LEGEND: Ryujin

For thousands of years, different cultures have talked about serpent-like creatures that resembled dragons. In Japan they had a name for it — Ryujin — who lived in a coral palace at the bottom of the sea, with jewels that could raise and drop the tide, and a bloodline that ran straight into the imperial family. Some say it's folklore. Others think there might be a scientific explanation. One that makes the idea dragons seem not so far fetched after all.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:30Speaker 01

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• 0:58Speaker 01

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• 1:07Rasha Pecoraro?

  There's a saying people hear a lot when they grow up near the water. Never turn your back on the ocean. It sounds like a superstition, but it isn't. Anyone who has been knocked over by a wave they didn't see coming will tell you the same thing. You must respect the ocean. Call it Mother Nature or something else, but being born and raised in Hawaii, I know the ocean isn't just beautiful scenery to look at. It's a goddess, a living, breathing organism, one that has millions of secret little worlds inside of it. And yet, only 30% of the world's oceans haven't mapped out and explored.

• 1:49Yvette Gentile?

  That's the part that gets me. We know the ocean is still largely unexplored, but I don't think we've simply accepted it that way. There are so many of us, including myself, who are fascinated by what's beneath the surface and want to learn more. The mystery of the ocean has always been there, waiting to be discovered. But people didn't always think that way. Most civilizations, at least those near the water, have a story about what's underneath. Almost all of them are considered legends now, but one of them still has shrines, offerings, and people who insist it was never a story to begin with.

• 2:34Yvette Gentile?

  I'm talking about an incredibly powerful ocean god named Ryujin. He's a water dragon the size of a storm, living at the bottom of the sea in a palace made of coral and fish scales and jellyfish standing guard at the doors. He holds two jewels, one pulls the tide out and one brings it crashing back in. And if Ryujin favors you, they say he'll invite you down.

• 3:07Rasha Pecoraro?

  For most of us, it sounds like a fairy tale. For others, Ryujin is as real as any other creature lurking in the ocean's depths. It just depends on who you ask. I'm Rasha Pecoraro.

• 3:23Yvette Gentile?

  And I'm her sister, Yvette Gentile. This is So Supernatural.

• 4:01Rasha Pecoraro?

  Just a heads up, there are a lot of Japanese words in this episode. I studied Japanese in high school, but Yvette didn't, and it's been a long time since I studied, so please bear with us. We promise to do our best and be as respectful as possible. Well, these days, dragons belong to fiction. Game of Thrones, my personal favorite, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. They're on book covers and in our streaming queues. Big, scaly, usually fire-breathing creatures. And most people assume they're entirely made up. But that's new. For most of recorded history, dragons weren't fictional entertainment. They were real, reported animals.

• 4:44Rasha Pecoraro?

  And not by just one culture, but by almost all of them.

• 4:49Yvette Gentile?

  More than 8,000 years ago, in what's now northeastern China, someone arranged stones into the shape of a long serpentine creature, marking the first known depiction of one. 2,000 years after that, at a burial site in Hanaan, someone laid out clamshells in the shape of a dragon beside a body. These people had no writing, so we don't know what they called it. But 1,000 years later, they began telling stories about a dragon-like creature with a human head named Nua. She supposedly made the first people out of yellow clay. And when the sky cracked, they say she was the one who patched it.

• 5:34Yvette Gentile?

  When Chinese writing did appear, the dragon was talked about everywhere. It ruled the rivers and the seas. It brought the rain, and it belonged to the emperor. The throne was literally called the Dragon Throne. Emperors even claimed dragons in their bloodline.

• 5:54Rasha Pecoraro?

  6,000 years ago, in northern Australia, people painted enormous snakes onto rock walls. They called it the Rainbow Serpent, creator of the land, keeper of the water, and punisher of anyone who broke the law. In fact, the Rainbow Serpent is still worshiped today.

• 6:14Yvette Gentile?

