1 00:00:03,090 --> 00:00:06,170 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 2: Hi, my name is Robert Lamb, and this is The 3 00:00:12,340 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 2: Monster Fact, a short-form series from Stuff to Blow Your 4 00:00:15,340 --> 00:00:19,610 Speaker 2: Mind focusing on mythical creatures, ideas, and monsters in time. 5 00:00:24,190 --> 00:00:27,229 Speaker 2: Autumn is the perfect time to gather around the old 6 00:00:27,350 --> 00:00:31,650 Speaker 2: electric hearth we call a television set and watched the 7 00:00:31,650 --> 00:00:36,350 Speaker 2: 2014 Cartoon Network animated series Over the Garden Wall. In 8 00:00:36,370 --> 00:00:39,770 Speaker 2: this much-beloved show, we follow brothers Wirt and Greg through 9 00:00:39,810 --> 00:00:44,639 Speaker 2: a woodland world of folkloric intrigue, vintage Halloween vibes, old 10 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 2: New England charm, and heartwarming whimsy. Created by animator Patrick McHale, 11 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 2: it features the voice talents of Elijah Wood, Melanie Linsky, 12 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:58,380 Speaker 2: Christopher Lloyd, Tim Curry, and more. Over the Garden Wall 13 00:00:58,460 --> 00:01:01,270 Speaker 2: is loaded with silliness and humor, but it's not without 14 00:01:01,330 --> 00:01:05,770 Speaker 2: its spookier moments. And its chief antagonist, an entity known 15 00:01:05,890 --> 00:01:09,950 Speaker 2: only as the Beast, really stands out as an avatar 16 00:01:09,970 --> 00:01:13,940 Speaker 2: of pure darkness. He appears throughout the series as a shadowy, 17 00:01:14,140 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 2: antlered figure with glowing eyes. And I'm not going to 18 00:01:16,500 --> 00:01:20,340 Speaker 2: spoil everything here, but we eventually learn that this entity 19 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,220 Speaker 2: feeds on the despair and sorrow of children and other 20 00:01:24,270 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 2: individuals lost in the woods. The beast is an entity 21 00:01:27,740 --> 00:01:31,339 Speaker 2: fittingly shrouded in mystery, but we can identify various points 22 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:36,339 Speaker 2: of possible inspiration and connections to related traditions. As is 23 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,190 Speaker 2: often the case in Western animation, we of course must 24 00:01:39,250 --> 00:01:43,869 Speaker 2: acknowledge the devil as part of the antagonist's DNA. But 25 00:01:43,890 --> 00:01:47,170 Speaker 2: there are other more obscure notes as well. Now, some 26 00:01:47,190 --> 00:01:50,570 Speaker 2: might point to modern depictions of the Wendigo, a spirit 27 00:01:50,650 --> 00:01:53,380 Speaker 2: from the traditions of the Algonquin people, But it's my 28 00:01:53,420 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 2: understanding that these depictions of the Wendigo as an antlered 29 00:01:56,540 --> 00:02:02,550 Speaker 2: being are largely an invention of non-indigenous media depictions. Wendigo traditions, however, 30 00:02:03,510 --> 00:02:08,290 Speaker 2: and related indigenous ideas do touch on themes of wildness, wilderness, 31 00:02:08,730 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 2: and survival cannibalism. A much clearer point of reference for 32 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 2: the beast, however, can likely be found in Herna the Hunter. 33 00:02:18,270 --> 00:02:21,870 Speaker 2: a spirit and portent of doom from English tradition tied 34 00:02:21,889 --> 00:02:25,990 Speaker 2: to the woods surrounding Windsor Castle. Covered in furs and 35 00:02:26,030 --> 00:02:29,530 Speaker 2: bearing the skull and antlers of a great stag, the 36 00:02:29,590 --> 00:02:32,850 Speaker 2: entity might well be tied to pagan worship of the 37 00:02:32,870 --> 00:02:38,090 Speaker 2: Celtic fertility god, Cernunnos. We previously discussed Hernal the Hunter 38 00:02:38,150 --> 00:02:40,660 Speaker 2: in our Stuff to Blow Your Mind episode, Ghosts of 39 00:02:40,690 --> 00:02:44,619 Speaker 2: the Wind and Rain. The basic iconography of an antlered 40 00:02:44,700 --> 00:02:48,150 Speaker 2: or horned woodland spirit may also connect to a variety 41 00:02:48,510 --> 00:02:51,790 Speaker 2: of ancient gods of the hunt. The beast may also 42 00:02:51,850 --> 00:02:55,650 Speaker 2: have an analog in Germanic tradition, the Earl King or 43 00:02:55,830 --> 00:03:00,220 Speaker 2: Elf King, Alder King or Oak King. The entity was 44 00:03:00,250 --> 00:03:03,959 Speaker 2: said to haunt the Black Forest of Germany, luring travelers 45 00:03:04,020 --> 00:03:09,070 Speaker 2: and children