Between Myth and Belief

PeaPod Productions
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Michelle is a witch attuned to the supernatural. Beth is a skeptical secular witch. Together they explore folklore, cryptids, ghost stories, and legends from the Appalachian Mountains and beyond. Weaving faith and doubt, wonder and wit into stories that echo with mystery, they live in the space between the magical and the mundane, offering their listeners both chills and charm.

  1. 1d ago

    Trick or Terror: Three Halloween Urban Legends and Creepypasta

    Grab a hot cuppa, a blanket, and dim the lights. This All Hallows’ Eve, Between Myth and Belief is telling three modern urban legends and creepypasta tales about murder, memory, and blame, and we’re asking why stories like these refuse to stay buried. First, the Candy Lady of Terrell, Texas. In 1903, children begin finding candy and handwritten notes on their bedroom windowsills, and suspicion lands on Clara Crane, a real woman who was convicted of poisoning her husband and then vanished from the records. Next, Candle Cove, the legendary creepypasta about a strange local kids’ show that a handful of forum users swear they remember. Finally, a Halloween night in 1962, a house full of teenagers in homemade masks, and a photograph that may be older than the story told about it. Along the way, we talk about how childhood memory plays tricks on us, why creepypasta is basically written improv, the TV shows only we seem to remember, and what it means to believe a story because we want it to be true. Spoiler warning for our own sake: if you already know these tales, please don’t give away the endings. The photo for the last story:  Then stick around for the Calendar of the Weird. Halloween may be over by midnight, but the weirdness has other plans. This fortnight brings late-night ghost hunts, celebrations honoring the dead, community rituals, and an extremely early visit from everyone’s favorite Alpine Christmas menace. Here are the events mentioned in our Calendar of the Weird: OCTOBER 31: Halloween Ghost Hunt | Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Weston, West Virginia. Overnight paranormal investigation, 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. https://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/schedule-of-events/ OCTOBER 31 to NOVEMBER 1: Día de Muertos | Mano a Mano, St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, New York City. Free community altar, traditional art, performances, and remembrance. https://www.manoamano.nyc/day-of-the-dead-dia-de-muertos-nyc NOVEMBER 7: Night at the Glore Museum | American Hauntings, St. Joseph, Missouri. Limited-capacity after-hours paranormal investigation. https://www.bumpinthenight.net/ NOVEMBER 7: Día de los Muertos and Diwali Festival | Presidio Tunnel Tops, San Francisco, California. Free celebration featuring storytelling, cultural activities, and a fire ceremony. https://presidio.gov/explore/events/dia-de-los-muertos-and-diwali-festival NOVEMBER 8: 37th Annual All Souls Procession | Tucson, Arizona. A community procession and remembrance ceremony. Gathering at 4 p.m., procession at 6 p.m. https://allsoulsprocession.org/all-souls-procession-guidelines/ NOVEMBER 13 to 14: Paranormal Tour and Overnight Ghost Hunt | Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, Weston, West Virginia. Friday tour 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.; Saturday ghost hunt 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. https://trans-alleghenylunaticasylum.com/schedule-of-events/ NOVEMBER 14: Krampus Holiday Market | Morbid Anatomy, Tom Kane Theater, Industry City, Brooklyn, New York. Oddities, gothic art, taxidermy, and Krampus-themed shopping, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. https://www.morbidanatomy.org/events-tickets/p/krampus-market-2026-zacs2 Have a tale to tell? Email us at betweenmythandbelief@gmail.com or find us on Instagram and Bluesky at @mythandbelief. Follow and subscribe wherever you listen, and visit our other podcast, Cozy Quilt Cinema, at CozyQuiltCinema.com.   Sounds used in episode:  Halloween01.mp3 by Filax -- https://freesound.org/s/169319/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

