LilWeird Podcast

About LilWeird Podcast

LilWeird Podcast: Uncovering Mysteries Beyond the Ordinary Welcome to LilWeird Podcast, your destination for stories that live between the strange and the sacred. Each week, we dive into uncanny tales, forgotten histories, and curious beliefs from the Philippines and beyond. From mythical creatures and haunted legends to folk magic, superstitions, and conspiracies, LilWeird explores the weird and wonderful across cultures, timelines, and traditions. What began as a journey into Filipino folklore has now grown into a wider quest to uncover stories that slip between reality and myth. We untangle strange histories, revisit ancestral knowledge, and follow mysteries wherever they lead with an open mind, a bit of skepticism, and a lot of curiosity. 🎙️ New episodes drop every Thursday. 🌐 Visit our website at https://lilweirduniverse.carrd.co/ (https://lilweirduniverse.carrd.co/) 📬 Want more? Join me on Substack at lilweird.substack.com (https://lilweirduniverse.substack.com/) for deeper written dives, personal musings, and hidden gems. ☕ Support the podcast or snag a digital treat at ko-fi.com/lilweirduniverse (https://ko-fi.com/lilweirduniverse) LilWeird Podcast: Where the strange is our compass, and the weird is always welcome. Keywords: folklore, myths, legends, paranormal, conspiracy theories, superstitious beliefs, mythical creatures, urban legends, folk magic, folk medicine, Filipino culture, world traditions, uncanny history © 2026 LilWeird Podcast by Jane Bee. All rights reserved. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lilweird-podcast--6099720/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lilweird-podcast--6099720/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss).

Publisher

Jane Bee

Category

history · religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Feb 2024

Latest episode

15 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

54 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Santelmo: Why Do People See Mysterious Balls of Fire?

   (00:00:00) Santelmo: Why Do People See Mysterious Balls of Fire? (00:02:07) The Loose Thread From the Trickster Episode (00:04:30) Filipinos Had Names for the Light (00:06:58) The Fire Travels South (00:09:14) The Saint in the Storm (Suspect #1: Corona Discharge) (00:11:42) Suspect #2: Will-o'-the-Wisp and “Swamp Gas” (00:14:06) Suspect #3: Ball Lightning (00:15:42) Strange Atmospheric Lights Can Move (00:18:43) The Twist: Maybe There Isn't One Santelmo (00:21:20) So Why Don't I Hear About Them Anymore? (00:23:38) A friendly Santelmo, Tel (00:26:23) What Did Lolo See? Is Santelmo a wandering spirit, a mysterious ball of fire, or something we haven't quite figured out? In Philippine folklore, Santelmo is a mysterious wandering flame said to appear in dark fields, marshes, forests, and coastal waters. Some stories describe it as a restless spirit, while others warn that following its light could lead travelers astray. But what are people actually seeing when they encounter these strange lights? My grandfather once told me about a mysterious ball of fire he saw near the sea. He called it Santelmo. Years later, while researching an earlier LilWeird episode about deceptive spirits, I realized that his story raised more questions than I initially thought. In this episode, I'm revisiting the legend of Santelmo in the Philippines, exploring its connections to local folklore, historical accounts, and unusual natural phenomena. From the electrical glow of St. Elmo's Fire (corona discharge) to the wandering will-o'-the-wisp, swamp gas, and the elusive phenomenon of ball lightning, we'll investigate what might explain these mysterious sightings. We'll also look at Santelmo stories from Northern Luzon, Bicol, and Eastern Visayas, examine how the name became associated with St. Elmo, and explore why stories of wandering flames seem less familiar to some of us today. But perhaps the biggest mystery isn't whether Santelmo exists. What if everything we call Santelmo isn't actually the same thing? In This Episode My Lolo Saw One: The mysterious ball of fire that started this investigation. Part 1 — A Loose Thread From the Trickster Episode: Revisiting an unanswered question from an earlier LilWeird episode. Part 2 — Filipinos Had Names for the Light: Exploring regional names and beliefs surrounding mysterious wandering flames. Part 3 — The Fire Travels South: Santelmo stories and encounters from different Philippine communities, including Bicol and Eastern Visayas. Part 4 — The Saint in the Storm (Suspect #1: Corona Discharge): The maritime history of St. Elmo's Fire and the electrical phenomenon behind its mysterious glow. Part 5 — Suspect #2: Will-o'-the-Wisp and “Swamp Gas”: Exploring ignis fatuus, methane, and the possibility of microscopic electrical sparks. Part 6 — Suspect #3: Ball Lightning: Could rare, glowing spheres explain some Santelmo sightings? Part 7 — Strange Atmospheric Lights Can Move: Historical reports of unusual luminous phenomena, including moving lights near water. Part 8 — The Twist: Maybe There Isn't One Santelmo: Why different phenomena might share a single name in folklore. Part 9 — So Why Don't I Hear About Them Anymore?: How changing environments, lifestyles, and storytelling traditions might influence our encounters with folklore. Part 10 — A friendly Santelmo, Tel: Meet Tel, the little floating flame from Wyrdll. Closing — What Did Lolo See?: Returning to the family story that started it all. Related LilWeird Episode: <a...

2. 

