Episodi

  • She’s Gone Mad, I Tell You: Witches, Work, and Hysterical Strength

    She’s Gone Mad, I Tell You: Witches, Work, and Hysterical Strength
    Nov 5 2026
    In this episode, we use Season 4’s “Brain Drain,” “Lost and Bound,” and “Marry-Go-Round” to ask some big feminist questions: what happens when women’s power is gaslit into madness, domesticity is sold as destiny, and motherhood is treated as inevitable rather than optional. From Piper’s manipulated stay in a fake sanitarium to Phoebe’s Stepford-wife enchantment and her Bewitched-inspired identity crisis, we trace the history of witch hunts, housewives, and “hysterical” women through everything from Nellie Bly’s asylum exposé to modern debates about unpaid labor, childfree lives, medical gaslighting, and the myth of superhuman moms. Along the way, we dig into witchcraft as a symbol of female autonomy, talk about how hysterical strength and emotional intensity are pathologized in women but celebrated as heroism elsewhere, and explore how Charmed both reflects and resists the scripts that have kept women on trial—from the stake to the sanitarium to the suburban living room.Trigger Warning: This episode discusses gendered violence in medicine and history, including asylums, gaslighting, and social pressure around motherhood and domestic roles.Learn More:Baylor College of Medicine. (2023, November 14). Navigating the pressure of having kids. BCM Blogs. https://blogs.bcm.edu/2023/11/14/navigating-the-pressure-of-having-kids/ Chollet, M. (2022). In defense of witches: The legacy of the witch hunts and why women are still on trial (C. M. Machado, Trans.). St. Martin’s Griffin.Droogsma, Jessica Daine, "Female hysteria across cultures and periods in American literature" (2008). Honors Program Theses. 56. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/hpt/56 Hoffmann, Diane E. and Tarzian, Anita J., "The Girl Who Cried Pain: A Bias Against Women in the Treatment of Pain" (2001). Faculty Scholarship. 145. https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/fac_pubs/145 Katz Institute for Women’s Health. (n.d.). Gaslighting in women’s health. Northwell Health. https://www.northwell.edu/katz-institute-for-womens-health/articles/gaslighting-in-womens-health Marquette, H. (2018). Why working moms fall behind. Psychology Today: The Baby Scientist. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-baby-scientist/201810/why-working-moms-fall-behind Mayo, S. M. (2016). Unchanged gender expectations: Women in the workplace. University of South Florida. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1211&context=honorsthesesMedicine@Yale. (2023, October 18). From hysteria to empowerment. Yale Medicine Magazine. https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/from-hysteria-to-empowerment/ Noblinbt (2024). Gender & social change interview [Oral history transcript]. James Madison University. https://sites.lib.jmu.edu/sc-interviews/2024/03/24/gender-social-change-interview/ PBS NewsHour. (2021, May 9). Overwhelmed and stressed: Mothers open up about worrying decline in mental health [TV broadcast transcript]. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/overwhelmed-and-stressed-mothers-open-up-about-worrying-decline-in-mental-health Pheasant-Kelly, F. (2024). Sorcery in the suburbs: Bewitched, resistance and gender transgression. In D. Brode & L. Deyneka (Eds.), Something wicked: Witchcraft in movies, television, and popular culture (pp. 59–70). Bloomsbury. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/625471 Pomona College Magazine. (2025, Fall). When the baby boom went bust. Pomona College Magazine. https://magazine.pomona.edu/2025/fall/when-the-baby-boom-went-bust/ PSU Science Outreach. (2015, October 2). Do we seem to have superpowers in life or death situations? Pennsylvania State University. https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/10/02/do-we-seem-to-have-superpowers-in-life-or-death-situations/ Additional Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZgIhFtBL0vkaZLQVhCZg6za6HdOlJpgs2hymuJtnPjQ/edit?usp=sharing
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    1 ora e 13 min
  • Once Upon a Charmed Time

    Once Upon a Charmed Time
    Oct 29 2026

    In this episode, we crack open Charmed’s fairy‑tale spellbook and dive into three Season 4 standouts—“A Knight to Remember,” “The Three Faces of Phoebe,” and “We’re Off to See the Wizard”—to see how the show plays with knights, enchantresses, wizards, queens, and prophecy like a modern Grimm collection. We’ll trace how Paige, Phoebe, and Cole slip into archetypal roles of maiden, mother, crone, prince, and witch, unpack “once upon a time” as a ritual doorway into story, and explore how these episodes twist classic motifs like princess‑and‑dragon, triple goddesses, and seductive sorcerers into something darker and more complicated than “happily ever after.” Drawing on feminist and archetypal readings of fairy tales, plus scholarship on witches, wizards, and character types, we’ll ask what these enchanted narratives reveal about women’s power, temptation, and the dangerous appeal of a villain you almost want to save.

