Category Archives: Podcast

Ancient Mysteries II

In this sequel to the original Ancient Mysteries, Eric discusses several mysterious cases from olden times. First is the legend of the screaming mummy. Gaston Maspero, the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Service was inspecting various different mummies found at Deir El Bahri near the Valley of the Kings. Amongst the newly-discovered, legendary leaders of Egypt was an unmarked sarcophagus belonging to an unknown mummy. However this was no ordinary mummy. Upon opening the case he discovered this mummy’s face was locked in an eternal scream. This body had been bound by his hands and feet, so tightly that there were marks on his bones. But despite this apparent torture the remains were carefully mummified and preserved. The body had also been wrapped in sheep or goat skin which is considered by the ancient Egyptians to be ritualistically unclean. While many believe this individual to be the traitor son of Ramses III who was punished for his alleged betrayal of his father, others suspect him to be a prince from the nearby rival civilization of the Hittites. Modern advancements in technology have shed some light on the details regarding this unexplained anomaly however this mystery has yet to be confirmed.

Next up is the “Devil’s Footprints” which were a line of footprints left in the snow, discovered one morning in 1855 in Devon, England. These footprints were said to have stretched over 100 miles which is more distance than any earthly creature would be able to cover in a single night. Devils footprintsThese cloven hoof prints were said to have either scaled 14 foot walls or passed directly through them and continued on the other side, unimpeded. One report states that the trail passed a two-mile stretch of the River Exe and then continued on the other side. While clergymen were eager to jump on this opportunity and claim these prints belonged to Satan himself and that he was here to collect souls of sinners, others took a more reasonable approach and attempted to rationalize the anomaly as belonging to animals. One thing is for sure: these footprints caused a significant amount of unrest in Devon in the 1850s.

Our final investigation is the mysterious disappearance of James Burne Worson. This story of a shoemaker and established citizen in his community in Warwickshire, England tells of this boastful individual’s habit of getting involved in impossible wagers. His latest bet involved him running to a nearby town and back again — a total round trip of nearly 40 miles. After setting out on this venture, with two fellows following him in a carriage to vouch for his completion of the task, Worson began running without difficulty for several miles. Then suddenly with their eyes fully upon him, he stumbled and began to fall, let out a shrill gut-wrenching scream and immediately vanished without hitting the ground. There have been very few reasonable explanations for what could have happened here, however the truth of the story is in question. Is it possible for individuals to not only go missing but to disappear entirely?

If a Tree Falls in the Forest

If a tree falls in the forest does it really make a sound? This philosophical conundrum raises questions about humans ability to perceive and interpret reality. What is reality? How much of what we are seeing is real and how much of it is simply our brains misinterpreting our senses?

In this episode we discuss several different haunted forests around the world. The first of which is known as Hoia Baciu, also known as “The World’s Most Haunted Forest”, also known as “Romania’s Bermuda Triangle”. HB UFOThis forest has been known for its mysterious UFO sightings and apparitions since the 60s when a biologist went there to examine the strange curvature of the trees that grew on the land. Instead of finding an answer to his question, he snapped several photos of UFOs and also experienced the feeling that he was not alone in Hoia Baciu. Since then people who visit this small area of land complain of unexplained nausea and vomiting, rashes, scratches and feelings that they are being watched.

The next haunted forest is known as Aokigahara which is a most beautiful 16 square mile patch of land located at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan. Many people from all over the world travel here to catch a glimpse of its splendor, however there is another more sinister attraction. It has become Japan’s number one suicide hot spot and over the last two decades hundreds of skeletons have been found in these woods. What is it about this area that attract so many desperate individuals and erodes there will to survive? SF JapanSome come with the full intent of ending their lives while others come with a back up plan in case they change their mind and decide they wish to live. However one thing is for sure, and that is that this forest has an extremely treacherous terrain that could reduce your most avid hiker to nothing more then an incapacitated, lost hope.

Our final haunted forest lands closer to our home in Virginia, United States of America. Along the Appalachian Trail many people have reported seeing the ghost of a young boy known as Ottie Cline Powell. This young boy went missing over a century ago, never to return. OCPHis body was found lifeless and frozen huddled at the top of Bluff Mountain where he had strayed over 7 miles from his schoolhouse. This sad story is believed to have resulted in his ghost wandering the AT for over a century in search of a way home to his family.

 

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The Enlightened Ones

For a conspiracy of this magnitude we had to devote an entire episode… the Illuminati is likely one of the most famous conspiracies and any celebrity in popular culture is likely to at some point during their lifetime to have their name at least mentioned as being associated with this super secret organization.

The Illuminati is believed to be a fraternal society with roots going back to 1776 in Bavaria where it was first established. Illuminati2Many believe that the Illuminati was involved in the foundation of America. This organization is thought by many to have been permanently disbanded, but many still believe it is alive and thriving in modern times.

The purpose of the Illuminati is to achieve world domination through control of the world government, banks and media. The world’s ultra-rich are thought to be  the ones controlling this group however unfortunately there exists a tremendous lack of substantiated evidence to support the existence of this brotherhood. In this episode we discuss not only the details and symbols of the organization but also their alleged involvement in today’s society and popular culture. So does this organization really exist or is it nothing more than blurred shadow of a once great society? Tune in for this episode and let us know what you think!

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Strange Matters Joins the Dark Myths Collective

Happy to announce Strange Matters is now part of the Dark Myths collective of podcasts! Dark Myths is a group of podcasters dedicated to producing high quality and emotionally power-packed listening experiences. From mystery based podcasts like our own, to great historical shows, and also a few creepy fictional programs, take the time to check out some of the other excellent podcasts of Dark Myths!

Check out all the shows at Dark Myths here!

Listener Survey for our Podcast

Hey everyone! If you have some free time and would like to help out the show please take this online survey. It takes around 5-10 minutes.

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These surveys give us feedback on what we are doing right and also what areas we need to improve on. It also gives data to attract potential future sponsors for the podcast. Thanks!

New Year’s Special! Tournament of Monsters

In honor of the New Year’s holiday we are taking a break from our serious research and did things a little different.  To start off the year we put together a fun fight-to-the-death style tournament made up of 16 of our favorite monsters and villains from movies, myths, books, and more!  Sean and Eric debate which monster should win each fight, with Ethan judging on who gets to move on until we crown the winner of the tournament… the monster of all monsters! Bracket Monsters 2Did your favorite monster make the list? Do you agree with how the fights turned out? Which fight between what two monsters would you most want to see?  Let us know what you think!

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