Join us as we travel to the highest peaks of the world — the Himalayas — where locals speak of a creature that has haunted the mountains for centuries.

The world knows it as the Yeti — or the Abominable Snowman.

References & Source Notes

• Wikipedia: Yeti – origin and etymology.

• Time Magazine (2017): “Are Yetis Real? They’re Probably Just Himalayan Brown Bears.”

• Nature.org: “The Yeti: A Story of Scientific Misunderstanding.”

• Snopes: “Dyatlov Pass Incident” fact-check.

• El País (2011): “Yeti Hunter Murdered in Hindu Kush.”

• HowStuffWorks: “The Legend of the Yeti.”

Today's episode includes discussion of death, suicide, emotional abandonment, wartime trauma, depression, spiritual unrest, and folklore involving ghosts and vengeful spirits- as they relate to Christmas in Japan.

Source Notes & References

BBC News. "Why KFC Is Japan’s Go-To Christmas Dinner."

Japan Times. "How Christmas Became a Romantic Holiday in Japan."

National Diet Library of Japan. Historical records on post-war Westernization and consumer culture.

Turnbull, Stephen. The Kakure Kirishitan of Japan.

Britannica. "Christianity in Japan."

Paramore, Kiri. Ideology and Christianity in Japan.

Foster, Michael Dylan. The Book of Yōkai.

Reider, Noriko T. Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present.

Lafcadio Hearn. Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.

World Health Organization (WHO). Suicide and seasonal trends reports.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan). Annual suicide statistics and winter trend data.

Japan Times. "Loneliness and Seasonal Depression in Urban Japan."

Mizuki, Shigeru. Yōkai Watch and Collected Folklore Essays.

University of Tokyo Folklore Studies Archive. Urban legends and modern spirit narratives.

Journey with us to Iceland, where we discuss a towering feline menace with a taste for fashion—and flesh. Sources:

The Myth of the Yule Cat: Iceland’s Weird Christmas Monster | The Pagan Grimoire

Yule cat - Wikipedia

Beware the Yule Cat, Iceland’s Child-Eating Christmas Monster - Atlas Obscura

Christmas Cat Cost Causes Controversy