   8 Oct 2026

   The Lost Bell of Nabontogan

   Somewhere beneath the Nabontogan River in Catamlangan, Pilar, Sorsogon, a bell is said to be waiting. Local stories describe an enormous church bell—sometimes said to be made of gold—that was submerged generations ago and never recovered. People have reportedly searched for it, tried to lower the river, and even caught a glimpse of what they believed was part of the bell. But every attempt failed. And according to some versions, something in the river simply refuses to let it go. But was the Nabontogan Bell ever really there? In this episode of LilWeird, we follow the story beyond the legend: through Spanish colonial records, an elusive old church, maritime raids in Bicol, oral histories, tawong lipod, ritual negotiations, and other Philippine stories of bells that disappeared. The investigation also leads to my hometown and the home of the 1595 Sancta Maria Bell. A bell once heard to have been lost. But what was missing was part of its history. One town has the bell, but pieces of its story are missing. Another has the story, but no bell anyone can find. So what exactly survives when history disappears: the object, the memory, or the story we keep telling about it? 🔔 The Lost Bell of Nabontogan A LilWeird Cold Case. Find more stories, research notes, and everything else from the show through the LilWeird Universe. If this episode sparked your curiosity, made you feel a little more enchanted, or reminded you of the stories hiding in plain sight—I’d love for you to stay connected with the LilWeird Universe. You can support the podcast, explore more curious content, and help keep this little world growing, glowing, and wonderfully weird. A gentle note: This episode of LilWeird Podcast is a blend of researched facts, folklore, personal reflection, and creative storytelling. While efforts were made to ensure accuracy, this episode is intended for curious exploration, not as a scientific or academic resource. Listener discretion is encouraged when interpreting historical or cultural content. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lilweird-podcast--6099720/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lilweird-podcast--6099720/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss). ✨ Leave a rating or review It helps more curious minds discover the show. 🧭 Explore the LilWeird Universe Find the podcast, Wyrdll’s YouTube corner, Substack, Ko-fi, socials, and the other strange little things I’m building here: LilWeird Universe (https://lilweirduniverse.carrd.co/) 🌿 Support the Universe Join me on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/lilweirduniverse) for supporter perks, free downloads, and future behind-the-scenes extras. 💌 Say hello or send something curious Reach out through email or social media with episode suggestions, strange stories, rabbit holes, or just a quick hello. Elsewhere in the Universe: Instagram: @lilweird_universe (https://www.instagram.com/lilweird_universe/) YouTube: YouTube: @wyrdll (https://www.youtube.com/@wyrdll) Substack: lilweirduniverse.substack.com (https://lilweirduniverse.substack.com/)

3. 

   1 Oct 2026

   Has AI Finally Cracked the Voynich Manuscript?

   Has AI Finally Cracked the Voynich Manuscript? Has the Voynich Manuscript finally been decoded, or can artificial intelligence solve what human cryptographers couldn’t? The Voynich Manuscript, also known as Yale Beinecke MS 408, is one of history’s most famous undeciphered manuscripts. Dating to the early 15th century, its pages contain an unknown script often called Voynichese, alongside mysterious plants, astronomical and astrological diagrams, strange bathing figures, and illustrations whose meanings remain uncertain. For more than a century, linguists, historians, cryptographers, professional codebreakers, and computer scientists have tried to decipher it. Even legendary cryptanalysts such as William F. Friedman and John Tiltman investigated the manuscript. Researchers have discovered intriguing patterns in its text, including Currier Languages A and B, unusual word structures, and statistical behavior resembling Zipf’s Law—a pattern commonly associated with human language. Now, AI and machine learning offer new ways to analyze those patterns. But can AI actually translate the Voynich Manuscript? Or is recognizing patterns very different from understanding what they mean? In this episode of LilWeird, we trace the attempts to crack the Voynich code. From human codebreakers and early computer analysis to computational linguistics and modern artificial intelligence, we explore one of the biggest problems facing anyone who claims to have solved it: How do you prove a Voynich Manuscript translation is actually correct? And if AI does eventually find the answer, how will we know that it got it right? Explore more strange history, mysteries, folklore, and researched oddities from the LilWeird Universe (https://lilweirduniverse.carrd.co/). If this episode sparked your curiosity, made you feel a little more enchanted, or reminded you of the stories hiding in plain sight—I’d love for you to stay connected with the LilWeird Universe. You can support the podcast, explore more curious content, and help keep this little world growing, glowing, and wonderfully weird. References and suggested readings: The Voynich Manuscript: Decoded (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368991190_The_Voynich_Manuscript_Decoded) The Beinecke Digital Collection (Yale University – MS 408) (https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/beinecke/collections/beinecke-cipher-voynich-manuscript) René Zandbergen’s Voynich.nu Archive (https://voynich.nu/) The Voynich Manuscript: An Elegant Enigma (https://www.nsa.gov/portals/75/documents/about/cryptologic-heritage/historical-figures-publications/publications/misc/voynich_manuscript.pdf) Keywords and Co-Occurrence Patterns in the Voynich Manuscript: An Information-Theoretic Analysis (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0066344) A gentle note: This episode of LilWeird Podcast is a blend of researched facts, personal reflection, and creative storytelling. While efforts were made to ensure accuracy, this episode is intended for curious exploration, not as a scientific or academic resource. Listener discretion is encouraged when interpreting historical or cultural content. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lilweird-podcast--6099720/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lilweird-podcast--6099720/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss). ✨ Leave a rating or review It helps more curious minds...

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