Our Fake History

Asian martial arts are often coated in a thick layer of of legend. Many fighting styles have elaborate origin stories and mystical founding fathers. These stories often help enhance the prestige of a particular school and inspire new students. However, the "histories" of many of these martial arts disciplines are completely made up. The granddaddy of all of these martial arts myths is the tale of the Zen mystic, Bodhidharma, teaching the monks of the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu. Is any of it true? Tune in and find out how Buddhist philosophy, eyelid tea, and the "Crown Prince of Death" all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this Bonus Episode Sebastian is sharing something he recorded earlier this year for a project curated by Daniele Bolelli, host of History on Fire. Sometime last year Daniele got the idea to pull together a rogues gallery of history podcasters including Sam Davis (Inward Empire), CJ Killmer (Dangerous History), Alexander Rader von Sternberg (History Impossible), Darryl Cooper (Martyrmade), and Sebastian. The idea was that each of these podcasters would explore historical event, or figure, that had a surprising or unexpected historical impact. Daniele dubbed this project Ripples of History. In this bonus you will hear Sebastian laying out his take on the surprising impact of the Trojan War on history. Tune-in and find out how history's greatest scallywag, fake Trojan ancestors, and a giant named Gogmagog all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

These days Nostradamus is best known for the predictions found in his book The Prophecies. But, surprisingly, that book only became popular after the French seers' death. During his lifetime Nostradamus was better known for his yearly almanacs. Still, there is something about the poetic style of The Prophecies that has kept it evergreen, where his almanacs have faded into obscurity. What is it about The Prophecies that has kept people engaged over the centuries? Is there anything in this book we should take seriously? Tune-in and find out how splinters in the eye, astronomical assurances, and a gouty foot bench all play a role in the story. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The 16th century French prophet, Nostradamus, has a way of rearing his head anytime humanity finds itself in the midst of a crisis. Anytime there's a collective tragedy, the world is plunged into conflict, or society finds itself on the cusp of painful transition, you will find someone waving a copy of Nostradamus' Prophecies. But how accurate were Nostradamus' predictions? Was a random French pharmacist really able to accurately describe five centuries of history? Tune-in and find out how Nostradamus' jam recipe, apothecary prejudices, and my Dad's last minute Y2K plan all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1763 twenty indigenous people in the colony of Pennsylvania were murdered by an armed gang. The victims had been a peaceful group of Conestogas, who had been wrongfully accused of aiding in violent raids against the settlers. The infamous attack would go down in history as the Conestoga massacre. However, almost immediately after the murders the meaning of the event became the source of a fierce war in the press. The so-called "pamphlet war" saw two competing groups trying to sell contrasting interpretations of the attack. The perspective that was inevitably left out of these pamphlets, and the "official" historical record, was the indigenous perspective. The new graphic novel Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of Conestoga seeks to remedy that by telling the story with the focus squarely on the Conestoga people. In this episode Sebastian is joined by the creative team behind Ghost River, Weshoyot Alvitre, Lee Francis IV, and Will Fenton, to discuss the graphic novel and how fake news can become fake history. Tune in and find out how hand ground paints, blood memory, and Ben Franklin's biggest political defeat all play a role in the story.Read Ghost River for FREE here: https://read.ghostriver.org/Thank you to our guests!Lee Francis 4 (Author): https://redplanetbooksncomics.com/Weshoyot Alvitre (Illustrator): https://www.weshoyot.com/Will Fenton (Editor): https://www.willfenton.com/Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga is part of Redrawing History: Indigenous Perspectives on Colonial America, a project of the Library Company of Philadelphia supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does a Voodoo Queen even do? It turns out that much of it had to do with a ceremony in New Orleans known as St. John's Eve. Much of Marie Laveau's legend is deeply tied to that yearly voodoo ritual. Marie Laveau was said to lead the wild bacchanalian rite, however, there are some who think that the most famous description of Marie Laveau's St. John's Eve misidentified the voodoo priestess. Perhaps Marie Laveau hadn't been there at all. Maybe an imposter had been in her place. Could this have been the mysterious Maria Laveau II? Tune in and find our how out of touch music critics, voodoo purists, and a weird-ass wishing ritual all play a role in the story. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Voodoo might be one of the most misunderstood religious traditions in the world. This unique combination of traditional West African spirituality and Roman Catholicism has been slandered for centuries as an evil form of black magic. This dark reputation was reinforced by pulpy articles written by white authors in the 19th century, sensationalizing voodoo rituals. These unflattering depictions of voodoo have coloured the way many have perceived the life and legacy of New Orleans' most famous voodoo practitioner, the Voodoo Queen, Marie Lavaeu. But what did a Laveau voodoo ritual actually look like? Tune-in and find out how snake whispering, a cursed wedding, and "frightful orgies" play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

One of the many things that makes New Orleans one of the most unique cities in North America is its history of Voodoo. When it comes to New Orleans Voodoo there is no figure more important than the great Marie Laveau. But despite her enormous fame in the city of New Orleans she remains an enigmatic and often misunderstood figure. The thick layer of legend that surrounds this remarkable woman can be hard for even the most dedicated investigator to penetrate. Who really was the voodoo queen of New Orleans? Tune in and find out how racial politics, magic gumbo, and zombies all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The island of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, has been called "the clearest example of a society that destroyed itself." For years it was taken for granted that the people of Rapa Nui had depleted their natural resources in pursuit of bigger and better stone statues called Moai. However, recent scholarship has called into to question the widely known story of ecological collapse. Were the people of Rapa Nui really the authors of their own destruction, or has this narrative been unfairly exaggerated? Tune in and found out how birdmen, traumatized skeletons, and a stolen friend all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as the indigenous islanders call it, may be the most misunderstood place on planet Earth. For centuries outsiders have tried to unravel what they perceived to be the islands many mysteries. How did stone age people manage to get to such a remote island? How did these people build the island's remarkable statues? What caused this unique society to collapse? Recent research has completely upended many previous assumptions about this storied island. Was the mysterious collapse even a collapse at all? Tune in an find out how awesome canoes, ancestor mana, and OFH's favourite ocean current all play a role in the story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.