Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: Unraveling the Unknown

Episode Title: Triple Threat; Cerberus

Hello curious people and welcome to a world of mystery,

You are listening to Unraveling the Unknown with your hosts Lily and Tessa.

In this episode of Unraveling the Unknown, the Podcast we will discuss: Cerberus and other multiheaded creatures.

This podcast will be a little special. In this week's episode, we have not one but two special guests. We are here with…

Guests

Seamus- he used to be a big fan of the Percy Jackson series

Zoe-

Segment 1: Q/A

-What do you think Cerberus symbolizes in Greek mythology? Is it just a guardian, or is there a deeper meaning to his role?

He has been a symbol of protection in many stories even to this day including Percy Jackson and Harry Potter.

His name literally means flesh devouring, he is an important part of a system like the cerberus molecules in the human body that build the heart, head, and help create left-right symmetry. He is also often related to the military and war, using its name as a military protocol.

I think it is really important how he prevents the living from entering the underworld and devours those who try to leave. He kind of protects life.

Cerberus is often seen as the complexity of Death. With his multiple heads, he might symbolize the multifaceted nature of death.

I think Cerberus could represent a lot of different things, and it is up to the mind's interpretation that makes him such a unique mythological figure.

-Cerberus is often depicted as a fearsome beast with three heads. What do you think the multiple heads represent? Could they symbolize anything beyond just being intimidating?

I feel like they probably relate to the three parts of the underworld:

Elysium, where the righteous and heroes go

Tartarus, where the evil go, pretty much a dark pit

Asphodel Meadows, where ordinary souls go who did nothing with their lives, their minds were numbed.

I also agree with zoe, I think the three heads could represent the three parts of the underworld. I think the three heads could also represent the past, the present and the future.

Since Cerberus guards the underworld, the heads may represent the different phases of human existence, meaning Cerberus overs those who have died but also the flow of souls and in inevitable passage of time.

-Cerberus guards the gates of the Underworld, preventing souls from leaving. Do you see him as a symbol of the inevitability of death or something more complex?

Some myths describe Cerberus being tamed or subdued by certain heroes, like Heracles or Orpheus. What do these interactions tell us about human nature and our relationship with death or fear?

Death is inescapable in real life for normal people and stories of heroes are used to cope with this idea that people cannot escape death. Heros give people hope and inspiration

Hesiod

-What do you personally find most fascinating about Cerberus? Is it his loyalty to Hades, his terrifying appearance, or something else entirely?

-If you were tasked with designing a modern version of Cerberus for a film or game, how would you change his appearance, abilities, or personality to make him resonate with today's audience?

-If Cerberus had a human counterpart or a voice, what kind of personality do you imagine he would have? Would he be more philosophical, menacing, or indifferent?

Quick overview of Cerberus/ three headed beasts-

Cerberus is known as the watchdog of the underworld and hound of Hades, god of the...

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: Unraveling the Unknown

Episode Title: The Basilisk

Hello Curious people and welcome to a world of mystery.

You are listening to Unraveling the Unknown with your hosts Lily and Tessa.

In this episode of Unraveling the Unknown, the Podcast we will discuss: The Basilisk.

• One day on a farmhouse in ancient times, a farmer was shaken awake by loud screams and croaks from his farm animals. He dashed out of bed and rushed outside.
• Eyes adjusting to the light of morning, he glanced around, spotting an abnormally large chicken egg cracked and broken on the ground. The farmer looked around at all the commotion, roosters running around, feathers and dirt flying in the air. The horses, cows, and other livestock were spooked, breaking fences and crying out.
• He saw dead black grass near where the chicken egg was hatched, and dead livestock littering the ground around it. Then, following this trail of death, he looked up, meeting the gaze of a huge rooster-like creature with the characteristics of a serpent. He gasped, Immediately falling over, face banging against the muddy ground. He was petrified, dead.
• This creature was a basilisk, a Serpent-like creature with the ability to turn things into stone with its glance- even in a reflection, causing immediate death. The basilisk also is extremely venomous. It originates in Ancient Greece and Rome and is often thought of as the King of Serpents. Basilisk is also the name of a genus of small lizards, The Green Basilisk, also called plumed basilisk, is often called the "Jesus lizard" for its ability to run on the surface of water. They are roughly 2.5 feet in length, so relatively small, and kind of cute.
• There are a lot of variations and species that originate with the basilisk. For example, Medusa is a side species of basilisk - a lot of legends of the basilisk involve a mixture of a snake or serpent combined with other animals.
• Medusa is an example of this because she is part snake and part human. Other combinations can often include farm animals like cows, roosters, etc.
• Basilisks have haunted legends and terrorized kings, kingdoms, and people all over the world since ancient times.
• The only two weaknesses of a basilisk ever recorded are hearing the crow of a rooster and seeing its own deadly gaze in a mirror.

