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Lore

Legends 86: Litmus Test

Duration
31m
Broadcast on
17 Aug 2026
Audio Format
other

Folklore has had many uses over the centuries. But while some has been used to educate or entertain, one pocket of legends has become a dangerous tool for sorting the good from the bad.

Narrated and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with writing by Alex Robinson and research by Jamie Vargas.

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©2026 Aaron Mahnke. All rights reserved.

This episode is sponsored by Wildwood. From Leica, the studio behind Coraline, comes a new epic fantasy adventure. And at the heart of Wildwood is a simple question. How far would you go for someone you love? Wildwood is a handcrafted epic fantasy adventure that transports audiences into a secret magical and dangerously alive world just beyond their doorstep. At its heart is the story of a courageous girl, Prue McKeel, on a desperate mission to rescue her baby brother from a forbidden forest filled with enchanted creatures, endearing allies, and formidable adversaries. Her journey unfolds in a spectacular high-stakes adventure where the fate of an entire hidden world hangs in the balance. The film features vocal performances from Carrie Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, and Angela Bassett. And I have to tell you folks, I have seen the trailer for this film so many times, and I cannot wait to park my button to seat and experience this adventure. Wildwood is now playing in theaters everywhere, so grab your tickets today. Hola, Dember! La Granina curación de wafer comiense al veinte de no bienbre. Bena comprario rar con esta uno cienta porciento de des cuentos en tienda todo del fin de semana. Además los primeros cientlientes cada día, presiben una tarjeta de regallo de cinquenta dola de scratiz. Traya tu familia de spruatar de sorteos, múcica y sopresas. Te esperamos en avenues at Northfield, del veinte al veintidos de no bienbre. [music] If you were poor in Victoria, Arizona, then it was probably your fault. At least, that was the mindset at the time. If you were elderly or disabled, then you fell into the deserving camp that meant that you deserved to receive government assistance in housing. Although it must be said those CB Olm's houses weren't an environment that anyone would want to spend much time in. If you were able-bodied, then you were one of the undeserving poor. The idea was that if you could work, then you should work. Which meant that if you somehow couldn't afford a roof over your head, then you were lazy and hedonistic, and therefore undeserving of charity. When the British government completely overhauled their poverty relief system in 1834, many of the changes were based on their perception that poverty had been earned. Relief would only be given to those who lived and labored in workhouses. Single mothers would receive less money than before, and the government stopped requiring the fathers to pay child support. The goal of all of this, they claimed, was to instill discipline and a positive work ethic in the poor. The way they saw it, if these people just had a bit of self-control, they wouldn't be in such a mess. Looking back, it's easy to see how broken this logic was, and how their priority of pragmatism entirely ignored the social problems that were created by their own system, all in the pursuit of control. Over the centuries, control was perceived as a lot easier when we knew who was good and who was bad. But as one dark corner of history and folklore can teach us, morality tests never work out the way we expect. Instead of solving the problem, they simply create a more horrifying version of it. I'm Aaron Mankey, and this is Lore Legends. Whenever he met someone, Billy liked to play a game. It was hard not to notice that he had what some people called mitten hands. His bones looked as though they had melted together until he had no fingers left, just two stubs for thumbs. So, when new acquaintances inevitably asked about it, he'd tell them two stories and asked them to guess which one was true. The first option was that he had served in the Korean War. He and his fellow soldiers had been hiking up a hill when a bomb went off.

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