Bone and Sickle

During the 15th-century, citizens of Nuremberg, Germany, experienced spectacular Carnival parades highlighted by the appearance of floats known as "hells."  Featuring immense figures, including dragons, ogres, and man-eating  giants, these hells were also peopled with costumed performers and enhanced with mechanized effects and pyrotechnics. In this episode, adapted from a chapter of Mr. Ridenour's new book, A Season of Madness: Fools, Monsters and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival, we examine the Nuremberg parade, the Schembartlauf, as it evolves from costumed dance performances staged by the local Butcher's Guild in the mid-1 4th-century into a procession of fantastic and elaborately costumed figures, and finally -- in 1475 - into a showcase for the rolling hells. We begin, however, with an examination of a historical anecdotes sometimes presented as forerunners of  the Carnival parades, and of the Schembartlauf in particular, including two sometimes put forward to support a "pagan survival" theory.  The first involves a ceremonial wagon housing a figure of the putative fertility goddess, Nerthus, hauled about by Germanic peoples in the first century and mentioned in Tacitus' Germania.  The second, also involving a wagon with fertility figure, is described by Gregory of Tours as being hauled through farmers' fields in the 6th-century. Period illustration of costumed figure from a Schembartbuch. Period illustration of costumed figure from a Schembartbuch. A third case involves the mysterious "land-ship," a full-scale wheeled ship hauled from Germany into Belgium, and the Netherlands in 1135. Mentioned exclusively by the Flemish abbot, composer, and chronicler Rudolf of St. Trond in his Gesta Abbatum Trudonensium (Deeds of the Abbots of Trond), it's characterized by the abbot as a sort of pagan temple on wheels and locus of orgiastic behavior, the precise purpose and nature of this peculiar incident remains largely a mystery. We then hear a comic incident imagined in the early 13th-century story of the knight Parzival as told by Wolfram von Eschenbach. By way of analogy to the character's ludicrous behavior, Carnival is mentioned for the first time, or more specifically von Eschenbach use the German word for Carnival, specifically the Carnival of Germany's southwest called "Fastnacht." Our story of the Schembartlauf concludes the show with a description of its ironic downfall through local intrigues fired by the Protestant Reformation. Worth mentioning also, in our Schembart segment, is the heated scholarly debate around objects depicted in period illustrations, which look for all the world like oversized pyrotechnic artichokes. New Patreon rewards related to Mr. Ridenour's Carnival book are also announced in this episode, along with related Carnival-themed merch in our Etsy shop, including our "Party Like it's 1598" shirts featuring Schembart figures.

Your favorite podcast is now seven years old!  As a birthday gift to our listeners, we decided to try a super short, experimental video podcast. For your pleasure, Mr. Ridenour yesterday edited together this vide0, entitled "The May Queen".

Mr. Ridenour introduces his new book "A Season of Madness: Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival," explaining how the project grew out of his research for "The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas."  In this episode, he sketches out chapter themes and topics, from ancient Rome to modern Bulgaria, focusing particularly on cultural hinterlands where festivities still echo the cruel realities of the old, agricultural world and where medieval Christianity intertwines with pagan practice. The Carnival portrayed is at once beautiful, strange, and savage. Spring is welcomed by clowns waving inflated pig bladders. Stalking sheepskin monsters brandish clubs bristling with hedgehog spines, and plows are dragged over cobblestone streets by celebrants wearing masks painted with cow's blood. Folk horror fans take heart as the Old World welcomes Spring! Available now for pre-order.  US Publication date, May 6, 20205. A few advance reviews of the book: "Sumptuously illustrated and written with clarity, eloquence, and wry humor, "A Season of Madness" is one of those rare books that can pass muster as an academic study yet also provide a good read. Al Ridenour's meticulous research exposes the subtleties and outrageous quirks of a topic you didn't know you wanted to learn about until you picked up his book. Under his direction, the madness once again reigns, as the neglected history of European Carnival is placed center stage before the reader, in all its seedy, wild, and triumphant glory." —Dr. Paul Koudounaris, author and photographer of: "Faithful unto Death," "Heavenly Bodies," and "Empire of Death" "A Season of Madness" is a fantastic carnival of a book. Equal parts irreverent and erudite, it lovingly captures the depth, complexity, and subversive nature of the carnival, from its ancient roots to modern expression. Gorgeously illustrated, intellectually hefty, and also fun, it is a seductive introduction to the material cultures, legends, and history of this perennially fascinating and slippery subject." —Joanna Ebenstein, Founder and Creative Director of Morbid Anatomy

