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This week on The Gralien Report, Micah broadcasts alone from a darkened corner of the Gralien Bunker, where a single candle casts it’s eerie color over the cave walls for this special Halloween edition of the program. In Hour One, we look at some of the mythic origins of Halloween, which involve the ceremonial “Feast of Ancestors” celebrated in many cultures. What does this have to do with archaeology, and the various stories of a flood, and other great cataclysms in the ancient world? We also look at the psychology involved in things like trick or treating, and even how some of the best Halloween party tricks involve remarkable science. And in the spirit of the season, how might a “zombie astronaut” seed life throughout the universe?
Then in the the second hour, we revisit a few classic tales of the season, beginning with the theme of the Black Cat. The great H. P. Lovecraft told a unique tale about the mythology of cats, with his story, “The Cats of Ulthar.” We also look at Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat“, before shifting our attention to the theme of the Hangman, and what this imagery represents. The classic poem, “The Hangman“, by Maurice Ogden, before revisiting highlights from Phillip K. Dick’s otherworldly “The Hanging Stranger“. Finally, as with the archetype of the hanging man, there is one familiar fate which every one of us will meet, as exemplified in Julius Long’s obscure story, “The Pale Man“.
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