    Trigger Warning: Discussion of violence, emotional abuse, coercive relationships, and dark or twisted fairy‑tale themes (including possession, manipulation, and moral corruption in romantic partnerships).

    Learn More:

    Anthology editor unknown. (2020). Witches, wizards, seers, and healers: Myths and tales, anthology of classic tales. Flame Tree Publishing.

    Conway, D. J. (2023). Mother, maiden, crone: The myth and reality of the triple goddess. Llewellyn Publications.

    Keithley, J. L., (2013). Once upon a time: fairytales past and present. EWU Masters Thesis Collection. 238. https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/238

    Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. (n.d.). Feminism and fairy tales. GSAS. https://gsas.harvard.edu/news/feminism-and-fairy-tales

    Marist College. (n.d.). Character archetypes in Disney/Pixar animated films: Course overview notes [Course handout]. Marist College. https://www.marist.edu/documents/d/guest/24f-character-archetypes-in-disney-pixar-animated-films-course-overview-notes

    Salve Regina University. (n.d.). [Undergraduate thesis on fairy tales and villain complexity] [Undergraduate honors thesis]. Salve Regina University. https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=pell_theses

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library. (2019, May 16). Once upon a time: Fairy tales from around the world. University of Illinois Library. https://www.library.illinois.edu/rbx/2019/05/16/once-upon-a-time-fairy-tales-from-around-the-world/

    University of Oregon. (n.d.). Archetypes & anarchy: Fairy tales [Blog series]. Archetypes & Anarchy. https://blogs.uoregon.edu/archetypesanarchy/tag/fairytale/

    Wikipedia contributors. (2025, December 24). Once upon a time. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Once_upon_a_time&oldid=1329197368

    Wikipedia contributors. (2025, May 21). Witch (archetype). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Witch_(archetype)&oldid=1291465133

    Wikipedia contributors. (2026, January 1). Princess and dragon. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Princess_and_dragon&oldid=1330628932

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    1 ora e 12 min
  • GOOOOOOLEMS!! And the Red Flags of Dating

    GOOOOOOLEMS!! And the Red Flags of Dating
    Oct 8 2026

    In this episode, we zoom into Season 4’s “Size Matters” to talk less about one very gross collector demon and more about the clay guy he built to lure women home: Finn, our golem-adjacent himbo bait. Using Gammil’s shrunken‑and‑baked figurine collection as a springboard, we dig into global clay‑creation stories—from humans molded from earth in Mesopotamian, Greek, and Chinese myths to the Jewish golem tradition—and ask what it means to build a body versus be born into one. Along the way, we track Paige’s intuition and growing powers, the sisters’ clashing ideas about work, identity, and trust, and how “making a man” out of clay exposes anxieties about agency, consent, and who gets to shape whom in both lore and the Charmed‑verse.

    Trigger Warning: Abduction, stalking, implied sexual coercion, and violence against women, including women being shrunk, immobilized, and killed.

    Learn More:

    Atsma, A. (n.d.). Prometheus. Theoi Greek Mythology. https://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanPrometheus.html

    DC Universe Online Wiki. (n.d.). Clay of the Gods. Fandom. https://dcuniverseonline.fandom.com/wiki/Clay_of_the_Gods

    Mythopedia. (n.d.). Nuwa. Mythopedia. https://mythopedia.com/topics/nuwa/

    Sullivan, L. E. (n.d.). Reading the Inca creation myth [PDF]. University of Arizona, Department of Classics. https://clas.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/Peru_Culture_Reading%20the%20Inca%20Creation%20Myth.pdf

    The Art History Project. (n.d.). Gilgamesh I: The coming of Enkidu. The Art History Project. https://www.arthistoryproject.com/timeline/the-ancient-world/mesopotamia/the-epic-of-gilgamesh/gilgamesh-1-the-coming-of-enkidu/

    Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Creation of life from clay. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_of_life_from_clay

    Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Pygmalion (mythology). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmalion_(mythology)

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    57 min
  • How Low Can You Go (Cole!): A Journey Through Limbo

    How Low Can You Go (Cole!): A Journey Through Limbo
    Sep 24 2026

    In this episode, we step through the water portal of “Enter the Demon” into Charmed’s version of limbo, where a terrified disciple cheats death, Paige and Phoebe body-swap their way into trouble, and metaphysical laws get cranked to eleven. Using this chaotic training day as our anchor, we explore how different traditions imagine “in‑between” afterlife spaces—from Catholic limbo and Islamic Barzakh to Buddhist Bardo and Greek Asphodel—then connect those ideas to karma, reincarnation, and what it means to hold a soul between lives. Along the way, we unpack the potion ingredients (from wormwood and angelica to St. John’s wort and “Cupid’s dart”), talk about how magic, discipline, and consequence weave together in Wiccan and chakra-informed frameworks, and ask why Paige’s mistakes in limbo might be exactly what she needs to grow as a witch and a Halliwell.