The Sin-Eater was a figure associated with funerals of the 17th – 19th century, mostly in Wales, and the English counties along the Welsh border. According to tradition,  he was invited by grieving families to transfer the burden of sins from the deceased to himself by consuming bread and  beer in the vicinity of the … Read More Read More

Mélusine is a female fairy of medieval legend. who suffers under a curse transforming her once weekly into a monstrous form. In various tales she becomes either a serpent or fish from the waist down, or fully transforms into a dragon. Mélusine can only break this curse via marriage to a mortal who is obliged … Read More Read More

Unfortunately, release of the episode scheduled for this month has been delayed thanks to the Eaton Wildfire in California. Your hosts are safe and sound, but complications from the fire temporarily halted production. The episode in question should be available in February. Thank you for your patience!  

The Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas has been celebrated by Bone and Sickle since 2018.  This year is no exception as we share two stories in this episode, one comic, and one frightening. We begin with the Introduction to the 1891 anthology, Told After Supper, by the British writer, Jerome K. Jerome, … Read More Read More The post A Christmas Ghost Story VII appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

A short extra episode on Befana, the gift-bringing Italian witch associated with Twelfth Night, the end of the Christmas season.  Included in the show is material from the book, “The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas,” traditional music of the season, audio from actual celebrations, and a few pop songs associated with la Befana. The post La Befana, the Witch of Twelfth Night appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

A figure of mythic proportions during his lifetime, Vlad the Impaler's notoriety receded over the centuries only to be resurrected in the 1970s, when a pair of Boston University scholars went public with theories connecting him to Bram Stoker's Count Dracula. We begin with snippet of Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film, Bram Stoker's Dracula, the … Read More Read More The post Vlad the Impaler appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

The devilish reputation Ouija boards enjoy in horror films is a relatively new phenomenon.  In the Victorian era, they were regarded by “psychical researchers” as something to be embraced in a spirit of calm scientific inquiry, while Spiritualists saw in them a means of reaching out to those who'd passed into the “Summerland,” an anodyne … Read More Read More The post Devil Boards appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Apparently, I clipped off the beginning of the show during the initial upload.  It's been fixed, so this would only effect those downloading yesterday, but for those who missed it, here it is.. The post Missing Intro for Episode 133 appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Ouija boards, or more generally, “spirit boards” have antecedents going back to the very first days of the Spiritualist movement.  We begin our show with a seasonally spooky visit to the cottage of the Fox sisters in Hydesville, New York, where the ghost of a murdered pedlar supposedly began communicating with the family through a … Read More Read More The post Spirit Boards appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

A special short announcement regarding the October 20 deadline for Trick-or-Treat-by-Mail for listeners joining our Patreon.  Find out how you can  receive a hand-packed candy bag from the home of Bone and Sickle Podcast. Each bag this year contains a special MYSTERY ITEM from Egypt! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/boneandsickle The post Announcement Trick-or-Treat By Mail appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

We're getting into the spirit of the season with a classic tale of witchcraft set in 17th-century Salem Village, Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, “Young Goodman Brown.” Written in 1835 for New England Magazine, it later appeared in the 1846 collection, Mosses from an Old Manse, which also includes the excellent supernatural story, “Rappaccini's Daughter.”  Hawthorne … Read More Read More The post “Young Goodman Brown” appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Agartha, Shambhala, and Hyperborea are all names for a a mythic spiritually and scientifically advanced  kingdom, always in some hidden location, sometimes within the earth, a legend which became an obsession of early Soviet spies, a mad soldier of fortune, and a mystical Russian artist during the 1920s. We begin with a clip from the … Read More Read More The post Subterranean Sages and Russian Mystics appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Borrowed from fairy lore, the notion of a hollow earth peopled by superior beings became a theme of literary fantasies as early as the 17th century and went on to influence fringe theories of the earth's structure into the 19th century. We begin with a snippet of the medieval Norwegian ballad “Liti Kjersti,” telling the fairy … Read More Read More The post Inside the Hollow Earth appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