  Roughly 2,600 years ago, in the region we now call Iraq, ancient people believed in a great and powerful dragon. It had a long snake-like body and four legs, and it protected their kingdom from invaders. In fact, images of this dragon were carved into gates that surrounded important cities.

• 6:36Rasha Pecoraro?

  Medieval European texts talk about brave knights slaying them. Indigenous American groups like the Mayans and Aztecs had legends of flying reptiles that sound a lot like dragons, too. But the most powerful dragon in all of mythology might be the one from Japanese culture. It's a creature named Ryujin. His name translates from Japanese into English as dragon god.

• 7:03Yvette Gentile?

  The first written records of Ryujin come from 712 CE. But historians believe myths about Ryujin spread through oral traditions for a long time before that. He's a major figure in a Japanese religion called Shinto. In very simple terms, this is the oldest faith system in Japan. You can't learn it by reading about it in books or by asking teachers. Instead, you have to be open to guidance from the universe or from divine spirits to show you the way. Luckily, there are hundreds of gods who can help you. Some of them are incredibly powerful, some are more minor,

• 7:45Yvette Gentile?

  but many of those gods are, well, they're dragons. But Shinto tradition says Ryujin is the most powerful of all the dragon gods. The others serve him and obey his every order.

• 8:02Rasha Pecoraro?

  Unlike the dragons you may see in fairy tales, Ryujin is a water dragon. He can control the tides, make it rain, and give orders to fish, turtles, and other marine animals. So if you're about to go on a long voyage by boat or if you need a big storm to water your crops, then you'd pray to Ryujin for help. Supposedly, Ryujin lives in a gorgeous underwater castle called Ryugujo.

• 8:29Yvette Gentile?

  Depending on the legend, it's either on the floor of the ocean or the bottom of the lake. And Japanese accounts say Ryujin looks different from your stereotypical Western dragon. First and foremost, he doesn't have wings and presumably can't fly. Instead, he has a long, thin body that resembles a snake. Except, he also has four short legs. There are two horns coming out of his head, and he's covered in scales that change colors depending on how he's feeling. That said, he does have one feature in common with Western dragons. He can supposedly breathe fire, even underwater,

• 9:12Yvette Gentile?

  which is pretty magical if you ask me. But maybe the most important part of the Ryujin legend is that he helped shape Japanese history.

• 9:24Rasha Pecoraro?

  Legend says that long ago, there were two brothers living on the island that would later be known as Japan. But it hadn't been united into a single nation yet. Their names were Hoori and Hoderi. They were both princes in their region, but Hoderi was older and expected to become ruler one day. Accounts vary, but many say that both brothers were given gifts that set them down different paths. Hoori, the younger brother, was given a magical bow that made him a great hunter, while Hoderi was given a magic hook that made him a great fisherman. But Hoderi was always jealous of his brother's talent, so he ordered Hoori to spend every day fishing instead.

• 10:08Rasha Pecoraro?

  That way, no one would notice or praise Hoori's hunting skills. Hoori knew the only way to actually be successful at fishing was to get his hands on that magic hook. Each time Hoderi used it, he seemed to catch multiple fish. So Hoori constantly asked Hoderi if he could borrow it, but Hoderi always said no. The stories get a little vague here, but some say Hoori found his way to the hook anyway against his brother's wishes. Others claim Hoderi finally loaned him the fishing hook willingly. Either way, once that day came, Hoori headed to the docks. He baited the hook, dropped it in the water, and waited for the fish to nibble.

• 10:51Rasha Pecoraro?

  Except Hoori sat there for a very long time without catching a thing. This wasn't supposed to happen with the magic fish hook. It was supposed to be guaranteed to catch fish and a whole lot of them. Then something even worse happened. The hook detached from its line and fell to the bottom of the ocean. Hoori was sure it was gone forever. He had no choice but to go back to his brother and admit what had happened. Needless to say, Hodedi was not happy. Hoori asked if there was anything he could do to make up for it. He even offered to have his favorite, most treasured sword melted down and forged into 500 new fish hooks.

• 11:34Rasha Pecoraro?

  But Hodedi said there was nothing his brother could do to make things better.

