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PODCAST

Urban Legends

Luke Mordue examines the historical impact of the stories that haunt our society, tales that have gripped towns and cities worldwide for centuries as actual events - Urban Legends. First, hear the tales retold as short stories before delving into the history of the legend, dissecting its cultural significance, factuality, and origins.Released Fortnightly.

society & culture social sciences

All Episodes

45:50

The Kraken

Urban Legends ·

2026/03/25

In the vast, uncharted waters of the North Atlantic, sailors once spoke of something vast moving beneath their ships, something capable of dragging entire vessels into the depths without warning.In this chapter, we examine the legend of the ‘The Kraken’, a sea creature said to dwell off the coasts of Norway and Greenland, described in early accounts as a colossal, many-limbed being that could pull ships beneath the waves. Join us as we explore where these accounts began, how they spread through

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1:58

Corpse Lights [Patreon Teaser]

Urban Legends ·

2026/03/18

To listen to the full chapter and the rest of our Modern Myths, join us on Patreon for just £3.00 a month by visiting https://patreon.com/urbanlegends______________In this chapter, we examine the legend of ‘Corpse Lights’; mysterious glowing lights said to appear over graveyards, marshes, battlefields, and lonely roads, often believed to be omens of death, wandering spirits, or the souls of the dead.Join us as we trace where these strange lights appear in folklore, how different cultures have

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39:44

Goatman

Urban Legends ·

2026/03/11

In the wooded outskirts of Maryland, beneath an old railway bridge in Prince George’s County, locals have long warned of a figure that should not exist.In this chapter, we examine the urban legend of the ‘Goatman’, a creature said to haunt Lovers’ Lane bridges and rural roads, swinging an axe at those who dare to enter its territory. Join us as we explore where the Goatman stories began and just how they spread through modern folklore.Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot respond, but I see all

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2:52

Pukwudgie [Patreon Teaser]

Urban Legends ·

2026/03/04

To listen to the full chapter and the rest of our Modern Myths, join us on Patreon for just £3.00 a month by visiting https://patreon.com/urbanlegends______________Long before it became a modern campfire story, the 'Pukwudgie' was described in the oral traditions of Algonquian-speaking peoples across the Northeast, a small figure of folklore.Join us as we delve into the history of these strange creatures, just what they are, and what they are said to do across all tales. Text Me (this is

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43:29

Mercy Brown

Urban Legends ·

2026/02/25

In this chapter, we examine one of America’s most famous vampire cases, the story of 'Mercy Brown'.During the tuberculosis spread of the 19th century, grief, fear, and limited medical understanding gave rise to the belief that the dead could feed on the living. Join me as we explore the real history behind this legend, how the press helped shape Mercy’s story, and why this case blurs the lines of folklore and medicine.Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot respond, but I see all

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2:38

Platte River Death Ship [Patreon Teaser]

Urban Legends ·

2026/02/18

In this chapter, we investigate the urban legend of the 'Platte River Death Ship'. On foggy days along the Platte, it is said that a frost-covered phantom sailing ship is known to appear, its crew gathered around a body that’s revealed to be someone the witness knows, later revealing itself to be an omen of death.Join us as we trace where the tale appears, what details stay consistent, what changes as it spreads, and where the legend first made its appearance in our collective

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20:59

Q&A With Luke Mordue

Urban Legends ·

2025/12/31

This week’s chapter steps away from the archive and into the inbox as creator Luke Mordue answers the listener questions over the years. If you have any questions you want answer, you can drop us a text, an e-mail, or DM on our social media accounts for a future edition. Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot respond, but I see all messages)Support the showIf you have more information or a correction on something mentioned in this chapter, email us at luke@lukemordue.com For more information on

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52:02

Jersey Devil

Urban Legends ·

2025/12/18

In this chapter, we delves deep into the urban legend of the 'Jersey Devil'. From its roots in the Pine Barrens and the Leeds family story into the 1909 wave of sightings, when strange tracks, alleged attacks, and public fear spread across South Jersey and beyond. Join us as we examine what was actually reported, how the story travelled, and what the panic reveals about rumour, media, and the human need to give a name and a shape to the unknown.Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot

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2:38

Dog Boy [Patreon Teaser]

Urban Legends ·

2025/12/10

Three separate stories, one title, but is there any truth?In this chapter, we examine the 'Dog Boy' of Arkansas – tracing the documented history of Gerald Bettis, reports of abuse and cruelty inside the family home, and how that address later became a stop on ghost tours, whilst also delving deeper into two other stories that share striking similarities between them.Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot respond, but I see all messages)Support the showIf you have more information or a

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43:46

Humans Can Lick Too

Urban Legends ·

2025/12/03

In this chapter, we trace the evolution of the haunting ‘Humans can lick too’ Urban Legend. From early cautionary tales about young women alone at night through to its modern form shaped by fears of home invasion, serial killers, and the thin line between security and vulnerability in our own homes.We examine how this legend blurs folklore and reality, how it has absorbed real crimes and media scares, it's surprisingly long history, and why the simple act of a hand reaching down in the dark

