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You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean it fits you just right so you wear it all the time but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I
I love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops. And my favorite part, all Quince items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman
and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen. And you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
RIP. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive.
Look, we've all heard about the Salem witch trials, but did you know that there were werewolf trials in Europe? No.
I know. And what if I told you one of the main reasons vampires became a thing was because of inbred European royalty? Oh, and zombies? Look, they're not as new as you think. They have a rich history that goes all the way back to the transatlantic slave trade.
Yeah, weren't expecting that one, were you? So get out that bag of candy corn and pop that popcorn because today's episode is all about monsters. I know, I love them. I mean, why do we love them? Why do we hate them? And most importantly, like, why can't we seem to get enough? Hmm?
Hi friends! I hope you're having a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. If you're new here, look, here we believe history doesn't have to be boring. I mean, yeah, it might be tragic. You might be happy, but either way, it's our dark history.
So all you have to do is sit back, relax, and just let me ramble and tell you about this hot, juicy history goss. Because it's juicy, okay? So look, it's Halloween time, and who doesn't love Halloween? It's the only time of year when it's socially acceptable to have a house full of spider webs and graves on your front lawn. I mean, any other time of the year someone's calling the police, but not in October, baby. Yeah. So just leave them out on the lawn.
instead of burying them in your backyard, you know? Now I've been wanting to look into today's topic for a minute, but I had to wait for the right time or like the right excuse really. And hey, it's October, it's Halloween. So today actually makes sense, doesn't it? So today we are talking about monsters. I mean, where the hell did they come from? You know, why are they so specific sometimes? And how did these weird ass creatures come up again in different societies all across the world, but also...
All throughout time. We make movies about them over and over again. I mean, we even dress up like them every year on Halloween or like for that Halloween party. And still, we never get tired of them, right? Well, today we are going to get to the bottom of it. Talking about werewolves first because Paul is dying to know more. He loves werewolves. He wants to be one so bad. Not a skeleton. I don't know.
Dream big. Werewolves, what is it? Well, they are people who turn into wolves at night, usually under a full moon, which is like really romantic. When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a werewolf. Thank you.
So werewolf legends have existed in some shape or form for over a thousand years, which means werewolves have been terrorizing children's dreams since before paper and pens even existed. I know, paper? How far back does paper go? We gotta do a dark history on paper because I never even thought about it until right this second. Take note. Thank you. Did you write that down?
Great. So werewolves, they first show up in ancient literature between 2100 and 1200 BC in a story called the Epic of Gilgamesh. By the 400s BC, yeah, shout out to 400s, there were like these tales about this Russian tribe called the Nuri.
And like word on the street was that these men in this tribe, they could actually turn themselves or they could actually turn into wolves a few days out of the year. Yeah, so only a few days they could be like, I want to be a wolf today. And they would. It also kind of sounds like Animorphs. Remember that book as a kid with those covers where it was like a normal person and then they would turn into like an animal?
It was so random. That's what it reminds me of. Great. So then as Christianity starts spreading around Europe, belief in werewolves starts being labeled as sinful and pagan. Like the church didn't like that this idea that someone other than God could physically transform themselves from one thing into another, you know? Like no one should do that. Only God should do that.
In the 1500s, there is a huge rise in witchcraft. At this time, people are super paranoid. Everybody's making wild accusations towards one another. Like neighbors would be accusing other neighbors of cutting off their penis and like doing magic spells with them. Yeah, with the penis. I don't know. Also, there was a lot of people like burning at the stake.
Times were tough. Times were very tough. They were bored. And basically, if the church was declaring that witches were real, then they have to admit that werewolves were real too. So, they did. So just like with witches, people associated werewolves with the devil. The church declared that only God could physically transform something, so it was believed that anyone suspected of being a werewolf had made some sort of deal with the devil. Oh my.
Shit. Yep. Paul. Mm-hmm. One of the first werewolf trials happened in France, and it became known as the Poligny Trial. It all started on a dark night in 1501 in Poligny, France. There had been a terrible storm that day, and a farmer named Pierre Birgo was looking for his sheep. Wow.
which had all gotten lost during a storm. In the woods, according to Pierre, this is when he was approached by three men on horseback, and they were wearing all black cloaks. If someone shows up wearing a cloak, look the other way and run, because no one has anything good to do or say with a black cloak. So these guys, they ask him about his sheet. They're like, where are your sheet, ma'am?
And one of the men promised Pierre that three things would happen. One, that he would find all of his lost sheep. And two, that he would be protected and never have any more troubles. And three, that he would be given money. In exchange, Pierre would have to pledge to, quote, serve the man's master and meet with the man again in five days. So Pierre was like,
Okay, yeah, sure, why not? He wants his sheep back, his sheep are missing, and that's how he makes money, right? I mean, it does sound a little vague, but whatever, I'm in. And then, boof. Immediately after he says yes, Pierre finds all of his lost sheep.