• 11:40Yvette Gentile?

  Hoori was so upset, he burst into tears. He went down to the beach so he could have some privacy. And while he was there, he saw something strange come walking out of the water. Hoori recognized it was a water spirit. The spirit said it knew all about the missing hook. And it told Hoori he should ask Ryujin for help. As the god of the ocean, he'd definitely be able to find and retrieve the lost fish hook. So out of options, Hoori built himself a small boat and sailed out into the open ocean. Eventually, he arrived in the waters above Ryujin's palace. And then he dove into the water and swam toward the castle.

• 12:25Yvette Gentile?

  He was shocked to find he had absolutely no problem breathing underwater. When Hoori got to the palace, Ryujin's three beautiful daughters rushed outside to greet him. The moment Hoori laid eyes on one of them, a woman named Toyotama Hime, all he could think about was how beautiful she was. He was smitten, so much so, he completely forgot about his life on the surface and his quest for the lost fish hook. He also didn't remember where he'd come from or why he was now under the ocean. It was like Hoori had been struck by amnesia. And he wouldn't regain his memory again for years.

• 13:15Speaker 00

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• 13:45Speaker 04

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• 14:17Rasha Pecoraro?

  According to an ancient Japanese myth, a prince named Hoori once went looking for the dragon god Ryujin. But when Hoori got to Ryujin's palace, he met Ryujin's daughter, Toyotama Hime. She was so beautiful, Hoori immediately forgot everything about his life on land. As time passed, he got to know her, fell deeply in love, and eventually asked Ryujin for permission to marry her. Ryujin agreed to the wedding and threw a massive feast in honor of the bride and groom. He showered them with so many presents, it took 100 tables just to hold them all.

• 14:56Yvette Gentile?

  Hoori and Toyotama Hime lived in a wedded bliss for three years after that. But slowly, the memory of his former life started to come back to him. Finally, one day, Hoori remembered that he was supposed to find the magic fish hook and give it back to his brother. Plus, on top of that, he wanted to return home to see his friends and his loved ones. He went to his father-in-law and explained everything that had happened. Then Ryujin ordered every fish in his kingdom to scour the ocean floor until they found the hook. In no time at all, one of the fish brought it back to Ryujin, who gave it to Hoori.

• 15:40Yvette Gentile?

  He also gave Hoori a parting gift. It was a set of two magic jewels that could control water. Ryujin told his son-in-law that these stones could influence the tides and the rain, and it would make it easier for him to irrigate rice fields so his people would never need to go hungry in a drought again. After that, Ryujin sent his son-in-law on his way. And he allowed his wife, Toyotama Hime, to travel with him as well. It's said that either a shark or a crocodile escorted them back to the shore.

• 16:18Rasha Pecoraro?

  When they made it back to the beach, Hoori's brother Hodedi was waiting for him on the shore. Hoori barely had a chance to step onto dry land before his brother attacked him. He was vicious, but Hoori defended himself with his magic jewels and brought in a high tide. It knocked Hodedi over and washed him out to sea. Hodedi was in danger of drowning, but he shouted to Hoori, begging his brother to save him. He said that if Hoori spared his life, he'd give up his throne and let Hoori rule over their people. With that promise, Hoori used the stones to lower the tides.

• 16:58Rasha Pecoraro?

  Hodedi survived, and he kept his word, supporting Hoori when it was time for him to become the king of their people.

• 17:08Yvette Gentile?

  After that, Hoori and his wife went on to have a son together. And that son had a child of his own named Jimu. Jimu then united Japan into a single nation and ruled over it as the first emperor. So if you believe the myths, that means every emperor of Japan is a direct descendant of the dragon god Ryujin. That includes a Japanese ruler who lived several centuries after Hoori's death in the 200 CE. Her name was Jin-gu.

• 17:44Rasha Pecoraro?

