In the first half, bestselling author James Rollins discussed the inspirations behind his latest 'Sigma Force' book, a narrative that resonates with current world situations. One of the inspirations is the myth of Hyperborea, a legendary lost continent near the North Pole, rooted in ancient Greek mythology. Rollins suggested that the idea of Hyperborea continues to influence Russian ideology, particularly in the context of territorial claims and expansionism. He said many parts of the Arctic Circle are still unexplored, and there could be vast resources hidden beneath melting ice. His new novel also delves into the mysteries of lost libraries. It starts with the execution of a Vatican archivist within the shadow of the Kremlin, and this exposes a conspiracy going back three centuries-- to the bloody era of the Russian Tsars.
Shifting from fiction, he pointed out that various countries have been vying for control of the Arctic region. Russia has begun defending it specifically through military exercises involving thousands of troops and nuclear assets, he cited, adding that their fleet has "over 40 icebreakers," in stark contrast to the US' two. The geopolitical stakes are compounded by China's investments in the region, aiming for easier access from the Pacific to the Atlantic, he continued. Rollins also detailed his access to the Vatican's archive and some of its hidden information. He divided their material into two categories-- ancient secrets, and modern secrets gleaned by the Vatican's vast intelligence agency that spans the globe.
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Writer, researcher, and award-winning travel and documentary photographer Darragh Mason hosts the podcast Spirit Box. In the latter half, he shared modern and folkloric accounts of the 'Dark Man' phenomenon as it relates to witchcraft and mysticism. The Dark Man could be thought of as "a destructive force that reminds us that we are part of nature… it makes people understand that whatever you think about the world, all those things can be undermined in an instant," he stated. Mason shared that he became a believer in the phenomenon after an intense set of unlucky or unforeseen experiences while researching the jinn in Delhi that led up to a haunting, nightmarish encounter.
In Scottish folklore, the Dark Man appears as part animal, part human, and interrupts journeys, often in the form of a quest for a person's soul, he explained. In Irish folklore, he is considered a trickster figure, such as when a woman was cursed to live as a deer. According to Mason, the lore of the Dark Man can be found in the Scottish witch trials as a figure who appeared to people and lured them into magic. He also drew Dark Man parallels from the tales of the infamous Pied Piper of Hamelin, and Britain's Spring-Heeled Jack, figures that invoke both terror and fascination.
During the last half-hour, George featured an excerpt from his 1/15/14 interview with William Henry on the 'Watchers.'
News segment guests: John M. Curtis, Charles Coppes