    Trigger Warning: Discussion of death, afterlife beliefs (including limbo/hell imagery), reincarnation, and spiritual punishment, plus brief mention of violence and existential fear around crossing over.

    Learn More:

    • Cunningham, S. (1988). Wicca: A guide for the solitary practitioner. Llewellyn Publications.

    • Dale, C. (2020). Llewellyn’s complete book of chakras: Your definitive source of energy center knowledge for health, happiness, and spiritual evolution. Llewellyn Publications.

    • Limbo. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo

    • Maliński, M. P., Michalska, A. D., Tomczykowa, M., Tomczyk, M., & Thiem, B. (2014). Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) – A plant with potential medicinal value. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia, 24(6), 722–730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2014.11.004

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    45 min
  • Our Big, Fat, Greek Mythology Episode

    Our Big, Fat, Greek Mythology Episode
    Jul 16 2026

    In this episode, we raid Charmed’s Season 4 for every Greek-myth-flavored creature we can find—Furies, Muses, Harpies, and the Source’s favorite Oracles and Seers—and ask how they stack up against their ancient counterparts. From “Hell Hath No Fury” and “Muse to My Ears” to the Harpy attack in episode 18 and the Oracle/Seer power plays around the Source, we unpack how the show turns impartial avengers, benevolent inspirers, storm spirits, and cryptic prophets into very personal threats (and occasional allies) in the Halliwells’ lives. Along the way, we tell the myths of Orestes being hounded by the Furies, Hesiod’s mountaintop meeting with the Muses, Phineus’ never-ending Harpy‑ruined feast, and King Croesus’ disastrous misreading of the Delphic Oracle, exploring what these stories say about rage, inspiration, chaos, and prophecy—and why powerful, dangerous women keep stealing the spotlight in both Greek lore and the Charmed-verse.

    Trigger Warning: Discussion of death, familial violence (including matricide in Greek myth), vengeance, and psychological torment (guilt, haunting, prophetic doom), plus brief references to blood, punishment, and underworld imagery.


    Learn More:

    • Furies. (n.d.). Britannica Student Encyclopedia. https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Furies/324087

    • Furies in Greek mythology. (n.d.). History Cooperative. https://historycooperative.org/the-furies/

    • The Furies & the Harpies. (n.d.). Tales Beyond Belief. https://www.talesbeyondbelief.com/myth-stories/furies-harpies.htm

    • Greek mythological seers. (n.d.). PaleoThea. https://paleothea.com/cultural-myths/greek-mythological-seers/

    • The Harpies. (n.d.). Tamed Wild. (Kate Belew, “Mythic Beasts & Beings: The Harpies”). https://tamedwild.com/a/blog/mythic-beasts-beings-the-harpies

    • Phineus. (n.d.). Mythopedia. https://mythopedia.com/topics/phineus

    • The fatal prophecy: The Oracle and the fall of Lydia. (n.d.). Mused. https://mused.com/stories/973/the-fatal-prophecy-the-oracle-and-the-fall-of-lydia/

    • Hilliard, K. (2023, August 10). Charmed: Demons with roots in classical myth and literature. Collider. https://collider.com/charmed-demons-with-roots-classical-myth-literature/

    • Screen Rant Staff. (n.d.). Charmed: Every creature Piper was transformed into. Screen Rant. https://screenrant.com/charmed-piper-creatures-magical-beings-transformed/

    • The Furies in mythology. (n.d.). Centre of Excellence. https://www.centreofexcellence.com/furies-in-mythology

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    1 ora e 9 min
  • The Good, The Bad, and The Paige!

