The Strange History Podcast

Did the Devil really walk into an English church during a violent thunderstorm in 1577? In this chilling episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy begins another installment of the new series, Tonight's Tale Was Once Told as Truth, by exploring one of England's oldest and most mysterious legends—the terrifying Black Dog of Bungay, also known as Black Shuck.Journey to the medieval county of Suffolk, where a violent summer storm, eyewitness accounts, and centuries of folklore combined to create one of Britain's most enduring supernatural mysteries. According to local legend, an enormous black dog with glowing red eyes burst into Holy Trinity Church in Bungay during a church service, leaving death, fear, and unanswered questions in its wake.But what really happened on that storm-filled day in August 1577? Was it a demonic apparition, an ancient folklore creature, an unexplained weather phenomenon, or simply a tragic event transformed into legend over generations? Discover the original writings of Abraham Fleming, explore the history of Black Shuck, learn why phantom black dogs appear throughout British folklore, and uncover the fascinating relationship between medieval superstition, Elizabethan England, religion, lightning, psychology, and storytelling.Join Amy as history and folklore collide in a cinematic investigation into one of England's greatest unsolved legends. Whether you're fascinated by haunted history, British folklore, medieval mysteries, ghost stories, paranormal legends, or the hidden truths behind ancient myths, this is one tale you won't soon forget.Tonight's Tale Was Once Told as Truth...

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New episodes regularly. History gets weird here.

Did ancient Scottish sailors really fear mysterious blue-skinned creatures lurking beneath the waves? In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, we journey into the icy waters of the Minch, the dangerous channel separating the Scottish Highlands from the Outer Hebrides, to uncover one of Scotland's most fascinating forgotten legends. Known as the Blue Men of the Minch, these mysterious sea beings were said to challenge captains to poetry before deciding whether their ships would survive the crossing—or disappear forever beneath the waves.But where did this eerie legend come from? Was it simply folklore, or was it inspired by the very real dangers faced by generations of Scottish fishermen, Viking sailors, and merchant captains navigating one of Britain's most treacherous waterways? Join Amy as she explores the history behind the legend, the harsh realities of life at sea, Gaelic oral traditions, maritime superstitions, and the remarkable way folklore preserved history long before it was ever written down.Discover why this centuries-old Scottish legend continues to fascinate historians, folklorists, and lovers of mysterious history. If you enjoy strange history, forgotten folklore, haunted legends, Celtic mythology, maritime mysteries, and the hidden stories behind historical myths, this episode is for you.

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🎧 The Strange History Podcast Love bizarre true stories, forgotten scandals, and history’s most unhinged moments?
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New episodes regularly. History gets weird here.

For more than 1,500 years, people across Europe claimed to hear ghostly riders racing through the night sky during violent storms. From the forests of Germany and the fjords of Scandinavia to the hills of Wales and the villages of England, generations feared the arrival of the Wild Hunt—a supernatural procession led by gods, kings, warriors, or restless spirits that was said to appear on the darkest nights of the year.In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy continues the Tonight's Tale Was Once Told as Truth series by exploring one of the oldest and most widespread legends in European folklore. Discover the fascinating origins of the Wild Hunt, from Norse mythology and Odin's spectral riders to medieval ghost stories, Celtic traditions, and centuries of eyewitness accounts that blurred the line between history and legend.Why did so many different cultures believe they heard hunting horns echoing through the storm? Who was believed to lead the Hunt, and why did the story survive the fall of pagan Europe, the rise of Christianity, and more than a millennium of changing beliefs? Join us as we uncover the history behind the legend, explore the psychology of folklore, examine medieval life, and reveal how one mysterious tale united nearly every corner of northern Europe.If you enjoy mythology, Viking history, medieval history, Celtic folklore, ghost stories, haunted legends, strange history, ancient mysteries, European folklore, and forgotten traditions, this is one journey into the past you won't want to miss.Tonight's Tale Was Once Told as Truth...

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🎧 The Strange History Podcast Love bizarre true stories, forgotten scandals, and history’s most unhinged moments?
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New episodes regularly. History gets weird here.

Who were The Bloody Benders, and how did an ordinary family farm become one of the most terrifying crime scenes in American history? In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy explores the chilling true story of the Bloody Benders, the mysterious Kansas family accused of operating what many historians consider America's first documented family of serial killers. During the early 1870s, travelers along the Osage Trail in southeastern Kansas began disappearing without a trace. Merchants, doctors, ranchers, settlers, and families simply vanished while journeying across the American frontier. The investigation eventually led to a small roadside inn owned by the Bender family. Behind its welcoming appearance lay one of the darkest secrets of the Wild West. Guests were invited to enjoy a hot meal before being seated in the place of honor at the dinner table—where a carefully planned murder method allegedly claimed victim after victim. Hidden trapdoors, shallow graves beneath an orchard, and the shocking discovery of multiple bodies turned the Bender homestead into one of the most infamous crime scenes in nineteenth-century America. Discover the strange lives of John Bender Sr., Elvira Bender, John Jr., and the mysterious Kate Bender, the self-proclaimed psychic and spiritual healer whose charm helped lure unsuspecting travelers into one of history's deadliest traps. Learn about the disappearance of Dr. William York, the nationwide manhunt that followed, the dozens of reported sightings, and the enduring mystery surrounding what became of the Bender family after they vanished without a trace. We'll separate historical fact from frontier legend, explore the rise of Spiritualism after the Civil War, examine life on the Kansas frontier during westward expansion, and uncover why this extraordinary true crime case continues to fascinate historians more than 150 years later. Were the Bloody Benders America's first serial killer family? Did they escape justice forever? Or did frontier vigilantes secretly catch them before history lost their trail? Join The Strange History Podcast for one of the most disturbing and unforgettable true crime stories ever to emerge from the American Old West.

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🎧 The Strange History Podcast Love bizarre true stories, forgotten scandals, and history’s most unhinged moments?
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New episodes regularly. History gets weird here.

Was the Codex Gigas, better known as The Devil's Bible, really written in a single night after a monk made a pact with Satan? Or is the truth even more unbelievable? In this episode of The Strange History Podcast, Amy uncovers the fascinating history behind one of the world's most mysterious medieval manuscripts. Journey back to 13th-century Bohemia and explore the legend of Herman the Recluse, the Benedictine monk said to have traded his soul to complete the largest handwritten book ever created. Discover what historians, paleographers, and modern researchers have learned about the Codex Gigas, from its astonishing size and perfectly consistent handwriting to its famous full-page portrait of the Devil. We'll separate medieval myth from historical fact while exploring life inside a Benedictine monastery, the painstaking process of creating illuminated manuscripts, the role of medieval scribes, the Hussite Wars, Emperor Rudolf II's legendary collection, and the dramatic story of how the Codex Gigas survived a devastating castle fire after being thrown from a window in Stockholm. Is the Devil's Bible truly cursed? Why were pages removed from the manuscript? Could one person really spend decades creating a book of this magnitude? And why does the Codex Gigas continue to fascinate historians, conspiracy theorists, and lovers of unexplained mysteries more than 800 years after it was created? If you enjoy strange history, medieval mysteries, ancient manuscripts, forgotten legends, dark folklore, historical conspiracies, archaeology, unexplained events, and true stories that blur the line between fact and myth, this episode is for you. Subscribe to The Strange History Podcast for more incredible stories from history that prove the past is often stranger than fiction.

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🎧 The Strange History Podcast Love bizarre true stories, forgotten scandals, and history’s most unhinged moments?
Submit your ideas for The Strange History Podcast
Follow The Strange History Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episode. 🔗 Listen & Subscribe:
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New episodes regularly. History gets weird here.