Wayward Children: Jewish Monsters, Magic, and the Stories We Tell

According to Jewish tradition, the world around us is filled with demons, ghosts, giants and angels, and creatures of all types. But Judaism today tends to downplay and rationalize them away, to the point where they’re just forgotten dusty metaphors.  But for  millenia, Jews have lived with these creatures and have had practical means for coping with them. 

Join Jack Zaientz a scholar of all things Jewish folklore and mythology and John Baltisberger, the award-winning author of Jewish horror and fantasy as they explore the topics of mythic Judaism and discuss it's survival and use in modern day culture both pop and otherwise.

Recent Episodes
  • Don't Go Chasing Water Demons
    May 16, 2025 – 58:59
  • Omens and Portents of Future Past
    Feb 7, 2025 – 01:06:41
  • I Wish the Goblin King Would Come and Take this Menorah!
    Dec 24, 2024 – 01:02:16
  • Talking about Talking Animals
    Dec 11, 2024 – 01:08:51
  • We Don't Need No Man, and Neither Does Lillith
    Oct 21, 2024 – 52:44
  • The Curses We Yell
    Oct 13, 2024 – 01:03:35
  • The Giant Wars and Warring Giants
    Sep 16, 2024 – 01:16:29
  • Debonair Dybbukim
    Sep 4, 2024 – 01:05:16
  • Chassidic Magic
    Aug 14, 2024 – 01:20:26
  • The Gnashing of Our Gnoshers
    Jul 8, 2024 – 01:07:25
  • Sticks and Stones can Break a Sheyd's Bones
    Jun 28, 2024 – 01:12:35
  • Messianic Manics: Cataclysmic and Prolific
    May 20, 2024 – 01:30:19
  • Pesach Myths and Drunken Jewish Santa
    Apr 23, 2024 – 01:06:26
  • Five Finger Clay Punch - Golems
    Apr 8, 2024 – 01:05:46
  • They Put a Spell on You
    Mar 25, 2024 – 01:24:03
  • Wayward Unicorns
    Feb 5, 2024 – 01:06:42
  • Let's Talk About the Future That We See
    Jan 23, 2024 – 01:03:47
  • Biblically Not-So-Accurate Angels
    Jan 3, 2024 – 01:03:13
  • Jewish (Magical) Protective Services
    Dec 11, 2023 – 01:14:30
  • Rolling to Jerusalem
    Nov 27, 2023 – 01:36:24
  • Magic Swords of Jewish Legend
    Nov 13, 2023 – 01:07:31
  • Jewish Wise Women: Opshprekherkes
    Oct 16, 2023 – 55:46
  • Ashmandai - King of Demons
    Sep 25, 2023 – 53:59
  • Ghosts!
    Sep 11, 2023 – 56:20
  • Jewish Letter Magic and the Sefer Yetzirah
    Aug 28, 2023 – 53:24
  • Leviathan: God's Kaiju
    Aug 14, 2023 – 01:01:40
  • Blood Sucking Vampires
    Jul 31, 2023 – 01:05:08
  • Sheydim Part 1
    Jul 17, 2023 – 59:52
  • Monster Hunting Kits
    Jul 10, 2023 – 01:21:00
Recent Reviews
  • SubplotKudzu
    An immediate “must listen”
    I’ve been waiting for the Jewish Monster Hunter to start a podcast for some time and if the first episode is any indication this will not disappoint. “Therapy with weapons”… heh.
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