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Lore

Lore 312: To Serve Man

Duration
33m
Broadcast on
10 Aug 2026
Audio Format
other

A lot of folklore is frightening, but some of it is definitely hard to swallow. Let's sink our teeth into some terrifying tales from history today.

Narrated and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with writing by GennaRose Nethercott, research by Cassandra de Alba, and music by Chad Lawson.

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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 a seat and experience this adventure. Wildwood is now playing in theaters everywhere, so grab your tickets today. This episode was made possible by Warby Parker. Before Warby Parker, I had to do that thing that we all hate, stand in front of a wall of frames, and find the needle in the haystack. Just trying to buy glasses shouldn't require a spreadsheet, right? That's why I am obsessed with Warby Parker. Nothing else comes close on quality, price selection, and customer service. Once you buy from Warby Parker, you'll realize how much easier they've made the entire process. Their virtual try-on has made it possible for me to skip those eye-doctor showrooms entirely since I can literally try-on glasses from my phone before I buy them. I've tried other virtual try-ons that feel pretty janky, but with Warby Parker, you can genuinely tell how the frames are going to look and fit. Warby Parker glasses start at 95 bucks and include prescription lenses with anti-reflective scratch-resistant coatings. They use premium materials in each frame, design every frame in house, and have a collection of silhouettes, colors, and fits for every face. Me, I wear progressive lenses, which are more complicated to get just right, but Warby Parker nailed it and these glasses are absolutely amazing. They look and fit so great. Right now, buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at warbyparker.com/lore. That's 20% off any additional pairs when you purchase one pair at W-A-R-B-Y, parker.com/lore. They say that long ago, the Kogurasu were crows, but time passed and somehow the crows just wouldn't die. First, they lived 10 years, then 20, then 100, and eventually the crows weren't crows at all anymore. They were something entirely new. The tale comes from a Japanese scroll from the Edo period, known as the Tosa Ghostbook, which describes 16 different Japanese yokai complete with colorful illustrations. And in the case of the Kogurasu, those illustrations are essential, because according to the scroll, when the crows reach 1,000 years of age, they take on a rather singular appearance. They become giants and turn bright blue. Two great clawed hands grow in place of their wings and their legs fuse into one single foot, and then the hunger starts. Now, while regular crows eat things like insects and seeds, Kogurasu have a slightly different palate. They have a taste for human corpses. The Tosa Ghostbook goes on to explain how the Kogurasu descend upon graveyards, hunting for a meal. Specifically, they like to punish people who were prideful and rude in their lives by digging them up and devouring their moldering bodies. Appetizing, I know. But are you really that surprised? After all, the Kogurasu is just one of thousands of people eating monsters from around the world. That's kind of what monsters do, actually. It's practically expected. But you know what's not expected when the creature feasting upon your flesh is none other than a fellow human being. I'm Aaron Mankey, and this is Lore. It's one of humanity's most enduring taboos to eat the body of another person, and perhaps that's why it shows up in so many folktales all around the world. In Greek mythology, there seems to be cannibalism everywhere you look. We all know of Chronos, of course, who famously eats his children in response to a prophecy that one will overthrow him one day. But trust me, there's plenty more where that came from. Take, for example, the Tale of Thyastes, King of Olympia. As revenge for adultery, his twin brother kills and cooks Thyastes' sons, which Thyastes happily devours, finishing the meal with a satisfying belch. Meanwhile, in another myth, a Thracian king named Tarius, served his own son as a meal. And then there's the Libyan queen, Lamia, who, cursed with madness after angering Hera, develops a taste for children. And honestly, I could list Greek cannibals all day long, but I'll leave you with just one more extra surreal tale. After cutting down a sacred tree, Arisicthon, King of Thessaly, is punished with insatiable hunger. According to Avid's version of the Tale, he eventually grows so hungry that he devours himself, leaving not a trace behind. Venturing to other parts of the world, many cultures warn about child-eating old ladies who live in the woods. The most famous Western example is, of course, the witch from Hansel and Gretel, but she's not alone. For example, in Romanian folklore, we have Muma Paduri, a forest-dwelling child-eating madwoman, or Baba Yaga from Slavic folklore of chicken-legged house fame, who also enjoys a baby or two as a treat. Now, while these sorts of boogie women definitely serve the obvious purpose of scaring children away from dangerous wooded areas, some had more sinister uses as well. Just look at Baba Yaga, she was often portrayed with visibly Jewish physical features, and given what we learned in her episode about blood libel, stories about Jews eating children were spread for very specific political reasons, that is, to deliberately foster anti-Semitism. But back to Hansel and Gretel for a moment. As it turns out, many of the fairy tales that we know and love today have lesser-known versions with cannibalistic plot points, little red riding hood, for example. Everyone knows that a wolf eats people in that one,

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