Astonishing Legends
380 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 days ago - ★★★★★ - 9K ratingsThe world is more mysterious than most people are comfortable imagining. We cross paths with the mystical from time to time and may not even notice it. If we do, we quickly return to our usually mundane daily existence. But what if we not only acknowledged the unknown, we investigated it and spoke with those in the know? That’s what co-hosts Scott & Forrest, and their producer Tess Pfeifle do at Astonishing Legends. Over 100 million downloads and hundreds of thousands of listeners have shown that exploring and embracing the wonders of our world can be not only enlightening but exciting. Welcome to Astonishing Legends!
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Episodes
The Sallie House – Ghost in the Machine Part 4
November 19, 2018 04:51 - 2 hoursWhat we'd heard is that witnessing a single paranormal event can change one's life. What we know now is that this is true and often it happens when you're least expecting it. It also doesn't matter if the experiencer receives validation from others of their encounter because they don't need anyone to tell them what they experienced. On the other hand, we'd all like to share our stories with like-minded individuals, partly to gain some comfort in thinking that we've not gone insane and also t...
The Sallie House – Ghost in the Machine Part 3
November 12, 2018 05:18 - 4 hoursWhen it comes to the Paranormal and Supernatural, everyone wants proof. And yet, not everyone can seem to agree on what would constitute this proof. So what about evidence that might lead to proving the existence of a spirit world? Well, not everyone can seem to agree on what is considered actual evidence either. Since the invention of technologies like photography, and audio & video recording, there have been many purported instances of these recording capabilities capturing occurrences...
The Sallie House – Ghost in the Machine Part 2
October 31, 2018 04:19 - 2 hoursBelief is a very personal thing. Challenging beliefs can lead to war amongst nations or a war within one's self. Having to reconsider what we believe about our spirituality or lack thereof, can be a very disquieting exercise but often a fruitful one as it leads to growth. But what obligation does the believer have to convince the non-believer of their story? Does it matter if the believer doesn't care what you think? In a way, our egos and skepticism protect us from feeling the discomfort wh...
The Sallie House – Ghost in the Machine Part 1
October 29, 2018 06:13 - 3 hoursHouses are supposed to be warm and inviting, friendly, a place where we can feel safe in their presence, just like people are supposed to be. But as much as we would like to hope all people are shining examples of those qualities, we know all too well some people are not, and it is the same with houses. Houses can have personalities, just like people, and sometimes those personalities are a spirit of joy and sometimes those personalities house a spirit of darkness and mystery. And then there...
Mysterious Deaths along the 37th Parallel
October 21, 2018 16:46 - 2 hoursMost of the encounters with Bigfoot that you hear about seem benign, frightening to be sure, but more awkward and penumbral than violent. However, as we'll soon learn, that's not always the case. Our guest tonight is UFO and Paranormal Field Investigator Chuck Zukowski. For the past 30 years, Chuck has been researching and investigating a wide range of phenomena within the realm of the paranormal, everything from UFO evidence & abductions, to animal mutilations, ghosts, and of course, Bigfoo...
Yokai Horrors of Japan
October 15, 2018 03:40 - 1 hourThe folkloric traditions of Japan are as rich and vibrant as the country itself, and this is especially true with their pantheon of supernatural characters collectively known as Yokai. The word Yokai in Japanese comprises two concepts: "Yo," meaning: bewitching; attractive; calamity; and "kai," meaning "a mystery, wonder or specter; apparitions; something mysterious or suspicious." There are so many types of Yokai, each with their own unique personalities, functions, and behaviors that it's ...
The Grim Reaper
October 07, 2018 01:07 - 2 hoursWhen you hear the name, "The Grim Reaper," a very familiar image probably pops into your head. With the black robe and cowl, skeletal face and hands or the visage of a dour corpse, a threatening scythe, and hourglass at its last sands, this is the image the modern, western person thinks of when we personify death. But where did this visual come from? How do we know what death looks like? And since death has always been with us, isn't this image as old as that finality itself? One might think...
