Legends 41: Monastic Memories
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Some locations in the world have a reputation for being peaceful sanctuaries. Which makes the legends told about them all the more terrifying.
Narrated and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with writing by Alex Robinson, and research by Jamie Vargas.
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Lore Resources:
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- Episode Sources: lorepodcast.com/sources
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©2024 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. Hey Denver, the Wayfair Store's grand opening weekend starts November 20th. Come shop, celebrate, and save with up to 80% off in store all weekend long. Plus, the first hundred customers in line each day get a free $50 gift card, bring the whole family for giveaways, music, entertainment, and surprises. So mark your calendar and head to the Wayfair Store at Avenues at Northfield, November 20th through 22nd, for our grand opening celebration. Welcome to Lore Legends, a subset of lore episodes that explore the strange tales we whisper in the dark. Even if they can't always be proven by the history books. So if you're ready, let's begin. A museum is a sacred space. You see, buildings don't have to contain a pulpit to be sacrosanct, in a world that increasingly values bite-sized blurbs over in-depth education. Any hallowed hall dedicated to the slow, intentional consumption of knowledge is a place worthy of reverence. You can feel it's in the air when you walk in, too. Something about a museum is just still, as if the entire building knows what treasure it holds and knows that it's worthy of respect. And in an environment like that, every exhibit label is a divine text, every whispered exclamation, a shout of praise, every quiet question, a prayer. On the morning of May 3rd of 1941, the World Museum in Liverpool, England was filled with that same reverent hush. Visitors wandered through vast halls full of ancient artifacts and animal bones. Every step they took beneath that vaulted ceiling brought them closer to the altar of knowledge. Everything was right, everything was at peace. But this would be the museum's last peaceful day for years to come. That night, German pilots flew over Liverpool. Their bombs hit a nearby building, and all too quickly the flames from that explosion reached the World Museum. Within minutes, the entire place was destroyed. The before and after pictures are hard to look at. That once sacred space was absolutely devastated. It can be surprisingly simple to burn down any haven, be it a museum, a church, or a life. All it takes is a bomb or bad news from a doctor or the betrayal of a friend. Outside forces can come in at any moment and shatter the peace. But when it comes to sacred spaces, the most interesting disruptor by far is something that you'd never expect to be there at all. Ghosts. I'm Aaron Mankey, and this is Lore Legends. There's almost nowhere more peaceful than a monastery. If you've never had the pleasure of visiting one, then allow me to lay the scene for you. The long stone hallways are silent. There are usually birds chirping in the garden. And off in the distance, you can hear the singing coming from inside the chapel. Everything is at peace. Anywhere the people who have dedicated their lives to faithful contemplation is a haven in our hectic world. Nunneries, convents, monasteries, temples, they all seem to exist slightly outside our realm. But as peaceful as they are, that peace can be broken in an instant, because sometimes spirits stick around in the one place that they shouldn't, a church. Today, the Christian faith doesn't subscribe to a belief in ghosts, but it used to. Well, sometimes. You see, spirits in the church have a bit of a complicated history. There are only a couple of ghost stories from the church's earliest days.
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