WEBVTT - Psycho Seance

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of

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<v Speaker 1>iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of

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<v Speaker 1>the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all

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<v Speaker 1>of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting

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<v Speaker 1>for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.

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<v Speaker 1>The late nineteenth century in Europe, often referred to as

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<v Speaker 1>the Victorian Era, was a time of rapid scientific development.

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<v Speaker 1>But as much as Victorian Europe embraced science, there was

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<v Speaker 1>also a social movement in the opposite direction, embracing spiritualism

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<v Speaker 1>or mysticism. Seances were a popular part of this movement.

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<v Speaker 1>Friends and family would gather around a table and attempt

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<v Speaker 1>to contact the dead. They was such a commonplace practice

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<v Speaker 1>that the lines between mysticism and science often blurred, as

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<v Speaker 1>researchers were attracted to seances to learn if there was

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<v Speaker 1>any truth to them or if it were all just

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<v Speaker 1>a hoax. In eighteen ninety six, twenty one year old

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<v Speaker 1>Karl Gustav or CG as his friends called him, was

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<v Speaker 1>invited to the home of his cousin, Helly Preisberg. She

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<v Speaker 1>was a medium known for conducting seances. Although CG was

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<v Speaker 1>a medical student, he had an open mind when it

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<v Speaker 1>came to the supernatural. He was raised in a religious

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<v Speaker 1>home and had been plagued by strange, vivid dreams from

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<v Speaker 1>a young age. Both science and religion had always failed

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<v Speaker 1>to explain his dreams. They were frightening episodes, full of monsters, ghosts,

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<v Speaker 1>and twisted imagery. If anyone could help him get to

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<v Speaker 1>the bottom of these visions, perhaps it was his cousin Helly.

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<v Speaker 1>It was said that she could not only contact the dead,

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<v Speaker 1>but travel between different realms, maybe even into the realm

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<v Speaker 1>of his dreams. He was a frail fifteen year old girl,

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<v Speaker 1>but she and cig got along well. They had a

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<v Speaker 1>shared enthusiasm for the supernatural, and so when they conducted

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<v Speaker 1>this first seance together, they took it very seriously. At first,

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<v Speaker 1>they attempted to contact the dead. They laid their fingers

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<v Speaker 1>on an upside down glass over a sheet of paper

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<v Speaker 1>covered with letters. Helly then channeled the ghosts in the room,

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<v Speaker 1>asking them to identify themselves by using her body to

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<v Speaker 1>move the glass and spell out their names. A spirit

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<v Speaker 1>soon took control of her and revealed itself to be

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<v Speaker 1>their late grandfather, the Reverend Samuel Preisberg. Helly suddenly fell

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<v Speaker 1>to the ground. Sig rushed to her side, shaking her,

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<v Speaker 1>asking the spirit to free her. But when Helly spoke next,

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<v Speaker 1>it didn't sound like her at all. Her voice was

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<v Speaker 1>deep and mature, like that of their grandfathers. Do not

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<v Speaker 1>fear see. I am with you every day, it said,

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<v Speaker 1>I am your grandfather Samuel, who dwells with God. Pray

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<v Speaker 1>to him the Lord, and ask him that my dear

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<v Speaker 1>grandchild reaches her goal. What was her goal, you might ask, well,

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<v Speaker 1>Apparently their grandfather had sent Helly's spirit to the Americas,

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<v Speaker 1>where their relative Bertie was and I quote, in danger

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<v Speaker 1>from having a baby with a black man. He wanted

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<v Speaker 1>Helly to somehow stop it, because, unfortunately, it seems that

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<v Speaker 1>racism continues on into the afterlife. Helly returned to her body,

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<v Speaker 1>claiming that she was unsuccessful in her mission to stop

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<v Speaker 1>Bertie from having the baby. Cig obviously found all of

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<v Speaker 1>this very strange, but he found it even stranger weeks

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<v Speaker 1>later when he received a letter from Bertie revealing that