Wow, I know. So five days later, Pierre goes to meet with this mysterious man in a black cloak. And he learns that this guy, his name is Moisette, and that he was a servant of the devil. I know. Wow. Small world, huh? So Pierre is like, he's like, oh shit.
I'm in a pickle. But a deal is a deal, you know, it's too late. So he swears allegiance to the devil. He had to, I don't know. And also on top of that, he renounces Christianity forever.
Peace out. I'm into the devil now. So according to Pierre, like shit sucks because he kissed the mysterious man's left hand. Yeah. Which he described as black and ice cold as that of a corpse. I don't know why he's kissing it, but he did. I think that's how you seal the deal.
But Pierre goes on to serve the devil for two years. And just as the man promised, Pierre's flock of sheep was protected. He had good fortune. But deep down, Pierre is like a really good Christian man.
So he's like, shit, like I need to go back to church. Like I kind of miss that shit. So he goes back to church. He's like, I'm going to yay church. And then he's approached by like another mysterious man. His name was Michel Verdun. Don't know who he is, but he persuaded Pierre to return to the devil. Telling Pierre that the devil would give him even more money only if he came with him into the woods.
I know, sounds like one of those things they teach you in school. Like if someone offers you money, but you have to follow them into the woods, maybe don't go. You know, like I don't think anything good is going to happen there, but we're not Pierre and Pierre likes money, I guess. So Pierre follows Michelle into the woods. They come across this ceremony in the woods, right? So then all of a sudden this Michelle guy, he turns into a werewolf and Pierre goes,
for good reason, loses his absolute mind because what the fuck is going on, you know? So later on, Pierre goes to trial and he shares his experience during this trial. Quote, in a wood, we met with many others whom I did not recognize. We danced and each had in his or her hand a green taper with a blue flame. Still under the delusion that I should obtain money, Michelle persuaded me to dance.
And in order to do this, after I had stripped myself, he smeared me with a salve and I believed myself then to be transformed into a wolf. I was at first somewhat horrified at my four wolf's feet and the fur with which I was covered all at once. But I found that I could now travel with the speed of the wind. End quote. Sounds like a party, man. I'm in. What kind of drugs? Acid?
Sounds like it. Well, according to Pierre, he spent two hours as a werewolf before Michel robbed him down with that magical ointment and then, boof, he became a human again. And then once Pierre experienced this transformation, I mean, I guess he just could not stop. He really liked it. He and Michel would go out constantly as werewolves and terrorize the community.
One day, a man from the church is passing through this area and out of nowhere, he's attacked by a wolf. He actually fights the wolf off and apparently injures the wolf so he can get away. Well, this man decides to kind of figure out where the f*** this wolf went and follows a little blood trail to see what leads him to the injured wolf. And it leads him straight to Michelle's cabin in the woods. This guy knocks on the door and guess what he finds?
Michelle getting first aid treatment from his wife. Well, this guy who got attacked, I guess he was like a church official. And he's like, okay, like this is obviously evidence. This man is a wolf, like not just any old wolf, but a werewolf.
So he goes back and he notifies authorities, which in the 1500s, I don't know who's in charge, but someone was in charge who was a balance health guy. So Michel is arrested, he's tortured, and ultimately admits to being a werewolf. And then on top of that, he names Pierre as his accomplice. You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear all the...
time but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and my favorite part, all Quince items are priced $50 to
80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh!
I love linen and you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
R.I.P. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive.
History.
So then, in 1521, Michel and Pierre are officially accused of cannibalism and witchcraft. They're brought before the church's inquisitor general. Well, it takes a full day for Pierre to make a full confession because he's like, I don't want to tell people shit. But then finally, he tells the judge the truth, that he was or is a werewolf.
So Pierre admits to crimes the court really could not even imagine and he tells them about a time when he and Michelle had transformed. I guess one night they had like been a wolf or whatever and they saw this woman who was just minding her own business gathering peas. Peas. And then they like attacked her and tore her to pieces. And then on top of that like some man saw and he came and like tried to rescue her.
They ended up killing him too. Together, they killed and ate a four-year-old girl and left only one arm behind. So they're killing people. He told the Inquisitor that Michelle thought human flesh was delicious and that one night they strangled a girl and drank her blood. So Pierre even spoke about a time when they almost got caught.
I guess they had, you know, captured a seven-year-old boy, but the boy screamed so loud that they had to quickly get that ointment on, like on their skin, and become human again and get dressed in time to get away without like anyone noticing. The Inquisitor asked Pierre to transform into a werewolf in front of them to prove that it was true. But Pierre said like he had to be naked for his transformation to happen. Hot.
Michelle told the court everything Pierre had said was true. Ultimately, they admitted to diabolism, aka making a deal with the devil, murder, and eating human flesh. And that's how Michelle and Pierre became the first men executed for being a werewolf.
And this wasn't just like a one-off story because in Germany, there were hundreds and hundreds of cases where people were accused of being werewolves. And it wasn't like it was a fair and balanced court system. I mean, just like with the witch trials, if you were accused of being a werewolf, that was it. You were done, right? Same with the witches. Like, how do you not prove...