While the dummies may be inherently creepy, they were not the source of  ventriloquism's dark reputation in earlier times. This originates with the understanding that the voice heard, when no mouth seems to speak, belongs to a demon. We begin with a bit of audio mixing bits from various frightful ventriloquist films, including Devil Doll … Read More Read More The post The Dark Art of Ventriloquism appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Our understanding of hypnotism, once known as “mesmerism,”  has radically evolved over the centuries. This episode looks at where it all began, examining the  fascinating (and rather weird) story of the 18th-century German doctor, Franz Anton Mesmer, after whom “mesmerism” is named. We begin, with a look at the mesmerist's sinister reputation in the 19th century, … Read More Read More The post The Mesmerist appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Banshees are spirits of Irish folklore, who warn of impending deaths.  Originally considered fairies, their Irish name, bean sídhe, means “woman of the mounds,” those mounds (sídhe) being the ancient burial mounds believed in Ireland to be the home of fairies. The banshee's wailing, which betokens imminent death of a blood relative, is probably based upon the wailing of … Read More Read More The post Banshees (Rebroadcast) appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

The story of Snow White, as told by the Brothers Grimm, is only one of many narratives involving girls who have fallen into a deathlike state and are displayed in a glass coffins. In this episode, we examine the sordid details of the Grimm's original 1812 version of the tale and compare it with analogous … Read More Read More The post Glass-Coffin Girls appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

A few listeners commented that Mrs. Karswell's dialogue was muffled at points in “Sorcery Schools of Spain.”  That  episode is now updated with a corrected version. Thanks for letting us know. The post Audio Fix on Episode 125 appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

For centuries, Spain was said to be the home of secret, underground sorcery schools, Toledo being the first city with this reputation and later Salamanca.  The notoriety of the latter was more enduring, and when the legend passed to Spanish colonies of the New World, the word, “Salamanca” was embraced as a generic term for … Read More Read More The post Sorcery Schools of Spain appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Tonight we bring you our sixth annual Christmas ghost story, a tradition particularly beloved in Victorian and Edwardian Britain. First published in 1908, and set in the days before Christmas, the tale is by British writer Algernon Blackwood (from whom we earlier heard “Ancient Lights“) and whom many listeners will know through his other works, particularly, … Read More Read More The post A Christmas Ghost Story VI appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

The Christmas season is rich in superstitions. The whole period from the beginning of Advent, through the day itself, and especially throughout the twelve days (and nights!) between Christmas and January 6 or Epiphany are, in a sense haunted, a time when spirits are afoot and behavior is hemmed in by restrictions upon normal activities. Recently … Read More Read More The post Christmas Superstitions appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

The Monster of Glamis was a Victorian legend involving a Scottish castle, a secret chamber, and a monstrous aristocrat hidden from the world–a perfect story for Bone and Sickle's return to its old format, a 45-minute deep-dive into the castle's lore, including its association with Macbeth, a legend of a cursed Earl's card game with … Read More Read More The post The Monster of Glamis appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Tonight we recreate for you elements of an old-fashioned Halloween party as experienced in the 1920s or '30s. Foods, games, spooky stories and poems in an extra-long Halloween episode. For more retro delights of the era, listen to Episode 35 “Vintage Halloween.” The post An Old-Fashioned Halloween Party appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

We present the horror story “Ringing the Changes,” by Robert Aickman. A British couple taking a seaside holiday encounter a strange seasonal celebration, which changes them forever. Our slightly abridged version is based on Aickman's 1964 story from the collection, Dark Entries, Curious and Macabre Ghost Stories. The post Ringing the Changes appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

“The Spook House,” an 1899 short story by Ambrose Bierce is suitably spooky for the season, but not in the way you expect.It was a favorite of H. P. Lovecraft, who praised its “terrible hints of a shocking mystery.” Also, a macabre bit of poetic whimsy from A.E. Houseman, and an intruder is welcomed in … Read More Read More The post The Spook House appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

