Originating in the stories and beliefs of the southeastern Indigenous peoples of Australia, accounts of the bunyip are widely varied. This episode uses Aboriginal stories, historical records, and fossils to explore the bunyip legend, and...

Although able to appear as a beautiful young woman, the jorōgumo is really a deadly spider monster in disguise. This episode dives into the fascinating world of yōkai and the long history of beautiful women and spiders in Japanese...

Dr. Zarka explains the timeline of this Internet folklore sensation, examining how unlike so many other monster origins stories, we know exactly when and why this one was created. From Creepypasta to video games, horror movies to...

Jinn is a popular character in fiction and their origins continue to influence Islamic cultures today. From the Qur’an to The Thousand and One Nights, the story of Aladdin to I Dream of Jeannie and everything in between—the jinn are more...

In this special episode, Dr. Zarka shows you what’s inside her “go bag,” a kit of survival supplies she keeps on hand at all times. In this episode you’ll find out how the horror genre can inspire real-world preparedness and take a look...

Hansel and Gretel is one of the most famous fairy tales of the Western world, and contains one of the most notorious witches. In this episode you’ll learn about witch trials in Germany, the role famine and poverty play in creating...

He can grow higher than the trees, or smaller than a blade of grass. Both demon and deity, guardian and antagonist, the Leshy is rooted deep in the cultural and religious history of the Slavic people.

One of the Phillipine’s most dangerous and bizarre aswangs, the viscera-sucking, self-segmenting monster hunts at night. A beautiful woman by day, this creature detaches its upper torso and grows wings after sunset. An intestine-dangling...

Connected to witchcraft, sexual predation, and mischief, the tokoloshe is a dominant myth in South Africa. There are different kinds of tokoloshe/tikoloshe, but one thing remains the same in all versions of the monster: they cause havoc...

In this episode, you’ll hear all about Homer’s Polyphemus and Hesiod’s one-eyed blacksmiths, but also a little about the role paleontology has played in creating monsters. Join Dr. Zarka and special guests Kallie Moore and Blake de...

Did you know there are two different types of chupacabras? Or that these bloodsucking monsters only starting popping up 25 years ago? Sightings of el chupacabras, the “goatsucker,” began in Puerto Rico in 1994 for a very real reason—the...

This video explores how writers use the literary element of atmosphere to create specific feelings about a place or setting within a story. It distinguishes atmosphere from mood and uses examples from Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and...

Famous American author Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting death may have been a result of cooping, a violent form of voter fraud practiced in the 19th century.

As strange as the creatures of the microcosmos are, their lives still revolve around the same fundamentals that ours do. There’s food, reproduction, and death. Yes, even microbes, hardy as they can be, experience death. In some ways,...

No Edgar Allan Poe biography would be complete without examining the frequently bizarre circumstances surrounding his life. Although today Poe is universally admired and respected, his journey was a difficult and frequently depressing...

In this video, the teacher explains the concepts of literary elements and literary techniques. They discuss the literary elements of theme and atmosphere, and the literary techniques of foreshadowing, diction, and anaphora. Through...

The Elements of Fiction - Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson . These are just three of the renowned authors whose work is cited in The Elements of Fiction, which explores: Plot elements, character, conflict, flashback,...