Lore - Legends 82: The Weight of Fear

Episode Date: June 22, 2026

Over the centuries, it has become common to refer to traumatizing or frightening experiences as "a nightmare." The true origins of that notion, though, are the most terrifying of all. Narrated and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with writing by Alex Robinson and research by Sam Alberty. ————————— PRE-ORDER EXHUMED TODAY: aaronmahnke.com/exhumed ————————— Lore Resources:  Get Ad-Free Lore: lorepodcast.com/support Episode Music: lorepodcast.com/music  Episode Sources: lorepodcast.com/sources  Official Lore Merchandise: lorepodcast.com/shop ————————— Sponsors: Taskrabbit: Get ahead of your todo list right now and get $15 off your first task at Taskrabbit.com, or on the Taskrabbit app, using promo code LORE. Mint Mobile: For a limited time, wireless plans from Mint Mobile are $15 a month when you purchase a 3-month plan with UNLIMITED talk, text and data at MintMobile.com/lore. HomeServe: Your next costly home repair is already coming. Act now and get protected with a plan through HomeServe. For 50% less your first year, go to HomeServe.com/lore. Warby Parker: Right now, buy one pair and get additional pairs for 20%. Go to WarbyParker.com/LORE to try on any pair virtually! ————————— To report a concern regarding a radio-style, non-Aaron ad in this episode, reach out to ads @ lorepodcast.com with the name of the company or organization so we can look into it. To advertise on this podcast please email: [e-mail]. Or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/lore ————————— ©2026 Aaron Mahnke. All rights reserved.

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.

rest 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. Bird was manning a weather station in Antarctica, completely solo. It was a seven-month assignment, and, unbeknownst to him, ice had been slowly built up inside his stove pipes, 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. 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 Mankey, and this is Lore Ledger. 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 thoughts 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, believe 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. The Romans attributed the condition to both an incubus and a succubus. Egyptians sometimes attribute their sleep paralysis to gin, which comes from Muslim folklore and gives us the idea of the genie, while Cambodians believe in ghosts that quite literally strangle their sleeping victims. And in Catalonia, sleep paralysis has long been attributed to a creature

that takes the appearance of a black dog or cat and sits on the person's chest. In 1666, a Dutch physician named Isbron von von von der Leyen, Demerbrook echoed the popular belief that sleep paralysis was caused by the migration of external vapors into the head, but he also added another interesting piece to the puzzle. You see, despite being an educated man, he called sleep paralysis and I quote, incubus or the nightmare. Now, when he wrote out nightmare, it wasn't all one word. Instead, it was two, night and mayor. It seems that he wasn't referring to a bad dream like we might today, he was writing about an actual supernatural being. And he wasn't alone. Across large swaths of Europe, people believed that those who suffered

from sleep paralysis were being tormented by a mare, also called the mar or the mara. Some people believe that it was a malicious spirits, while others thought that it was a sorcerer who enjoyed using their powers to torment people. Old Norse stories claimed that the Mara would ride people while they slept. And in a Norwegian folk tale, we learn of a queen who summoned a mare to crush her husband in his sleep. Now, despite the horse-like imagery that the word mayor might evoke for modern audiences, they weren't usually depicted as horses. Instead, they were described as women. But no matter what sleep paralysis looks like for each individual, there's one trait everyone seems to agree with, that it's absolutely terrifying. And if you believe everything your

sleep paralysis tells you, then you just might find yourself face to face with a nightmare of a very different kind. Over the course of just five decades, the Duchy of Lorraine saw nearly 3,000 witch trials. Now, to be fair, this 50-year window came right at the height of the European witch panic, so it might be tempting to cut them a little slack. After all, 1580 to 1630 was definitely not a good time to get a sideways glance from your neighbor, no matter where in Europe you lived.

Still, when compared to other regions and countries at the time, Lorraine was an anomaly. But to understand why, it's best to back up a bit and look at the context that created that environment. Lorraine was a neutral territory caught between France and the Holy Roman Empire. And for nearly a century, those two powers were at each other's throats.

