Creepy Classics

Aristomenes is delighted to find his missing friend Socrates alive and well at a bathhouse in Thessaly, but all is not as it seems and both men may be in danger… This story has been re-told from Apuleius, Metamorphoses, Book 1, and is followed by a chat about the history behind it, including ancient beauty standards, Roman bathhouses, and ancient Roman fast food.Content warning: goreSupport me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/JulietteHarrissonBuy my books! https://books2read.com/ap/nzeerp/Juliette-HarrissonBuy merch! https://www.julietteharrisson.co.uk/storeCreepy Classics music written and performed by Ed Harrisson (C)SourcesApuleius, The Golden Ass, trans. Robert Graves (Penguin)Apuleius’ Metamorphoses: An Intermediate Latin Reader by Paul MurgatroydLaurie Maguire, Helen of Troy: From Homer to HollywoodRoman Justice and Apuleius’ Metamorphoses Author(s): Richard G. Summers Source: Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association , 1970, Vol. 101 (1970), pp. 511-531 Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2936069https://www.unrv.com/articles/inns-and-taverns-in-ancient-rome.php#:~:text=What%20did%20Romans%20eat%20in,in%20keeping%20with%20Roman%20customMax Miller’s Tasting History channel on YouTubehttps://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/08/roman-fast-food/153232https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/pompeii-archaeologists-reveal-rare-frescoes-of-trojan-war-characters-180984153/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A feud between two lords of the manor, a Norman count and an English Abbot, has devastating consequences for the peasants who live and work in the village, which comes under the power of a dark spirit… This short story is inspired by a 12th century saint’s life, the Life of St Modwenna, and is followed by a chat about its historical context, the medieval cult of saints, and the living and working conditions of medieval serfs.Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/JulietteHarrissonBuy my books! https://books2read.com/ap/nzeerp/Juliette-HarrissonBuy merch! https://www.julietteharrisson.co.uk/storeCreepy Classics music written and performed by Ed Harrisson (C)SourcesThe Penguin Book of the Undead: Fifteen Hundred Years of Supernatural Encounters, edited by Scott G. Bruce.™an Mortimer, The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval Englandhttps://www.leidenmedievalistsblog.nl/articles/how-to-be-a-saint-a-medieval-guide-to-sanctityhttp://www.burton-on-trent.org.uk/category/early-history/1000-modwenCarl Lindahl, John McNamara and John Lindow (eds), Medieval Folklore: A Guide to Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and CustomsThomas Head (ed) Medieval Hagiography: An AnthologyIllustration of a reeve and serfs: Anonymous (Queen Mary Psalter), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Thorstein just needs to do his business late at night, but it’s hard to focus when there’s a demon in the toilet… Inspired by ‘Þáttur Þorsteins skelks,’ Flateyjarbók, this short story is followed by a chat about the origins of Gandalf, and Viking toilets!Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/JulietteHarrissonBuy my books! https://books2read.com/ap/nzeerp/Juliette-HarrissonBuy merch! https://www.julietteharrisson.co.uk/storeCreepy Classics music written and performed by Ed Harrisson (C)SourcesTranslation by Anthony Maxwell: https://www.richardfordburley.com/sin-and-evil/files/Thorstein.pdfhttps://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/Villages.htmThe Welsh Viking on Vikings and medieval toilets, on YouTubehttps://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/viking-toilet-oldest-bathroom-denmarkhttps://www.vikinganswerlady.com/fire.shtmlRowe, Elizabeth (March 28, 1998). “Cultural Paternity in the Flateyjarbók Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar” (PDF). Alvíssmál. Retrieved December 17, 2015 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Young Herdis is disturbed by a terrifying dream of an angry witch, but it is not the first time her grandmother Gudrun has encountered something supernatural in her long and colourful life… Inspired by Laxdaela Saga, especially Chapter 76, this short story is followed by a chat about its historical context, including Roman Catholic Easter services, ancient Norse witches and wizards (and their staffs with a knob on the end) and the mysterious Norse draugr.Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/JulietteHarrissonBuy my books! https://books2read.com/ap/nzeerp/Juliette-HarrissonBuy merch! https://www.julietteharrisson.co.uk/storeCreepy Classics music written and performed by Ed Harrisson (C)Books and sources:The Saga of the People of Laxardal and Bolli Bollason’s Tale, ed. with Introduction y Bergljót S. Krisjánsdóttir, trans. Keneva KunzAlternative translation available at: https://sagadb.org/laxdaela_saga.enStephen A. Mitchell, Witchcraft and Magic in the Nordic Middle Ageshttp://viking.archeurope.com/settlement/iceland/the-early-medieval-church-at-seydisfjordur/G. K. Lund, Scandinavian Myths and Legends Vol. 3: GhostsMichael F. Reed, ‘Norwegian Stave Churches and their Pagan Antecedents’, RACAR: revue d’art canadienne / Canadian Art Review , 1997, Vol. 24, No. 2, (1997), pp. 3-13 https://www.jstor.org/stable/42631152Illustration of Gudrun meeting a ghost: Andreas Bloch, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

