THE MANTIS MAN OF TEYMAREH: How Can This Ancient Iranian Carving Depict a Mantis-Human Hybrid?
Weird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories
Darren Marlar
4.6 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 18 September 2025
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE for the ad-free version: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate
Take the WEIRD DARKNESS LISTENER SURVEY and help mold the future of the podcast: https://weirddarkness.com/survey
IN THIS EPISODE: A 17-foot Boston Whaler disappeared with five Hawaiian fishermen in 1979. Ten years later, the boat turned up 2,200 miles away with one crew member buried in a mysterious grave — and no trace of the other four men. (Mystery of the Sarah Joe) *** From Puerto Rican farm animals found completely drained of blood to hairless creatures stalking Texas ranches, the chupacabra has terrorized livestock owners across the Americas for decades — but the truth behind these vampiric attacks reveals something far stranger than fiction. (The Goat Sucker) *** Religious scholars are finding medieval manuscripts filled with encounters that mirror modern UFO reports — and the U.S. government seems very interested in the Vatican’s research. (When Angels Become Aliens) *** An ancient Iranian petroglyph depicts an impossible hybrid: a creature with the anatomically precise head and raptorial arms of an Empusa mantis fused with human legs in a squatting position, carved by someone who somehow knew entomological details that modern scientists needed careful study to identify. (Mantis man of Teymareh)
CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…
00:00:00.000 = Lead-In
00:02:26.070 = Show Open
00:04:36.920 = Mantis Man of Teymareh
00:25:24.153 = Mystery of the Sarah Joe
00:40:20.547 = The Goat Sucker
00:56:24.951 = When Angels Become Aliens
01:05:39.892 = Show Close
SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE…
Mantis Man of Teymareh: https://weirddarkness.com/ancient-mantis-man-petroglyph-iran-teymareh-rock-art-mystery/
Mystery of the Sarah Joe: https://weirddarkness.com/sarah-joe-missing-fishermen-mystery/
The Goat Sucker: https://weirddarkness.com/chupacabra-blood-drained-history-goat-sucker-cryptid/
When Angels Become Aliens: https://weirddarkness.com/vatican-angels-aliens-ufo-files/
=====(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.=====Originally aired: September 17, 2025
EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources):
https://weirddarkness.com/TeymarehMantisMan
ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy.DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.
#MantisMystery #AncientAliens #UnexplainedArchaeology #Cryptids #AncientMysteries
Transcript
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| 1:05.0 | Terms and conditions apply. |
| 1:07.1 | Hey, weirdos. Just wanted to let you know that on the Weird Darkness YouTube channel recently, we've been having fun doing a live chat each weeknight at 10.30 p.m. Central Time. I set up the YouTube channel to premiere a video at that time, usually the podcast episode for the day, and then during the premiere, we all hang out in the YouTube live chat. Even if you've already heard that day's episode here in the podcast, |
| 1:28.0 | you're still welcome to join us for the YouTube chat. It's every weeknight at 10.30 p.m. Central |
| 1:33.0 | time. And sometimes I do it over the weekends, too, because I have no social life whatsoever. |
| 1:38.5 | You can find my channel at weirddarkness.com slash YouTube. That's weirddarkness.com |
| 1:43.3 | slash YouTube. Hey, weirdos, as we get closer to Halloween and our 10-year anniversary of this podcast, I'd love to get your opinions on how I'm doing, what you like, what you don't like, what you'd like to see more of, what you'd change if you were in charge. Well, you get the idea. I have a new Weird Darkness survey on the website so you can send me your opinions, |
| 2:03.3 | and it's completely anonymous, so you can be completely honest. |
| 2:07.2 | This is a new survey, so even if you did give your opinion before, you can do so again, |
| 2:11.9 | and I'd appreciate you doing so. |
| 2:13.8 | Visit Weirddarkness.com slash survey. |
| 2:16.8 | That's weirddarkness.com slash survey. That's weirddarkness.com slash survey. |
| 2:23.4 | On a weathered boulder slope in central Iran, Mohamed Nazraffard discovered a five-inch carving |
| 2:30.0 | that defies explanation. The figure possessed six limbs, a triangular head with oversized eyes, |
... |
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