WEBVTT - Night Lights 0:00:04.080 --> 0:00:07.440 Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 0:00:07.480 --> 0:00:09.320 iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. 0:00:12.840 --> 0:00:16.840 Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 0:00:17.040 --> 0:00:20.280 is an open book, all of these amazing tales are 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:23.720 right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:37.080 Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. There is no name 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:41.280 more controversial in modern Indian politics than oring Zeb. But 0:00:41.400 --> 0:00:43.200 he's not a modern politician. 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:46.400 No. He was an emperor who ruled from sixteen fifty 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:50.160 eight to seventeen oh seven. Indian Muslims see him as 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:53.440 a national hero, while Indian Hindus see him as a 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:57.800 murdering tyrant, and because of this, frequent violent clashes have 0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:02.200 erupted over his tomb as recently as last year. It's amazing, 0:01:02.280 --> 0:01:05.479 but perhaps not surprising, that someone from hundreds of years 0:01:05.480 --> 0:01:08.960 ago could still be having such an impact today. All 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:12.839 countries like to co opt certain historical figures and push 0:01:12.920 --> 0:01:16.440 a modern narrative, but for the curious, the actual historical 0:01:16.480 --> 0:01:20.440 details can bring us closer to the truth. Oringzeb's childhood 0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:24.240 is a familiar one to cabinet listeners. Born into royalty, 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.240 he had to murder or imprison his family in order 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:30.760 to become king. The most notable detail from his childhood 0:01:30.959 --> 0:01:33.440 has to do with his mother's death. You've heard of 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:37.000 taj Mahal right, well, that was his mother's tomb, built 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:41.040 by his grief stricken father. However, Oringzeb was less interested 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:44.919 in building monuments and more interested in expanding his power. 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:48.680 His kingdom, known as the Mughal Empire, was a Sunni 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:52.920 Muslim empire with its origin in modern day Afghanistan. His 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:56.840 great grandfather had expanded it to cover half of India, 0:01:56.920 --> 0:02:00.600 but Oringzeb thought that he could unite the entire Soub continent. 0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:03.840 He believed that he could do this through Islam, bringing 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:07.920 various regional princes under his control by forcing them to 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:11.160 more closely obey religious law. Once he had done this, 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:14.799 he started to tax Hindus and Shia Muslims at double 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:19.320 the rate of Sunni Muslims. This was obviously unpopular, to 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.560 say the least, but Oringzeb would put down any resistance, 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:26.680 violently burning the temples of those who didn't comply. However, 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:31.960 he would spare those who did and adamantly protected their communities. Ultimately, 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:35.080 only a small fraction of Hindu temples were ever destroyed. 0:02:35.320 --> 0:02:39.880 There are several cases of Muslims harassing Hindu temples and citizens, 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:43.639 and in such cases Orringzeb often sided with the Hindus 0:02:43.880 --> 0:02:47.760 and had them protected and compensated. But his taxation policy 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:51.080 did more than create violence. It inherently made Hindus into 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:55.760 a second class citizen, and Oringzeb's protective tendencies only extended 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:59.560 so far. Three major challenges to his rule would test 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:03.480 his power and lead him into violent action. First, the 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:06.880 Sikh Guru of the time, the leader of that entire faith, 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:09.920 had a popular following within India. He was said to 0:03:09.960 --> 0:03:13.639 perform miracles and was actively converting people to his faith, 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:17.480 which was in direct conflict with Oringzeb's policies. On top 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:20.399 of this, he had a large nomadic army that sometimes 0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:24.440 followed him around. Oringzeb couldn't allow this threat to his rule, 0:03:24.720 --> 0:03:28.560 and so he had the Guru captured and executed. Second, 0:03:28.680 --> 0:03:31.960 he didn't anticipate what would become his greatest rival of all, 0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:35.720 the Marata Empire. It was a Hindu empire in southern 0:03:35.720 --> 0:03:39.480 India that had only recently risen against the previous oppressors 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:43.440 and started to expand once Oringzeb encountered them, he found 0:03:43.480 --> 0:03:46.400 their hit and run guerrilla tactics hard to contend with. 