King Mongán thinks he has got lucky when the poet Forgoll wanders into his ringfort, but when he dares to question one of Forgoll’s stories, he finds he has made a bitter enemy and only an old friend can save him… Based on Lebor na hUidre, 133, this short story is followed by a chat about Irish myth and legend, Irish archaeology, and the role of poets in medieval Irish society.Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/JulietteHarrissonBuy my books! https://books2read.com/ap/nzeerp/Juliette-HarrissonBuy merch! https://www.julietteharrisson.co.uk/storeCreepy Classics music written and performed by Ed Harrisson (C) Books and sources:Text from The Celtic Heroic Age: Literary Sources for Ancient Celtic Europe and Early Ireland and Wales, by John T. Koch with John CarneyA History of Ireland in 250 Episodes, by Jonathan BardonStations of the Sun, by Ronald HuttonJ.Borsje, Understanding Celtic ReligionA lot of Wikipedia! And Favourite Irish Legends, by Yvonne Carroll, Fiona Waters, and Felicity Trotman.https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ab084821eb1441f891685f47b48fb93dhttps://dil.ie/42314 (on the tuigen)Cosmic Viking on YouTube on Irish archaeology: On spearheads: https://thethegns.blogspot.com/2012/02/spearheads.htmlhttps://irishfolklore.wordpress.com/2018/09/02/the-brehon-laws/ASSAULT AND ATTEMPTED MURDER IN BREHON LAW Author(s): NEIL McLEOD Source: Irish Jurist, 1998, New Series, Vol. 33 (1998), pp. 351-391 Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44027309The Royal Residence of Rathmore of Moy-Linne. With Notes on Other Early Earthworks in Ulster (Continued) Author(s): R. G. Berry Source: Ulster Journal of Archaeology, Second Series, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Oct., 1898), pp. 9-19 Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20563826 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A greedy and corrupt Pardoner tells an inn full of pilgrims a very moral tale about the different forms Death might take as he stalks the land… Based on The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale from Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, this story is followed by a chat about Canterbury pilgrimages, the medieval legend of the Wandering Jew, and the impact of the Black Death on folklore around Death as a figure.Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/JulietteHarrissonBuy Creepy Classics: Haunting Tales for Winter: https://books2read.com/u/bPrZkzBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome: https://books2read.com/u/b6XGkMBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Greece: https://books2read.com/u/mK5oaLBuy Creepy Classics merch: https://www.julietteharrisson.co.uk/storeCreepy Classics music written and composed by Ed Harrisson © This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

When William Sutor starts seeing a strange dog lurking near his farm around Christmastime, he has no idea what family secrets are about to be revealed… Adapted from a story reported in the Gentleman’s Magazine in 1731, this is followed by a chat about the Scottish Lowlands, witchcraft and cunning-folk, and the time Scotland banned Christmas!Buy Creepy Classics: Haunting Tales for Winter! https://books2read.com/u/bPrZkzBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome: https://books2read.com/u/b6XGkMBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Greece: https://books2read.com/u/mK5oaLBuy Creepy Classics merch: https://www.julietteharrisson.co.uk/storeCreepy Classics music written and composed by Ed Harrisson © This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

