Cryptids, Folklore, and Dark History | ft. Layla Cullen – Barbarian Banter

Follow Layla:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/layla.s.cullen/?hl=en

In this episode, we sit down with Layla Cullen, an amateur historian, mythology enthusiast, and storyteller drawn to the darker, stranger, and more supernatural corners of history. As our first female guest on Barbarian Banter, Layla brings a new perspective to many of the themes we return to often: heroism, masculinity, folklore, history, mythology, Christianity, and the unseen forces that shape how people understand the world.

The conversation begins with Layla’s love of cryptids, Mothman, paranormal stories, Catholic supernaturalism, and the strange historical details that make the past feel alive. From there, we discuss the “dirty man with a sword” archetype, why women are drawn to heroic men of action rather than hollow images of masculine beauty, and why looks, confidence, character, gentleness, duty, and courage all matter in different ways. We also explore the darker feminine relationship to history through true crime, morbid curiosity, ancestral memory, powerful women, and the feeling that forgotten stories often reveal more about human nature than textbook history ever could.

Later, the episode moves into cryptids, fairies, changelings, Mothman, Bigfoot, Wendigos, Skinwalkers, Wild Men, missing people in national parks, cave horror, and the question of whether old folklore may contain more truth than modern people are comfortable admitting. We also discuss Victorian mourning culture, Civil War spiritualism, Mary Todd Lincoln, ghostly premonitions, female intuition, modern internet folklore, Slenderman, SCP stories, AI hoaxes, Canadian war crimes, historical education, favorite empires, Gordon Lightfoot, and what it means to embody the dirty man with a sword in the modern world.

Timestamps:

00:11 – Introducing Layla Cullen
01:43 – Cryptids, Catholicism, and dark history
07:35 – The dirty man with a sword
20:13 – Women, history, and true crime
29:42 – Fairies, folklore, and American cryptids
38:27 – Are cryptids actually real?
49:20 – Wild men and missing people
57:53 – Movies that shaped Layla
01:04:31 – Victorian death and Civil War mourning
01:10:18 – Lincoln, spiritualism, and weird history
01:19:38 – Female intuition and prophetic dreams
01:30:06 – Women and historical curiosity
01:39:05 – Internet folklore and modern mythology
01:59:50 – Fan questions and favorite topics
02:19:44 – The modern dirty man
02:25:33 – Layla’s upcoming projects

Jonas’ Links:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jonaskilker

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonaskilker/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jonaskilker

X: https://x.com/jonaskilker

Jonas’ Merch: https://constantinegraphicsco.com/collections/mythic-vitalism

Website: https://jonaskilker.com/

Danes Links:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatdane269

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_great_dane469/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegreatdane13

X: https://x.com/thegreatdane269?s=20