  Jin-gu's husband died young. When he passed, Jin-gu was pregnant. She knew her child would eventually inherit the throne, but it would be years before that could happen. In the meantime, the pregnant Jin-gu was in charge. One day shortly after her husband's death in 200 CE, Jin-gu claimed she received a divine message from the gods. They told her that she had an important destiny. She was supposed to lead the Japanese navy into a war against Korea. She'd conquer the nation and make it part of the empire. But Jin-gu knew the invasion wouldn't be easy, so she went to the local temple of Ryujin and asked him for help.

• 18:26Rasha Pecoraro?

  Legend says the dragon god appeared to her in person and said he approved of the upcoming war. And he gave her magical tools to ensure her victory. The same two tide-controlling jewels he'd once given to Hoori.

• 18:42Yvette Gentile?

  Shortly after, the Japanese navy set sail with Jin-gu. But before they reached their destination, they encountered a major obstacle, the Korean navy. They'd sailed out to intercept the Japanese. It looked like a bloody battle was about to break out. But before anyone could fire a single shot, Jin-gu put the magic jewels to use. She magically removed all the water from underneath the Korean ships while leaving the waves around the Japanese fleet untouched. Before anyone could realize what was going on, the Korean fleet was trapped on the dry ocean floor or in the water that was too shallow to sail through.

• 19:26Yvette Gentile?

  Thanks to Ryujin's magic, Jin-gu defeated the entire Korean navy and destroyed every one of their ships. And she did it without a single casualty on either side. She eventually made it to Korea and successfully conquered the nation. Then she came home to Japan and gave birth to the future emperor. She accomplished everything she'd set out to do, and she did it with the dragon god's help. But we need to be clear, an encounter with Ryujin isn't always a positive one. Many Japanese legends say you should approach him with caution.

• 20:07Yvette Gentile?

  And if you're not careful, you might end up like a mythical figure named Urasimotaro.

• 20:14Rasha Pecoraro?

  Urasimotaro was a fisherman who lived in Japan long ago. One day, he was walking down the beach when he saw a group of children gathered around a turtle that had washed ashore. He could tell they were hurting it, so he shuffled the kids away and checked on the turtle to see if it was injured. To his surprise, the turtle began talking to him in Japanese. It said it was a servant of Ryujin, and it was grateful to Urasimotaro for rescuing it. In return, the turtle wanted to take him to Ryujin's palace where he'd see incredible sights. Once he agreed, the turtle and Urasimotaro dove into the water and made their way to Ryugujou.

• 20:59Rasha Pecoraro?

  Like Hoori, Urasimotaro had no problem breathing underwater. After they arrived, Ryujin's daughters came outside to give Urasimotaro a hero's welcome. They threw a huge feast in his honor, and later, they presented him with a box and told him not to open it until he got back to shore. This sounds so magical to me. Well, Urasimotaro returned to his village after dinner, and right away, he could tell something was wrong.

• 21:31Yvette Gentile?

  The skyline had changed and familiar buildings had been torn down, and others had been built in their place. Uraishimataro didn't recognize much. He wandered down the streets, searching for his home, but he couldn't find it. He didn't recognize anyone he saw either, even though this was a small village where everyone knew everybody. Finally, Uraishimataro spotted a very old woman. He explained everything that he had been through and asked if she had any idea what had happened. And the woman said something incredibly strange. She remembered that an event had happened decades ago when she was a little girl.

• 22:12Yvette Gentile?

  A fisherman named Uraishimataro had gone mysteriously missing, and he hadn't been seen or heard from since.

• 22:22Rasha Pecoraro?

  Apparently, time passes differently in Ryugujo than it does in the rest of the world. While Uraishimataro thought he'd only spent one day in the underwater palace, dozens of years had passed back home. And by the time he made it back to land, everyone he'd ever known had either died of old age or grown old without him.

• 22:45Yvette Gentile?

  I mean, I can only imagine how heartbreaking Uraishimataro must have felt. But then, he remembered the box he'd been given. He decided to open it, perhaps hoping it would make things right. But as soon as Uraishimataro lifted the lid, a mist poured out of the package. Then his body began to change. Uraishimataro's hair turned white. Age spots appeared on his skin, which sagged into wrinkles. His muscles withered and his hands began to shake. A long, white beard sprouted from his chin. In an instant, he grew old. But Uraishimataro saw one more thing inside the box: a feather.