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:49.920 By sixteen eighty one, the Marata Empire was led by 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:53.160 King Sambachi, whose men were known for their violent burning 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:56.000 of villages and the raping of women. This was in 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:59.760 contrast to Oringzeb's treatment of women, which was traditional and 0:04:00.040 --> 0:04:03.360 tricked by any modern standard, but still afforded them protection 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:08.400 and certain rights. Simbaji contributed to Orringzeb's third great challenge, 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:12.560 the defection of his fourth son, Akbar. Akbar had been 0:04:12.600 --> 0:04:15.040 sent to put down rebellions in the south, but was 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:18.640 instead tempted to join them and depose his father. When 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:21.520 this failed, Simbaji took him in and tried to help 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:25.479 him muster more support. When this didn't happen, Simbaji sent 0:04:25.560 --> 0:04:30.200 Akbar to safety in Persia, while Oringzeb ultimately captured Simbaji 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:34.200 and had him executed in sixteen eighty six. Oringzeb never 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:36.480 did find his son Akbar, but he swore that he 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:40.640 would outlive him if nothing else. Oringzeb would continue to 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:43.440 fight rebellions his entire reign, but by the end of 0:04:43.440 --> 0:04:46.440 his life in seventeen oh seven, he had conquered almost 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:50.200 the entirety of India. Despite all of the turmoil, his 0:04:50.320 --> 0:04:54.120 kingdom was incredibly wealthy, producing more goods than any other 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:57.000 on the planet at the time. He was more powerful 0:04:57.000 --> 0:05:00.640 than contemporaries such as Louis the fourteenth and Frank and 0:05:00.680 --> 0:05:05.120 the Qing dynasty emperors in China. His strict religious policies 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:07.720 may have led to violence, but they did bring about 0:05:07.720 --> 0:05:11.280 a unification that India wouldn't enjoy again for decades after. 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:15.000 Following his reign, infighting among the different groups in his 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:19.680 empire made India an easy target for British invasion. This 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:22.520 also gets blamed on Oringzeb but it's hard to know 0:05:22.600 --> 0:05:26.640 if a more pluralized India would have stood a better chance. Ultimately, 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:29.480 he was less the tyrant that modern pundits paint him 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:33.080 as and more a stern, traditional leader, no more violent 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:35.920 than any other leader of the time, And for those 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:38.640 who are curious, he lived to the age of eighty eight, 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:56.960 outliving his hated son Akbar by just one year. A 0:05:57.000 --> 0:06:01.039 long time ago, a stagecoach was rolling through the Wealth countryside, 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:03.960 not far from the town of Clandilo. The road ran 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:07.559 alongside a river. As the passengers looked out over the water, 0:06:07.880 --> 0:06:12.200 they noticed a strange phenomenon, three red lights hovering over 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:15.000 the waves. Not knowing what to make of it, the 0:06:15.040 --> 0:06:17.880 coach rolled on and the passengers put the strange sight 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:21.960 out of their minds. Soon after, three men found themselves 0:06:21.960 --> 0:06:24.839 traveling down that very same river in a small boat 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:28.960 known as a coricle. They fought against the raging currents. However, 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:32.600 their boat overturned and all three were drowned in exactly 0:06:32.680 --> 0:06:35.520 the same spot where the lights had been seen hovering 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:39.039 over the water. These lights, of course, have a special 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:42.400 name in Welsh folklore. They're known as a corpse candle. 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:46.080 They're rarely depicted as literal candles with wax and a wick. 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:50.040 There more often just lights hovering in the dark like fireflies. 0:06:50.839 --> 0:06:53.800 Whenever a corpse candle appears, it's said to be an 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:58.240 omen of impending death, sometimes for someone nearby and other 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:01.240 times for the person who saw them. Their size can 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:03.839 correlate to how old the victim will be, and the 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:06.960 location can show where their final resting place will be. 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:10.160 When the lights are red, the doomed individual will be 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:12.360 a man, and when they are white, it will be 0:07:12.480 --> 0:07:14.960 a woman. If the light is tall, it means that 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:17.800 they'll be old and if it's short, they'll be a child. 