Belsnickel
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
The Ghost Furnace - Episode 141 "Belsnickel" On this week's episode we have a bit of a holiday grab bag focused around some lesser known yuletide denizens. Belsnickel occupies an interesting place in PA Dutch folklore, not quite the jolly old elf, and not the demon doling out strict punishment. There is a lot to unwrap with this holiday season and if we just look a little deeper we might find what is typically portrayed as a happy time, the darker sides of our stories tell us about what the real gifts are. Link to the Stonebreath "Belsnickel" album we...
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Commonwealth Canines
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
The Ghost Furnace - Episode 140 "Commonwealth Canines" On this week's episode we dive back into the strange stories in the Venn diagram of upright canines, dogmen and werewolves. Everytime we look into this area, we find a new perspective and takes on what people might be seeing. Are they just dogs, are they neighbors suffering from lycanthropy, dogmen, out of place animals? Almost all of the answers, even the mundane ones, are curious at their most harmless and terrifying at their most extreme. Here are links to the articles we reference this week. Please check...
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Folkore is Born in Different Ways
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
The Ghost Furnace - Episode 139 "Folklore is Born in Different Ways" On this week's episode we look into some more unconventional folkloric stories and their origins. Where and why some of these stories pop up and why they stick around might be due to an underlying truth about the human condition, they might tell us about our cultural threats, or they might just be bad jokes that stick around. The book we reference is "The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings" by Jan Harold Brunvand If you have any stories or urban legends that...
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Lake Baikal Swimmers
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
Ghost Furnace - Episode 138 "Lake Baikal Swimmers" On this week's episode we head to the other side of the planet to a remote lake which holds mysteries in its clear but deep waters. Legendary creatures, ufo's and aquatic humanoids supposedly call this ancient lake home and may be responsible for more tragic happenings than just scaring fisherman and tourists. If you have a story you'd like to share, you can find us on YouTube and Instagram, or at TheGhostFurnacePodcast@gmail.com
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Cornucopia of Strange
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
The Ghost Furnace - Episode 137 "Cornucopia of Strange" On this week's episode we have a variable horn-o-plenty of weird stories that you've shared with us over the last few days. First up we have an unidentified object over the State College sky. Check out our Instagram for the photos shared with us. Then we head up to New York State to revisit an apparent resolution to a story we covered a few months back about anomalous sounds in a very deep lake. Link: We head across the pond thanks to a story shared with us about a possible large cat...
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Stage Fright
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
The Ghost Furnace - Episode 136 "Stage Fright" On this week's episode we welcome Kate to the show! She shares a few stories about her hometown, and some spirits she's come across. Now the title of this episode is a little misleading because one of the elements we cover here is around how spirits, like people, are not as negative as the tv shows and films would have you believe. To the extent they can actually be helpful is something worth highlighting. If you have a story you'd like to share, you can find us on Instagram, YouTube or TheGhostFurnacePodcast@gmail.com
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Valley Forge
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
The Ghost Furnace - Episode 135 "Valley Forge" When you have a location, like Valley Forge, which has such historical and cultural significance, it has to be haunted in one way or another right? Whether it has classical, incorporeal soldiers trying to make it through another day, the spirits of famous figures, footsteps in buildings older than our nation, or simply the everyday haunts which come from day-to-day life. Let alone the spirits of all the people who have come to reverently learn lessons from stewards of the sacred, past and present. If you have a...
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Like it Happened Yesterday
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
The Ghost Furnace - Episode 134 "Like it Happened Yesterday" On this week's episode, we are joined by our good friend Chris to talk about a few topics, one of which is the way ghost hunting technology has influenced the types of stories we tell. Then Chris shares a story that takes place in a junkyard, which is a new setting for us, but decidedly creepy. If you have a story you'd like to share, you can find us on YouTube, Instagram or TheGhostFurnacePodcast@gmail.com
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Remote Viewing
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
The Ghost Furnace - Episode 133 "Remote Viewing" On this episode of the Ghost Furnace we welcome back Brian to kick off a conversation around remote viewing. This phenomena has many aspects and is a tough one to pin down, but we cover everything from Vatican technology to the Ghostbusters. If you have a story you'd like to share, you can find us on Instagram and YouTube or TheGhostFurnacePodcast@gmail.com
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Invisible Gorillas & Weird Bugs
The Ghost Furnace Podcast
The Ghost Furnace - EP 132 "Invisible Gorillas & Weird Bugs" This week we take a look at a book we've referenced on more than one occasion, The Invisible Gorilla. Below is a link to the video we reference for the initial experiment. By focusing on the illusions of attention and memory, we look at how those in particular can impact not only our everyday lives but the study of the paranormal. We use an example of a memory which we have two separate perspectives to illustrate the use of this concept. Plus, Nic plays a good joke on Bond. Link to...
info_outlineThe Ghost Furnace - Episode 120 “Western Maryland Folklore w/ Susan Fair”
This week we sit down with author and researcher Susan Fair to talk about some of Western Maryland's most interesting stories. Focusing mainly on a few of the stranger creatures reported we are able to highlight both some familiar elements along with some new perspectives. As we often find with the more fantastical side of the cryptid spectrum, the more you dig into these creatures, the more we learn about ourselves. By putting these denizens of the four westernmost counties in this diverse state in context of the past, we learn about the present.
You can find Susan’s books anywhere quality books are sold
-American Witches: A Broomstick Tour through Four Centuries
-Maryland Spells: An Incomplete Compendium of Magic Spells and Superstitions From the Old Line State
-Mysteries and Lore of Western Maryland: Snallygasters, Dogmen and other Mountain Tales
If you have a story you’d like to share, you can reach out to us on Instagram, YouTube or TheGhostFurnacePodcast@gmail.com