In the wake of the Black Death and the Peasants’ Revolt, a vicious murder and an act of vengeance leave a soul in need of absolution… Inspired by the third of twelve local ghost stories recorded by a monk at Byland Abbey around the year 1400, this story is followed by a chat about its history, the system of serfdom and its end in medieval England, and the medieval practice of conjuring a ghost.Buy Creepy Classics: Haunting Tales for Winter! https://books2read.com/u/bPrZkzBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome: https://books2read.com/u/b6XGkMBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Greece: https://books2read.com/u/mK5oaLBuy Creepy Classics merch: https://www.julietteharrisson.co.uk/storeCreepy Classics music written and composed by Ed Harrisson © This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

As a young student, Thelyphron took on what sounded like an easy job to make some money, but it turned out to be a lot more dangerous than he thought… Adapted from the comedic story of Thelyphron in Apuleius’ novel Metamorphoses (also known as The Golden Ass), this re-telling gives the story a slightly darker tone, leaning into the horror just a little more. It’s followed by a chat about ancient mourning rituals, gender and Roman witchcraft, and Apuleius’ own defence on charges of magic.Website: www.julietteharrisson.co.ukBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome: https://books2read.com/u/b6XGkM Buy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Greece: https://books2read.com/u/mK5oaLCreepy Classics music written and composed by Ed Harrisson © This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A middle-aged Robin Hood is convinced a blood-letting will be the perfect cure for a chronic illness, but a mysterious old woman he meets in the woods suggests he may be about to lose too much blood… This story is based on the ballad Robin Hood’s Death and other Robin Hood ballads, and is followed by a discussion of medieval monks and blood-letting, the debate over the date of Robin Hood’s adventures, and the mysterious figure of the bean-nighe…Website: www.julietteharrisson.co.uk Buy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome: https://books2read.com/u/b6XGkMBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Greece: https://books2read.com/u/mK5oaLCreepy Classics music written and composed by Ed Harrisson © This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

When a little boy isn’t listening to his grown-ups, Nanny decides to tell him a story about what happens if you don’t listen and remember instructions that have been given to you… Inspired by Virgil, Georgics, 4.453-527 and Ovid, Metamorphoses, 10.1-85, this is a re-telling of the classic Greek myth, followed by a discussion of ancient Greek weddings, funerals, and frogs.Buy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome (paperback): https://amzn.eu/d/aV7C9MyBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome (ebook): https://books2read.com/u/b6XGkMCreepy Classics music composed and performed by Ed Harrisson © with vocals by Olivia Knops This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Timarchus gets more than he bargained for when he consults a mysterious oracle and finds himself in the afterlife. Inspired by Plutarch, On the Daimonion of Socrates, and followed by a discussion of ancient near death experiences and mystery cults.Buy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome (UK): https://amzn.eu/d/b6Y4JzRBuy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome (US): https://a.co/d/1vaLjXyCreepy Classics music composed and performed by Ed Harrisson © with vocals by Olivia Knops This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

The family ghost makes an appearance in George and Henry's home every Christmas, but one evening she appears unexpectedly with terrible news... Inspired by Mary Lewes, Stranger Than Fiction, this Christmas ghost story is followed by a discussion of crisis apparitions, and 18th century British Christmas traditions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A terrible crime weighs on Orestes and he is pursued across the world by ghosts both literal and metaphorical - how can he lay these ghosts to rest? Inspired by Aeschylus, Eumenides, and Eurpides, Iphigenia in Tauris, this modernised re-telling of a classic Greek myth is followed by a discussion of a Taurian goddess, the Oracle at Delphi, and the Furies of Greek mythology. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