You're not. How do you know? Whatever. The court had a plan of their own.
Basically, it was like torture someone until they admit to being a witch or a werewolf. And then once they confess, then you kill them for being a witch or a werewolf. And that's how you got them. Most of the time, the accusations were started by people looking for revenge for petty reasons. Like if you didn't like your neighbor Brad because he kept you up until 2 a.m. playing the harmonica for some strange reason and you can't sleep, then boof.
Guess what? You've got all the power, baby, because you can walk your little ass over to the church the next morning and you tell them that you want to report a case of lycanthropy, whatever the hell that is. Well, lycan is the Roman name for wolf.
So like this became the official term for the crime of being a werewolf. And this was a surprisingly easy claim to make back then. All you had to say is that, I don't know, you saw Brad transform into a werewolf last night. Like, oh my God, it was nuts, you guys. You just saw it. He turned into a werewolf and like he fucking like, and I'm like, oh.
It was crazy. You guys missed out. You should have saw it. And this would essentially be a death sentence for Brad because ever since the Polini trial of Pierre and Michel, werewolves were everyone's worst nightmare. The most famous case of someone accused of lycanthropy happened in 1589 in a small German town near Cologne.
I know I love cologne. It smells so good. This case involved a man named Peter Stump. I mean, there's not much on record about his life, but what we do know is that he was a farmer, he was a husband, a father, and really no one paid much attention to poor Peter because he's just normal, right? He did his work. He kept his head down. Life goes on. You die. Now, even though this is like the most famous case of lycanthropy, no court records or transcripts have survived.
So everything we know about Peter and his trial comes from pamphlets and handbills or like news articles that came out during this time. But the story goes that after a series of murders in the town of Bedburg in Cologne, the villagers start to patrol the town in packs. I mean, they want to find out who is responsible and hopefully catch them in the act. And finally,
It happens. They see a rabid wolf on the hunt and the villagers chase it. They were sure this was the werewolf responsible. Now there are a couple different versions in terms of like what happened next. Some sources say that the wolf transformed back into a human by removing a magic belt. And the wolf that the villagers were chasing became Peter Stump. Another account, which you can find in something called the Nuremberg
Broadsheet says that a farmer was attacked by a wolf one night, but was able to get away by chopping off the left paw of the wolf with a knife.
Later, the farmer sees that Peter's stump is missing his left hand. Coincidence? I think not. Apparently this, it was enough to go to the church on suspicion that Peter and the wolf are one and the same person.
What? Peter, poor Peter. He is caught that night and arrested. And then on top of that, tortured. They attach him to the rack, which if you don't know what the rack is, you need to watch our medieval torture devices. Bitch, the rack is horrific. It's a horrific torture device. So they put him on this thing and then Peter confesses eventually. Uh.
to being guilty and then goes to trial. But of course he's gonna confess he's being tortured. I would confess too. I'll say whatever you want me to say if you're fucking ripping me in half, right? I know. So in his trial, Peter says that he made a pact with the devil to become, you know, a werewolf as one does. And it seems like this was the 1500s version of pleading insanity. Like your honor, your honor, I swear I can't be responsible for my actions. I was a werewolf at the time.
Duh. In some versions of this trial, Peter pled guilty to transforming into a wolf via that magical belt situation. I guess it was a gift from the devil himself. The devil gifted him a belt, a Gucci belt, and it could keep Peter in his wolf form for up to seven hours at a time.
Alright, alright, sure. Does the wolf still wear the belt? Or does it disappear once he turns to- 'Cause that'd be kinda cute to see a wolf with like a little belt. Like me, you know? Is he wearing pants? No, 'cause he's naked. The only way to become a werewolf was to be naked, except for the belt. I got questions. Anyways, oh wait, I'm the devil, I made that up. Um...
He's lying. Peter goes on to confess to the court that he was responsible for 16 human murders and the deaths of many animals of nearby farmers. Oh shit, Peter, you did a lot. Now of those 16 people, I guess like 13 of them are kids.
Whoops. But he didn't just like kill them, you know, because why stop there? He also committed cannibalism with their corpses. And one of his victims was Peter's own son. Okay, yeah, this guy's a little fucked up. Now, Peter, he openly confessed to eating his son's brain. But correction, everyone, he did so as a werewolf. So technically, Peter didn't do it.
It was a werewolf. So, you know, he didn't do it. Peter also confessed to raping and murdering two pregnant women. He told the Inquisition that once the women were dead, he ripped open their stomachs and allegedly ate their children.
All right, Peter. So Peter even admitted to raping his daughter and having an affair with his sister. So I guess it's safe to say that maybe, yeah, he should just be locked up forever and burned at the stake. Actually, yeah, do it. Apparently he also had a 25 year sexual relationship with a succubus, which is like a type of demonic creature that takes the shape of a beautiful woman. So he had a lot going on. He was a really busy man. Understandably, the town decided Peter was indeed
a piece of shit, even if he was a werewolf. And they decided he deserved the worst kind of death. So they put him on one of these like turning torture wheel things and it stretches his body. So Peter was completely stretched to the point where like his bones broke and then they skinned Peter, like they got all of his flesh off. And then finally they decapitated him in front of a huge crowd and burned his body.