• 23:30Yvette Gentile?

  He picked it up, and his body changed again. This time, he was magically transformed into a crane. Now, cranes are very powerful and symbolize happiness in Japanese tradition, which, yes, may seem confusing since Uraishimataro's story isn't exactly a happy one. But some literary theorists think this story is actually about the dangers of chasing pleasure and neglecting your responsibilities. Uraishimataro spent his whole life enjoying himself with good food and fancy parties, but by the time he was ready to return to his real life again, it was too late.

• 24:13Yvette Gentile?

  His youth and good health had already slipped away. But on the flip side, Uraishimataro had no idea that decades were going by.

• 24:24Rasha Pecoraro?

  Okay, so my personal takeaway from this story is that you have to be very careful when dealing with dragons and gods like Ryujin. You can't always predict how things are gonna play out. You must show them the utmost respect, which I know may sound silly when you're talking about some sort of mythical creature. But according to some reports, dragons like Ryujin might not be so mythical after all. They've been spotted by people all across the world.

• 25:04Speaker 00

  The real cost of a break-in isn't your valuables. It's the feeling that your home stopped being safe. SimpliSafe keeps danger away from your family with three layers of protection. One, smart AI cameras and live US-based agents help stop intruders before they break in. Two, we sound the alarm at points of entry. Three, our agents request emergency response. Plans starting around $1 a day. Right now, get 70% off your new system with professional monitoring at simplisafe.com/truecrime. Outdoor deterrence plans start at $49.99 a month. Visit simplisafe.com/licenses for alarm license information.

• 25:34Speaker 04

  The hustle of the holiday season is here.

• 25:36Speaker 05

  Presents to buy, parties to plan. When do I have time to cook?

• 25:40Speaker 04

  You have enough on your plate. Let Royal Farms help. Get a 12-piece, world-famous mixed chicken meal with family-size Western fries for just $20.

• 25:48Speaker 05

  Oh, now we're talking.

• 25:50Speaker 04

  Planning a holiday party? Royal Farms catering has you covered with delicious chicken, subs, and wraps for as little as $5 for guests.

• 25:57Speaker 05

  Tell me why I didn't do this sooner.

• 25:59Speaker 04

  Be the holiday hero with Royal Farms. Real fresh, real fast.

• 26:07Yvette Gentile?

  According to Japanese mythology, Ryujin is an ancient, powerful dragon god who lives under the ocean. To this day, many Japanese people believe Ryujin and other dragons are real. They give these gods offerings in temples, and they hope that in return, Ryujin will bless them with good weather, health protection, and spiritual growth. But you don't have to believe in the Shinto religion to accept that dragons might be real. In fact, many have been spotted all around the world and all throughout history, including right here in the United States.

• 26:47Rasha Pecoraro?

  For nearly a century, there have been multiple reports from rural Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Many of them talk about a strange creature in the woods. Like Ryujin, this creature seems to gravitate towards the water. It's been seen swimming through several rivers that run through the county. And on a few occasions, witnesses have reported seeing the creature climb out of the river and walk across land on four legs. The earliest recorded encounter happened sometime in the 1920s. Back then, there were numerous railroads that crisscrossed the state of West Virginia. Most of them ran along rivers. And one anonymous train conductor

• 27:28Rasha Pecoraro?

  said it was very common for strange, dragon-like creatures to pop out of the river whenever the train came by. Sometimes, they'd even attack the train's engines. Based on their statements and those from other witnesses, the creature was 10 to 12 feet long. It had four legs, was covered in scales, and its head looked like a T-Rex's. The train conductor believed the creature was attracted to the engine's heat. So even though it seemed to live in the water, it earned itself the nickname "The Fire Dragon."

• 28:03Yvette Gentile?

