Enchanted by the notes, 130 children from the town followed him into the woods, never to be seen again. In the hundreds of years since the supposedly real event occurred, the most significant addition to the story would be the reason for the mass kidnapping. After successfully ridding the town of a plague of rats using his musical pipe, the payment the piper was promised was withheld by the mayor and the town leaders. Furious at his being cheated, the magical visitor took their children as his payment. This later variation of the narrative we have all come to know as “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” Today, we may think of this story as a children’s Fairly Tale. But as the Brothers Grimm had noted themselves, and who are partly responsible for making it known to the world, this is a legend and not a Fairy Tale. The difference is that legends are considered to be based on actual events, people, and places. In relation, it’s also said that there is a kernel of truth to every legend. If that is accurate, then the real Pied Piper event may be far more mysterious and tragic than we could have imagined, either as children or adults. For more information on this episode visit our website!

In this episode, we revisit the Sallie House in Atchison, Kansas – by way of The Dave Glover Show, as Scott's not quite ready to return in person. ; ) Being an Astonishing Legends listener himself, Dave has graciously invited Scott and Forrest to appear on his show several times. Now it was time to repay the favor, especially since Dave and his crew had a chilling and emotional experience there themselves. The Dave Glover Show has been driving St. Louis home for 20 years. Airing regularly from 3 pm to 7 pm Monday through Friday on 97.1 Talk Radio, Dave and his co-hosts Rachel and Tony, along with their producer Ryan, get to discuss their curiosities during the "Paranormal Wednesday" segments. For their Halloween Specials, the team will investigate a regional haunt, such as the famous Lemp Mansion or the "Exorcist House." This past October 2019, had the DGS crew investigating the Sallie House, motivated partly because of the house's notoriety and our series on it. It would be safe to say that many who visit the haunted house don't report much of a paranormal encounter except for coming away with feeling a very spooky vibe and some interesting history about the place. However, it also seems that whatever unseen forces operate at the Sallie House, they will sometimes single out an individual or group and deliver to them an experience they will never forget, even if the details become mysteriously hazy. This is what happened to Dave and some of his team, as interactions appeared to tap into thoughts, target their emotions, and affect their physical senses. Of course, some might chalk this communication up to a series of coincidences. But then Dave, as well as the rest of us, must consider how many coincidences are too many? At what point does denying a formation of relevant meaning start to seem illogical or even foolish?For more information on this episode visit our website!