In this episode of That Would Be Rad, we travel deep into West Africa for a chilling cryptid story, a strange eyewitness account, and one of the most unsettling monster legends we’ve ever covered:

The God in the Water.

In Burkina Faso, there is a place called Dafara.

A hidden chasm in the earth.

A rocky ravine.

A murky pool.

And according to the people who lived near it, something was waiting beneath the water.

Not a statue.

Not a myth carved into stone.

Not a symbol.

A living thing.

A creature.

A god that had to be fed.

In the summer of 1986, Pastor Robin Swope visited Dafara while serving as a missionary in West Africa. What he found there sounded like something from a nightmare: the smell of blood and rotting flesh, animal sacrifices at the edge of a dark pond, villagers who feared the water, and a terrifying warning passed down through generations:

Do not go in.

The god will eat you alive.

Join Woody and Tyler as they descend into the mystery of Dafara, the West African legend of a creature beneath the pond, and the eyewitness account that claims something large, black, smooth, and unknown rose from the water to feed on raw flesh.

Was it a giant African catfish?

A misidentified animal made terrifying by folklore?

A hidden population of oversized fish trapped in an isolated ravine?

Or was there something much stranger lurking beneath the surface?

Together, we explore the story of Pastor Robin Swope, the so-called “Paranormal Pastor,” the sacrifices made at Dafara, the villagers who believed the creature could grant fertility or bring a curse, the legend of the explorer who supposedly dove into the pond and never came back, and the dark question at the center of it all:

What was really living in the water?

This episode is for anyone who loves cryptids, African folklore, unexplained creatures, paranormal stories, monster legends, mysterious places, strange eyewitness encounters, cryptozoology, folk horror, missionary mysteries, and stories that feel too bizarre to be real.

Because some legends are not born in castles or graveyards.

Some are born in remote places.

Places where the air smells like blood.

Places where the locals refuse to swim.

Places where something rises from the dark when the offerings hit the water.

This is not just a story about a monster.

It is a story about fear.

About belief.

About sacrifice.

About the thin line between folklore and eyewitness testimony.

And about what happens when generations of people agree on one rule:

Do not enter the water.

So follow us down into the rocks, stand at the edge of the pond, and listen closely...

Because something is moving beneath the surface.

Be Rad.

RAD WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR SHOW:

JOIN OUR PATREON: Exclusive episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes weirdness:⁠⁠⁠ patreon.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠

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SHOW INFO:

🎧 Written & Produced by: Woody Brown & Tyler Bence

🎧 Recorded at: Midnight Radio Studios

🎧 Sound Design, Editing, & Music by: Woody Brown

🎧 Mixing & Mastering by: Tyler Bence

🎧 Art Design by: Tyler Bence

🎧 Outro Song: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society

CONNECT WITH US:

💬 Have a tip on this story or another wild one? Send us a voice message at ⁠⁠⁠www.thatwouldberadpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @thatwouldberad

#ThatWouldBeRad #TheGodInTheWater #Dafara #BurkinaFaso #Cryptids #CryptidPodcast #AfricanCryptids #WestAfricanFolklore #AfricanFolklore #Cryptozoology #UnexplainedCreatures #MonsterLegends #ParanormalPodcast #PastorRobinSwope #ParanormalPastor #FolkHorror #HighStrangeness #MysteryPodcast #StrangeStories #UnknownAnimals #CreatureFeature #BeRad

In this episode of That Would Be Rad, we dive into one of the darkest, strangest, and most infamous werewolf stories in recorded history: The Werewolf of Bedburg.

In 1589, a farmer named Peter Stumpp was accused of terrorizing the German countryside for decades. According to the accounts of the time, Stumpp had made a pact with the Devil, received a mysterious belt that allowed him to transform into a monstrous wolf, and used that power to commit a series of horrifying crimes.

But this story is much more than a werewolf legend.

It is a nightmare pulled from a world of religious panic, witch trials, public executions, folklore, fear, and violence.

Join Woody and Tyler as they travel back to late sixteenth-century Germany, a time when belief in demons, witchcraft, magic, and monsters wasn’t just superstition. It was part of everyday life. In that world, people didn’t ask whether werewolves were real.

They asked where they were hiding.

Together, we explore the terrifying legend of Peter Stumpp, the giant wolf said to stalk the countryside near Bedburg, the infamous Devil’s belt, the alleged transformation, the missing hand, the brutal confession, and one of the most shocking public executions you’ve probably never heard of.

Along the way, we dig into the deeper mystery at the heart of the case:

Was Peter Stumpp truly a monster?