The lore of graveyard-haunting ghouls is unexpectedly best explained in a seminal work on the subject of werewolves. We hear in this episode from the 1865 volume, The Book of Were-Wolves, by Sabine Baring-Gould, an Anglican priest known for his voluminous writings on folklore, local curiosities, and church history. While our episode is called “Ghouls,” and ghouls … Read More Read More The post Ghouls appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

A special short announcement regarding Trick-or-treat by mail option for listeners joining Patreon.  Find out how you can  receive a hand-packed candy bag from the home of Bone and Sickle Podcast. Each goody bag is guaranteed to include sinister extra as described in Halloween urban legends. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/boneandsickle Only while supplies last!   The post Announcement: Listener Trick-or-Treat appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Six historical witchcraft cases as related in the 1880 volume by James Grant, The Mysteries of All Nations, Rise and Progress of Superstition, Laws Against and Trials of Witches, Ancient and Modern Delusions Together with Strange Customs, Fables, and Tales. Mr. Ridenour and Mrs. Karswell also share listener comments on the Halloween season as well … Read More Read More The post Six Witches appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Marvel and cringe at this collection of curious cases presented from a favorite Victorian volume. Tonight's episode includes a bit of proto-Forteana, namely the anomolies left in the wake of a particular lightning strike that fell on a small town in Hertfordshire in 1777. We also have  brief look at the wicked deeds of those popes … Read More Read More The post A House Struck by Lightning and Other Curiosities appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Scenes of fiery Viking funerals have been woven into any number of literary and cinematic tales, but sources on the topic are limited.  In this episode, we hear from what's probably the definitive source, a firsthand account written in the 10th-century by an Arab traveler and diplomat, Ahmad ibn Fadlan, who was visiting what would … Read More Read More The post A Viking Funeral appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Why not enjoy a reading of Algernon Blackwood's “Ancient Lights” before wandering off into those summery woods — a classic work of Weird Fiction read and dramatized with sound and music from your imaginary friends at Bone and Sickle. The post “Ancient Lights” by Algernon Blackwood appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

The folklore of Russian vampires describes a creature slightly different than what we're accustomed.  In tonight's show we share a number of traditional tales from the 1873 volume Russian Folk-Tales by W. R. S. Ralston, a leading light of the Imperial Geographical Society of Russia and author of The Songs of the Russian People. The post Russian Vampire Tales appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Explore some curious British Customs with us, including those of Midsummer, swan-upping, egg-hopping, St. Bartholomew's knives, and the violent tradition of St. Michaelmas “ganging.” Our source for this episode is the 1911 volume by T. F. Thistelton Dyer, British Popular Customs Present and Past. Illustrating the Social and Domestic Manners of the People. Arranged according to the Calendar … Read More Read More The post Swan-Upping and Other Curious British Customs appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

A malignant vapor, weird plagues and punishments, a Polish dwarf, and a perilous journey into the lightless depths of a pyramid — all included in this pleasantly macabre collection of short tales from a favorite Victorian compendium of curiosities: The Terrific Register, or, Record of Crimes, Judgments, Providences, and Calamities (London, 1825) The post Malignant Vapor appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Tales of animal ghosts are usually relegated to the periphery of ghost story collections, but in this episode, we showcase this class of apparition. Our stories were collected in a volume from 1915 called Human Animals by Frank Hamel.  It covers werewolves, animal transformations through witchcraft, possession by totemic animal spirits, and the phantom animals that … Read More Read More The post Animal Ghosts appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Fairy tales featuring cats are generally pleasant. After our last show about malformed births, we thought, Andrew Lang's story, “The Colony of Cats” might be a pleasant tonic, albeit one with a bizarre punishment sequence included. Published in 1909 in Lang's Crimson Fairy Book, this story (read by Mrs. Karswell) seems to be a version of … Read More Read More The post The Colony of Cats appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