WE'RE BACK! In this episode, Mrs Jones is getting really fed up of being pestered by evil spirits... Inspired by Edmund Jones, A Relation of Apparitions of Spirits in Wales and an anonymous story from The Athenaeum reproduced in Gillian Bennett's 100 Best British Ghost Stories, this re-telling is followed by a discussion of Protestant ghost belief and the history of bedrooms! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

An Icelandic farmer gets a new shepherd in to his haunted farm, but the cure may turn out to be worse than the disease... This story is adapted from Grettir's Saga, 32-35, and is followed by a discussion of revenants riding the roof, Yule and Christmas, and ancient Norse Hel. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A Serbian village is plagued by an epidemic of vampires; medical doctor Flückinger wants to be skeptical, but can't deny the evidence of his own eyes... Based on Johannes Flückinger's 1732 report 'Visum et Repertum', this story is followed by a discussion of early modern Eastern European vampires and how their folklore made its way into Western Europe.Content warning: Contains detailed discussion of dead bodies and brief references to stillbirth, neonatal death, and maternal mortality. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Olaf's new homestead is plagued by an angry ghost, and his father seems to know something about it... From Laxdaela Saga, 10-24, this story is followed by a discussion of the medieval Icelandic undead, Viking and Christian burial practices, and cultural memory. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Euthymus the boxer comes across a weird ritual of human sacrifice at the coastal town of Temesa - why do the locals sacrifice a maiden to a monster every year? Based on Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.6.7-11, this story is followed by a discussion of Greek history and folklore including human sacrifice in ancient Greece, the ancient Olympic Games, and the Delphic Oracle.Content warning: brief references to sexual assault. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

The Athenian army fight and win a famous victory at Marathon, but Tolmis finds himself living the battle over again and again in an endless loop... This story is inspired by Pausanias, 1.32.3-5 and based partly on Herodotus, 6.112-117. It's followed by a discussion of the Battle of Marathon, battlefield ghosts, and the history of the site itself. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Rome is at war, and strange ships accompanied by men in shining white are seen in the sky... This story is inspired by Livy, History of Rome, 21.62.5 and 24.10.10, and is followed by a discussion including ancient UFOs, dream interpreters, and dream books. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

On New Year's Eve, a mysterious Green Knight rides into King Arthur's Christmastide feast and challenges Arthur and his knights to a deadly game... Adapted from the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this story is followed by a discussion including medieval Christmas, Green Men, and the history of Father Christmas - and exactly what colour robes he "traditionally" wore! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

The night before battle, a nervous young officer consults a witch, who promises to raise the dead to prophesy for him... Adapted from Lucan, Civil War, 6.413-830, followed by a discussion of Roman witches, zombies, and a lengthy digression on horse rearing!Content warning: The story is a lot gorier than usual, and there are references to suicide and to abortion and birth trauma in the commentary. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A young girl has a strange dream about a conversation between famous historical women, including her own mother, which takes a turn into the macabre towards the end... Based on the 1798 unpublished manuscript 'Ithuriel, the Angel of Truth, Thus Restateth an Event of the Heavens' by Jane Porter and an unknown co-author. Followed by a discussion about the history behind the text and the women featured; Mary Wollstonecraft, Lady Jane Grey, Aspasia, Sappho, and Boudicca.Content warning: The commentary following the story discusses miscarriage, maternal and infant mortality (in some detail, especially on death in childbirth, and including SIDS), suicide, and mentions rape. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A group of strangers tell stories about the mysterious White Island (now called Snake Island, Ukraine) where the spirit of Achilles lives eternally, but they can't quite agree on the details... This story is based on Pausanias, Description of Greece, 3.19.11-13, Arrian, Periplus of the Euxine Sea, 32-34, and Philostratus, On Heroes, 54.1-56.4. Followed by a discussion including Trojan War stories, ancient Greek hero cult, and conflicting folklore tales.This episode is dedicated to the Ukrainian defence forces.Content warning: war and warfare, including reference to the current conflict in Ukraine. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Brutus and Cassius lead a conspiracy to murder Julius Caesar to save Rome from a tyrannical king, but Brutus finds himself confronted by a mysterious spirit that may or may not represent his Fate... This story is adapted from Plutarch, Life of Brutus 36 and 48, and Life of Caesar 69. It's followed by a discussion of the death of Julius Caesar and his relationship with Brutus, the ways in which Shakespeare adapted Plutarch's biography for his play Julius Caesar, and exactly what kind of "spirit" it was that Plutarch claims Brutus saw.Content warning: violence, a very brief reference to sexual abuse. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A troubled soul in life, Emperor Gaius Caligula's spirit remains restless in death... This story is adapted from Suetonius, Life of Caligula, 59 and is followed by a discussion about Caligula, King Herod Agrippa, and Roman funerary rites.Content warning: Some gory details, descriptions of fire, brief reference to infanticide, discussion of mental health including use of a term some may find uncomfortable in the commentary. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