The Black Monk of Pontefract Part 3
September 24, 2018 02:58 - 1 hourYou might not believe in ghosts, but it would be difficult to ignore all the furtive and orchestrated actions that were going on throughout the years at 30 East Drive, which continue to this day. Certainly, in some famous poltergeist cases, incidents could have been manipulated to gain attention for the prankster. However, unless you're contending that pre-teens have somehow gained Hollywood Special Effects level skills in every case, then some of the more bizarre and baffling examples of po...
The Black Monk of Pontefract Part 2
September 17, 2018 01:38 - 1 hourPoltergeists are all fun & games, that is until they try to strangle you. The actions of whatever force was interacting with the Pritchard family at 30 East Drive in Pontefract, England had seemed playful in a way, albeit disturbing and churlish at times. It seemed there was a primary personality that was the source of the mischief they were experiencing and so consistent were its stunts that the family became familiar with this presence they called "Fred." However, no one really knows wh...
The Black Monk of Pontefract Part 1
September 10, 2018 02:46 - 1 hourThe quote, "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days" is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. We assume the esteemed Mr. Franklin was speaking only of human guests, but it could also apply to the subject of tonight's show. Because the uninvited guest of 30 East Drive in Pontefract, England would prove to be more than an annoying visitor oblivious to hints or uncaring that they'd overstayed their welcome, it would show itself as a threat to the family's safety and sanity. In the mid-196...
Small Town Monsters
August 26, 2018 03:13 - 1 hourWe met filmmaker Seth Breedlove at the Kent Stage for the 2018 Kent Paranormal Weekend symposium, where our first event was a screening of his film, The Mothman of Point Pleasant. Needless to say, we were very impressed by his documentary on the subject and then later by Seth himself. After a very pleasant chat in the lobby, we knew we had met a kindred spirit and had to get him on the show to discuss other works by his film production company, Small Town Monsters. Tonight we discuss Seth...
David Davies - Witness to Broad Haven
August 19, 2018 02:16 - 1 hourAnyone who has experienced what is considered a paranormal event will tell you that it's not easy to tell others about what you had witnessed, especially if that experience was dramatic and significant. Testimony about such things is often met with ridicule, scorn and sometimes violence by those who feel threatened by such challenges to their reality. Therefore it takes no small amount of courage and resolution to tell your truth and stick to it. Such are the qualities that we believe mak...
Strange Tales from Wales & UFO School Days
August 11, 2018 19:35 - 1 hourSo many popular culture misconceptions abound with stories of UFO sightings; that it's always some farmer, alone in his fields when an unidentified flying object appears. The "hayseed farmer" is an easy target to dismiss with ridicule and hubris. Sure, sometimes it is a farm, as it was in 1977 at the Coombs family farm in southern Wales, but it is far from the norm. And it wasn't a singular farmer who witnessed a UFO then, prominent townsfolk and a group of schoolchildren also saw bizarre cr...
Roswelsh: The Berwyn Mountain UFO Incident
July 29, 2018 21:41 - 1 hourOn January 23, 1974, villagers in the community of Llandrillo in the Edeirnion area of Denbighshire, northern Wales, experienced a tremendous jolt and noise a little after 8:30 p.m., akin to a magnitude 3.5 earthquake. Highly strange, colored lights were seen over the surrounding hills at the same time. Another unusual occurrence was that the British Military was immediately on the scene as if they were tracking the "geological event" in real time. The official Ministry of Defence conclus...
Mystery of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse Part 2
July 13, 2018 23:04 - 2 hoursMany people enjoy a good mystery. However, mysteries often leave us slightly disturbed and unsettled, because we're also always searching for answers and when we look for answers, we're sometimes comforted the most by the simplest explanations. With the case of the Flannan Isle Lighthouse Keepers, most are willing to accept that a massive "Rogue Wave" swept the three men into oblivion. But what if meteorological science matched against clues left from the scene could show that this theory...
