Category Archives: Urban Legend

Close Encounters

Aliens… Do they really exist? Are we really all alone in the universe? Perhaps it depends on your definition of the term “alien”; perhaps your stereotypical small-bodied Grey or maybe something as simple as a microbe could define this term. But how could we know that aliens exist? Some think that crop circles are a sign that aliens not only exist but have visited earth. With reports dating back centuries, this concept is not foreign. Many crop circles are localized to southern England however they can be found all over the world.

While many suggest that they are all simply pranks or hoaxes performed by very creative and skilled artists, others think that at least a certain percentage are the result of otherworldly visitors.

Other evidence for the existence of extra-terrestrial life lies in personal reports of human abduction. Perhaps the oldest reports of these abductions occurred in 1961. “The Hill Abduction” is the story of Barney and Betty Hill who were an inter-racial couple were well educated and involved in professional organizations. These individuals would have much to lose and little to gain from fabricating a story of the sort. Nonetheless they share the tale of traveling down a country road in their car one night while following a mysterious light.

Hill abduction
As the light approached closer Barney stopped the car and got out wielding his trusty pistol. As he got closer he was able to spot “non-human” creatures inside what appeared to be a disk-shaped flying object. He screamed “They’re going to capture us!” as he ran back to the car, however shortly thereafter both of them report slipping into a strange trance. After waking up 35 miles south of where they had originally stopped the car, they would go on to continue their lives while being plagued by strange dreams and other odd occurrences.

Another alien encounter was reported by a “Dr. Jonathan Reed”. While out in the woods one day he came upon a strange humanoid creature fighting with his beloved dog, Suzy. When the alien got the upper hand and somehow reduced his dog to a pile of dust, Reed angrily approached the creature from behind and struck it in the head, killing it.

Reed Alien

The remains were captured in various photographs, however the authenticity of this story has been questioned.

Travis Walton, on the other hand was a logger who was in the presence of five of his buddies when he encountered aliens. Traveling in a truck down yet another country road after a long day’s work, the men spotted a strange glowing object in the distance. As they approached it, one man would describe it as “a luminous object, shaped like a flattened disk” and nearly 20 feet in diameter.

Walton aliens

Walton got out and approached the saucer but was immediately struck by a bright blue light emanating from the craft which knocked him back onto the ground. While the other men bolted, Walton would go missing for 5 days, only to return with a tale of alien abduction. Despite this wild tale, all the men would go on to pass polygraph tests suggesting that they were telling the truth. Tune in to this podcast episode and decide for yourself: are aliens really out there?

 

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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Unwanted Guests

In this episode the crew of Strange Matters dives back into the realm of the paranormal and unknown, with four creepy tales of haunted artifacts, werewolves, angry poltergeists, and disturbed attic dwellers.  These stories of unwanted guests will be sure to send chills down your spine.

The first story is that of the Hexham Heads, strange stone artifacts discovered that seemed to carry with them a dark curse. Several people who had ownership of these heads, and for a few unlucky individuals who just happened to be nearby, witnessed several unexplained and disturbing encounters.  There are claims of ghostly and poltergeist activity connected with the stone heads, not to mention sightings of a werewolf creature that seems to follow them everywhere.

Attic HauntNext up is the infamous Man in the Attic, or the San Pedro Haunting.  This story involves a woman named Jackie who is experiencing a literal house full of horrors, including unworldly noises, moving objects, ghostly sightings, and even walls dripping human blood.  For those who agreed to investigate the house, their experiences would be much worse, and nearly fatal.  This case is one of the most famous cases of paranormal and poltergeist activity in the United States.

The Jacksonville Clowns were a bizarre case that would terrify anyone who shares a phobia of clowns.  A series of men, dressed up as clowns, was caught on several surveillance cameras approaching houses.  Whether this was a meaningless prank or perhaps something more sinister is unknown to this day.

The last case is that of the Woman in the Ceiling.  A paranoid man sets up a night vision camera in his apartment, in the process catching a woman descending from his loft’s attic space to eat his food and walk around his apartment while he slept.  Though some claim this might be a hoax, the man still swears this disturbing intruder actually dwelled in his place for some time, all the time unknown to him.

Enjoy these stories of bizarre and creepy unwanted guests!

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Continue reading Unwanted Guests

Listener Stories: Local Myths, Folklore, & Urban Legends

In this story we present a collection of local myths, folklore, and urban legends that have been sent in to us by our listeners around the world!

The origins of these stories range from Austria, England, Canada, and a few in the United States.  This episode is a mixture of tales and urban legends including  a sadistic murderer, a mythical suicide pool, the haunting of the water babies, the foul smelling Honey Island Swamp Monster, as well a number of other supernatural and paranormal events.

Thanks to our listeners Raphaela, Thomas, Cody, & Kate for sharing your local urban legends with us!

Also big thanks to fellow podcast hosts Jordan, Ryan, and Sam for sending in their own stories as well. Check out their podcasts and give them a listen when you have finished with this episode!

Night Time Podcast  |  Rumor Flies Podcast  |  Inward Empire Podcast

 

Mystifying Structures Across the World

For this episode we present a number of old and mystifying structures located at different locations around the world.  Mysteries surround each of these large constructions, as the reasons behind their construction and even how they were built is still being debated to this day.

The first topic of the episode is the Coral Castle, located in Florida, U.S.  The Coral Castle is a collection of large and uniquely carved stones placed around the grounds.  Some of the stones used in the Castle weigh as heavy as 30 tons, over 10 times the weight of the stones used in the Great Pyramids!  What is so bizarre about this case is that the story goes that no one had any idea how the creator Edward Leedskalnin actually moved the stones to create his castle. Whether it was magnetism, levitation, ancient Egyptian Secrets, or just plain old mechanical creativity, Edward managed to create not just a unique complex, but a lasting mysterious legacy.

Up next is the ancient city of Nan Madol.  The ruins of the city lay in Micronesia, in the western Pacific Ocean.  What is strange about Nan Madol is that it was built in the water of a lagoon, in which scores of artificial islands were created by the people in order to erect the buildings of the city.  How these people were able to pull of such a feat is still a mystery to this day.

Goseck CircleFinally we discuss the Goseck Circle.  Discovered in Germany, it is possibly the oldest large structure in the entire world, being several thousand years older than the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt.  The exact purpose of the Goseck Circle baffled archaeologist for years.  Some conjectured it was used as a fortification, or a place of worship, or even a setting for human sacrifice.  The newest theory behind the Goseck Circle however could completely change the way historians view the people of the Neolithic Age.

 

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