We wanna talk about extra. These people were extra. They did the most. But he did a lot of bad things, so whatever. And then afterwards, they put his head on a stake in the center of town just to remind everyone of what happened and what could happen to them if they want to misbehave. It's just a lot, right? Can you imagine where you live now? Before you go to Target, you would see a bunch of heads on a stake. Would you still go to Target?
Yeah, but I would be like, oh my God. Anyways, someone once wrote about Peter Stump saying, quote, of all other that ever lived, none was comparable unto this hellhound, end quote. Some historians believe that Mr. Stump over here was actually a scapegoat for a lot of like the Christians versus Protestants fighting that was happening at the time. And like, oh, that actually might,
true but there are others that believe he was just a bona fide serial killer and people are trying to make excuses for this man when he does not deserve it i guess we'll never know then why are all of his like uh the paperwork and stuff missing maybe someone got rid of that on purpose i don't know just a thought okay oh my god that scared me god i thought someone was watching me
Okay, so something that's kind of messed up on top of all this. You remember how Peter raped his sister and his daughter? Allegedly, but like, I'm sure, okay, allegedly. Well, they also, they got the death penalty for being accomplices in his crimes. Man, living back then must have sucked ass.
Right? Being a woman, huh? Peter Stump's story only gave the werewolf legend a whole new terrifying image in people's minds. I mean, he ate his son's brain, right? Like that's going to keep you up at night. My thought was like, I wonder if he got any smarter because he ate brain.
You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear it all the time, but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I
love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops. And my favorite part, all Quince items are priced $50 to
80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices
and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen and you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
RIP. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner, and more. So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24, 7, 365 days a year so you're protected no matter what.
Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer survey who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations. Dark history.
Today, historians believe that werewolf stories like this one were popular because they helped some people make sense of the horrific actions of serial killers. Science and society in general did not understand how a human could be so sadistic, so the legend of people transforming into wolves kind of helped them process the horror. Like a human couldn't possibly eat Eosin's brain.
but maybe a wolf could, you know? People still do this today. Like it's a very common thing. Our brains naturally try to come up with some answers and excuses as to what might've happened instead of the truth. It's very interesting. Looking back, the reason werewolf trials popped off the way they did in Western Germany and France, especially,
was most likely because these were big farming areas with high concentrations of wolves. Therefore, they had the highest number of wolf attacks. It's been estimated that 30,000 people were executed for being werewolves from 1520 to 1630, and that's just in France. Isn't that nuts? You only hear about the witch trial. When I heard about this, I was like, holy fucking shit, what?
That was my reaction. England on the other hand almost completely eradicated wolves by the 1500s so it makes sense that there are zero records of any lycanthropy charges there. A biologist, his name was Edward O. Wilson, actually explained why Germany was so obsessed with wolves and werewolves. He went on to say quote "we are not just afraid of predators, we are transfixed by them."
"We weave stories and fables and chatter endlessly about them because fascination creates preparedness, and preparedness, survival. In a deeply tribal sense, we love our monsters." End quote. Now the next monster on my list is one that is very, shall we say, controversial. Throughout history, there's always a version of this monster that changes more than any other mythical creature. I mean, I'm talking about
Vampires. Yeah, we're just doing a whole Twilight show right now. We're just going through the Twilight list, I guess. But vampires, yeah. Now people have a lot of mixed feelings about vampires. Some people like them, some people hate them. Some people think like they're kind of hot.
Same, you know, I love vampires personally because, you know, everyone has a different thing that pops into their brain when I say vampire. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sparkly Twilight Vampire, Tom Cruise, ew, Scientology, you get what I'm saying. But when I was researching vampires, I learned about a book that just blew my mind. This book was called The Black Vampire.
It was written by an abolitionist named Uriah Derek Darcy, and it was all about an enslaved person who was murdered at a Haitian plantation. He's brought back to life somehow as a vampire, and as soon as he's back, he's out for revenge. Okay, so spoiler alert.
He ends up killing his old enslaver, then goes and frees other enslaved people on the island. Now this is so they could all start a revolution and end slavery. I know, I was like, "Ooh, that's deep." And it led me down the rabbit hole on the origins of vampires. And surprise, surprise.
The world's first vampire comes all the way from ancient Egypt. Her name was Sekhmet. She was a goddess of like many things like war, chaos, plague, healing, and even the desert sun itself.
She was really running shit, okay? In Egyptian art, she's depicted as having a lioness head. But most important to know about her was that she had a taste for blood. So she wanted to drink as much of it as she could get her hands on.