Flannan Isles Special Announcement
July 07, 2018 20:54 - 2 minutesFlannan Isles Part 2 is delayed. This is why.
Mystery of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse Part 1
June 24, 2018 20:54 - 1 hourIn 1899, construction on the Flannan Isles lighthouse was completed, perched atop Eilean Mòr, one of the highest points in the Outer Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It would soon experience its first tragedy and an enduring mystery. For several days, it's light could not be seen and on December 15, 1900, the ship Archtor documented this concern in its log while heading to port in Leith. However, 11 days would pass before the lighthouse tending ship Hesperus would be able to dock ...
Göbekli Tepe Part 3
June 17, 2018 20:08 - 2 hoursSomething or someone of great importance and influence had convinced and motivated these neolithic hunter-gatherers to put their way of life on hold and come together as a group to undertake such a tremendous project as Göbekli Tepe. This is likely the first time hundreds of prehistoric peoples had formed an organized collective in order to build a religious sanctuary. The work would've taken years to accomplish and the temple would be built upon for many centuries more. The result of this w...
Göbekli Tepe Part 2
June 10, 2018 05:11 - 1 hourWhat we've learned so far about Göbekli Tepe, is what it appears to be, which is that it is possibly the world's oldest sacred temple. We think we know who built it: a collective of hunter-gatherers, who had not yet learned the skills of farming. We also think we know approximately when. But the answers to the questions of how and why and what did it all mean to these Neolithic peoples may not be so easily obtained. In fact, since the 1960s at least in American archaeology, a debate stil...
Göbekli Tepe Part 1
May 27, 2018 04:00 - 1 hourIn 1963, archaeologists from the University of Chicago and Istanbul University examined a site known by locals as Göbekli Tepe, or "Potbelly Hill." They dismissed the site at the time as merely a medieval cemetery due to the numerous slabs of stone thought to be grave markers. However, in 1993, German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt, who was doing work at another Neolithic site in nearby Nevalı Çori, heard about the report and decided to investigate it for himself. What Schmidt and his team w...
EVPs at the KPW
May 13, 2018 21:57 - 2 hoursOne of the highlights of our appearance at the Kent Paranormal Weekend was participating in our very first Ghost Hunt! The event took place at the Kent Stage in Kent, Ohio which was first built in 1927 and since then has continued to host concerts, films, and various performances. The theater is also host to a cast of characters who were once somehow connected to this historic theater and whose spirits remain there. We explored the most haunted areas of the theater and tried our hand at d...
Earhart's Plane Found?
May 06, 2018 01:14 - 2 hoursOf all the hypotheses of what happened to Amelia Earhart and her Electra 10-E, William "Bill" Snavely, Jr.'s may be the only one that starts with a found plane and traces her route backward towards her last known contact point. Operating on a hunch that due to low fuel, Earhart may have decided to turn back to a viable landing strip, which would have taken her directly over the path of Buka Island, east of Papua New Guinea. While in Buka searching for clues, Snavely received a tip that an ai...
Resurrection Mary Part 4
April 22, 2018 01:13 - 2 hoursIf Resurrection Mary is just an Urban Legend, merely another variation of the "Vanishing Hitchhiker" then her story is a common one, with similar descriptions found in folklore all over the world. If she is a spirit, then she's also not alone, because it seems people of every country have come forward with testimony of meeting a real "Lady in White." If these ladies are a myth, or if they're real, or some combination of both, why are they so universally elemental? Why is she so primal? Do we...
Resurrection Mary Part 3
April 15, 2018 01:30 - 1 hourHow many reported sightings of a particular ghost would it take before you started to believe that perhaps people were indeed interacting with something supernatural? Hundreds? Over a thousand? But you're looking for proof, you say. Well, what would be convincing proof for you? What about mysterious, spectral handprints melted and scorched into bronze bars that have resisted repair and coverup? Tonight in Part Three of our series, we examine the possibility that Mary may have left her indeli...