  2. Oct 19

    The Church Grim: Guardians of the Graveyard

    Imagine walking home down a dark Danish road in the early 1800s and meeting a lone white lamb in the fog. Now imagine counting its legs and wishing you hadn’t. This week on Between Myth and Belief, Beth and Michelle head into the churchyard to meet the Church Grim, the guardian spirit of European folklore said to watch over the dead after the mourners go home. It might be a black dog, a phantom lamb, a razor-backed galloping sow, or the last soul buried in the ground. We dig into where the Grim came from, including the old belief that something had to be buried first, whether an animal under the cornerstone or a human in the very first grave. Along the way we cover the death lamb of Ryslinge, the piglet that led a woman to a churchyard gate, and the Scottish Highland tradition of the faire chlaidh, which sent grieving families to blows over who got buried first. We also meet the drowned sailors of Danish legend and the black dogs of the Norfolk coast, and we take a Swedish Year Walk to the church door on New Year’s Eve, a journey that inspired a certain spooky indie video game. Is the Church Grim a Victorian collector’s romantic theory, a clever way to keep grave robbers away, or a very human wish that someone stay behind to watch over the people we love? Beth, your resident skeptical secular witch, lands somewhere between wild boar in a graveyard and something that’s still standing at the gate. We also take a look at what a church grim might look like in the Appalachian mountains. Calendar of the Wierd: ScareFest Weekend 2026 Lexington, KY   Astrology University: Uranus in Gemini & Cosmic Resets   Spooky Empire & Halloween Weekend Cons  Orlando, FL

  3. Oct 4

    Brown Mountain Lights: Ghost Lights of the Blue Ridge

    This week on Between Myth and Belief, Beth and Michelle head into the Blue Ridge Mountains to chase the Brown Mountain Lights, one of Appalachia's most stubborn ghost light legends. We start with the three stories people tell about where the lights come from: a Cherokee and Catawba battle, a faithful lantern-carrying searcher whose legend got a lot more complicated once we looked at who was telling it, and a woman named Belinda who may not be finished yet. Then the government gets involved. Two U.S. Geological Survey investigations blamed trains and car headlights, and the locals were not having it, since plenty of them swore they saw the lights before either existed. We also cover decades of cameras, an experiment with a very bright arc light, and a roadside rock shop owner whose encounter with the lights involved a crystal tunnel, the lost planet Pee-Wom, and a ride to Venus. Is it ball lightning? Piezoelectric glow from quartz in the rock? Refracted headlights bent by wet mountain air? Or something that still hasn't been explained? Beth, your resident skeptical secular witch, lands somewhere between swamp gas and magic, and explains why the stories we keep telling about this mountain matter more than the photons. Bring a flashlight. Don't touch anything glowing. Calendar of the Weird: October 4 to 17 WitchFest at Gardner Village All Month Long Monster Bash Conference Autumn 2026 October 16-18 KC Metaphysical Fair   - October 17th Scream Diego 2026  - October 17th Nightmare Weekend Raleigh - October 10-11 Nightmare in Vegas 2026 - October 10-11 Midwest MonsterCon 2026 -October 9-10 Windy City Witch Fest - October 9-10 Saturn reaches opposition - October 4-6      Attributions: Hilltop_meadow_20200328.mp3 by rabban625 -- https://freesound.org/s/511088/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Song by StockTune

  4. Sep 20

    Dungeon Rock: Pirate Gold, Ghosts, and Obsession

    This week on Between Myth and Belief, Michelle takes Beth to Lynn, Massachusetts, and the strange story of Dungeon Rock. According to legend, pirate Thomas Veal was trapped inside the cave during a 1658 earthquake, along with a fortune in stolen treasure. Nearly two centuries later, spiritualist Hiram Marble decided he was going to find it. With help from mediums, messages supposedly sent by the dead, dynamite, chisels, and an absolutely unreasonable amount of determination, Hiram and his son Edwin spent decades tunneling through the rock in search of pirate gold that always seemed to be just a little farther away. We talk pirates, buried treasure, Spiritualism, questionable historical sources, ghostly excavation advice, and the very human ability to keep digging long after most people would have gone home. Was Thomas Veal real? Was there ever treasure inside Dungeon Rock? Were the spirits actually helping, or was Hiram simply very committed to the bit? Grab a lantern. We’re digging in. Calendar of the Weird: September 19–20 — Mothman Festival, Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The annual festival commemorates the 1966 Point Pleasant sightings, with paranormal speakers, TNT-area activities, cosplay, music, vendors and other Mothman-related events. Mothman Festival official site September 19 — International Observe the Moon Night. NASA’s worldwide lunar-observation event encourages people not only to look at the Moon, but to explore the scientific, cultural and personal connections humans have made with it—making it an easy doorway into lunar gods, monsters, omens and folklore. NASA — International Observe the Moon Night September 22 — Autumn Equinox / Mabon. The equinox occurs at 8:05 p.m. EDT on September 22. Many modern Pagans observe the season as Mabon or Harvest Home, while equinox and harvest traditions have accumulated myths concerning balance, the darkening year, death and renewal; the Persephone story is one familiar mythological association. September Equinox information Pagan Federation — September festivals September 26 — The calendar goes feral. The Harvest Moon is full that night, with Saturn appearing nearby. September 26 is also National Ghost Hunting Day, a modern paranormal observance held on the last Saturday of September. And in Van Meter, Iowa, the Van Meter Visitor Festival celebrates the town’s famous 1903 bat-like creature legend with monster walks, paranormal presentations and folklore events—which is particularly fun given that we just visited the Visitor on the podcast. NASA September 2026 skywatching guide National Ghost Hunting Day Van Meter Visitor Festival — Travel Iowa September 29 — Michaelmas and the púca's war on blackberries. Michaelmas celebrates St. Michael, traditionally depicted defeating Satan or a dragon. British and Irish folklore also warns against eating blackberries after Michaelmas: some stories blame the Devil for ruining them after being cast from Heaven, while Irish versions say the púca soils or otherwise spoils the berries. The National Folklore Collection preserves accounts in which children were explicitly warned away from post-Michaelmas berries because the púca guarded them and eating them could bring ill luck. RTÉ — Michaelmas customs and folklore Dúchas — Irish National Folklore Collection account October 2–4 — Bigfoot at the 40, Honobia, Oklahoma. Beginning October 2—so it falls inside your calendar window—the southeastern Oklahoma gathering combines Bigfoot research presentations with vendors, live music, camping and appropriately atmospheric campfire storytelling. Bigfoot at the 40 — Oklahoma Tourism Sound attribution: Rocky Road Instrumental by studioste -- https://freesound.org/s/819232/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

