Folk Brothers Podcast

Imagine a raccoon creature that can transform into other things by putting a leaf on its head. If you imagined that, you just imagined a tanuki. A folk creature of Japan, the tanuki is now immortalized in statue that can be found outside many Japanese restaurants or bars. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of the Tanuki.

A special holiday treat from your favorite Folk Brothers.

Whether you are one of those creeps who hangs mistletoe in your home, or one of the people who enjoys burning a special log in your fireplace on a cold early winter night, the history of Yule and the Yuletide sums up why you do the things you do in the wintertime. If you enjoy sharing warm drinks with neighbors and celebrate the days getting longer than you are in the Yuletide spirit. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of Yuletide.

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout or else Krampus will hit you with birch sticks. He is the yin to St. Nicholas's Yang, and he is the reason that children have feared being naughty for hundreds of years, yet you probably didn't grow up hearing about him. Being part man and part goat, and fully demonic, Krampus is by far the scariest part of the Christmas Season. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of Krampus this Christmas season.

HoHoHo! I'd place a Vegas bet that you'll eat some cookies this week, possibly listening to holiday music on the radio, and enjoying a delicious of egg nog. Did you know that these traditions actually find their root outside of Christmas and were absorbed by Christianity many centuries after the traditions were established? Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of Saturnalia.

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's definitely a bird. The Thunderbird has been a part of American culture since before anyone called North America America. The legend of the Thunderbird actually spans the entire span of the United States with stories being told from the pacific northwest to the tribes of the Great Lakes, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. With the ability to create lightning with the beat of its wings, the Thunderbird represents the balance of nature. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of the Thunderbird.

Every year in the United States families sit down on the fourth Thursday of the month to celebrate football, eating way too much food, and getting into political debates; but have you ever wondered about the origins of the holiday? Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of Thanksgiving.

The stars in the sky looked down where we lay...We're kickin' off a new sporadic series on the constellations in the sky and the stories that people are telling about them. There's no better place to start than the constellation of Orion. You'll recognize the belt of Orion in a jiffy, but did you know that the stars in Orion's Belt might be aligned with the great pyramids of Egypt? Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of the Constellation of Orion and the Orion Correlation Theory.

Go Cubs Go has been playing in our heads for the last week non-stop as we celebrate the victory of the Chicago Cubs. They've gone from the lovable losers to the lovable winners. Snapping the longest World Series draught of all time, the Chicago Cubs victory not only ended the folk-idea that the cubs stink, but it also brought about a new piece of folklore. Join Jack and Sam as they explore this update to the Baseball Curse of the Cubs.

Wouldn't you just love to blow up someone that you don't get along with? Wouldn't you hate it if you failed and your failure was celebrated for over 500 years? Well, if you are the Ghost of Guy Fawkes you know that your least favorite day of the year is November 5th. If you don't know what we're talking about then just buckle yourself in. Join Jack and Sam as the explore the folklore behind Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Night.

There is nothing scarier than the place where people have been known to have lost their lives. Whether it's Indian Burial Grounds, or the sight of a devastating tragedy, or even just the place where a heinous crime has taken place, it's bound to be haunted. From the Old Chicago Water Tower to the crash site of American Airlines Flight 191, there are some real haunted places in Illinois and Chicago. Join Jack and Sam as they explore haunted places in Illinois and the Chicagoland area.

There are some places where people believe the remnants of a person's soul linger in order to warn, frighten, and direct the souls of those who have yet passed from this world. Whether it be a light floating in the distance, a spectral image ascending to the top of a tall tower, or an entire island of spirits, Michigan is home to some spooky places. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore behind some of the most haunted places in Michigan.

There is a murderer in your closet, or you might believe that if you are from Korea. The idea that a typical fan can kill you within a closed room has been a popular belief in Korea for at least 40 years and may even be a superstition older than that. Can a fan in a closed room take your breath away until you are dead? Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of Korean Fan Death.

Hiding in the hills of the Himilayas, the Yeti is a monster that has been living alongside mankind for thousands of years. From Alexander the Great, to the greatest man to ever climb Mount Everest, the Yeti has been there to say hello. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of the Yeti.

He began by stealing an airplane, and then he stole America's heart with his daring and dangerous exit from the very airplane he stole. Criminal experts have tried to solve his case for over forty years, but nothing has come up yet. D.B. Cooper may very well be your next door neighbor. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of D.B. Cooper.

It all started back in 1998 with Madden '99 when the popular EA Sport franchise began featuring NFL players on the box art of their hit franchise, Madden Football, which had been shortened to just Madden. To this day, 19 editions of Madden have been released and each year someone is put into the crosshairs of the Madden Curse. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore behind the Madden Curse.

They live in the woods, and also they live in your walls. If you speak Spanish and were raised in a Latin American country, or even the Philippines, you may have been reared with the Duende being a part of your common folklore. They are both good and evil, but with their lack of thumbs and backwards feet they may still be the most useful member of your family if you capture one. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of the Duende.

You have heard that you have a reptilian brain, the part of you that will keep you alive when all other brain function ceases, but do you believe that your reptilian brain makes you part reptilian? The Reptilian people are a widely believed organization, with over 12 million Americans believing that our government believes in the Global Domination Agenda of the Reptilian people. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of the Reptilian people.

You played them in your yard, on the playground at school, and even when you were on vacation. These games seem to have been around forever, but everything has its beginnings and its backstory. Children's games seem to las much longer than the children who have them. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore behind popular Children's Games.

The Chupacabra has been haunting farmers for the last six decades, but did you know that it had gone unseen until the 1990's? This monster is hispanic in origin, but has spread around the world to suck the blood of all things in its path. Join Jack and Sam as they explore the folklore of the Chupacabra.