Resurrection Mary Part 2
April 09, 2018 01:38 - 2 hoursAs you delve into the legend of "Resurrection Mary," you'll soon notice that the stretch of Archer Avenue from Resurrection Cemetery to the Willowbrook Ballroom is not the only piece of land that seems haunted, nor is it haunted just by "Mary." It seems the entire locality has a supernatural quality to it, enough that Chicago's "Southwest Siders" have dubbed it "The Archer Triangle," in reference to the more famous one near Bermuda. But what is it about this region that spurs so many repor...
Resurrection Mary Part 1
March 26, 2018 02:22 - 1 hourLegend has it, that sometime in the late 1920s or early '30s, a young couple was enjoying an evening of dancing at the Oh Henry Ballroom, later renamed the Willowbrook Ballroom & Banquets, located southwest of Chicago, IL. After an argument, the woman stormed out, deciding she'd rather walk home than spend another minute with her boyfriend. As she walked along Archer Avenue on a wintery night, she was struck and killed by a hit and run driver. Her bereaved parents buried her at nearby Resurr...
Arcapalooza Part 2
March 11, 2018 04:54 - 2 hoursAs we wrap up our 100th episode celebration with "ARCapalooza! Part 2" we'd like to thank the terrific people who have come together to form the Astonishing Research Corps for their efforts, friendship, and sharing their personal stories, demonstrating their generosity and a fair amount of bravery. We'd also like to thank another crucial member of this project, and that is you, our listeners. We're astounded, humbled, and most importantly grateful for the support you've shown with your conti...
Bonus Episode 2: Listener Q&A
March 04, 2018 03:33 - 51 minutesSince it's no mystery that we can blather and prattle on for hours upon hours, it should come as no surprise that we ran long on Part One of our ARCapalooza 100th Episode Celebration! The result is this commercial-free, Bonus Episode, where lead A.R.C. researcher Tess Pfeifle poses questions to us submitted by listeners. We hope you enjoy this candid discussion where we talk about everything from our thoughts on show topics to producing the podcast. For more information on this episode vi...
Arcapalooza Part 1
February 25, 2018 05:28 - 2 hoursThis podcast wouldn't be as complete or as much fun to work on if it wasn't for the help of a special group of volunteer contributors, collectively known as the Astonishing Research Corps, or ARC for short, who have now become good friends as well as valued collaborators. So we figured it would be fitting to salute their efforts on our celebratory 100th episode by having some of the ARC's founding members tell their own strange and mysterious tales. We hope you find their stories entertainin...
The Tall Ones Part 3
February 19, 2018 01:58 - 2 hoursSo, what have we learned about giants? Our current understanding of human biology finds limits as to how tall a person can grow and can still be relatively healthy while enjoying an advanced age. This knowledge then places limits as to what the majority are willing to believe about the tallest humans throughout all history, that no one could have existed beyond 8 to 10 feet tall at the most. In the still-nascent field of archeology in the 19th century, excavations do seem to provide accounts...
The Tall Ones Part 2
February 12, 2018 02:28 - 1 hourWhat constitutes a "giant" in your mind? Certainly, people who are 6 to 7 feet tall are commonplace nowadays, unlike the Middle Ages, or even a hundred years ago. But what about someone who's seven feet tall or more? We may call them "giants" in jest, but it's not the same as when we think of the giants in our legends. A measurement of more than seven feet is rare, but there are plenty of healthy people living today in that range that prove it's not so legendary by our contemporary imaginati...
Bonus: Interview with Dr Chris Cogswell, PhD.
February 03, 2018 03:18 - 40 minutesPlease join us for a special, commercial-free BONUS episode featuring an interview with senior Astonishing Legends Research Corps member, Chemical Engineer and newly appointed Director of Research for MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network, Dr. Chris Cogswell, Ph.D. We originally interviewed Chris for our of Imminent Disclosure? Part 2 episode, but felt this congratulatory announcement and interesting discussion deserved its own segment. Chris explains how MUFON operates, what its aims are, and how t...