  5. Sep 6

    The Van Meter Visitor: Iowa’s Glowing, Bulletproof Mystery

    In 1903, something strange came to Van Meter, Iowa. For several nights, townspeople reported mysterious lights moving across rooftops, a huge winged creature with a glowing light on its forehead, enormous three-toed tracks, and a smell powerful enough to leave one witness disoriented. Naturally, the people of Van Meter responded by shooting at it. A lot. This week on Between Myth and Belief, Beth and Michelle dig into the story of the Van Meter Visitor, one of Iowa’s strangest cryptid legends. We look at the original 1903 newspaper reports, the real people named as witnesses, the abandoned coal mine at the center of the story, and how a strange light eventually became an eight-foot, featherless, apparently bulletproof creature. Was it a large bird seen under terrible conditions? Mine gas and hallucinations? A hoax amplified by sensational journalism? An unknown animal? Something much stranger? And just how many armed men does it take before Iowa officially declares war on zoology? We separate what we can actually trace to 1903 from what the legend became later and explore the space where eyewitness testimony, folklore, skepticism, and belief all start stepping on each other’s toes. Welcome to Van Meter. Mind the glowing bird thing. The Calendar of the Weird: September 6 through the 19th Astrological & Astronomical Alignments September 9: September ε-Perseid Meteor Shower Peak Nature: Astronomical / Astrological Details: A minor, active meteor shower peaking on September 9. Darker skies surround this year's peak due to the nearby New Moon, creating ideal viewing conditions. September 10: The "Portal Day" Convergence Nature: Astrological Details: A sequence of major astrological transits occurs within hours of each other: the New Moon in Virgo takes place, Venus enters Scorpio, Mercury enters Libra, and Uranus stations Retrograde in Gemini. This major convergence closes the late-summer eclipse portal. September 11: New Moon in Virgo Nature: Astrological / Lunar Cycle Details: Reaches exact phase at 05:27 UTC. Historically associated with cleansing traditions, resetting daily habits, and grounding rituals. September 14: Venus-Moon Conjunction Nature: Astronomical / Astrological Details: Venus appears extraordinarily bright alongside a thin crescent moon in the western sky. September 17: Chiron Retrograde Re-enters Aries Nature: Astrological Details: Chiron ("the Wounded Healer") transitions back into Aries, initiating a key astrological focus on identity and instinctual resolution. September 18: First Quarter Moon Nature: Lunar Phase Details: Reaches exact phase at 22:43 UTC, bringing increasing lunar brightness in the build-up to the autumn equinox. Paranormal, Cryptid & Metaphysical Conventions September 9–12: PhenomeCon 2026 (Vernal, Utah) Nature: Paranormal & UAP Gathering Details: Located near Skinwalker Ranch, this convention brings together researchers and enthusiasts discussing Skinwalker Ranch anomalies, alien encounters, cryptids, and ghost hunting. September 12–13: SoulSearch Enlightenment Expo (Las Vegas, Nevada) Nature: Metaphysical Expo Details: A weekend gathering featuring psychics, mediums, astrologers, energy healers, and live spiritual channeling events at Palace Station. September 18–20: Upstate Renaissance & Folklore Faire (South Carolina) Nature: Metaphysical & Historical Lore Details: Regional event focusing on medieval lore, fairy mythologies, and historic folk magic traditions. September 19–20: Mothman Festival (Point Pleasant, West Virginia) Nature: Cryptid & Paranormal Festival Details: The world's largest gathering celebrating the legendary West Virginia cryptid, featuring guest speakers, paranormal investigators, live music, and tours of the local TNT area. Supernatural, Haunted & Cultural Folk Traditions September 11–November 1: SCARowinds Opens (Charlotte, North Carolina) Nature: Haunted Attraction Details: SCARowinds launches its season-opening weekend, featuring paranormal-investigator-themed mazes, theatrical horror, and dark folklore performances. September 14: Hartalika Teej & Ganesh Chaturthi Nature: Sacred & Supernatural Traditions Details: Observed globally across Hindu traditions. Features intense nocturnal vigils, fasting, and invocation rituals dedicated to Shiva, Parvati, and the manifestation of Lord Ganesha.   Sounds used:  Iowa Tree Insect 30s..mp3 by john9 -- https://freesound.org/s/215176/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

