The ODDentity Podcast

S5 Ep. 8: The 13th Child

This week, I bring you the tale of a favorite cryptid of mine, The Jersey Devil, and the folklore that surrounds this fascinating creature. This show suggestion has been hanging around for a little while and I thought with all the unknowns we’re dealing with in our crazy world, a cryptid wouldn’t go astray.
I’d also like to fill you all in as far as what’s happening in my world right now. Currently, I’m in the process of editing the thesis for my MFA program (a 200-page document) and I’m fitting that in between work and the podcast. For the next couple of weeks, I won’t be posting episodes as I’ll be waist-deep in that document, but I’ll return on the 27th with a new episode.
This episode contains a very shitty Benjamin Franklin, a creepy cryptid, and some unreliable news sources.
Notes:
Support the Wilde Collection:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-us-rebuild-the-wilde-collection?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=6b3b3524d42c43898c28d272f67908b3&fbclid=IwAR0hrX6RL12uGWbl-XRsvOOHM-iPIQePd8BP_ijJ9LBnUQtB3H4SOfoa-dc
That weird cell video I told you about:
https://youtu.be/cXjUDCA2ovI
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
Speaking of sources...
https://pinelandsalliance.org/learn-about-the-pinelands/pinelands-history-and-culture/the-jersey-devil-and-folklore/https://web.archive.org/web/20131204044250/http://www.pinelandsalliance.org/history/devil/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Devil
https://weirdnj.com/stories/jersey-devil/
https://theweek.com/articles/442631/mysterious-origins-jersey-devil
https://www.inquirer.com/news/new-jersey/jersey-devil-history-fake-news-norman-jeffries-20190123.html
https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2016/10/13_places_the_jersey_devil_has_been_spotted_in_the.html
https://www.atlantic-county.org/history/jersey-devil-pg1.asp

S5 Ep. 7: Electronic Biceps

Spiritualism and mediumship, two topics I keep coming back to as this podcast progresses. This week, I bring you the tale of the charlatan who swindled Mary Todd Lincoln and his connections to a presidential assassin and tales of other first ladies who entertained mediums at the White House. I’ll also discuss a medium that Jane Pierce swore was the real deal and even told the woman that, when she resided in the White House, she would bring the woman in via the front door, an illustrious entrance indeed.
This episode contains a treacherous humbug, a cranial laceration, a big, haunted white house, and a set of electronic biceps.
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
Sources:
 
Herbert Mitgang, editor, Noah Brooks, Washington in Lincoln’s Time, pp. 66-68.
Daniel Mark Epstein, The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage, p. 385.
Epstein, The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage, p. 386.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-spiritualist-who-warned-lincoln-was-also-booths-drinking-buddy-180954317/?page=2
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/in-1926-houdini-spent-4-days-shaming-congress-for-being-in-thrall-to-fortunetellers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/05/04/mediums-and-messages/e28b3463-2c78-4ab6-8cca-9382357fd018/
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/seances-in-the-red-room
http://www.mrlincolnswhitehouse.org/residents-visitors/marys-charlatans/marys-charlatans-charles-j-colchester/
https://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln44.html
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xwzvwn/the-first-ladies-who-brought-witchcraft-to-the-white-house
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune-telling

S5 Ep. 6: Q & A

S5 Ep 6: Q & A
This week I answer listener questions about me, the podcast, and my creepy collection. I welcome my dear friend Patti Wolf to ask away and peel back my crusty layers. :D
This episode contains MANY excellent questions, a chat about anxiety and treatment, and various dead things from furry to wet.
PLEASE NOTE: Patti had to call in for this episode and the audio is a little odd in some parts. I’ve tried to clean it up as best I can, but without a mixer it’s a bit trying.
NEXT EPISODE: March 30
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
 

S5 Ep. 5: Through A Glass, Darkly

S5 Ep. 5: Through A Glass, Darkly
Hello ODDPod listeners and welcome back to another episode. This week, I’d like to introduce you to Mary Worth, otherwise known as Bloody Mary (depending on who you ask) and the urban legends surrounding this common childhood experience.
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
Sources:
https://www.liveabout.com/bloody-mary-in-the-mirror-3299478
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/making-sense-chaos/201408/monsters-in-the-mirror-no-really-literal-monsters
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/87625/brief-history-chain-letter
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/money/news/a41819/holiday-wine-exchange-facebook/
https://www.inverse.com/culture/sir-john-tenniel-illustrations-most-haunting-punch-alice-in-wonderland
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bloody-mary-story/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/bloody-mary
Dundes Article http://home.iscte-iul.pt/~fgvs/Dundes%20bloody.pdf
[Bloody Mary in the Mirror: A Ritual Reflection of Pre-Pubescent Anxiety Author(s): Alan Dundes Source: Western Folklore, Vol. 57, No. 2/3 (Spring - Summer, 1998), pp. 119-135 Published by: Western States Folklore Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1500216 Accessed: 29/2/2020 3:12:37 PM CST]
 