As a result, the people of Lorraine had to put up with a near constant stream of foreign troops passing through their border, And with those soldiers came death, not just from violence, but also in the form of epidemics and famine. It was a dark and brutal time, and as you'd imagine, all of it took a heavy toll on the region's people. Most of these people lived in small villages or on rural farmland. They were simple folk who lacked the necessary skills, whether that was a good education or the political connections, to fully understand why all these bad things were happening to them.

They just knew that they were and that it sucked. And so they leaned on the only logic they had to make sense of it all. Their struggles had to be the result of witches. Now, remember, fear can be a powerful motivator. And when that fear is centered around something supernatural and uncontrollable, it can snowball into something new, something worse. And for the people of Lorraine, much of their fear was rooted in something very, very specific, their dreams.

That folklore I mentioned earlier about the mayor that was written down by the Dutch physician in 1666, while he was writing about an idea that had already been catching on for decades, like a slow-moving wildfire. So even in the middle of the 1500s, as the French and the Holy Roman Empire tore each other apart across the landscape of Lorraine, the concept of the mayor was commonly known, with a twist. Eventually, some called the mayor by a new name, the old hat, This creature was described as a wrinkled and hideous old woman with sharp claws and glowing eyes. And she wasn't bound to just Europe.

There were actually versions of the old hag talked about in other countries as well. People all the way across the Atlantic in Newfoundland sometimes wrote about being, and I quote, ridden to death by an old hag. While in Brazil, probably thanks to the Portuguese, they told stories of a long-nailed crone who stomped on people while they slept. Why is the old hag important to our story? Well, because for a really long time in Western history, most bad things were blamed on witches.

So when this creature from folklore, the mare, started to be referred to as an old hag, it took the ancient belief in a creature that sits on your chest while you sleep and it merged it with a new face. Sleep paralysis, in other words, became the work of witches. Now, I'm a big believer that we can find a lot of clues about specific moments in culture by looking at their language. And wouldn't you know it, the Germans came up with the term Hexendruken,

which literally translates to witch-pressing. Meanwhile, the Hungarians had their own version, which, when translated, meant witch's pressure. But there is one curveball to throw into this, and it comes from Italy. One of the bits of folklore they had bouncing around was called the Pandafeka. It was essentially a supernatural black cat that would sit on the chests of sleeping people and give them bad dreams.

There were all sorts of theories about who or what those black cats really were, but the most common one was that they were actually witches. In the end, I think the important thing to take away from all of this is pretty simple. Gone were the days when the weight on your chest was caused by nothing more than bad vapors or an ancient demon. No, for people in the middle of the 16th century, and especially in Europe, It was all about witchcraft. And that brings us back to the Duchy of Lorraine, because it's there that we can see what happens

when entire communities are caught up in the wildfire of fear and panic. When something as personal and tenuous as a good night's rest becomes the subject of wild accusations and vicious rumors. Families destroyed, relationships broken, and as we're about to learn, far too many lives lost. She knew that angels were watching over her. She knew because she had spoken to them.

In October of 1600, Deuduny took the stand and testified that a woman in white had visited her while she was in prison. Little angels flew around this spectral woman's body like butterflies and told her that she would soon be free and with her children again. The court in Lorraine was, of course, skeptical. When they asked her if she had ever seen any other spirits before this moment, She told them yes, but it had been 20 years earlier.

While her husband was away on a trip, a supernatural entity had lain on top of her body while she was sleeping. It was so heavy that she could hardly breathe, and despite not wanting to be without her husband, she decided that having this thing's company was significantly worse than being alone. Unfortunately for her, the court could do nothing to protect Diodine from what was to come. She was tortured on the rack until she confessed to many crimes, including that of which and then she was sentenced to death.

Sadly, Diodonis' story is not unique. Remember, Lorraine in the 1500s was a hotbed of witchcraft panic, which led to hundreds and hundreds of accusations. So it shouldn't be a surprise that her claim wasn't the only one of its kind. There were, in fact, dozens of similar stories. For example, in 1594, a 40-year-old woman named Sinell Petter was put on trial for witchcraft in Northeast Lorraine. Apparently there was a real backlog of evidence against her, too.

