Welcome to Monster of the Week Project!
MotWP is dedicated to the folklore* behind episodes of The X-Files and Supernatural.
*(and occasionally anthropology, sociology, tropes, history, science, and other real-life details)
Why those shows?
Because I love contemporary legends and cryptids, and both shows are teeming with them. Because I love the dynamic-duo-fights-local-monsters set-up. Because both shows are popular and long-running enough that they actually informed the way millions of viewers saw certain legends or creatures.
When are you going to get around to doing this?
This is a little baby passion project at the moment. Mostly I'm just holding the URL until I get the time to start re-watching the episodes I want to tackle.
If you're interested in helping, I'm happy to have you! If you have a favorite episode of either show and would like to dig into the folklore behind it, please get in touch. Send me a pitch that best captures what you bring to the table and what you want to write about.
Will you do other shows?
Eeeeeh, probably not. We'll see. There might be special appearances for special comparison episodes, though!
Will you cover the myth arcs?
Yeah, but not in-depth. See, the myth arcs of these shows are less interesting to me than the monster-of-the-week plots, since both myth arcs get, ah, kinda wild. They're also less interesting to write about, since the mythos presented doesn't change. I will address them, though! I'm just not quite sure how, yet.
What's your background? *shifty eyes* how do I know I can trust you?
You don't, which is why I promise to include LOTS and LOTS of citations!
In all seriousness: I picked up a love for anthropology in my brief stint as an archaeology student, which turned into a full-blown folklore addiction post-college. I consider contemporary legends to be my main "academic hobby". This manifests in me reading a lot of books and articles on the subject and writing about what interests me.
Where can I learn more about this stuff?
I'd suggest starting with the books Folklore Rules, The Vanishing Hitchhiker, and Aliens Ghosts and Cults, in that order, with the Encounters podcast mixed in when you get tired of words on paper. I haven't read it, but I've heard good things about Jane Goodman's The X-Files Book of the Unexplained.
If you're still hankering for more you might look into The Resonance of Unseen Things (about UFO experiencers), The Folklore Podcast, and whatever episodes of Monster Talk appeal to you.
If you're interested in deeper analysis of media and pop culture approaches to folklore, you can check out Lucifer Ascending: The Occult in Folklore and Popular Culture by Bill Ellis, The Folkloresque: Reframing Folklore in a Popular Culture World edited by Michael Dylan Foster and Jeffrey A. Tolbert, or Film, Folklore and Urban Legends by Mikel J. Koven. (I haven't read any of those last ones, but they're on my list.)
Enjoying MOTWP?
Note: Some links on this page are affiliate links. Affiliate links and reader tips are the only way I make money from this very time-consuming project!
*(and occasionally anthropology, sociology, tropes, history, science, and other real-life details)
Why those shows?
Because I love contemporary legends and cryptids, and both shows are teeming with them. Because I love the dynamic-duo-fights-local-monsters set-up. Because both shows are popular and long-running enough that they actually informed the way millions of viewers saw certain legends or creatures.
When are you going to get around to doing this?
This is a little baby passion project at the moment. Mostly I'm just holding the URL until I get the time to start re-watching the episodes I want to tackle.
If you're interested in helping, I'm happy to have you! If you have a favorite episode of either show and would like to dig into the folklore behind it, please get in touch. Send me a pitch that best captures what you bring to the table and what you want to write about.
Will you do other shows?
Eeeeeh, probably not. We'll see. There might be special appearances for special comparison episodes, though!
Will you cover the myth arcs?
Yeah, but not in-depth. See, the myth arcs of these shows are less interesting to me than the monster-of-the-week plots, since both myth arcs get, ah, kinda wild. They're also less interesting to write about, since the mythos presented doesn't change. I will address them, though! I'm just not quite sure how, yet.
What's your background? *shifty eyes* how do I know I can trust you?
You don't, which is why I promise to include LOTS and LOTS of citations!
In all seriousness: I picked up a love for anthropology in my brief stint as an archaeology student, which turned into a full-blown folklore addiction post-college. I consider contemporary legends to be my main "academic hobby". This manifests in me reading a lot of books and articles on the subject and writing about what interests me.
Where can I learn more about this stuff?
I'd suggest starting with the books Folklore Rules, The Vanishing Hitchhiker, and Aliens Ghosts and Cults, in that order, with the Encounters podcast mixed in when you get tired of words on paper. I haven't read it, but I've heard good things about Jane Goodman's The X-Files Book of the Unexplained.
If you're still hankering for more you might look into The Resonance of Unseen Things (about UFO experiencers), The Folklore Podcast, and whatever episodes of Monster Talk appeal to you.
If you're interested in deeper analysis of media and pop culture approaches to folklore, you can check out Lucifer Ascending: The Occult in Folklore and Popular Culture by Bill Ellis, The Folkloresque: Reframing Folklore in a Popular Culture World edited by Michael Dylan Foster and Jeffrey A. Tolbert, or Film, Folklore and Urban Legends by Mikel J. Koven. (I haven't read any of those last ones, but they're on my list.)
Enjoying MOTWP?
Note: Some links on this page are affiliate links. Affiliate links and reader tips are the only way I make money from this very time-consuming project!
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