 
 

S5 Ep. 4: World's Fair

S5 Ep. 4: World’s Fair
This week, I’ll be taking you to the Windy City of 1893, the World’s Fair, and introducing you to a, particularly diabolical fellow. A man who saw the fair as an opportunity to swindle and to murder. A man by the name of Herman Webster Mudgett, otherwise known by his alias Dr. Henry Howard Holmes.
This episode contains a safe used for a nefarious purpose, the world’s first Ferris wheel, The Windy City, and a Murder Castle.
This week, I’d like to thank Cindie Harper, the Director of Historical Research and Paranormal Documentation at Sweet Springs Sanitarium in West Virginia. The interview I did with Cindie will be available on a future episode, but I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the time Cindie spent talking with me about Old Sweet, the paranormal happenings there, the fascinating history of the place, and the restoration efforts that are ongoing. Thanks, Cindie! I’m so glad I had the opportunity to chat with you. It’s always a treat to meet a fellow paranormal enthusiast and to learn about a new haunted location! Say hi to the spirits for me.
There’ll be more info about Old Sweet when that episode goes live, but I do want to let you know that there is an effort to collect funds for the rebuilding and repair of structures at the Sanitarium. If you’d like to help out, pop on over to sweetspringsresortpark.org and mash that donate button!
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
 
Sources:https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/chicago-worlds-columbian-exposition-1893/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/hh-holmes-hotel
http://mysteriouschicago.com/new-master-list-of-hh-holmes-victims/
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/serial-killer-h-h-holmes-body-exhumed-what-we-know-126699/
https://www.history.com/topics/crime/murder-castle
Parnilis Media’s Holmes: a serial killer in his own words
Holmes’ Own Story by Herman Mudgett alias H. H. Holmes

S5 Ep. 3: Not in Vein

S5 Ep. 3: Not in Vein
Oddentitypod.podbean.com
Boar bile enemas, urine as an antiseptic, and thick needles used to remove cataracts… Medical history is weird and some aspects of it are absolutely horrifying. I mean, I understand that we had to start somewhere. How were we to know that creating a poultice for an open wound using human excrement was a bad idea? We had to try it and see what would happen! Guesswork. All of it.
This episode contains bloodletting, other strange practices like cupping (yeah, it makes me uncomfortable, too), and Flying Barbers.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
Sources:https://www.history.com/news/a-brief-history-of-bloodletting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodletting
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4261330/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupping_therapy
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/02/24/patients-that-needed-bloodletting-were-sent-to-the-barbershops-hence-the-red-white-pole-outside-of-them/
If you are contemplating suicide or just need someone to talk to about what you’re feeling, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 (in the U.S.) I’m also including a link to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Call 1-800-950-NAMI or Text NAMI to 741741. I’ve also included a list of helplines worldwide.
Please remember: You are not alone.
https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/NAMI-HelpLine/Top-HelpLine-Resources
https://ibpf.org/resource/list-international-suicide-hotlines

S5 Ep. 2: Scared to Death

This week, I wanted to explore the nightmarish vision that is The Man in the Hat, a common figure seen during what many of us know as sleep paralysis. I’ve tackled my rendition of the creature that causes sleep paralysis in my part of the world on a past episode, The Hag and the folklore surrounding it, but I find it very interesting that The Man in the Hat is a commonality in many American cases of sleep paralysis.
This episode contains some unpleasant dreams, listener tales of real-life experiences, and an interesting phenomenon.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
Sources/Additional Links:
https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-paralysis#1
https://qz.com/quartzy/1444843/what-is-sleep-paralysis/
https://nerdist.com/article/hat-man-nightmares-sleep-paralysis/
www.thehatmanproject.com
The Nightmare: Sleep Paralysis Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY2gh51KdnQ
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/nightmares
https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/

S5 Ep. 1: Evaporated People

S5 Ep. 1: Evaporated People
Every year, over 100,000 people go missing in Japan and there’s a whole business surrounding orchestrated disappearances. Join me as I take you inside the Night Moving business in Japan and the folklore and spooky tales that permeate this part of the world. Is there a connection?
This episode contains a magical body part, a dude who wants to be a rock, some Japanese folklore, and tales of being spirited away.
Get Social!
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
Sources:
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/japan.html#stonecutter
https://time.com/4646293/japan-missing-people-johatsu-evaporated/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/
https://www.amazon.com/Vanished-Evaporated-People-Stories-Photographs/dp/151070826X
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVc_AdJoAVs
https://nypost.com/2016/12/10/the-chilling-stories-behind-japans-evaporating-people/