For centuries, strange births, often sounding like mythological monsters, were regarded as portents of ill omen. We hear a number of these fantastical accounts, including a description of the birth of the”Monster of Ravenna” believed to foreshadow not only the defeat of Louis XII's forces during the 1512 Battle of Ravenna but also taken later as … Read More Read More The post Strange Births and Monsters appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

A self-crucifixion that occurred in 1806 on the island of San Servolo in the Venetian lagoon is the topic of our story this time around.  The perpetrator and object of this crucifixion was Mattio Lovat, anglicized in our text as “Matthew Lovat.”  The selected narrative comes from an 1826 collection edited by Henry Wilson called Wonderful … Read More Read More The post The Man Who Crucified himself appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

An Irish ghost story seems a good way to add a bit of Halloween spice to your St. Patrick's Day. Our selection, which will be read by Mrs. Karswell, comes from the 1825 publication Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland.  It's the first of three volumes of stories told by the Irish antiquarian … Read More Read More The post An Irish Ghost Story appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Epitaphs can sum up the life of the individual buried beneath or can comment on the human condition generally. From the melancholy to the absurd to the catastrophically caustic, we survey in this episode a spectrum of final thoughts and grim punchlines culled from a favorite 19th-century volume.   The post Epitaphs appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

A potpourri of peculiar tales culled from a favorite 19th-century volume. This episode features some outstanding  British eccentrics, an extraordinary case of delusional morbidity, lethal religious fanaticism, graveyard shenanigans, and more. Plus, more black-humored poetry from Harry Graham in “Karswell's Corner” The post A Remarkable Circumstance appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Enjoy with us a collection of short curious tales culled from a favorite Victorian volume —  the Stone Eater of London, a mariner's report of fire from the sky, the rise and fall of a French giant, 18th century blasphemies involving a donkey, and more.  Plus, more sardonic verse from Harry Graham in “Karswell's Corner” The post The Stone Eater and other Curious Cases appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

The fire that destroyed P.T. Barnum's American Museum on July 13, 1865 was a luxuriantly surreal and tragic event, one described beautifully in a contemporary New York Times piece, which we share in this episode verbatim. Doomed whales in enormous tanks, fleeing snakes, sideshow celebrities, and melting wax mannequins are all part of this fantastic … Read More Read More The post P.T. Barnum's Magnificent Museum Fire appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

The Christmas Eve ghost story is a fine old tradition associated with Victorian and Edwardian England, one now making a comeback on both sides of the Atlantic. Since 2018, Bone and Sickle has enthusiastically embraced the custom. Our offering for 2022, is “Smee” written by A.M. Burrage in 1931 and read for us by Mrs. … Read More Read More The post A Christmas Ghost Story appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

From St. Nicholas Day through Christmas, the Devil figured prominently in medieval plays, embodying a subversive seasonal element also celebrated in the Feast of Fools. We enter the topic of medieval Christmas plays sideways through German composer Carl Orff's 1935 composition “O Fortuna,” a piece much beloved in Hollywood soundtracks.  The lyric Orff set to … Read More Read More The post Christmas Devils and the Feast of Fools appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

This short off-format episode is intended as a sort of fireside reading to be enjoyed by our overfull American listeners as they struggle to digest their Thanksgiving dinners.  It's from the late 1st-century novel, Satyricon by Petronius and describes what is quite likely Western literature's most decadent description of a feast. The post An After-Dinner Reading: Decadent Dining in the Satyricon appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

Our survey of villainous Victorian women examines six individuals associated with some of the most ghastly crimes of the era, many directed against children (and for this reason possibly a bit of a rough listen for some.) Five of these criminals inspired murder ballads, or more specifically “execution ballads,”  single-sheet broadsheets sold at the time of … Read More Read More The post Villainous Victorian Women appeared first on Bone and Sickle.

During the Satanic Panic, the notion of Halloween as a Satanic High Holy Day came to prominence, but the elements necessary to this mythology were set in place much earlier. This episode focuses particularly on the early years of Wicca, some missteps in disassociating  the movement from Satanism, and early evangelical personalities spinning “ex-Satanist” yarns … Read More Read More The post Who Put the Hell in Helloween? appeared first on Bone and Sickle.