SPOILER WARNING!!!

• HARRY POTTER- the movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has a basilisk as its main enemy.
• When Harry Potter discovers the chamber of secrets and Voldemort plans to resurrect himself, he goes into the chamber, preparing to destroy a powerful notebook with the basilisk venom.

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: Unraveling the Unknown

Episode Title: Wicked Werewolves

Hello Curious people and welcome to a world of mystery.

You are listening to Unraveling the Unknown with your hosts Lily and Tessa.

In this episode of Unraveling the Unknown, the Podcast we will discuss: werewolves.

Segment 1: Story Time

In 1589 Germany, in the village of Epprath on a simple farm ranch, Peter Stumpp, worked as a successful farmer for many years of his life until one day when mysterious disappearances from nearby towns began to conjure up suspicion.

Neighboring farms and passersby began sensing strange and dark energy as well as hearing occasional unexplainable noises coming from Stump's house.

Soon, Peter was accused of werewolves, witchcraft, and cannibalism.

He was put on trial and confessed after being tortured to killing and eating several of his livestock and villagers including women and children

He confessed further that he had made a pact with the devil to become a werewolf. He was then sentenced to death after they found several half-consumed human remains on his property. He was executed in one of the most horrible and tortuous deaths on record, execution by wheel.

His daughter and mistress were also put to death in fear of further werewolf tendencies spreading through the village.

In Germany at the time, Roman Catholics were attempting to push out Protestantism, of which Stupp was a proud member.

This could have influenced his trial and story into a monstrous devilish horror story in order to create paranoia and switch people to catholicism.

At the same time, werewolf panics and witch hunts were springing up around Germany, causing mass hysteria and paranoia.

He could have been innocent, or he could have been just a serial killer with no other abilities who went crazy and made up a story. There are many different versions of the story that could have been stretched or misinterpreted.

Segment 2: Origin and Facts

Werewolf is a well-known mythological animal and is commonly throughout many stories throughout the world

People can morph into vicious powerful wolves, or can be half- human half-wolf. No matter the form, all of them are bloodthirsty monsters who cannot control themselves when it comes to killing animals and people.

Werewolves did make an early appearance in Greek mythology with the Legend of Lycaon. Lycaon, the son of Pelasgus, made Zeus mad, and as a punishment Zeus turned Lycaon and his sons into wolves.

Back in 1521, in France, people thought that werewolves were the serial killers. Frenchman Pierre Burgot and Michel Verdun allegedly swore to the devil and claimed to have turned them into wolves. After they confessed to brutally murdering several children they were burned to death at the stake.

The Beast of Gévaudan, a man-eating animal killed by the hunter Jean Chastel in 1767, brought the idea of bullets with a coat of silver to kill werewolves.

Silver is known to have antimicrobial properties, and the substance is even used in some forms of medicine. Silver is extremely pure, and effective against impure forces.

In multiple stories of werewolves, we only see werewolves turning into her beast-like form during a full moon. According to a study conducted at Australia;s Calvary Mater Newcastle hospital, a full moon brings out the “beast” in many humans.

At this hospital during a full moon, patients attacked staff, and showed wolf-like behaviors such as biting, scratching, and spitting.

Although most of these patients were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, it is unclear why they became intensely violent when the moon was