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Chapter 1: What dangerous conditions did explorers face in Antarctica?
It was once the most dangerous place on Earth. Granted, we wouldn't necessarily consider Antarctica a utopia today, but it isn't nearly as deadly as it used to be. Your chances of dying as you cruise through the Drake Passage in the 21st century are significantly lower than they were 100 years before. Back in the day, just about anything could have taken you out. Hypothermia, starvation, scurvy.
Heck, there are even reports of explorers dying of cardiac arrest simply because they exerted themselves too much in sub-zero temperatures. So, in a place where you could just as easily fall off a glacier as freeze to death, it might be surprising to hear that one of the foremost explorers of the 1900s was nearly taken out by a stove.
In 1934, Admiral Richard E. Byrd was manning a weather station in Antarctica completely solo. It was a seven-month assignment, and unbeknownst to him, ice had been slowly building up inside his stovepipes, blocking the ventilation. As a result, five months into his deployment, he collapsed from carbon monoxide poisoning. Suddenly, he was in a fight for his life.
For the next two months, breathing was a struggle.
Chapter 2: How did Admiral Byrd's stove nearly cost him his life?
In the process, his body became so weak that he could barely crawl across the floor. Convinced he was dying, he wrote in his journal, I'm afraid it's the end. And then he left instructions for whoever discovered his body to mail the farewell letters he had written for his family. Thankfully, though, he made a full recovery, even going on to lead two more Antarctic expeditions.
But there's nothing more suffocating than knowing that you're in danger, but unable to breathe, unable to move, because when you're paralyzed, you're helpless. And that, my friends, is when the real nightmare takes over. I'm Aaron Manke, and this is Lore Legends.
It was a situation that any of us would dread, waking in the middle of the night surrounded by darkness only to feel the sensation of something sitting on top of your chest. Just the thought of it would make anyone want to scream. But that's where things actually become even more terrifying. Despite opening your mouth and willing yourself to scream, not a single sound escapes your lips.
No matter what you do or how hard you try, you've lost control over your entire body. You're frozen, one might even say paralyzed. If you've never experienced anything like this, consider yourself lucky. For a significant portion of the population, though, this isn't just a thought exercise. It's reality.
Scientists say about 8% of the general population experiences sleep paralysis on a somewhat regular basis. Beyond that, multiple studies say that somewhere between 20 and 45% of us have undergone sleep paralysis at least once in our lives. Over the years, many people have tried to explain how the phenomenon works.
A second-century dream interpreter named Artemidorus of Daldus believed that sleep paralysis was simply the god Pan having intimate relations with the dreamer, which, according to him, was a sign of good fortune.
And the acclaimed medical practitioner Galen, considered by most to be the father of medicine, blamed sleep paralysis on gastric upset, while one 10th century Persian scholar said that it was caused by, as he put it, vapors of phlegm traveling from the stomach to the brain. In reality, hallucinations during sleep paralysis are not caused by vapors of any kind.
If your consciousness wakes before your body does, then your mind, for lack of a better term, freaks out. The emotional center of your brain shifts into panic mode, which can sometimes make people see or hear things that aren't actually there. Like, for example, demons perched on top of their paralyzed bodies.
Back in the day, though, they didn't yet have the tools to understand that neurological process. So it may be unsurprising that for thousands of years, those outside the medical profession, and even some within it, believed that sleep paralysis was brought on by some kind of demonic entity. The ancient Babylonians believe that it was caused by the female demon Lilith.
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Chapter 3: What is the phenomenon of sleep paralysis?
Folklore can often have real-life consequences. The folk beliefs we carry with us and pass along to others might seem completely removed from reality, but that couldn't be further from the truth. For most of human history, we've used folklore to make real decisions, to explain the inexplicable. And until very recently, sleep paralysis fell mostly into that inexplicable category.
And it's easy to see why. In an attempt to wrap their minds around what was happening, people created the Mare. The Mare eventually became the Old Hag, and the Hag transformed into a witch. A witch whose reign of terror led to real trials and deadly executions. But the bigger question is this. Why Lorraine specifically? What was it about this place that inspired so many cases of sleep paralysis?
And the answer to that question is actually in the social and political context that I mentioned earlier. The ongoing conflict happening all around them, the deadly wartime diseases, and the devastating famine. It was terrible for everyone involved to live through. And here's the thing. Most psychological conditions don't appear in a vacuum.