The Tall Ones Part 1
January 29, 2018 00:09 - 1 hourIt's easy to imagine a version of ourselves that's gargantuan, magical, a hero that often plays the villain, a giant among the ordinary. Legends of giants doing as they please have been with us since the beginning and continue to fascinate us in cinema and sport. The idea of a giant is easy to entertain because either through genetics or rare disorders, extra-large humans have naturally lived throughout our existence. The idea that's not easy for the modern person to imagine, aside from a si...
Imminent Disclosure? Part 2
January 22, 2018 00:12 - 1 hourHow "credible" does an eye-witness have to be before their account of an Unidentified Flying Object is taken seriously? Whom would you think is the most credible sort of witness for this type of impossible craft, aside from the beings or forces that made them? How about an elite jet fighter pilot from the US Navy, highly trained to identify every known aerial threat – known to a conventional military, of course. Tonight, we sit down again for Part Two with our friend Rob Kristofferson, fr...
Imminent Disclosure? Part 1
January 14, 2018 04:47 - 1 hourThe term "Disclosure" in the UFO community generally refers to the long-awaited event when the government, specifically the U.S. Government, finally tells the world that UFOs exist, along with everything they know about extraterrestrials, or so enthusiasts of the topic would hope. While we wouldn't suggest holding your breath until "Full Disclosure" happens, there has been an interesting, recent development worth noting. On December 17, 2017, the New York Times published a curious article ti...
Yeti Part 3
December 24, 2017 02:59 - 1 hourLike so many cryptid mysteries, what one realizes is that the deeper you search for the answer of what the creature might be, you find what it represents is so much more than just a singular beast. Such was the discovery of tonight's guest, Professor Daniel C. Taylor, PhD., author of Yeti: The Ecology of a Mystery. Dr. Taylor has spent 60 years of his life on a quest to solve the mystery of the Yeti, and that process has ultimately led to the foundation of a worldwide network and university ...
Yeti Part 2
December 17, 2017 09:45 - 1 hourYou've heard the eye-witness accounts of encounters with the Yeti, but can you believe them? The DNA of supposed Yeti "evidence" has been tested, and it's hard to argue those results, but how do we know those bits were really from a Yeti as locals know it? And speaking of what the locals know, the western world likes to take one answer and apply it to many questions, while the eastern world knows that there can be several answers to a question. The locals also know what they saw when it come...
Yeti Part 1
December 11, 2017 05:42 - 1 hourOn November 8, 1951, noted mountaineer and adventurer Eric Shipton and Dr. Michael Ward were on an expedition to find an alternate route to ascend Mount Everest. At approximately 17,500 feet and exploring a glacier near an Everest basecamp they came across a set of massive footprints that shouldn't have been there. The only possible known creatures that they thought could have left such crisp footprints in the snow at that altitude were humans, bears or yaks, and they didn't look exactly l...
Chasing Amelia Earhart with Chris Williamson
November 19, 2017 05:04 - 2 hoursJoin us tonight as we sit down with Chris Williamson, the project creator of Chasing Earhart. Chris, along with his wife Vanessa and their dedicated team of researchers and producers, has created a podcast and are working on a documentary all about legendary aviatrix Amelia Earhart: her life, her persona, her fateful last flight and the controversy that surrounds her legacy. The result is that Chasing Earhart has rapidly become one of the definitive repositories of information and interviews...
Black Eyed Kids Part 3
November 12, 2017 04:33 - 2 hoursWhether you choose to think of Black Eyed Kids as demonic entities or just unaccompanied children out by themselves late at night with full-sclera Contacts trying to scare people, one thing our research and the research of those who have written extensively on the subject has concluded, this is not just an internet hoax, no matter what you keep telling yourself. Perhaps the only proof of their authenticity is also something that is unquantifiable: a deep down, primal fear upon meeting them ...
Black Eyed Kids Part 2
October 29, 2017 05:21 - 2 hoursThe accounts of encounters with Black Eyed Kids vary with their observable details, except for two main factors: their dead, black eyes which you see and can never forget and the feeling of utter horror and doom which you will continue to feel every time you think about them. If the eyes truly are "windows to the soul" then these entities have no soul, or that soul resides in hell. Remember that the next time you hear a knock and think it's just a harmless kid or two, and all they want is so...