And she was the daughter of the most important Egyptian god, Ra. Ra was known as the father of creation. One time, Ra sent Sekhmet to kill the humans who weren't loyal to him. So she's like, okay, got you, dad. And she ends up killing a bunch of humans. Then she drinks their blood.
But the problem was, she couldn't stop. She starts killing anyone in sight just so she can drink their blood. And honestly, like, she couldn't even stop herself because she would want more and more and more. Now, Ra sees this and he's like, oh, shit. Whoopsie. I shouldn't have sent her. Like, she's going to kill all of the humans who worship me. And that's exactly what she was doing. Not long after, she was sent to...
to go kill or whatever, Sekhmet just started murdering any innocent people that she saw. So Ra tries to like verbally reason with her, but she can't stop herself. So Ra needs to come up with like some kind of plan to get her to stop. So he takes a lot of beer, like thousands of containers of beer, and he ends up dying the liquid like this deep red
And then he dumps it into the Nile River. Now, not only does this turn the water red, it also floods the Nile River. So it just kind of looks like a river of blood. So Ra wasn't messing around. And when Sekhmet sees the red beer, she falls for it. She just goes to town drinking and drinking until she gets so wasted off the beer that she passes out. And I guess that ends her reign of terror.
She just goes home and sleeps off the hangover. Sekhmet was not technically called a vampire, but the basic element of wanting to drink blood is there. And the Nile River does still flood sometimes. Scholars believe the story of bloodthirsty Sekhmet used to help explain the yearly flooding of the Nile in ancient Egypt. And actually, sometimes the waters of the Nile do turn red to this day. Experts believe it's because of volcanic eruptions near the area, but
you know, a lot of people are like, stick with it.
Yeah. Stories like Sekhmet's start to influence other cultures, and this leads to vampire stories popping up in cultures all over the world. Some are more wild than others, and one of the craziest versions of a vampire comes from the Philippines. In Filipino folklore, there's a monster called the Manananggal, and she's a mouthful. Yes, she. Men have werewolves, women have vampires, tomato, tomato.
We're all killers. The Mononon Gull is a vampire-like creature that during the day takes the form of a beautiful woman, but at night she turns into her true form. A woman with giant bat wings and sharp claws. Yeah. I guess she also detaches from her torso. I guess she flies around with no legs.
Sorry, it's not funny because that's really scary. But still, she's flying around, she has no legs, and I guess her intestines are like hanging out. You guys got a lot going on over there, I understand. She creeps into houses through the windows, and then she sticks out her long tongue
And she puts it into a victim's body through any of their holes. Nose, ear, mouth, ass. Take your pick. If you've got a hole, she's going to tongue it. And she doesn't drink your blood. She is said to feed on her victim's intestines. And her favorite were said to be pregnant women and children. A monongal can be killed if you season it.
It's legs. Yeah, this part really got me. I was up all night like, "What?" With basil or something. I don't get it. Yeah, season. Sprinkle some salt or garlic on the legs. Because of this, she won't be able to reattach to her legs. If she can't get back on her legs before daylight, then she's dead. So bizarre, right? That one's creative. You can also stab her with a bamboo stick. So yeah, that's another option. Garlic stabbing.
creeping through windows. We get closer to like the vampire many of us know today. But vampire stories aren't really a widespread phenomenon yet. It's more specific. You know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round? I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear all the
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They didn't truly take off until the Middle Ages. I mean, there were lots of reasons for this, but the main reason was because of a disease called porphyria. It's an extremely rare blood disease that affects your blood's ability to carry oxygen.
And the disease would cause issues like cramps and nausea, but it was also life-threatening. With this disease, your blood can't properly give you oxygen. So people would just get these really painful skin conditions and they would just be in a ton of pain. Nowadays, you would get something called a blood transfusion, but, you know, they didn't have this option back then. So people with porphyria just did the best they could to ease the pain.
And one of the most important things they had to do was stay out of sunlight. This is because their skin was so sensitive it would burn like crazy if they got sunlight. Porphyria is believed to have been more common in the middle ages because of inbreeding.
You know what type of people tend to be inbred? Caterpillars? No, the royals. I guess they don't want some like outside rando coming in to inherit their millions. So, you know, they each other. That way their money stays within the family.
They're like penny pinchers. Within breeding, comes at a price. The people this affected the most were rich families that come from money. They already tended to isolate themselves from society and some of them start to develop this body morphing blood disease. I mean, hello, they live out of town
They're rich, they can't go outside. Are these people like not vampires? Also in the middle ages over in Romania, there was a ruler named Vlad the Impaler. Oh my God, I forgot to tell you guys. Bitch, bitch. I stayed up all night the other night reading about this Vlad the Impaler. Oh my God, the knowledge I have on this guy. He was sick. He was sick.
Anyway, so his official title was Vlad III or Dracul. And Dracul means dragon in Romania. And he inherited this badass name from his father who had joined a military group called the Order of the Dragon. And when he was just a kid, Vlad's father was murdered near their home by their enemies. And that same night, his oldest brother was tortured, blinded, and buried alive.