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4:16

Frozen Hill People [Patreon Teaser]

Urban Legends ·

2025/11/26

In this chapter, we trace the story of the so called 'Frozen Hill People' from 19th century Vermont newspaper accounts and family scrapbooks to modern retellings in magazines, folklore collections, and online media, asking where it sits between rural desperation, hoax, and horror. We separate what can be verified from what was likely invented, and explore why the idea of humans placed into a kind of living hibernation still fascinates us in an age of cryonics and medical hypothermia. To

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54:58

Skinwalkers

Urban Legends ·

2025/11/13

Some stories are kept secret for a reason, and among the Diné, the figures outsiders call 'skinwalkers' is one of them.In this chapter, we examine how this subject sits within Diné teachings about witchcraft rather than monsters, why many details are not shared publicly, and how 19th-century accusations, modern reporting, and internet mythmaking reshaped the idea for the rest of the world.We separate community perspectives and documented history from hearsay and pop-culture distortion. To

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3:50

Dead Children's Playground [Patreon Teaser]

Urban Legends ·

2025/11/05

The 'Dead Children’s Playground' urban legend is most often linked to the small play area beside Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama. A place where grief and suggestion overlap. Visitors report swings moving on their own, childlike voices emitting from the dark, and odd lights appearing in photographs, but is there any truth to it?In this chapter, Urban Legends examines what can be verified, what is only claimed, and how a modern haunt grows from older histories and the psychology

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59:27

Halloween Hanging

Urban Legends ·

2025/10/29

Each Halloween, stories circulate of decorations that look disturbingly real, until someone realises theres a very good reason for that.The 'Halloween Hanging' story is often dismissed as an Urban Legend as scattered reports over the years have blurred fiction and fact, leaving many to wonder how much truth hides behind the tale. Join us as we discuss the origins of this eerie story, and how very real incidents may have shaped its spread.This week’s episode also features a mid-roll ad from

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2:41

Paul is Dead [Patreon Teaser]

Urban Legends ·

2025/10/22

Long before online conspiracies took hold, one of the most famous legends in music history began to circulate claiming that Paul McCartney had died in 1966 and had since been secretly replaced by a double.Known as the 'Paul is Dead' urban legend, it transformed Beatles fans into detectives, studying the bands lyrics, album artwork, and audio recordings for hidden clues, but just where did this story come from? and is there any truth to it at all?Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot

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71:20

Annabelle

Urban Legends ·

2025/10/16

In this chapter, we explore a story that’s grown far beyond its origins, from a simple Raggedy Ann doll to a symbol of modern horror. The legend of 'Annabelle'.Join me as we trace her history alongside Ed and Lorraine Warren, the couple who shaped her fame and controversy. We’ll examine the psychology that makes dolls so unsettling, uncover the real events behind the story, and look at how belief, media, and myth turned a children’s toy into a global icon of fear.Text Me (this is 3rd party

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54:32

Weekly Spooky: The Acid King of Northport [Guest...

Urban Legends ·

2025/10/08

Urban Legends returns next week, but today, we’re sharing a guest episode from our friends at Weekly Spooky — one that connects closely to our most recent chapter.____On July 4, 1984, police dogs uncovered a shallow grave in the quiet town of Northport, Long Island. Inside lay the mutilated body of 17-year-old Gary Lauwers—stabbed more than 30 times in a drug-fueled frenzy by his friend Ricky “The Acid King” Kasso. Within days, the story became national news, sparking headlines of Satanic sacrifice

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74:04

The Satanic Panic

Urban Legends ·

2025/09/24

**Trigger Warning: This chapter involves harm to children.**In this chapter, let's delve into the urban legends that brought forward what is now known as 'The Satanic Panic‘, from the first sensational cases and flawed investigations to the media frenzy and courtrooms that followed. We’ll look at how fear, politics, and culture combined to create a moral wildfire, one that still echoes in today’s conspiracy movements.Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot respond, but I see all

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2:28

Killer in the Window [Patreon Teaser]

Urban Legends ·

2025/09/17

For decades, stories of an unknown figure staring through bedroom windows have circulated in whispered warnings and late-night news reports, but is there any truth to it?In this chapter, we explore the origins of the 'Killer in the Window' Urban Legend and the real incidents that connect to it. Join us as we examine how a fleeting shape outside the curtains became a modern myth about invasion, vulnerability, and the fear of being watched.Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot respond,

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78:35

Mermaids

Urban Legends ·

2025/09/10

From ancient carvings and medieval manuscripts to shipwreck songs and seaside myths, 'Mermaids' have haunted human imagination for centuries.Over the years, they have been a symbol of beauty, danger, sin, and even salvation. But where did these beings come from, and why have they endured in so many cultures across the world?Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot respond, but I see all messages)Support the showIf you have more information or a correction on something mentioned in this

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