  And yes, we know that account is old and very vague, but there's a more recent sighting of the West Virginia Fire Dragon, one that happened in the early 2010s. Well, one night, a local man named Bub was deep in the woods in Pocahontas County. Bub was an avid hunter and fisherman, so he frequently went into the forest for a few days at a time. On this particular night, Bub caught his own catfish in a local stream. Then he built a campfire and did what you do, fried him up some catfish over the open flame. And he was still cooking around 11:30 or midnight when he heard a crunch behind him, as though an animal was rustling through the trees.

• 28:48Yvette Gentile?

  Bub grabbed his flashlight and pointed it toward the forest, where the sound was coming from. That's when he saw something he couldn't explain. It was a 12-foot-long reptile-like creature. It was covered in scales and had beet-red eyes. And when he caught it in the flashlight, the thing reared up on its back legs. Then it charged toward Bub. Bub froze, but the creature rushed right past Bub and plunged directly into the campfire. As soon as the dragon was in the flames, Bub snapped out of his shock, and he ran to his four-wheeler and got the heck out of there as fast as he could. Bub returned to his campsite the next morning,

• 29:32Yvette Gentile?

  which, just gotta say, I would not, but... But he found his fire pit now in ashes, and all of those stones and sticks were scattered around, and his catfish dinner was long gone. Bub was pretty sure he had an experience with the Fire Dragon that night.

• 29:52Rasha Pecoraro?

  Well, stories like this aren't just coming out of the woods of West Virginia. For generations, Hawaiians and Kama'a'ina have been telling stories about a water dragon spirit that's said to live in the islands. It's called the Mo'o. They live in freshwater, not the ocean, so you'll find them in rivers and streams. And Mo'o can either help or hurt you, depending on the circumstances. Mo'o understands that life in Hawaii wouldn't be possible without freshwater. So if you treat the water supply with respect and help conserve it, it's said the Mo'o will bless you with health and good luck. But if you pollute the water or don't show enough respect,

• 30:37Rasha Pecoraro?

  Mo'o can cause floods to kill you or destroy your property. Or they might even make the rain stop, causing a drought. As for what Mo'o looks like, that's hard to say, because they're apparently shapeshifters. Sometimes, they're big lizard-like creatures, exactly what you think of when you picture a dragon. But they can also turn into human beings and walk around on land. So if you're in Hawaii, you could meet or even talk to a Mo'o without ever realizing it. That said, if you see a body of water and there's a lizard or a snake nearby, it's very likely a Mo'o. Because, just so you know,

• 31:21Rasha Pecoraro?

  there are no native reptiles or snakes in Hawaii, and there never have been. The closest thing we have to a lizard are geckos. They came over in Polynesian canoes about 1,500 years ago. And yet, Hawaiian legends have described giant reptiles living in their fish ponds for generations. And growing up in Hawaii, I have always looked towards the Mo'o, the little geckos, especially the green ones, as good luck.

• 31:54Yvette Gentile?

  That's so funny. This is true, but when you have curly hair and you were growing up in Hawaii and a mo'oh or a little gecko gets stuck in your hair, it is not good luck. No, you've seen it.

• 32:06Rasha Pecoraro?

  I've seen it.

• 32:07Yvette Gentile?

  Gosh, that takes me back to some bad memories. Anyhow, okay, I digress. Well, we don't have to rely on old stories and myths about dragons, though. Today, there's plenty of video evidence, and if you're open to believing it, it is definitely out there. So here is an example. On July 9th in 2020, an anonymous YouTuber posted a clip online. It showed footage that was recorded somewhere in the mountains on the border between Tibet and India. There was a dark figure flying through a cloudy patch of sky, except this thing, whatever it was, didn't have any visible wings, and it's unclear how it even was in flight. The creature had a long snake-like body, and

• 32:51Yvette Gentile?

  it seemed to have all four legs. And Rasha, I know that you have seen these videos just like me. And at first, my first impression was, okay, it's just a bunch of birds migrating somewhere. But the way that this thing moves, so much so like a dragon, and so many, in so many different parts of the world, it's uncanny what you're looking at.

