In this episode, we set sail across the Pacific to meet Māui — the legendary trickster hero of Polynesian mythology. You might know him from Disney’s Moana, but there’s a lot more to his story than a catchy tune and a magical fishhook. From fishing up islands to lassoing the sun, stealing fire, and even challenging death itself, Māui’s adventures are epic, wild, and sometimes tragic. We’ll explore the real myths behind the movie, compare versions across Polynesian cultures, and reveal a theory that links Moana’s pig Pua to a deeper origin story.

Join us as we uncover what Disney got right, what it left out, and why Māui’s legacy is so powerful in Polynesian cultures.

Follow us, subscribe, and leave a review if you enjoyed this journey through legend and lore!

You can also email us at: worldoflegendslore@gmail.com

Hosted by:

Stephanie & Pieter-Louis

Sources:

https://www.tiktok.com/@popculturebrain/video/7441267273274297642?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FH_QpXGRmv0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ui

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YZBq7J_vM0

Episode 10: The Werewolves of Europe - Part 3

In the final chapter of our werewolf trilogy, we explore tales that defy everything you think you know about shapeshifters.

👣 Meet Thiess of Kaltenbrun — an 80-year-old peasant who stunned a 17th-century court by claiming he was a werewolf... and a soldier of God.
⚔️ Discover the secrets of Tomas Igund, another Livonian wolf-warrior.
🐺 Then, travel to 18th-century France to face the infamous Beast of Gévaudan — a creature blamed for over 100 gruesome deaths.

Were these stories hysteria? Hidden history? Or something stranger?

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, YouTube & more.
📲 Follow us @LegendsAndLorePodcast for behind-the-scenes and bonus content!

Hosted by:

Stephanie & Pieter-Louis

Sources:

https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/download/3333/1940/26366

https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/the-beast-of-gevaudan-1764-1767/

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Figure_du_monstre_qui_d%C3%A9sole_le_Gevaudan.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_of_G%C3%A9vaudan

https://www.history.com/articles/beast-gevaudan-france-theories

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiess_of_Kaltenbrun

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChilluminatiPod/comments/gozv1b/thiess_of_kaltenbrun_the_livonian_werewolf/?rdt=58312

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/history/early-modern-history/old-thiess-a-ivonian-werewolf-carlo-ginzburg-bruce-lincoln-review-jan-machielsen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_of_Gripsholm_Castle#:~:text=Lion%20of%20Gripsholm%20Castle%20%2D%20Wikipedia

Episode 9: The Werewolves of Europe – Part 2
This week, we return to the chilling folklore of European werewolves as we explore the dark and disturbing stories of Gilles Garnier and Jean Grenier.

Known as The Werewolf of Dole, Garnier was a hermit whose gruesome crimes shocked France in the 1500s. But perhaps even more unsettling is the story of 13-year-old Jean Grenier, a boy who claimed to feast on human flesh under the guidance of a dark master.

Were these true monsters… or the tragic products of their time?

In this episode, we unpack the blurred lines between myth, mental illness, and horror—exploring how fear and folklore shaped real-life fates.

👣 Step into the shadows with us.
💬 Don’t forget to leave a review and share your thoughts!
📲 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more creepy content and folklore.
👉 If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, be sure to check out Episode 7 first!

#Werewolves #FolklorePodcast #TrueCrime #EuropeanLegends #DarkHistory #LegendsAndLorePodcast

Hoster by:

Stephanie and Pieter-Louis

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiess_of_Kaltenbrun

https://www.jsr.org/hs/index.php/path/article/download/3333/1940/26366 (Very interesting paper).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Garnier

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolf_witch_trials

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cultural-construction-of-monstrous-children/was-a-real-teenage-werewolf-the-seventeenthcentury-witchcraft-trial-of-jean-grenier/7540B40B8C57F581AE6EA0C690228170

https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/116724/3/Jean%20Grenier%20-%20Article%20REVISED%20(1).pdf