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<v Speaker 1>she had indeed had a baby. Cig and Helly continued

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<v Speaker 1>their seances for years, with Helly explaining more and more

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<v Speaker 1>about the supernatural realms that she supposedly visited. But when

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<v Speaker 1>Sig finished his undergraduate and he moved on to the

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<v Speaker 1>blossoming world of psychology, he began to read the works

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<v Speaker 1>of Sigmund Freud and learned about the idea of the

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<v Speaker 1>unconscious mind, the part of our brain that we don't

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<v Speaker 1>have access to, that's filled with dark imagery and forgotten memories.

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<v Speaker 1>And Cig saw similarities between his dreams, Helly's spirits, and

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<v Speaker 1>Freud's descriptions of the unconscious. It made more sense to

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<v Speaker 1>him that he and Helly were both experiencing psychological rather

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<v Speaker 1>than supernatural phenomena, and this became even more apparent a

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<v Speaker 1>few years into the seances, when Cig caught Helly hiding

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<v Speaker 1>objects in her dress that she would throw across the room,

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<v Speaker 1>trying to make it look like the spirits were doing it.

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<v Speaker 1>He spent the first several years of his psychotherapy career

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<v Speaker 1>writing about Helly and how he believed that her spirits

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<v Speaker 1>were just manifestations of her unconscious mind. Her ability to

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<v Speaker 1>know things that she shouldn't was either outright deception or

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<v Speaker 1>just simple coincidence, and SIG's skepticism grew to the point

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<v Speaker 1>where he eventually challenged his own mentor, Sigmund Freud and

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<v Speaker 1>Freud's obsession with human sexuality as the driving force of

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<v Speaker 1>all psychological behavior. Eventually, even cg's work would meet with

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<v Speaker 1>some criticism from his successors, but again, that's just how

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<v Speaker 1>science works regardless. CG or Carl Jung as he's better

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<v Speaker 1>known today, was one of the founding fathers of modern psychiatry.

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<v Speaker 1>He ensured that reason, not superstition, emerged as the prevailing

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<v Speaker 1>force of the Victorian era. If reality TV has taught

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<v Speaker 1>us anything it's that humans can make a competition out

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<v Speaker 1>of just about anything. Food is no exception, whether it's

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<v Speaker 1>in the breezy tent of the Great British Bakeoff or

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<v Speaker 1>the bowels of Hell's Kitchen. We love watching chefs go

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<v Speaker 1>toe to toe in culinary battles. The incredible popularity of

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<v Speaker 1>these shows might lead you to think that cookoffs are

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<v Speaker 1>a modern invention, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

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<v Speaker 1>Can trace them back centuries, all the way back to

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<v Speaker 1>medieval Baghdad. During the ninth century. The city was one

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<v Speaker 1>of the culinary capitals of the world. It was perfectly

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<v Speaker 1>situated between Europe and Asia, giving its chefs access to

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<v Speaker 1>spices and recipes from the four corners of the globe. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>the Khalif, or ruler of Baghdad, was a massive foodie

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<v Speaker 1>and a decent amateur chef in his own right. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>One day, the Khalif got into an argument with his

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<v Speaker 1>brother over which of them was a better cook. Determined

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<v Speaker 1>to prove himself, he sent his servants to the market

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<v Speaker 1>with orders to bring back the ingredients for a feast.

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<v Speaker 1>There was lamb and chicken, eggplants and apricots, salt, saffron, honey,

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<v Speaker 1>half a dozen kinds of oils and spices from China

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<v Speaker 1>and India. With everything assembled, the Khalif told his brother

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<v Speaker 1>that they would each prepare a dish of their own,

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<v Speaker 1>choosing using any ingredients they pleased, in the palace's state

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<v Speaker 1>of the art kitchen. A panel of the best chefs

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<v Speaker 1>of the city would serve as their judges. There would

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<v Speaker 1>be no prize, though, you see, the brothers would simply

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<v Speaker 1>be competing purely for bragging rights. But they weren't working alone.