Vlad, I guess, made it out safe. But understandably, this whole situation just completely changed who he was as a person. He stopped going by just Vlad and started going by Vlad Dracula and Gasp. I know we're talking about Dracula. Dracula.
Dracula was actually inspired off this hoo-ha. Dracul, or Vlad the Impaler, was known for being just an absolute violent and bloodthirsty leader. He was psychotic. Look, I could do like a whole murder mystery or like a whole episode on this guy because he was fucked, okay? But in his life, he was said to have killed over 80,000 people and he killed over 20,000 of those people by impaling them. Yeah, I know. I was like, impale them with what?
Well, to impale somebody, you've got to jab like a sharp stick or a spear right up through their body. And Vlad said that he would really like to warm up the tip and he would like to leave them kind of dull because it was more, it was more torturous.
It was so gross. And then he would just like put him butt and have this thing come out of the mouth and he would just leave them to bleed out. Yeah, it wasn't fun because it's not like you died instantly. It would sometimes be a really slow death. Often he would impale like these people in public outside of his castle. He would just line bodies outside of his palace so he could send a message to his enemies, don't f*** with me.
He apparently loved to tie people up and roast them alive or set whole ass buildings on fire. He used to capture enemy prisoners, cut up the bottom of their feet, pour literal salt in their open wounds, and then bring a bunch of goats in to lick their bloody salty feet. I know, he was creative, he was bored, he was psychotic, and he...
I am rolling my eyes because some people still think he's the greatest hero of all time. And he had these torture rooms where he would tie people over a giant pyramid shaped spear and he would lower them on top of it inch by inch over the pyramid spear and slowly impaled them to death. So they must've been big rooms. Oh, you can also go on tour, you can see his castle.
If you've been there, let me know because I kind of want to go, which is sick. I'm sick. I mean, even though he wasn't wearing a giant cloak or like biting people's necks and drinking their blood that we know of, he probably was. He was still famous for being
Absolutely brutal and bloodthirsty. And his shocking life story really inspires one writer. And that writer was Mr. Bram Stoker. You know Bram Stoker, right? Yeah, a writer born in Ireland in 1847. I guess he never went to Transylvania. Never met a vampire that we know of. But he spent seven years researching and writing a book. His masterpiece was called Dracula. Dracula.
I would gasp, but I'm sure you're putting the pieces together. You're understanding where the inspell came from, right? You got it? Good. So Dracula.
This book was published in 1897 and thanks to him we have the playbook for the modern vampire today. Dracula is set in Transylvania and England. Transylvania is real and in modern day Romania, by the way. The story follows a vampire named Dracula and Dracula, well he's got all the classic vampire traits. He sleeps in coffins during the day. He can turn into a bat and also into mist. He sucks blood through a person's neck.
doesn't love garlic, and also not fond of crucifixes. And he could be killed with a steak. Medium rare. You get it? No, okay. But he could be killed with a steak through the heart or by going into sunlight. I know, if this were Tinder, I'd swipe right. Like, same. I love steak.
Ah look, Dracula was released, some people were like ew it's like violent, scary and sexual and then everyone else was like what this is sick. People loved it. Some people were getting like turned on, I mean sucking blood from someone's neck. Hot. Yeah and everything you want from a good horror story honestly. It also came out not long after tuberculosis which is a blood disease and it was smashing through England.
But because the science didn't exist yet, people naturally believed that TB was a sign of something evil and haunting. I mean, of course they did. Why not?
They're so creative back then. So this mass fear about blood diseases translates into Dracula being a hit. People love to be scared. We kind of do, huh? Dracula became the face of vampires and then Dracula was adapted to a Broadway play in 1920, which is so random because when you think about Vlad the Impaler who was like sick as fuck and then they turn it into like a Broadway play.
I got questions, but whatever. And that's how vampires became a household monster. Of course, there have been a few negative things that have come to light ever since Dracula popped off. Well, that impaler guy, for one. Some experts believe that Dracula was written from a place of anti-Semitism.
Mhm. The vampire character came from like Eastern Europe where there is a large Jewish population and the character was written explicitly to not be Christian. And in the book, Dracula also sometimes works with Jewish people to plan his evil deeds. He makes it a point to infiltrate society, which is something Jewish people were accused of back then. And when you take a step back and look at the details,
You know, it's not super uplifting towards anyone but English Christians. This makes sense when you remember that at the time when Dracula was written, there was a lot of anti-Semitism. People love to use monsters as a way to project
whatever it is that society is fearing at the time. Kind of reminds me of the witch trials. They were just targeting strong individual women who spoke up. Another example of this is that during the AIDS epidemic in the 80s, vampire movies saw a huge spike in popularity. People were terrified of diseases that were contagious through your blood that you couldn't do anything about. So now we enter the 21st century and vampires are...