    The Good, The Bad, and The Paige!
    Jul 2 2026

    In our Season 4 kickoff, we welcome Paige Matthews into the Power of Three and dive into why she’s one of TV’s great liminal heroes—caught between witch and Whitelighter, orphan and Halliwell, outsider and sister. Focusing on episodes 1, 2, 4, 6, 13, 16, 20, and 21, we trace Paige’s rocky introduction, her mistakes and growth, and how she helps rebalance the Charmed Ones after Prue’s death—while the universe itself doubles down on a cosmic good‑vs‑evil showdown. Along the way, we connect Paige’s journey to mythic in‑between figures like liminal deities, Nephilim, and Campbell’s hero’s journey, explore “thin places” and liminal spaces in folklore, and unpack why pop culture loves big moral battles, from the Source unleashing the Hollow to angels and demons breaking their own rules.

    Trigger Warning: Discussion of death and grief (including Prue’s death), religious and mythological themes (angels, demons, Nephilim), pregnancy and bodily autonomy in a magical context, and supernatural violence.


    Learn More:

    • Nichols, C. (2026, February 22). The good guy/bad guy myth: Why pop culture is obsessed with battles between good and evil. Aeon. https://aeon.co/essays/why-is-pop-culture-obsessed-with-battles-between-good-and-evil

    • Decker, J. E. (2022, February 23). Queering the ancient world: Liminal agency in Greek myth and Presocratic philosophy. Blog of the APA. https://blog.apaonline.org/2022/02/23/queering-the-ancient-world-liminal-agency-in-greek-myth-and-presocratic-philosophy/

    • Charmed Wiki. (n.d.). Paige Matthews. Fandom. https://charmed.fandom.com/wiki/Paige_Matthews

    • New Revised Standard Version Bible. (1989). Holy Bible. National Council of Churches. (Original work published ca. 4th century C.E.)
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    58 min
  • Time for a Demon-stration!!

    Time for a Demon-stration!!
    Jun 18 2026
    In this demon-packed season 3 blowout, we’re hanging out with the Underworld’s worst (and occasionally most relatable) offenders: invisible assassins, rage demons, bounty hunters, and one very dramatic wind demon named Shax. We’ll break down the Charmed demon hierarchy, then zoom out into real demonology and global folklore—from Bael’s invisibility tricks and Andras’s murderous rage to Zhong Kui, King Solomon’s demon‑binding ring, Japanese onmyōji, Princess Bari, and storm spirits like Ala and Dagwanoenyent. Along the way, we’ll chat about why so many cultures give anger, storms, and assassination a demonic face, and how Charmed gleefully mashes grimoires, myth, and pure camp into one hell of a season finale and a perfect way to celebrate our one‑year podcast anniversary.TRIGGER WARNING: Trigger warning: Violence, demonic entities, assassination, and references to death and natural disasters (storms, tornadoes, etc.).Learn More: Ancient Origins. (2020, March 15). Onmyodo: The way of yin and yang, Japanese sorcery and divination. Ancient Origins. https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/onmyodo-0012127 Black Witch Coven. (n.d.). Lix Tetrax: The wind demon. Black Witch Coven. https://blackwitchcoven.com/lix-tetrax-the-wind-demon/ Brendan Noble. (2022, May 17). Chała (Ala): Woe, Slavic demon of the air and storms. Brendan Noble. https://brendan-noble.com/chala-ala-woe-slavic-demon-of-the-air-and-storms/ Daoist Gate. (2022, October 10). Zhong Kui: Demon hunter. Daoist Gate. https://daoistgate.com/zhong-kui-demon-hunter/ Delirium’s Realm. (n.d.). Lix Tetrax. Delirium’s Realm. https://www.deliriumsrealm.com/lix-tetrax/ Farmers’ Almanac. (2021, August 23). Weather-ology: Daughter of the wind. Farmers’ Almanac. https://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather-ology-daughter-of-the-wind Fun! Japan. (2021, June 3). Zhong Kui: The demon-quelling deity of China and Japan. Fun! Japan. https://www.fun-japan.jp/en/articles/13925 Japanesemythology. (2012, September 23). Onmyodo and Onmyoji: Legendary magicians and diviners of the Heian period. Japanese Mythology. https://japanesemythology.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/onmyodo-and-onmyoji-legendary-magicians-and-diviners-of-the-heian-period/ La Seoulite. (2023, July 7). The tale of Princess Bari and the mudang. La Seoulite. https://laseoulite.substack.com/p/the-tale-of-princess-bari-and-the MIT. (n.d.). The Testament of Solomon [Text file]. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. https://web.mit.edu/mjperson/Desktop/mjperson/OldFiles/Assassin/Darkness/Books/testament-solomon.txt Multo (Ghost). (2013, May 15). Solomon and the demons. Multo (Ghost). https://multoghost.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/solomon-and-the-demons/ My Kagawa. (n.d.). Aooni, the blue ogre of Kagawa. My Kagawa. https://www.my-kagawa.jp/static/en/aooni Occult Live. (n.d.). Andras. Occult Live. https://www.occult.live/index.php/Andras Occult World. (n.d.-a). Andras. Occult World. https://occult-world.com/andras/ Occult World. (n.d.-b). Lix Tetrax. Occult World. https://occult-world.com/lix-tetrax/ Occult World. (n.d.-c). Shax. Occult World. https://occult-world.com/shax/ Pantheon. (n.d.). Tephros. Pantheon: Encyclopedia Mythica. https://pantheon.org/articles/t/tephros.html Snow White Writes. (2022, March 10). Korean folklore & K-pop demon hunters. Snow White Writes. https://snowwhitewrites.com/korean-folklore-kpop-demon-hunters/ Starisloveni. (n.d.). Ala. Starisloveni. https://www.starisloveni.com/English/Ala.html Theoi Greek Mythology. (n.d.). Anemoi Thuellai. Theoi Greek Mythology. https://www.theoi.com/Titan/AnemoiThuellai.html Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). List of demons in the Ars Goetia. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_demons_in_the_Ars_Goetia Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Testament of Solomon. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testament_of_Solomon
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    53 min
  • Who Let the Banshee Out? Grief, Demons, and the Brain

