Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities

Episode: The Original
Date: January 6, 2026
Host: Aaron Mahnke
Podcast by: iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild

Overview

In this “bite-sized” episode, host Aaron Mahnke presents two enigmatic stories that explore the origins—and enduring allure—of mysterious traditions and legendary monsters. The first tale investigates the enigmatic “Poe Toaster,” an anonymous figure who honored Edgar Allan Poe with a strange, annual graveside ritual. The second delves into the life of Dom Augustine Calmet, a Benedictine monk whose scholarly work forever shaped the image of the vampire in Western culture. Together, these stories highlight how simple actions and scholarly curiosity can spark legacies that outlast even the most celebrated individuals.

Segment 1: The Mystery of the Poe Toaster

Timestamps: 00:31–05:56

Key Points & Insights

• Setup of Everyday Mystery:
  Mahnke opens the episode with the quirky, unresolved question of half-peeled bananas regularly appearing on a street corner in Beeston, England, using it as a segue to more momentous mysteries.

• Introduction to Edgar Allan Poe’s Death:
  Mahnke recounts the strange death of Poe in 1849 and his subsequent burial in Baltimore.

• Birth of the Poe Toaster Legend:
  In 1949, a mysterious, black-clad figure begins a yearly ritual on Poe’s birthday:

  • Lays three roses on Poe’s grave
  • Pours and drinks a glass of cognac
  • Leaves the remainder of the bottle beside the flowers
  • Silently vanishes into the night

• Public Fascination & Media Attention:

  • Crowds gather to witness the event as the “Poe Toaster” becomes legendary.
  • The tradition is observed for decades.

• Passing the Torch:

  • In 1993, a note was left: “the torch will be passed.”
  • In 1999, it’s revealed the original toaster had died, but a successor continued the ritual.

• End and Return of the Tradition:

  • In 2010, the ritual abruptly ends, disappointing onlookers.
  • By 2015, the Maryland Historical Society seeks a new Poe Toaster.
  • In January following, a new figure resumes the tradition, adding a violin performance of “Danse Macabre,” delighting the crowd.

• Lasting Impact:
  The episode underscores the communal thrill and allure of unsolved mysteries, and how simple gestures can unite people across generations in shared curiosity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the mysterious ritual:
  “As the tradition continued, small crowds began to gather to catch sight of the mysterious toaster. The man never gave up his identity, and though there has been much speculation, there has never been an explanation for the yearly pilgrimage.” — Aaron Mahnke [03:22]

• On the tradition’s legacy:
  “And thus the tradition continues onward, bolstered by the passion of its fans who are bound together by the shared love of a good old fashioned mystery.” — Aaron Mahnke [05:47]

Segment 2: The Monk Who Shaped the Vampire

Timestamps: 07:03–12:18

Key Points & Insights

• A Philosopher’s Visit That Wasn’t the Story:
  Mahnke sets the scene of Voltaire visiting the Senones Abbey in 1754, but swiftly pivots to focus on Dom Augustine Calmet, the priest who welcomed him.

• A Scholar’s Beginnings:
  Born in 1672, son of a blacksmith, Calmet pursued the Benedictine order and became a respected theologian and historian.

• Prolific Writer:
  Authored major religious works, including “A Literal Commentary on All the Books of the Old and New Testaments.”

• The Vampire Epidemic in Europe:
  Throughout the 1730s, stories of vampires begin to proliferate across Eastern Europe.

  • Rooted in peasant folklore, these tales combine resurrection, anti-Christian heresy, and superstition.

• Calmet’s Inquiry:
  Intrigued and skeptical, Calmet undertakes a rigorous, scholarly investigation of vampire reports, compiling stories from army doctors and regional folklore.

• Pivotal Publication and Influence:
  In 1746, Calmet publishes “Dissertations on the Apparitions of Angels, Demons and Spirits, and on the Revenants and Vampires of Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia.”

  • Achieves best-seller status
  • Widely derided by peers (even Voltaire) for dealing in superstition
  • Nevertheless, it standardizes the image of the vampire for the first time in the public imagination

• Legacy and Forgotten Origins:
  Calmet’s work, though controversial in its time, lays a critical foundation for subsequent depictions of vampires—eventually inspiring the likes of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the superstitious climate:
  “Europe, you see, was in the middle of a strange period. An epidemic of weird, superstitious stories had started popping up throughout the countryside... And the stories were about the vampires.” — Aaron Mahnke [08:32]

• On Calmet’s impact:
  “His genuine curiosity was a much stronger foundation for what this creature would become. Before his writing, vampire stories varied greatly from region to region, but Calmet’s efforts ensured that the monster would become a specific thing in the minds of the public.” — Aaron Mahnke [10:42]

• Reframing credit for the genre:
  “While Bram Stoker gets all the credit for the modern vampire, none of what he did would have been possible at all without the efforts of a Benedictine monk who lived a century earlier.” — Aaron Mahnke [11:31]

Flow & Tone

Aaron Mahnke’s signature storytelling voice is restrained but curious, blending historical rigor with an appreciation for the darkly peculiar. He frames both stories within a broader reflection on how the smallest actions—be they secret rituals or scholarly investigations—can seed new traditions and reshape cultural memory for generations yet to come.

Key Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|-------------| | 1. Poe Toaster Mystery | Rituals at Edgar Allan Poe’s grave | 00:31–05:56 | | 2. Vampire Origins | Dom Calmet and the vampire tradition | 07:03–12:18 |

Final Thoughts

Through the intertwined tales of the Poe Toaster and Dom Augustine Calmet, Mahnke spotlights the curious power of the unknown. Whether by leaving a single rose or a well-written treatise, both the anonymous and the nearly forgotten can forever shape culture. As always, listeners are left with an encouragement to “stay curious”—and to look for the extraordinary just beneath the surface of everyday life.