I feel like there's a new vampire movie like every week, which I'm not mad about, but all of them for the most part still kind of follow the Dracula playbook. Vampires did get a little sexy makeover in the 70s when the author Anne Rice wrote The Vampire Chronicles. And they got the ultimate glow up when Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise played them in the movie version of Interview with a Vampire. I never saw it. I heard it's good. Don't come for me. I'll get to it. It's on my list.
But all in all, I think we like vampires because honestly, it's kind of hot. Someone wants to bite you on your neck and give you a little suck? Okay, come on. He can't bug you during the day because he'll explode? Sounds like a dream man. He likes to sleep and stay indoors?
- Hello, same thing. So the next monster I wanna talk about is very different from vampires. It has a wild history I feel like is actually not known by a lot of people. I mean, it's definitely a journey. So just stick with me 'cause now we're on to zombies. And zombies are a little different than werewolves and vampires.
They're special. They're like, you know that one good tank top that you wear like all year round. I mean, it fits you just right. So you wear it all the time, but maybe now it's getting a little old. Shifting my wardrobe from summer to fall is always a challenge. Luckily, Quince offers timeless and high quality items that I love.
love so I can make sure my wardrobe stays fresh and I don't blow my budget. They've got cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and my favorite part, all Quince items are priced $50 to
80% less than similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to us. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical, and responsible manufacturing practices and
and premium fabrics and finishes. I recently got this 100% European linen short sleeve shirt. Ooh, I love linen and you know, it was so comfortable, so cute. I can finally retire my old ratty tank top.
R.I.P. Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash dark history for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's quince, Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash dark history to get free shipping and 365 day returns. quince.com slash dark history.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking. Yep, while you're listening to me talk, you're probably also driving, cleaning, exercising, or maybe even grocery shopping. But if you're not in some kind of moving vehicle, there's something else you could be doing right now. Getting an auto quote from Progressive Insurance.
It's easy and you can save money by doing it from your phone. Drivers who save by switching to Progressive save nearly $750 on average. And auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts. Discounts for having multiple vehicles on your policy, being a homeowner and more.
So just like your favorite podcast, Progressive will be with you 24-7, 365 days a year, so you're protected no matter what. Multitask right now. Quote your car insurance at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive.
Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $744 by new customer surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2022 and May 2023. Potential savings will vary. Discounts not available in all states and situations. I'm not like other monsters. I'm a zombie. So first off, every culture fears the undead in some kind.
way. It's something that we all have in common, you guys. The concept that someone can die but then come back to life and want to kill you is legit terrifying. The way zombies are depicted today is way different than how zombies actually started out. Zombie mythology begins in West Africa.
The word zombie can even be traced back to West African languages. The word nzumbi, which translates in English to corpse, is where the word zombie comes from. The religion most dominant in early West Africa was something called voodoo. And no, it's not like the voodoo that you and I are probably thinking of. It definitely has its similarities, but
Not the same. In the voodoo religion, it is believed that a body is just a body run by two spiritual elements. One has to do with your personality and its ability to talk to spirits. And the other is the part of your physical body and how it moves and functions. In voodoo, there is someone called a bokor.
And this bokor is actually known as a "witch for hire." They perform magic using dark spirits. Now these acts can be good and evil. The bokors who would use their powers for evil would sometimes use their powers to create zombies.
The bokor uses spells or potions to trap your mind, memories, and personality. So it's basically like wiping a person's brain clean with a hard reset. And then the bokor controls the body of that now brainless person to do whatever he wants. And usually that thing was evil zombie work, like attacking other people. Now, zombies are not a huge part of the voodoo religion.
They start to become more important in the 1500s, right around the time of the slave trade, when Africans were being forced out of their homes and trafficked to the Americas. We also learned that many of those enslaved people were brought to modern-day Haiti and forced to work on sugar plantations. 87% of the island's population is thought to have been enslaved. Between the 1500s and 1700s,
people from all different countries and cultures were enslaved together. And naturally, their beliefs started to mix and morph and change with each other, including the voodoo belief in zombies. Plus, many experts believe the experience of being enslaved created the modern day zombie legend. Because think about it, they had no choice but to work and do whatever their captors told them. Some enslavers brought their enslaved to
to the South in America. And voodoo beliefs created Creole culture. And that's how the United States was introduced to a version of the zombies we know today. Even though all this was happening, most Americans didn't know about the legend of zombies. They weren't household monsters like vampires were.
But this changes in the early 20th century. The United States occupied Haiti from 1915 to 1934 after its president was killed. American soldiers who came back from Haiti were telling stories about the different types of cultures they encountered there. One of these soldiers was a man named William Seabrook. He published a book in 1929 called The Magic Island. Ooh.
But this isn't totally a good thing. He describes voodoo culture and beliefs, but exaggerates just about everything. He makes it really sexual, like just straight up objectifying the people there. And he makes the culture seem more violent than it was. He was essentially capitalizing on the fear Americans had of enslaved people and people of color in general. It appealed to the masses.
