This week, Mike is teaching you about the most mythic of mythological creatures: Dragons. Cultures across the world (and across Westeros) tell stories of dragons, and their power to destroy, their power to prop up kings, and their power...

The Sound! The Fury! Today, we're talking about Shakespeare's Scottish play, Macbeth. So, was Macbeth really predestined to do all the murdering and bad kinging and other terrible stuff? That's the big question in Macbeth, and it's one...

A fortuneteller's ability to read your future might seem magical, but those “psychic powers” have way more to do with psychology than the supernatural. Chapters cognitive biases 0:09 COLD READING 0:29 Barnum effect 1:28 subjective...

The world doesn't have to be shrouded in mystery to be fascinating! Here are 6 mysteries that science has managed to solve.

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What can some of literature's most famous heroes teach us? From the epic hero (like Beowulf) to the tragic hero (like Oedipus), each has something distinctive to share. April Gudenrath describes the many faces of the fictional hero --...

This video examines mood in poetry.

In this video, we delve into the enchanting world of epics, focusing on what makes them so captivating. Exploring the supernatural elements that infuse epics like the Odyssey, we uncover the role of gods and goddesses from various...

Angels, aliens, and ghosts—oh my! In this episode of Crash Course Religions, we figure out how the paranormal and supernatural shows up in our religions, and outside of them. If you or someone you know identifies as “spiritual but not...

Pupil outcome: I can explore how the supernatural is presented in a number of Shakespeare’s plays and use this exploration to explain why the character of Puck is a comic figure. Key learning points: - Shakespeare explored the...

Pupil outcome: I can understand and explain how symbols are used throughout the novel. Key learning points: - Writers use a symbol to represent something that is not literally there. - Symbols in 'The Twisted Tree' include ravens, a...

Pupil outcome: I can explain why Dickens used the ‘ghost story’ genre to underpin his didactic message. Key learning points: - Dickens was influential in establishing the ghost story as a popular genre in the Victorian period. - Dickens...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how Shakespeare presents the character of Egeus in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, including considering relevant context. Key learning points: - ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was first performed to an Elizabethan...

Pupil outcome: I can explore the characterisation of Mr. Hyde. Key learning points: - Hyde first appears to Utterson in a dream, linking to the supernatural - Hyde is consistently dehumanised in the description - When he imagines Hyde,...

Pupil outcome: I can write a well-structured introduction for an essay about the character of Puck in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Key learning points: - Introductions can follow a three part structure moving from the general to the...

Pupil outcome: I can identify features of the Gothic genre in the plot of 'Frankenstein' in 'Frankenstein'. Key learning points: - Gothic literature is literature that evokes feelings of mystery, fear and terror. - The horrifying events...

Pupil outcome: I can explain how three key themes (love, power and disorder) are explored in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Key learning points: - A theme is an important idea in a text that is explored in a number of different ways. - As...

John Keel's book "The Mothman Prophecies" and its 2002 film adaptation significantly popularized the Mothman legend beyond Point Pleasant. Keel, a journalist and paranormal investigator, visited Point Pleasant in 1966 to investigate...

Following the initial sighting of Mothman on November 15, 1966, at least eight more people reported seeing similar creatures over the next three days. Eyewitnesses described the creature as large, with wings and glowing red eyes, often...

The legend of Mothman began in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in the 1960s. He is described as a six-foot humanoid creature with massive wings and glowing red eyes. Eyewitness accounts from the 1960s detail encounters with the creature,...

As science and formal education spread, belief in trolls began to fade until a resurgence of folklore interest in the 19th century. Danish author Hans Christian Andersen included trolls in his fairy tales, and Norwegian illustrators like...

The 1990s saw a boom in alien abductions in popular culture, fueled by shows like The X-Files and Hollywood blockbusters such as Independence Day. UFO enthusiasts, ranging from skeptics to believers, grew in number, driven by both...

There was a surge in UFO sightings from the 1940s through the 1980s, with the "flying saucer era" beginning in 1946. Significant events like the Roswell incident in 1947 and the first widely publicized alien abduction case of Barney and...

There are many common depictions of extraterrestrials, but the "gray aliens," which are known for their humanoid forms, large black eyes, and gray skin are among the most common. This video traces the origins of extraterrestrial...

As we continue to evolve in our understanding of nature and humanity, modern werewolf stories are exploring more sensitive and introspective themes, shifting away from the violent, tortured archetype of the past. The future of werewolf...