Lore

Lore 297: Bloody

January 12, 2026

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  • The episode of Lore 297: Bloody explores how folklore, particularly the blood libel myth, has historically been weaponized against vulnerable groups, specifically Jewish people, leading to real-world violence and persecution. 
  • The narrative of the vampire Dracula is shown to be deeply intertwined with anti-Semitic stereotypes prevalent in late 19th-century England, fueled by mass Jewish immigration following the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. 
  • The power of 'evil folklore' lies in its ability to reinforce harmful stereotypes and provide powerful excuses for wealthy or powerful figures to manipulate public belief for financial or political gain, as seen in the case of Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln. 

Segments

Introduction and Content Warning
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Lore 297: Bloody focuses on dangerous folklore used for malicious purposes, including disturbing depictions of violence and anti-Semitism.
  • Summary: The episode opens with sponsor messages before issuing a content warning for disturbing depictions of violence and anti-Semitism. The host notes that the tales in this episode fall into the category of folklore used for dangerous reasons, not just fun spookiness. The show officially begins after the warnings and sponsor reads.
Albinism Murders in East Africa
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(00:01:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Children with albinism in Eastern Africa are murdered because superstition claims their body parts can be used in spellcasting, resulting in over 70 murders since 2000.
  • Summary: The narrative begins with the tragic 2016 murder of Whitney Chalumfa, a two-year-old with albinism, whose body parts were sold to witches. This is presented as part of a larger pattern where over 70 people with albinism have been murdered in East Africa since 2000 due to magical beliefs. This highlights how magical belief is weaponized against society’s most vulnerable.
Defining Evil Folklore and Blood Libel
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(00:03:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Folklorist Alan Dundas categorized blood libel—the belief that Jewish people murder Christian children for blood rituals—as one of the most dangerous forms of folklore.
  • Summary: The segment defines ’evil folklore’ as stories reinforcing racist, sexist, ableist, or anti-Semitic stereotypes. Blood libel is introduced as a belief that Jewish people murder Christian children to use their blood in rituals, a claim explicitly contradicted by Jewish dietary laws forbidding blood consumption. Historical reasons cited for the alleged use of blood included baking Passover matzah or replacing blood lost during a supposed male Jewish menstruation cycle caused by hemorrhoids.
Blood Libel in Literature and Commerce
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(00:06:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Blood libel narratives were actively distributed through artwork and fiction, sometimes funded by church officials who profited from relics of the falsely accused victims.
  • Summary: These lies were spread through various media, including artwork and fiction, sometimes supported by church officials. The blood of a martyr could be turned into a relic, generating income from tourists visiting churches displaying these supposed remains. Jeffrey Chaucer’s The Prioress’s Tale and folktales recorded by the Brothers Grimm, such as The Girl Who Was Killed by Jews, exemplify the literary spread of this myth.
The Case of Little Hugh of Lincoln
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(00:09:16)
  • Key Takeaway: The 1255 death of Hugh of Lincoln, found in a well, led to the execution of 19 Jewish people based on a coerced confession, demonstrating the parallel structure between blood libel accusations and witch trials.
  • Summary: In 1255 Lincoln, England, the discovery of eight-year-old Hugh’s body in a well sparked blood libel rumors, leading to the arrest and torture of Copan, who confessed to elaborate torture scenarios. Over 90 Jewish people were arrested, with 19, including Copan, immediately hanged, though the rest were pardoned by Richard of Cornwall. The subsequent stories of Hugh’s body magically rising and healing the blind were spread by Lincoln Cathedral to promote tourism to the monument erected for the boy, who became known as Little Saint Hugh.
Motives Behind the Lincoln Incident
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(00:12:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The Lincoln incident reveals that powerful men, including King Henry III and Richard of Cornwall, deliberately perpetuated the blood libel narrative for financial gain through property confiscation and tax revenue.
  • Summary: The reality of Hugh’s death involved the Jewish community finding him in a cesspool and attempting to hide the body in a well to avoid blame, while the gathering in town was a wedding, not a conspiracy. King Henry III benefited financially from the execution of Jews whose property he seized, while Richard of Cornwall pardoned the survivors because he controlled their tax revenue and needed them alive to collect cash.
Later Blood Libel Cases and Legacy
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(00:14:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Blood libel accusations continued through the centuries, resulting in the mass execution of Jewish communities in Trent (1475) and the creation of the fictional Holy Child of LaGuardia during the Spanish Inquisition.
  • Summary: In 1475, Simon of Trent’s disappearance led to the execution of all 22 Jewish residents of the town, despite the relic’s decomposing state when inspected by a papal envoy. In Toledo, Spain, Jews were burned at the stake based on the accusation of crucifying the ‘Holy Child of LaGuardia,’ even though no child’s body was ever found. These narratives persist today, being utilized by modern neo-Nazis.
Dracula and Anti-Semitic Tropes
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(00:16:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Bram Stoker’s Dracula embodies numerous anti-Semitic stereotypes—including aversion to Christianity, nocturnal rituals, and blood-drinking—which directly contributed to the novel’s massive popularity among fearful English Christians.
  • Summary: The description of the wealthy stranger in Britain perfectly matched contemporary anti-Semitic depictions of Eastern European Jewish immigrants arriving in the late 1890s. Dracula’s characteristics—pale skin, dark features, aversion to the cross, and consumption of Christian blood—align precisely with blood libel tropes. The book’s success was largely due to its strong Jewish coding, allowing readers to channel their fear and bigotry toward a fictional monster.
Jack the Ripper Connection
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(00:22:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Some scholars suggest Jack the Ripper, who murdered women in a predominantly Jewish area of London, may have intentionally incited anti-Semitic violence, potentially influencing Stoker’s depiction of Dracula.
  • Summary: The segment notes that Stoker may have also drawn inspiration from the unidentified murderer Jack the Ripper, whose crimes occurred in a Jewish neighborhood. Caricatures of the Ripper featured stereotypical Jewish features, leading police to target Jewish suspects and fueling anti-Jewish riots. Some theorize the killer deliberately staged the murders to incite anti-Semitic violence, linking this real-world fear to the fictional vampire.
Jewish Folktales as Resistance
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(00:30:15)
  • Key Takeaway: In contrast to external persecution narratives, Jewish folktales often use comedy and subversion to mock authority and argue with God as a powerful form of resistance against injustice.
  • Summary: Jewish folktales frequently subvert power structures and mock authority, serving as a comedic defense mechanism against centuries of persecution. A tale from Seville during the Inquisition illustrates this when a rabbi, accused via blood libel, cleverly swallows the ‘guilty’ slip of paper drawn from a box rigged by the Grand Inquisitor. By swallowing one slip, the rabbi forces the Inquisitor to reveal the other slip’s content, proving his innocence based on the Inquisitor’s own flawed rules.