• 33:18Rasha Pecoraro?

  It looks like a dragon to me, like, full stop.

• 33:21Yvette Gentile?

  That same video includes footage from another sighting. We don't know who recorded it, but it was filmed in the Chinese city of Xi'an. The clip shows a tall building, maybe a school or an apartment complex. It's a little dark out, but not completely. So maybe this was shot around sunset or possibly during a storm. In the sky above that building, you can just barely make out a ribbon of light swirling in the clouds. It's like some kind of long snake-like glow-in-the-dark creature, and it's circling overhead. Unfortunately, the video quality is a little low, so it's difficult to make out a whole lot. It could

• 34:03Yvette Gentile?

  have been a trick of the light or a flying drone for all we know, but I have to say it looks real to me. And we do have to say, of course, we have to take it with a grain of salt, because this was 2020. There could have been, you know, CGI or AI-generated videos, but it looks pretty darn real to me. Even if that footage is real, it might have a rational explanation. Because according to a writer named Samin David, for centuries, people have been mistaking ordinary, natural phenomena for dragons. Historically, whenever anyone saw comets in the sky at night, they often assumed they were fire-breathing mythical creatures. The same thing could happen to

• 34:47Yvette Gentile?

  sailors or people who lived near beaches. The ocean is full of long, legless marine creatures. I'm talking eels or fish, basking sharks, and baleen whales all look a bit like Ryujin and other water dragons.

• 35:04Yvette Gentile?

  But to this day, there are people who say dragons are worth believing in, at least metaphorically. In Japanese culture, they represent healing, power, and spiritual growth. If you visit almost any temple or shrine anywhere in the country, you'll see a basin of water near the entrance, and there will be a dragon carved into it. Tradition says if you wash your hands and mouth in that basin, the dragon will cleanse your body and your soul. It'll flush away dark energies and give you the confidence and power to make your dreams come true. And fishermen and sailors still make offerings

• 35:45Yvette Gentile?

  to Ryujin each time they set sail. It's common for them to light lanterns, then cast them to sea on floating platforms. The hope is that Ryujin will see them and be pleased. Then he'll grant his followers safety, calm waves, and lots of fresh fish.

• 36:06Yvette Gentile?

  But we can't forget all of the people who say they've seen something. Remember, Bob watched a creature charge his campfire in the West Virginia woods. And if those videos are real, something has been flying over India, Tibet, and Xi'an. Maybe those are dragons, maybe they're birds, or possibly bad footage or a trick of the light. But I can't stop thinking about how much of this incredible planet is unexplored, specifically the oceans that surround us. For thousands of years, nobody looked at that water and

• 36:47Yvette Gentile?

  saw a blank space. They saw a magical, mystical kingdom, a palace built of exquisite coral, someone with a name down there, holding two jewels, deciding when the tide comes in. And like Rasha said at the top of the episode, we grew up in Hawaii respecting, exploring, and protecting the oceans. And to this day, no one has ever been able to prove that Ryujin doesn't exist. Maybe we just stopped looking for him.

• 37:37Yvette Gentile?

  This is So Supernatural, an AudioChuck original produced by Crime House. You can connect with us on Instagram at So Supernatural Pod and visit our website at sosupernaturalpodcast.com. Join EventinMe next Friday for an all-new episode.

• 37:57Yvette Gentile?

  I think Chuck would approve.

• 38:02Speaker 04

  I've been having a hard time trying to explain what Midnight Burger is. How about I let them give it a shot?

• 38:08Rasha Pecoraro?

  Your podcast is amazing.

• 38:10Speaker 06

  It's such an amazing show altogether. You guys have actively ruined all other audio dramas for me. You can't get people to understand the humaning that happens in this damn show. Keep doing what you're doing, because it's awesome. You might not think it, but you are far more important than you realize. Thank you.

• 38:25Speaker 04

  At the nexus of all things, there is a diner. Look for Midnight Burger on your favorite podcasting app, or just go to weopenat6.com.