    Who Let the Banshee Out? Grief, Demons, and the Brain
    Jun 4 2026
    In this episode, we dive into the Charmed season 3 episode “Look Who’s Barking” and use its banshee big bad as a portal into real‑world folklore and grief science. Drawing on Irish legends of the banshee as a messenger of death, we compare the show’s demonized version to the older stories that inspired it, then turn to psychology and neuroscience research to explore what actually happens in your brain and body when you’re grieving. Along the way, we talk about how popular culture reshapes myth, why the “inner cry” of pain resonates so strongly, and what current research suggests about living with loss.TRIGGER WARNING: Themes of death, grief, and loss, including real-world experiences of bereavement.Learn More: American Brain Foundation. (n.d.). How tragedy affects the brain. American Brain Foundation. https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org/how-tragedy-affects-the-brain/ American Heart Association News. (2021, March 9). How grief rewires the brain and can affect health—and what to do about it. American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/en/news/2021/03/10/how-grief-rewires-the-brain-and-can-affect-health-and-what-to-do-about-it American Psychological Association. (2022, March 29). How grieving changes the brain, with Mary-Frances O’Connor, PhD [Audio podcast episode]. In Speaking of Psychology. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/grieving-changes-brain Atsma, A. (n.d.). Keres. Theoi Greek Mythology. https://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Keres.htmlA-Z Animals. (n.d.). These animals are used to represent death. A-Z Animals. https://a-z-animals.com/slideshows/these-animals-are-used-to-represent-death/ Bird History. (2023, October 15). When birds mean death. Bird History. https://birdhistory.substack.com/p/when-birds-mean-death Chatterjee, R. (2021, December 20). How grief and loss affect the brain, and how we can heal. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/12/20/1056741090/grief-loss-holiday-brain-healing Discover Magazine. (n.d.). Why do these 6 animals represent death in cultures around the world? Discover Magazine. https://www.discovermagazine.com/why-do-these-6-animals-represent-death-in-cultures-around-the-world-45511 Discover Wildlife. (n.d.). Animals associated with death. Discover Wildlife. https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/animals-associated-with-deathGeggel, L. (2023, October 31). Creatures associated with death from around the world. Live Science. https://www.livescience.com/animals/creatures-associated-with-death Greek Gods and Goddesses. (n.d.). Keres. Greek Gods and Goddesses. https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/keres/ Lewis, T. (2023, July 6). How the brain copes with grief. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-brain-copes-with-grief/ Mindful Synergi. (n.d.). The biochemistry of grief: How loss changes the body. Mindful Synergi. https://www.mindfulsynergi.com/the-biochemistry-of-grief-how-loss-changes-the-body/ Olympioi. (n.d.). Keres: Goddess of violent death. Olympioi. https://olympioi.com/demigods/keres Rolfes, S. J. (2024). Beware the banshees cry: The folklore and history of the messengers of death. Llewellyn.The Times of India. (2024, March 1). 7 birds that are considered bad omens in different cultures [Photo story]. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/7-birds-that-are-considered-bad-omens-in-different-cultures/photostory/120649246.cms Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Keres. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keres YouTube. (n.d.). [Video on Keres] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgH7Q3p3quM
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    1 ora e 16 min