On New Year's Day 1091, the priest Walchelin has an experience that will leave its mark on him forever... This story has been adapted from Orderic Vitalis, Historia Ecclesiastica, 8.17, and is followed by a discussion of medieval faith and belief, ghostly armies and wild hunts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Do you dare set foot in the Emperor Augustus' childhood nursery? They say anyone who does is seized by shuddering and terror... This story has been inspired by Suetonius, Augustus, 6 & 94, and is followed by a discussion of the Emperor Augustus, his life and achievements, and ancient poltergeists. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Hamlet's friends have seen something that looks like his late father stalking the castle at night, but what is it, and what does it want? This story has been adapted from Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 and is followed by a discussion of Catholic, Protestant and Roman themes in the play and of Shakespeare's relationship to Catholicism.Content warning: Discussion of suicide and brief reference to baby loss This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Propertius' girlfriend Cynthia has died suddenly, but he hasn't seen the last of her... This story has been adapted from Propertius, Elegies, 4.7 and 4.8, and is followed by a chat about Latin love elegy, Roman funerary customs, and the geography of the underworld, including the famous Gates of Sleep. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Christmas 1323 is a sad season for the widow of Gui de Corvo, but it's made even more difficult when it seems her late husband hasn't quite left yet... This story is adapted from medieval texts attributed to Jean Gobi, translated into French by Marie-Anne Polo de Beaulieu. It's followed by a few words on purgatory in medieval ghost stories, and on medieval Christmas traditions. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Khonsuemheb, High Priest of Amun, has an unexpected encounter at an ancient tomb with a spirit who needs his help... This story is based on an ancient Egyptian ghost story found on ostraka and translated into English by W. K. Simpson. It's followed by a whistlestop tour through some of the highlights of ancient Egyptian afterlife belief and funerary practice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A classic haunted house story for Halloween - a philosopher rents an old house with suspiciously cheap rent and the sound of clanking chains in the night... This story is taken from Pliny the Younger, Letters, 7.27.5-11. After the story, Dr Tony Keen of the University of Notre Dame in London joins me for a chat about Pliny, urban legends, the fantastic in the ancient world, and about working for the Roman Emperor. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A desperate family become separated while fleeing a war zone in this famous story from Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid, 2.624-795. I'm delighted to be joined on this episode by Dr Olivia Knops, from the University of Birmingham, and Ed Harrisson, who has composed all the music for the podcast. We have a good old natter about ancient and modern music, different musical moods, what we know about ancient music and how this can be transformed for modern listeners. The story features a new arrangement of the ancient Greek Seikilos Epitaph, the earliest known musical composition including musical notation.Content warning: war, fire, urban destruction, references to sexual violence. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

A group of freedmen at a party demand a story, and get an exciting tale set on the night of a full moon... I'm delighted to be joined on this episode by Dr Liz Gloyn, from Royal Holloway University, to talk about ancient and modern werewolves, folklore, class and ghosts. This month's story comes from Petronius, Satyricon, 61-62. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

In this story, a young man falls hard for the daughter of his host, but she is not what she seems... Tragic and romantic, this story comes from Phlegon of Tralles' collection of folklore (On Marvels, 1) and is followed by a discussion of women's lives in the Greek and Roman worlds, and the surprising similarities between this story and the urban legend of the Vanishing Hitchhiker. Content warning: suicide This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