They are typically brought on by specific causes, like little triggers that lead to bigger pain. Experts today believe that sleep paralysis most commonly, although not exclusively, develops in people who suffer from some kind of trauma, like PTSD or abuse.
It's also been documented amongst those who struggle with irregular sleeping patterns, seizures, high blood pressure, anxiety, illnesses, and elevated stress levels. And yes, that sounds like it covers most of the human experience, but it definitely covers the people living in 16th century Lorraine.
It's no wonder that when they woke up to something suffocating them, their first instinct was to blame it on witchcraft. And they weren't alone in that. A few decades later, another small town experienced similar trauma. War had been raging along its borders for years. People were afraid. The devil's minions seemed to be all around them and in every corner.
And so, just like the people of Lorraine, they eventually gave in to witch panic. In the trials that followed, multiple witnesses testified to having been strangled, attacked, or crushed on their bed by a witch. Testimony, by the way, that was, yet again, accepted as valid legal evidence in a court of law. It seems that even across the ocean, in Salem, Massachusetts, fear could be paralyzing.
There's nothing more terrifying than waking up to see an unexpected nighttime visitor leaning over you. Parents know what I mean. Speaking from personal experience, if a surprise visit from a needy child can get you screaming, I can't fathom how terrifying actual sleep paralysis must be.
But believe it or not, witches, mares, and random demons aren't the only supernatural creatures who like to prey on us in our sleep. There's plenty more where they came from. Although, whether or not they're still friendly is up for debate. Stick around through this brief sponsor break to hear all about it. This episode was made possible by HomeServe.
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Chapter 4: What historical explanations were given for sleep paralysis?
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Chapter 5: How did folklore contribute to the understanding of sleep paralysis?
Folklorists are pretty sure that his legend was already old at that point, but it only ever existed in the oral tradition. One clue can be found in a popular phrase in the 18th century German lexicon, der Sandmann kommt, which literally means the Sandman is coming. It was used as a way to say that someone looked very, very sleepy.
Basically, don't worry, you can go to bed soon, the Sandman is on his way. Of course, I don't think this phrase was actually meant to be all that soothing to the tired party in this scenario. In fact, I'm not sure many cultures would have found comfort in the idea of a spectral entity who would take their eyeballs if they didn't fall asleep fast enough. But hey, it seemed to work for the Germans.
Over the years, the Sandman's rough edges have been sanded down. Pun definitely intended. A great example of this can be found in Hans Christian Andersen's 1841 tale, Ola Lokai. In this story, the Sandman is significantly less violent. Instead of throwing sand at children until they bled, he simply sent them to dreamland by making their eyes heavy and their heads droop.
And when they were finally asleep, he just told them bedtime stories. He then would open his beautiful iridescent umbrella over their heads and give them beautiful dreams. But I have to say that this particular variation of the Sandman folklore isn't 100% innocent.
It seems that he also came equipped with a special umbrella for naughty children as well, one that gave them a night of bad sleep and then stole all their dreams from inside their heads. No matter which version of the Sandman story parents told to their children, though, I think the overall message was pretty clear. Mind your manners and go to sleep.
Otherwise, you'll get a nighttime visit from a supernatural creature. Neither Sandman sounds like fun, but if I had to choose, I think I'd pick the drowsy bedtime stories instead of the monster who collects eyeballs. This episode of Lore Legends was produced by me, Aaron Manke, with writing by Alex Robinson and research by Sam Alberti.
Just a reminder, folks, I have a brand new weird history book that's coming out on August 4th. It is called Exhumed, and it explores the roots of the New England vampire panic through the lens of the story of Mercy Brown and centuries of folklore, medical advancements, and pseudoscience. It's available right now for pre-order, too.
And if you pre-order the hardcover, my publisher has a webpage set up where you can submit your receipt and get a free, gorgeous Exhumed-themed tote bag. Head over to AaronMankey.com slash Exhumed. I'll put the link in the description for this episode, and you can lock in your copy today. Thanks for watching! Learn more over at lorepodcast.com slash support.
Follow the show on YouTube, Threads, Blue Sky, and Instagram. You know the drill. Just search for Lore Podcast, all one word, and then click that follow button. And when you do, say hi. I like it when people say hi. And as always, thanks for listening.
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