Her neighbors had been collecting proof of her witchy tendencies for years at this point. One of the many stories shared at her trial came from a woman named Royna Marshall. This woman claimed that on Christmas the year before, she had awoken to see Sinell kneeling upon her husband's chest. For some reason, instead of pushing Sinell off of him, Roina tried to shake her partner awake. but as soon as the witch noticed her, she gave the other woman a piercing glare, at which point Roina was no longer able to move. Frozen and helpless, Roina could only lay there and pray for God to protect her child sleeping in the other room. When she finally opened her eyes, she could move

once again, and Sinell had vanished. A few years later, in 1601, a woman named Jacquette Simone took to the stand to testify against another accused witch. According to her, while she had been lying in bed with an illness a few months prior, two, and I quote, marvelously big and ugly cats entered the room and tried to strangle her. Jacat was unable to move away from the demons as they attempted to choke her with their paws. Somehow, she traced the sign of the cross with her tongue, and it seemed to break the spell over her mouth, allowing her to scream for her husband. At that point, she claimed one of the cats transformed into her neighbor,

a woman named Pentecote Maiet. Then, as her husband ran into the room with an axe, the witch turned back into a cat, and the two cats ran away. Sadly, the authorities tortured a confession out of both Maillette and her suspected accomplice, Mojayette. The two women admitted to working for the devil, as well as wanting to strangle Jacquesotte, who had accused them of witchcraft many times over the years. They were both sentenced to death for their crimes. And several other similar stories were brought to court in 1611. In one instance, two brothers accused their sister of being a witch.

One of the men claimed that she had tried to strangle him and his children while they slept. At another trial during the same year, a man named Jean testified that he had argued with his neighbor, who had ended their fight with a curse saying that she hoped he would, and I quote, have the bar of a door across his stomach. Later that same night, he felt his neighbor climb on top of him and attempt to suffocate him. When God finally gave him the use of his limbs, he threw her off, sending her flying into a chest of drawers. As a result of his accusations, Jean's neighbor was tortured until she confessed. Then she, too, was sentenced to death. Time and time again, stories of midnight stranglings were brought to the court.

In almost every instance, these tales were admitted as real evidence against the accused. And in most of the cases, these stories either directly or indirectly. led to an execution. 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 mayor. The mayor 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, were 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 Mint Mobile. When people hear that Mint Mobile plans are only $15 per month, a lot of people wonder, what's the catch? Well, I can tell you from firsthand experience, there isn't one. There are no gimmicks and no gotchas, just unlimited talk text and data, fast, reliable coverage on the nation's largest 5G network, and an award-winning care team. If I was shopping for a new wireless provider today, this is the option that I would

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Get ahead of it now and get $15 off your first task at taskravot.com or on the TaskRabbit app using the promo code lore. Taskers book up fast, especially for same-day tasks, so book trusted home help today. That's $15 off your first task using promo code lore with the TaskRabbit app or at taskravet.com. Nathaniel really shouldn't have asked, but the curiosity had been eating him alive.

who exactly was this sandman character, and why did his parents threaten Nathaniel with a visit from him whenever he didn't want to go to bed? Nobody in his family had been willing to give him a straight answer, though. So, determined to get to the bottom of things, he marched up to the oldest woman in the neighborhood, and he asked her. And unlike his parents, the old lady had no qualms about telling Nathaniel the truth. The sandman, she explained, is a wicked man who comes to children when they won't go to bed and throw sand into their eyes so that they start bleeding from their heads. He puts their eyes in a bag and carries them to the crescent moon to feed to his own children who sit in the nest up there. They have crooked beaks like owls so that they can pick up

the eyes of naughty human children. Like I said, he really shouldn't have asked because that description would haunt him every single night for the rest of his life. And it probably doesn't help that after their conversation, the story goes a bit off the rails with an evil alchemist trying to stab Nathaniel in the eyes with a red-hot poker. But the part that I want to draw your attention to is that mysterious figure, the Sandman. You see, this tale comes from a short story published in Germany in 1816 called, Very Creatively, Der Sandman. And it just so happens to be the first time that his name ever appeared in print. 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 Sondman comte, 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 Anderson'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 web page setup where you can submit your receipt and get a free, gorgeous, exhumed tote bag. Head over to Erin Mankey.com slash exhumed. I'll put the link in the description for this episode, and you can lock in your copy today. Don't like hearing ads on lore.

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