People didn't think like, "Oh, this is just one guy's take on what he saw." It was the straight up truth to them. The book turned the real culture of voodoo into the voodoo culture many of us know today. Plus, The Magic Island was the first time most Americans had read about zombies. Just a few years after The Magic Island was published, the first American zombie movie came out. That movie is called White Zombie.
People were obsessed with the concept of zombies. And pretty soon, word on the street was, if you were a movie maker and you wanted to make some money, you made a monster movie. For over 20 years, monster movies were big in the box office. And zombies, more or less, stay as these mindless creatures who have no desire for cannibalism. But that was thrown out the window in 1968 when a little movie called Night of the Living Dead comes out.
And this is when we leave behind the African concept of zombies and they get like a whole new identity. The movie is directed by George A. Romero. And it's basically the first time we see zombies like you and I know today. It's about a group of people who get trapped in a farmhouse. Outside, tons of dead people come to life. And all they want is to eat human flesh.
Classic. Perfect. Scary. Boo. Night of the Living Dead didn't use almost any Haitian zombie legend. I guess the director sort of just winged it, not citing sources. He is not passing TurnItIn.com, you know? Romero himself said he was inspired by a famous vampire novel called I Am Legend. I haven't read it, but I did see the movie with Will Smith.
Actually, I'm lying because I fell asleep. But I hear scarred for life is what a lot of people say. So George Romero's zombies are not servants to an evil master. Nobody even knows why or how they're coming back to life. It's actually ironic that in Night of the Living Dead, the word zombie is never used. The creatures are called ghouls or unnamed most of the time. But we know those are some zombies for sure.
So, zombies don't exist, right? I mean, who's to really say? Well, in 1962, a Haitian man named Clairvius Narcisse claimed to have been a zombie. He was a worker who went into the hospital for breathing problems. He reportedly died there and was even buried in a cemetery. But 18 years later, an unknown man walked up to Angelina Narcisse, who's Clairvius' sister.
in the town square and claimed to be Clairvius himself. Multiple people were like, "Yep, that's him. Good old Clairvius." He said he had been dug up, brought back from the dead, and forced to work on a sugar plantation. Some people believed he seemed undead, but look, who can like totally say? Not me, right? Joan, what do you think, girl?
I don't know, maybe he just didn't die. Maybe that wasn't him who died. I don't know. It seems like monsters are really just a reflection of our own biggest fears on a personal level, which is why we all have our own favorite monster, but also on a bigger societal level. It's almost like we need monsters to explain our problems. But look, what I do know is if we don't have monsters, the only thing staring at us in the bathroom mirror is ourselves.
Jump scare, bitch. Happy Halloween, stay safe, and enjoy those monster movies. Well, thanks for listening. Next week, we'll be talking about conjugal visits. Yeah, random, huh? But trust me, wow. Where did they first start and why? Like, spoiler alert, it's not what you're thinking at all. We'll talk about why so many prisons and states have gotten rid of the program completely and what that means for America.
But for now, remember, don't be afraid to ask questions to get to the whole story because you deserve that. And also, you can join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can also catch Murder, Mystery, and Makeup. I love to hear your guys' reactions to today's story, so make sure to use the hashtag Dark History over on social media so I can follow along.
Here are some comments we just recently got. Curious7411 left me a comment saying, "Hi, not hitting on you, but you are a live Disney princess." Why aren't you hitting on me?
I want to be hen on. I love being hen on. Thank you, Witch Princess, though. Hopefully Jasmine or Snow White. Stephanie V left a comment on our Starbucks episode saying, please do a video on palm oil. I remember my mom would tell me stories about her home country, Malaysia, on the harsh times growing up when it came to some of the places that were getting palm oil. P.S. I love you, Bailey. Oh my god, thanks. Been following you for years. Oh my god, thanks.
I listen to you every week while I'm sewing my items for my business. Stephanie, where can I look at what you are making and sewing? I would love to know. But yes, I definitely want to do an episode on palm oil because like there's some like weird, shady, terrifying shit around that. And I think
I'm going to do it. Okay. So stay tuned. So don't forget to leave some comments for something because I might read them here. Dark History is an Audioboom original. This podcast is executive produced by Bailey Sarian, Junya McNeely from 3Arts, Kevin Grush, and Matt Enloe from Maiden Network. Writers Joey Scavuzzo, Katie Burris, Allison Filobos, and me, Bailey Sarian. Production lead, Bernadette.
Brian Jaggers. Research provided by Xander Elmore, Rodney Smith, and Colleen Smith. A special thanks to our expert Asa Mittman. And I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. I hope you have a good rest of your week. You make good choices and I'll be talking to you later. Good night.
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I'm Stanzi Potenza. And I'm Brad Padre. Launching June 13th is our new podcast, Late to the Party. In this post-ironic chat show, we'll show you a window into our world of crazy post-ironic thoughts. An unlikely friendship founded on a shared love for riffs, ranting, and getting absolutely wrecked.
Consider this an invitation to our inside jokes. You're late to the party, but no one cool ever shows up on time. Follow Late to the Party on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to this kind of stuff.