In this story, young Curtius Rufus is about to give up on a political career as he's surrounded by rumours and prejudice, when an African spirit appears to him with a positive message... This story is told by both Pliny the Younger (Letters, 7.27) and Tacitus (Annals, 11.20-21) though Pliny is rather kinder to both the spirit and to Rufus than Tacitus is! Followed by a discussion looking at race and ethnicity in the Roman world.Content warning: racism, ableism, abortion This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Part 3 of the 3-part Plague Special! We finally find out what becomes of both the living and the dead at Frotha, from the medieval Icelandic poem Eyrbyggja Saga, 54-55. Plus I have a chat about dead bodies and their processes of decomposition, ancient and medieval medicine and their understanding of plague and infection, medieval Icelandic Christmas, and a brief look at the fabulously-named "door-doom". This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Part 2 of the 3-part Plague Special! Thorgunna has been laid to rest, but her last wishes were not quite fully carried out, and things start to go very badly wrong for the people of Frotha... This is Part 2 of a story adapted from Eyrbyggja Saga, covering sections 52-54. We start to see how the dead are spreading a deadly disease among the community, and the devastating results. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Part 1 of a 3-part Plague Special! A newcomer to a small settlement brings enticingly rich goods with her, but warns of trouble if anyone touches them without her permission... This story comes from the 13th century Icelandic saga Eyrbyggja Saga, 50-55, which tells the story of a series of hauntings at the settlement of Frotha set in the year 1000 CE. In Part 1, we meet the Hebridean newcomer Thorgunna, but things soon start to go wrong when her extreme privacy is not respected. As the story goes on through Parts 2 and 3 over the next few weeks, we'll see how the distinctly physical "ghosts", or revenants, of medieval Iceland were used to express fears about infection and deadly disease. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Something a little lighter to cheer everyone up this month - in this story, a young man throws a wild party, not realising his father has come home from a foreign business trip early, and a clever slave comes up with a novel idea for keeping the father out of the house... We're all going through a rough time at the minute, one way or another, so rather than something scary or sad, I've gone for a bit of comic relief with this one! This story has been adapted from Plautus, Mostellaria, 446-531. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

In this month's episode, the Tyrant Periander needs a favour from his dead wife, but she may not be in an obliging mood... This story has been adapted from Herodotus 5.92. It's followed by a short talk introducing Herodotus, ancient colours, and oracles of the dead. Content warning: domestic abuse. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

In this episode, two friends on a long journey argue over whether or not they should spend the night at a rather grim and unpleasant taverna... This Greco-Roman folktale was 'very well known' according to Cicero, and features some familiar tropes, including dreams, vengeance and danger on the road; the story has been adapted from Cicero, On Divination, 1.57 and Valerius Maximus, Memorable Deeds and Sayings, 1.7.ext.10. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

In this episode, a priest sent to the baths by his doctor finds more than he was expecting at a hot spring full of pagan icons. Uploaded a bit earlier than usual so it would be ready in good time for Christmas, this is a somewhat warmer and fuzzier early Christian ghost story adapted from Gregory the Great, Dialogues, 4.40 and 4.55. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

In this episode, Achilles has avenged the death of his partner Patroclus, but still he struggles to let him go and his dreams are disturbed.... This story has been adapted from Homer, Iliad, various sections from Books 23 and 24. I wrote my undergraduate dissertation on Homer and my book (Dreams and Dreaming in the Roman Empire) on ancient dreams, so this is a story very close to my heart. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

In this episode, a miller's wife decides to take revenge on her husband, but doesn't count on his daughter finding out... This story has been adapted from Apuleius, Metamorphoses, 9.29-31. Apuleius was a Roman citizen from North Africa, and is one of my very favourite ancient authors, which is why I had to kick start Creepy Classics with him! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Welcome to Creepy Classics, a new monthly podcast re-telling ancient, medieval and early modern ghost stories, followed by a short talk about their origins, meaning and relationship to historic folklore. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com