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<v Speaker 1>They would each be supported by an assistant pulled from

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<v Speaker 1>the Khalif's cooking staff. And herein lay the Khalif's secret.

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<v Speaker 1>For his assistant, he selected a young chef named Ibada.

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<v Speaker 1>The young man was talented, but had a reputation in

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<v Speaker 1>the kitchens for being difficult to work with. The other

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<v Speaker 1>cook said that he was devious and not above sabotaging

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<v Speaker 1>his co workers to get ahead, and the Khalif knew

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<v Speaker 1>that Abada couldn't be trusted, and that's why he wanted

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<v Speaker 1>him on his team. As the brothers got to work,

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<v Speaker 1>the kitchen became a storm of activity. The assistants rushed

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<v Speaker 1>back and forth, stoking the ovens and chopping herbs with abandon.

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<v Speaker 1>Soon fragrant aromas were wafting from opposite corners of the room.

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<v Speaker 1>The Khalif grinned as he tasted his dish, confident that

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<v Speaker 1>he would be crowned the victor, but his assistant, Ibada,

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't so sure. The smell coming from their opponents area

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<v Speaker 1>was unbelievable, better than anything prepared in that kitchen before. Worried,

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<v Speaker 1>he drifted over, making a show of inspecting the competitor's dish.

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<v Speaker 1>The Kalif's brother looked proud until Ibada wrinkled his nose

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<v Speaker 1>in an expression of disgust. With a sigh, he remarked

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<v Speaker 1>how unfair it was that the Khalif had neglected to

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<v Speaker 1>share their secrets ingredient. Hearing this, the Kalif's brother scowled,

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, it was just like his brother to goad

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<v Speaker 1>him into a competition only to cheat. Furious, he demanded

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<v Speaker 1>to know what secret ingredient the Khalif was using. Ibada

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<v Speaker 1>glanced back at the Khalif to make sure he wasn't watching,

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<v Speaker 1>and then handed over a small jar of fermented sauce.

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<v Speaker 1>It was only fair, he said, that everyone had access

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<v Speaker 1>to the same materials, even if it lost him the competition.

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<v Speaker 1>The brother's eyes flashed with triumph as he added his

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<v Speaker 1>sauce to his dish, but within seconds, its fragrant smell

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<v Speaker 1>had become a noxious odor. The brother immediately realized that

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<v Speaker 1>he had been tricked, but it was too late to

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<v Speaker 1>salvage the dish. They were out of time, and upon

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<v Speaker 1>tasting it, the judges unanimously proclaimed the Khaliph the winner.

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<v Speaker 1>The ruler was so pleased by the victory he immediately

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<v Speaker 1>promoted his assistant to head chef. Ibada left the kitchen

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<v Speaker 1>feeling quite clever, but it wasn't long before he paid

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<v Speaker 1>the price for his trickery. The Khalif died a few

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<v Speaker 1>years later, and his brother took the throne. The new

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<v Speaker 1>ruler had never forgiven Ibada and came dangerously close to

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<v Speaker 1>having him executed. In the end, he decided the chef

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't worth the trouble and simply exiled him. So as

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<v Speaker 1>brutal as modern competitions might seem, Ibada's story shows that

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<v Speaker 1>things could be a lot worse. In the world of

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<v Speaker 1>medieval cookoffs. You could go from top of the pack

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<v Speaker 1>to the bottom in the blink of an eye. The

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<v Speaker 1>stakes were sometimes a matter of life and death, and

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<v Speaker 1>one wrong move could get you chopped. I hope you've

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<v Speaker 1>enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe

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<v Speaker 1>for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the

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<v Speaker 1>show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was

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<v Speaker 1>created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>I make another award winning show called Lore, which is

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<v Speaker 1>a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can

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<v Speaker 1>learn all about it over at the Worldoflore dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>And until next time, stay curious.