In this patreon bonus episode, I am joined by researcher JC Dentun to dive into the many theories, supposed historical references, and internet origin stories about the "Zozo" phenomenon. To listen visit www.patreon.com/otherworld To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the Zozo phenomenon?
Welcome to Otherworld. What you're hearing right now is a short preview of a full episode that's available right now on our Patreon. If you want to hear the full thing, you could visit patreon.com slash otherworld. This episode is a follow-up to our recent Zozo series.
Chapter 2: What theories exist about Zozo?
In those episodes, you heard stories from two strangers that had very similar experiences talking to something on a Ouija board that identified itself with the name Zozo. I spent lots of time diving into this topic, There is no shortage of theories and lore out there on the internet in regards to what Zozo might be.
But if you try to look into any of those theories, there's often not much there or the connections are very loose. The theories about Zozo are all over the place. I've heard that it's an ancient Sumerian demon. I've heard that it's connected to Jimmy Page's Zozo symbol, made famous on the album Led Zeppelin IV.
Chapter 3: What are the historical references to Zozo?
I've heard that Zozo actually means Pazuzu, which is the demon from the movie The Exorcist. There are so many theories like this, so many more. The list goes on and on. I've heard people say that this name is referenced in very old books that date back to 1512. These books are only available in PDF pretty much and are in different languages.
They're also just quite difficult to read, even if you do get your hands on them, because they're quite long and dense. For that reason, I sought out the help of a researcher named JC Denton, who has been on the show before. I sent him out there to dive into all the various theories about Zozo.
And I asked him to come on and talk to me about which had merit and to see if there's any historical information that could be useful when it comes to this topic and basically help me understand how to think about all of this if something like Zozo did indeed exist. If you want to hear the full conversation, like I said, it's out now on our Patreon. That's patreon.com slash otherworld.
Chapter 4: How does popular culture influence the perception of Zozo?
once something becomes popular you know even if it's very real and happens legitimately to people there's also going to be people who want to get clicks on youtube off of it and just will fake things right like that's the nature of it that's why i like pretty much everything on paranormal tiktok is fake because youtube it's like you know i called the grinch at three in the morning type videos
Yeah. Anyway, so this this is a major like like this book is a major puzzle piece to this becoming big. And a lot of theories pop up surrounding Zozo from this book. That was a bit of a monologue for me. But I think we should dive into some of the other theories of like what people think this they call him Zozo, the Ouija board demon. Like, what do they think he is?
Right. Also, I think it's worth pointing out that a majority of the stories that I looked into did happen. You're right. When around the time or after it was published. So it's interesting that that kind of spread. Yeah.
Chapter 5: What is the significance of the book 'Infernal Dictionary'?
Chapter 6: What role do personal experiences play in Zozo stories?
Chapter 7: How has the internet affected the lore of Zozo?
Yeah. Anyway, so this this is a major like like this book is a major puzzle piece to this becoming big. And a lot of theories pop up surrounding Zozo from this book. That was a bit of a monologue for me. But I think we should dive into some of the other theories of like what people think this they call him Zozo, the Ouija board demon. Like, what do they think he is?
Right. Also, I think it's worth pointing out that a majority of the stories that I looked into did happen. You're right. When around the time or after it was published. So it's interesting that that kind of spread. Yeah.
Where did this start in terms of like the lore of Zozo? I will help you on this as well. Um, but like to you, where do you think it started? Contemporary.
I think it is. It's correct in that it's traced back to the dictionary infernal, the, Infernal Dictionary, a French book on demonology from 1818. The first, I checked a few different editions of it, and the first edition, it was kind of put together as a collection of anecdotes, folk mythology, stories that were told that hovered around the topic of demons.
The later editions, I think the 1826 edition turns it into a universal library of beings, like an authoritative source. So it moved from being a skeptical examination of, reality into something that's more precise. And I think it's important to point out that in this era of time, this is like after the Industrial Revolution, and the world is pretty smogged out.
And I think it was a time in history where perhaps people felt pretty distant from God. It was a time where some people are making money, but there's extreme income disparity in the world and impoverished conditions. So around this time, you start seeing texts, books, and stories about demons and angels, like choirs, hierarchies of these things coming out because...
It's almost, you could conceive it as like these are interlopers or like etheric agents between us and the absolute or between God or between whatever your relationship with the universe is. And so it became very important to categorize these things because perhaps if we could no longer hear or were curious or didn't understand God, then maybe we could work with these agents in between.
So that's generally kind of the cultural vibe I pick up from that era.
And this book, Dictionary Infernal, this was like almost like a non... Is it nonfiction? Would you consider it nonfiction? Maybe we're jumping ahead, but it's basically like a glossary of demons with very cool illustrations, I might add.
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