to death in the lonely wilderness. In 1782, 46 00:03:09,070 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 2: German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote of the entity 47 00:03:13,340 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 2: in his poem, The Earl King. I'm going to read 48 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:20,900 Speaker 2: from the Edgar Alfred Bowering translation. Who rides there so 49 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,709 Speaker 2: late through the night dark and drear? The father it is, 50 00:03:25,030 --> 00:03:28,410 Speaker 2: with his infant so dear. He holdeth the boy tightly 51 00:03:28,570 --> 00:03:32,470 Speaker 2: clasped in his arm. He holdeth him safely, he keepeth 52 00:03:32,530 --> 00:03:37,020 Speaker 2: him warm. My son, wherefore seekest thou thy face thus 53 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,010 Speaker 2: to hide? Look, father, the Earl-King is close by our side. 54 00:03:41,310 --> 00:03:44,310 Speaker 2: Dost see not the Earl-King with crown and with train? 55 00:03:44,730 --> 00:03:48,870 Speaker 2: My son, tis the mist rising over the plain. O come, 56 00:03:48,930 --> 00:03:52,710 Speaker 2: thou dear infant, O come thou with me. For many 57 00:03:52,870 --> 00:03:56,550 Speaker 2: a game I will play there with thee. On my 58 00:03:56,650 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 2: strand lovely flowers their blossoms unfold. My mother shall grace 59 00:04:02,100 --> 00:04:06,060 Speaker 2: thee with garments of gold. My father, my father, and 60 00:04:06,140 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 2: dost thou not hear The words that the Earl-King now 61 00:04:09,660 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 2: breathes in mine ear? Be calm, dearest child, tis thy 62 00:04:13,410 --> 00:04:17,229 Speaker 2: fancy deceives, Tis the sad wind that sighs through the 63 00:04:17,310 --> 00:04:21,950 Speaker 2: withering leaves. Wilt go then, dear infant, wilt go with 64 00:04:22,010 --> 00:04:26,450 Speaker 2: me there? My daughters shall tend thee with sisterly care, 65 00:04:26,810 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 2: My daughters by night their glad festival keep, They'll dance 66 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 2: thee and rock thee and sing thee to sleep. My father, 67 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 2: my father, and dost thou not see how the Earl 68 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,500 Speaker 2: King his daughters has brought here for me? My darling, 69 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,909 Speaker 2: my darling, I see it all right. Tis the age-gray 70 00:04:45,010 --> 00:04:49,510 Speaker 2: willows deceiving thy sight. I love thee, I'm charmed by 71 00:04:49,570 --> 00:04:52,910 Speaker 2: thy beauty, dear boy, and if thou art unwilling, then 72 00:04:53,029 --> 00:04:57,570 Speaker 2: force I'll employ. My father, my father, he seizes me fast, 73 00:04:57,950 --> 00:05:01,160 Speaker 2: for sorely the Earl King has hurt me at last. 74 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 2: The father now gallops, with terror half wild. He grasps 75 00:05:06,220 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 2: in his arms the poor shuddering child. He reaches his 76 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 2: courtyard with toil and with dread. The child in his 77 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:19,310 Speaker 2: arms finds he motionless, dead. Quite a dark ending, I 78 00:05:19,370 --> 00:05:22,510 Speaker 2: think you'll agree. But for Worden Gregg in Over the 79 00:05:22,550 --> 00:05:25,510 Speaker 2: Garden Wall, things don't go quite as badly. But it 80 00:05:25,589 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 2: is a near thing. The beast, like the Earl King, 81 00:05:29,060 --> 00:05:32,620 Speaker 2: would seem to command great power in those places where 82 00:05:32,700 --> 00:05:36,820 Speaker 2: long-forgotten stories are revealed to those who travel through the wood. 83 00:05:37,700 --> 00:05:40,599 Speaker 2: Tune in for additional episodes of The Monster Fact, The Artifact, 84 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 2: or Animalia Stupendium each week. As always, you can email 85 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:47,730 Speaker 2: us at contact at stufftoblowyourmind.com. 86 00:05:56,230 --> 00:05:58,670 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind is a production of iHeartRadio. 87 00:05:59,029 --> 00:06:02,380 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app. Apple 88 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,740 Speaker 1: Podcasts are wherever you listen to your favorite shows.