  6. Aug 23

    Blood, Ashes, and Consumption: The New England Vampire Panic

    What do you do when a disease is killing your family, medicine has no answers, and your neighbors are convinced the dead are responsible? This week on Between Myth and Belief, we dig into the New England Vampire Panic, a strange and deeply human chapter of American folklore born from fear, grief, and the devastating spread of tuberculosis, then known as consumption. We talk about the exhumations, burned hearts and organs, desperate folk remedies, and the belief that dead family members could somehow drain the life from those still living. Along the way, we visit some of the most infamous cases, including Mercy Brown, Frederick Ransom, Rachel Harris Burton, and the mysterious grave of “JB,” whose remains were found rearranged in a skull-and-crossbones pattern. There were no vampires, but there were frightened communities trying to make sense of a disease they could not see or understand. Somewhere between folklore, medicine, religion, and mass hysteria, the dead became the scapegoats. Also, a small but important piece of advice from us: please do not drink the ashes. Join us as we explore the history, folklore, and very real tragedy behind The New England Vampire Panic.   Sound Effect by Aman Kumar from Pixabay  Sound Effect by Subhasis Mandal from Pixabay  Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

    Blood, Ashes, and Consumption: The New England Vampire Panic

  7. Aug 9

    No Skin, No Mercy: The Nuckelavee of Orkney

    Meet the Nuckelavee: Orkney folklore's most relentless water horse, a fused horse-and-rider with no skin, a single burning red eye, and breath that poisons crops and livestock. Unlike the Kelpie or the Each-uisge, there's no taming this one, no trick, no deal. Just one rule that might save your life: never let it catch you between salt water and fresh. This episode traces the Nuckelavee back to Walter Traill Dennison's 1891 folklore collection, unpacks its ties to the Norse spirits Mither o' the Sea and Teran, and digs into why a culture surviving on thin soil and thinner margins needed a monster with "unmixed malignity" instead of one you could reason with. Along the way: the naming taboo that kept islanders from saying its name out loud, the real economic collapse hiding inside the story, and what a 19th-century Orcadian cautionary tale still has to teach us about fear, boundaries, and knowing your own exit. Skeptical, not dismissive. Salt on one side, fresh on the other. Never get caught in between. Calendar of the Weird: August 9–11: The Waning Dark & Veil Thinning The moon slimmers into its final waning crescent before the blackout, marking a prime window for banishing rituals, ghost hunting, and dreamwork.  TimeAndDate - Night Sky & Cosmic Calendar August 12: The Great Cosmic Convergence (Total Solar Eclipse + Dark New Moon + 6-Planet Parade) A monumental celestial trifecta: A Total Solar Eclipse paths across Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, while six planets (Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) line up pre-dawn.Astrologically, a Leo South Node eclipse signals a intense reset point for power dynamics and shadow work.  NASA Science - Total Solar Eclipse August 12, 2026  Star Walk - August 12 Triple Celestial Alignment Guide August 12–13 (Overnight): Peak Perseid Meteor Shower under Zero-Moon Skies Because of the dark New Moon eclipse, night skies are pitch black—creating optimal conditions to watch up to 100 shooting stars per hour. Celestial fire magic at its finest.  Farmer's Almanac - Perseid Meteor Shower 2026 Guide August 15: Conjunction of Jupiter & Mercury + Heliacal Rising of Sirius Mercury and Jupiter align in the sky while the ancient portal star Sirius makes its heliacal rising at dawn—historically tied in occult traditions to high spiritual energy and Lion's Gate integration.  In-The-Sky.org - Planetary Conjunctions August 17: National Black Cat Appreciation Day A day dedicated to dispelling old superstitious stigmas around black cats, familiar spirits, and witchcraft history.  National Today - Black Cat Appreciation Day August 18: National Bad Poetry Day (Vogon & Hex Edition) Celebrate the supernatural power of terrible rhymes—write a cursed poem or intentionally awful spell.  Holiday Insights - Bad Poetry Day August 20: First Quarter Moon (Intuition & Psychic Activation) The moon reaches its First Quarter phase, building intense energy as the cosmos moves toward late-August. Ideal for tarot, divination, and psychic readings.  NASA - Moon Phase Calendar August 22: Southern Hemisphere Hoodie-Hoo Day & Spirit Banishing Step outside at noon local time, throw your hands up in the air, and yell "HOODIE-HOO!" to banish lingering bad vibes, winter funk, and unwanted house haunts.  AnydayGuide - Hoodie-Hoo Day Traditions   Sound Attributions: Spooky scottish night.wav by inchadney -- https://freesound.org/s/399561/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 Moan.wav by GoodListener -- https://freesound.org/s/322444/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

