Different name, different face, same uneasy feeling. The old woman at the edge of things.

The one who knows too much and answers to no one.

This episode of Atlas of the Uncanny asks why she became the monster, and whether the real fear was never about her at all. But about what she represented.

Age. Knowledge. Power that refused to apologise for itself.

She was never the villain. She was the gatekeeper.

And no matter how many times the story tried to bury her...

She keeps coming back.

Beginning with the Colosseum's bloodstained past and the cursed corridors of Castel Sant'Angelo, we explore the ghosts that haunt Rome's most iconic landmarks, restless emperors, betrayed lovers, and souls trapped between worlds.

A story of ancient Rome, haunted landmarks, ghost legends, and the uncanny weight of a city that has never forgotten anything.

You can find Patrizio on Instagram @red_hieronymus

Beginning with Homer’s Odyssey, we explore the original Sirens of Greek mythology, who lured sailors not with beauty, but with forbidden knowledge. From the deadly Strait of Scylla and Charybdis to medieval folklore, Renaissance maps marked Hic sunt sirenae, and the infamous 19th-century Fiji Mermaid hoax, we trace how two very different mythological beings slowly merged in the human imagination.

Along the way, we dive into ancient myths, sea legends, maritime folklore, and mythological symbolism, asking a deeper question: why do these creatures endure? What do they reveal about curiosity, longing, spectacle, and the human desire to believe?

A story of Greek myths, mermaid legends, siren mythology, historical hoaxes, and the uncanny power of storytelling.

Across cultures and centuries, one rule repeats itself: some names don’t describe. They invite.