Monsters History

From unexpected deaths to magical curses, mummies seem to have a mysterious impact on others. Learn more about how mummies came to be—and what makes them monsters.

Tales of people turning into wolves at night have made the werewolf legendary. Learn more about this scary monster and how its story has changed over time.

Nothing is quite as scary as the dead coming back to life. Zombies are fearsome creatures who roam the Earth as the undead. Listen to learn more about where zombies come from—and how they can be stopped.

With sharp fangs and a thirst for human blood, vampires are one of the most feared monsters of all. Learn more about where vampires came from.

Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, has been hunted by people throughout North America for centuries. Many people claim to have seen its large footprints. But is it real, or just folklore? Listen to find out!

Stories of shapeshifters have been around for thousands of years. Learn about the tales of these monsters from many different cultures.

The Nazi fascination with the occult is legendary, yet today it is often dismissed as Himmler's personal obsession or wildly overstated for its novelty. Preposterous though it was, however, supernatural thinking was inextricable from the Nazi project. The regime enlisted astrology and the paranormal, paganism, Indo-Aryan mythology, witchcraft, miracle weapons, and the lost kingdom of Atlantis in reimagining German politics and society and recasting German science and religion.

Frankenstein's Monster was dreamt up over 200 years ago, and the story still haunts people today. Learn more about how this creepy monster was made in a science lab.

Deep in Loch Ness, stories of a mysterious underwater creature bubble to the surface. Learn more about the origin of this water-bound monster.

Do you know that the ancient Egyptians believed that people were made out of clay by their river god? For eons, the wisdom cultivated by the Egyptian people has been extolled time and time again. These timeless myths are fountains of insight and, many would argue, beacons of light that can shatter the darkness of ignorance. For those of you that are ready and willing to receive these ancient messages, your time has come. All you need to do is start listening. Then the wisdom of Thoth will begin to stir inside you.

Brought to you by Penguin. For generations, the history of the British empire was written by its victors. British historians' accounts of conquest guided the consolidation of imperial rule in India, the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean. Their narratives of the development of imperial...

Discover everything you’ve ever wondered about the legendary spirits, creatures, and figures of Japanese folklore including how they have found their way into every corner of our pop culture from the creator of the podcast Uncanny Japan. Welcome to The Book of Japanese Folklore: a fascinating...

Brought to you by Penguin. A dazzlingly original reassessment of women's stories, bodies and art - and how we think about them. For decades, feminist artists have confronted the problem of how to tell the truth about their experiences as bodies. Queer bodies, sick bodies, racialised bodies...

Join any Pride march and you are likely to see a glorious display of papier-mâché unicorn heads trailing sequins, drag queens wearing mermaid tails and more fairy wings than you can shake a trident at. But these are not just accessories: they are queer symbols with historic roots. Queer as...

From the twice-winner of the Miles Franklin Award, Scary Monsters is an affecting, profound and darkly funny exploration into racism, misogyny and ageism. Three scary monsters – racism, misogyny and ageism – roam through this mesmerising audiobook. The dual nature of Scary Monsters is...

Brought to you by Penguin. Impossible Monsters is the captivating story of the discovery of the dinosaurs and how it upended our understanding of the origins of the world. In 1811, a twelve-year-old girl uncovered some strange-looking bones in Britain’s southern shoreline. They belonged to no...

True Werewolves of History uses archival chronicles and new research to bring to life the stories of 100 werewolves. This unique tour-de-force focuses on real tales of werewolves (not to mention "werebears,” “werejaguars” and others) from throughout the world and across the centuries. You'll find them all in this volume for your delectation and enlightenment.

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Royce Pierreson, star of Line of Duty, Our Girl and The Witcher. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Michael Alexander. Beowulf is the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English, unparalleled in its epic...

Thousands of years ago, the ancient Greeks told wonderful stories about their many gods, goddesses, adventures and heroes.... Eventually, someone decided it’s such an AMAZING story that they should write it down. Those are the myths we have today! These myths are perfect to introduce to children of all ages. As you will soon discover, Greek myths are full of adventure and are great to listen to at bedtime or in the day. These stories feature heroic battles, epics, magic, gods, goddesses, inspiring stories, exciting places, and much, much more.

Get ready to hop on a mythical time machine and zoom back to ancient Greece – and trust us, it's going to be a wild ride! Buckle up, because we're diving headfirst into a world where gods and goddesses play cosmic games, heroes tackle monstrous challenges, and even the monsters have a tale or two to spin. Wave goodbye to those boring history books that feel like time machines stuck in slow motion!