    No Skin, No Mercy: The Nuckelavee of Orkney

  8. Jul 26

    The Butterfly People of Joplin

    On May 22, 2011, an EF5 tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people in one of the deadliest storms in modern American history. In the aftermath, something strange surfaced, child survivors across the town began describing the same figure: a tall, human-like being with enormous butterfly wings who appeared in the worst moments of the storm, shielding them from debris and standing between them and collapsing buildings. This week, Beth and Michelle dig into the legend of the Butterfly People of Joplin, where it came from, why butterfly wings instead of the usual angel iconography, and what psychology, trauma, and Bible Belt folklore might have to say about it. As always, we land somewhere between myth and belief. Calendar of the Weird: Essex Witches & Pagans Lammas Festival Dates: August 1, 2026 Location: Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom (Galleywood Heritage Centre) Details: Celebrates the first harvest of the Celtic Wheel with a witchy market, spiritual readings, community workshops, and open rituals. Link: Earth Spirit Events Lughnasadh Rite at White Mountain Druid Sanctuary Dates: August 1, 2026 Location: Trout Lake, Washington, USA (Trout Lake Abbey) Details: An outdoor Irish pantheon rite honoring the god Lugh Samildanach and the Lady of the White Salmon at the sanctuary's stone circle, preceded by a community potluck. Link: White Mountain Druids Lughnasadh Art & Music Festival Dates: August 1, 2026 Location: Newport-on-Tay, Fife, Scotland (Forgan Arts Centre) Details: Marks the turning of the Celtic Wheel through live Scottish music, workshops, and traditional harvest art installations. Link: Scottish Contemporary Art Network 20th Annual Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day Dates: August 8, 2026 Location: Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada Details: Community gathering featuring public rituals, educational workshops, and information tables centered around the four elements. Link: Campbell River Mirror Event Overview New Orleans Paracon Dates: July 31 – August 2, 2026 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (Crowne Plaza French Quarter) Details: Focuses on French Quarter haunted history, voodoo traditions, and local vampire lore, featuring guest speakers, ghost hunts, and educational workshops. Link: New Orleans Paracon Official Site Deep South Para-comi-con Dates: August 8 – 9, 2026 Location: Enterprise, Alabama, USA Details: A hybrid convention blending paranormal investigation panels, local ghost lore, horror culture, and metaphysical vendors. Link: Ghosts & Getaways Event Listing The Legendary Llangollen Faery Festival Dates: August 8 – 9, 2026 Location: Llangollen, Wales, United Kingdom Details: A weekend celebration steeped in Celtic fairy folklore, artisan crafts, storytelling, and music. Link: Moondragon UK Festival Guide     Tornado Sirens - Tulsa by Filmscore -- https://freesound.org/s/515695/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    The Butterfly People of Joplin
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About

Michelle is a witch attuned to the supernatural. Beth is a skeptical secular witch. Together they explore folklore, cryptids, ghost stories, and legends from the Appalachian Mountains and beyond. Weaving faith and doubt, wonder and wit into stories that echo with mystery, they live in the space between the magical and the mundane, offering their listeners both chills and charm.

Information

  • Creator
    PeaPod Productions
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Between Myth and Belief

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