ECHOES: A FATHOMS DEEP PODCAST – SHOW NOTES

Cursed Waters: The Psychology of Maritime Fear and Forbidden Seas

Episode 12 | November 22, 2025 | Duration: 25 minutes

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Charts spread across the captain’s table reveal boundaries no merchant vessel crosses—waters marked in stark red where ships enter but don’t return, where compasses spin wildly and time moves differently. These are not mere navigational hazards but psychological territories where the ocean transforms from pathway to predator. In this episode, we explore cursed waters across global maritime cultures, examining how certain regions inspire dread that transcends rational explanation. From the Bermuda Triangle to Japan’s Devil’s Sea, from the doldrums to forbidden taboo waters, we investigate how maritime fear operates differently from terrestrial anxiety, and why these psychological landmarks where human understanding meets its limits continue to serve essential cultural functions.

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FFEATURED EXPLORATION

Geography of Fear: How maritime anxiety differs from terrestrial threats through oceanic opacity

The Perfect Mystery: The Bermuda Triangle as psychological case study for maritime anxiety

Cultural Variations: Japan’s Devil’s Sea and spiritual interpretations of maritime anomalies

Psychological Stagnation: The doldrums and unique forms of maritime claustrophobia

Taboo Seas: Waters forbidden by cultural decree and enforced through collective belief

Uncanny Beauty: The Sargasso Sea where natural wonder intensifies psychological unease

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SOUND CREDITS

Wave bell attributedPirate Ship at Bay.wav by CGEffex — https://freesound.org/s/93678/ — License: Attribution 4.0

SHIP SOUND REQUEST!.wav by hello_flowers — https://freesound.org/s/31006/ — License: Creative Commons 0

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REFERENCES & FURTHER READING

ORIGINAL ESSAY: CURSED WATERS

Jung, Carl G. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (1968)

Turner, Victor. The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure (1969)

Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures (1973)

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (1798)

Cook, James. Pacific Voyage Journals (1768-1779)

Yanagita Kunio. Japanese Folk Studies collections

Orikuchi Shinobu. Marebito concept documentation

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ABOUT ECHOES

Echoes: A Fathoms Deep Podcast explores where maritime legend meets the craft of fantasy. Each episode dives into historical mysteries, cultural traditions, and supernatural phenomena of the sea, revealing how this research can transform your approach to worldbuilding and character creation. Hosted by Morgan A. Drake, author of dark maritime fantasy and architect of the Dimidium world.

NEXT EPISODES

Coming Next: “The Flannan Isles Mystery: When Three Men Vanished from the Edge of the World” – Examining one of maritime history’s most enduring puzzles: the 1900 disappearance of three lighthouse keepers from Scotland’s remote Flannan Isles without explanation or trace.

As always, thank you for listening and supporting our work.

Morgan A. Drake

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