Was he a murderer whose crimes became wrapped in folklore?

Was he a victim of torture, fear, and religious hysteria?

Or did the legend of the Werewolf of Bedburg become so powerful that it swallowed the truth completely?

If you love werewolf folklore, dark history, witch trials, true crime, cryptids, monster legends, demonic pacts, medieval punishment, or stories that live somewhere between history and nightmare, this episode is for you.

This isn’t just a story about a werewolf.

It’s about fear.

The kind of fear that spreads through villages.

The kind of fear that turns rumors into accusations.

The kind of fear that can transform a man into a monster.

So lock the doors, keep away from the woods after dark, and whatever you do...

Don’t put on the belt.

Be Rad.

RAD WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR SHOW:

JOIN OUR PATREON: Exclusive episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes weirdness:⁠⁠ patreon.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠

CHECK OUT OUR MERCH: Grab official That Would Be Rad gear ⁠thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com⁠

SHOW INFO:

🎧 Written & Produced by: Woody Brown & Tyler Bence

🎧 Recorded at: Midnight Radio Studios

🎧 Sound Design, Editing, & Music by: Woody Brown

🎧 Mixing & Mastering by: Tyler Bence

🎧 Art Design by: Tyler Bence

🎧 Outro Song: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society

CONNECT WITH US:

💬 Have a tip on this story or another wild one? Send us a voice message at ⁠⁠www.thatwouldberadpodcast.com⁠⁠

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @thatwouldberad

#ThatWouldBeRad #WerewolfOfBedburg #PeterStumpp #Werewolf #Werewolves #WerewolfLore #Cryptids #Folklore #DarkHistory #TrueCrimeHistory #WitchTrials #DemonicPact #TheDevilsBelt #MedievalHistory #GermanFolklore #MonsterLegends #ParanormalPodcast #HorrorHistory #HighStrangeness #MysteryPodcast #BeRad

In this special ad free Summer Rewind episode of That Would Be Rad, we're revisiting one of our favorite road-trip rabbit holes: the strange creatures, bizarre legends, unexplained lights, haunted waters, and forgotten mysteries of Michigan.

What started as a family vacation to Northern Michigan quickly turned into an obsession. Between the endless forests, crystal-clear lakes, tiny logging towns, and miles of rugged shoreline, it didn't take long before we found ourselves asking the same question:

What else is out there?

Join Woody and Tyler as they explore some of Michigan's strangest legends, including Bigfoot sightings deep in the woods, mysterious lake monsters lurking beneath the Great Lakes, eerie lights floating through the darkness, Native American legends of supernatural beasts, haunted cemeteries, underwater mysteries, and one of the most fascinating "Bermuda Triangle" style locations in North America.

Along the way, Woody shares some personal experiences from his time exploring the lakes and forests of Northern Michigan and explains why this beautiful part of the country feels like the perfect setting for high strangeness.

If you love Bigfoot, lake monsters, UFOs, Native American folklore, haunted locations, unexplained disappearances, or just discovering strange local legends you've never heard before, this episode is packed with bizarre stories from one of the most beautiful and mysterious regions in the United States.

This isn't just an episode about monsters.

It's about the places that seem to create monsters.

The deep woods.
The dark water.
The forgotten roads.
The places where imagination and mystery overlap.

So grab your kayak, keep an eye on the shoreline, and maybe don't wander too far into the woods after dark...

Be Rad.

RAD WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR SHOW:

JOIN OUR PATREON:
Exclusive episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes weirdness:
⁠patreon.com/thatwouldberad⁠

CHECK OUT OUR MERCH:
Grab official That Would Be Rad gear —
⁠thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com⁠

SHOW INFO:

🎧 Written & Produced by: Woody Brown & Tyler Bence
🎧 Recorded at: Midnight Radio Studios
🎧 Sound Design, Editing, & Music by: Woody Brown
🎧 Mixing & Mastering by: Tyler Bence
🎧 Art Design by: Tyler Bence
🎧 Outro Song: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society

CONNECT WITH US:

💬 Have a tip on this story or another wild one? Send us a voice message at ⁠www.thatwouldberadpodcast.com⁠

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @thatwouldberad

#ThatWouldBeRad #MichiganMonsters #MichiganMysteries #Bigfoot #MichiganDogman #LakeMichigan #GreatLakes #Cryptids #ParanormalPodcast #HighStrangeness #UFOs #MichiganTriangle #LakeMonsters #NativeAmericanFolklore #Mishipeshu #NainRouge #PauldingLight #WeirdAmerica #MysteryPodcast #BeRad