Black Eyed Kids Part 1
October 23, 2017 06:45 - 1 hourFirst, there's a knock. A very persistent knock, at your door, at your car window. Or maybe they stop you on a walk, on your way somewhere, when you're alone. They're just kids, right? And who doesn't want to help out kids in need? Except that these aren't like any kids you've met before. They're not like any humans you've ever met before, because what humans have you seen that have completely all-black eyes and fill you with an inexplicable dread? These kids don't want money (that's what hu...
The Bell Witch Part 2
October 16, 2017 05:20 - 3 hoursFolklore can simply be described as beliefs, customs or legends handed down and preserved among a people. Some believe they are merely made up tales designed to entertain, while others believe folklore may be based on truths that have been gilded over the years by the oral tradition, yet their truth survives as valuable instruction or even a warning. Whether the legend of the Bell Witch was based on a real poltergeist event with the details being accurately preserved, or somewhat true but pa...
The Bell Witch Part 1
October 09, 2017 04:31 - 2 hoursEvery family has their stories passed down from generation to generation, but most aren't as fantastical or have made as much of an impact on regional history as the legend of the Bell Witch. From about 1817 to 1821 in the Red River Community, now known as Adams, Tennessee, some sort of supernatural entity known as the "Bell Witch" was claimed to have terrorized the family of John Bell. The activity was not just confined to the Bells, but many in the area at the time reported instances of po...
Castle Houska: Gateway to Hell (Part 2)
September 24, 2017 02:40 - 2 hoursThere are two connected, yet distinct traditions of weirdness concerning Houska Castle: its mysterious, violent and spotty history of purpose and ownership, and the reported sightings of horrific creatures and terrifying specters since its founding. Regarding the castle's originally intended design; whether it was really built to keep something from escaping rather than defense from outside forces, the lack of any definitive or comprehensive historical records will only lead to debate and sp...
Castle Houska: Gateway to Hell Part 2
September 24, 2017 02:40 - 2 hoursThere are two connected, yet distinct traditions of weirdness concerning Houska Castle: its mysterious, violent and spotty history of purpose and ownership, and the reported sightings of horrific creatures and terrifying specters since its founding. Regarding the castle's originally intended design; whether it was really built to keep something from escaping rather than defense from outside forces, the lack of any definitive or comprehensive historical records will only lead to debate and sp...
Castle Houska: Gateway to Hell (Part 1)
September 17, 2017 06:15 - 1 hourThe descriptor "Hell Hole" can currently describe anything from your first apartment to the workplace you dread, but where do we get that term? Ages ago, could there have been a hole that people believed led straight to the depths of hell itself? There are several sites in our world that could lay claim to that title, where the "veil" to the underworld seems a little "thin," but a historically solid contender would no doubt be Houska Castle, about 40 miles north of Prague in the Czech Repub...
Castle Houska: Gateway to Hell Part 1
September 17, 2017 06:15 - 1 hourThe descriptor "Hell Hole" can currently describe anything from your first apartment to the workplace you dread, but where do we get that term? Ages ago, could there have been a hole that people believed led straight to the depths of hell itself? There are several sites in our world that could lay claim to that title, where the "veil" to the underworld seems a little "thin," but a historically solid contender would no doubt be Houska Castle, about 40 miles north of Prague in the Czech Republ...
The Hatem Files - Case #1
September 09, 2017 05:50 - 2 hoursTonight's show is... well... we don't know what it is, frankly. What we can tell you is that friend and screenwriter Richard Hatem stopped by the Astonishing Legends studio, we ordered pizzas, made more than a few "Dirty Martinis" (at Rich's resolute insistence, which he then sent back several times to the bar until they met with his exacting and cruel satisfaction) and talked with great ardor and exuberance about everything paranormal and supernatural from the sublime to the silly, and app...