0:07:18.360 --> 0:07:21.240 The earliest corpse candle stories are much like the one 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:24.360 with the men on the boat, simple ambiguous tales of 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:27.760 strange phenomena connected to the dead. Of course, if there 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:30.240 was a connection between the lights and the deaths, it 0:07:30.400 --> 0:07:33.640 was a circumstantial one. The candles pointed to a location 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:36.120 where death would lurk, but they did little more than 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:40.200 shine ominously in the dark. Travelers saw them beside long 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:43.480 and lonely roads, pointing off into the gloom. Some of 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:46.640 these are known as corpse roads, which usually lead to 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:49.920 a cemetery or a churchyard, a place for rest for 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:53.400 those who have passed on. But as the legends expanded, 0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:57.160 corpse candles were more than just a creepy signpost. If 0:07:57.200 --> 0:07:59.680 you followed them, they said, you might find where some 0:08:00.120 --> 0:08:03.600 or forgotten soul had died or been buried. One particularly 0:08:03.680 --> 0:08:07.320 vivid story tells of a roving corpse candle that perfectly 0:08:07.360 --> 0:08:11.040 traced a future funeral procession, right down to a fifteen 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:13.520 minute pause they had to make along the road to 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:17.640 the churchyard. Over time, they began to serve a dual purpose, 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:22.080 both as an omen and as a memorial. At first, glance, 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:24.760 it's impossible to tell if the corpse candle signals a 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:28.080 death that will happen or one that already has. If 0:08:28.080 --> 0:08:32.520 you see one, you might even foretell your own impending doom. Later, 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:35.760 Welsh legends tell of corpse candles burning from within the 0:08:35.800 --> 0:08:38.680 mouth of a dead man, or bringing a ghost to 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:42.640 pronounced doom upon a household. It became the proverbial light 0:08:42.800 --> 0:08:45.880 that dying men and women would see as they passed on. 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:49.520 Like many folk tales, though these stories were first documented 0:08:49.520 --> 0:08:52.920 in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with their origin stretching 0:08:52.960 --> 0:08:56.360 back into oral tradition, finding the very start of such 0:08:56.440 --> 0:08:59.800 legends can be nearly impossible, even for experts in the 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:03.920 but of course folklorists have their own theories. Some have 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:07.040 suggested that the essential roots of the story, that is, 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:10.920 someone seeing a mysterious light on a road, are true, 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:14.640 and the supernatural elements are what came in later. According 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:17.640 to them, the story of the stagecoach near Clandilo may 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:20.320 not have literally happened, but someone might have had a 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:23.880 similar sighting and related it into the world of legend. 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:27.800 But what they saw wasn't an impossible flame floating over 0:09:27.840 --> 0:09:31.240 a river. Now theories suggest that the first corpse candles 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:34.920 were in fact glow worms or electrical phenomena in the air, 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:38.720 natural things that the early Welsh people wouldn't have understood, 0:09:39.000 --> 0:09:41.880 but would have been awed by all the same. Our brains, 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:45.040 after all, love to make connections. It's easy to imagine 0:09:45.080 --> 0:09:48.000 that someone saw one of these optical effects and then 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:51.800 heard the story of a drowning nearby, and simply connected 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:56.680 the two. Rumors and speculations about deaths are temporary things, 0:09:57.120 --> 0:10:00.520 but once a rumor becomes a ghost story, it tends 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:08.120 to have a much longer afterlife. I hope you enjoyed 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:11.760 today's guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:16.120 was created by me Aaron Manke in partnership with iHeart Podcasts, 0:10:16.240 --> 0:10:18.680 researched and written by the Grim and Mild team, and 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:21.800 produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:25.120 the people who make it over at Grimandmild dot com 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:28.480 slash Curiosities. You'll also find a link to the official 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:32.640 Cabinet of Curiosity's hardcover book, available in bookstores and online, 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:35.640 as well as ebook and audiobook, and if you're looking 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:38.880 for an ad free option, consider joining our Patreon. It's 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:41.719 all the same stories, but without the interruption for. 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.600 A small monthly fee. Learn more and sign up over 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:49.120 at patreon dot com. Slash Grimandmild, and until next time, 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.080 stay curious.