Ninjas Are Butterflies – Episode 168: Secrets of Ancient Nashville, The 3i Atlas, & The Great Squirrel Migration (w/ Hardy)

Podcast: Ninjas Are Butterflies
Hosts: Josh Hooper, Andy DeNoon, Andrew
Guest: Hardy
Release Date: November 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In this riotous yet surprisingly thought-provoking episode, the Ninjas Are Butterflies crew is joined by country music star Hardy for deep dives into Nashville’s odd ancient history, the bizarre “Three Eye Atlas” (3i Atlas) celestial object, animal intelligence, strange ecological phenomena like the great squirrel migration, and uncanny technological and governmental conspiracies. The show balances outlandish humor, wild storytelling, and genuine curiosity, making for an entertaining and unpredictable journey through the weirdest corners of American life, nature, and pop culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life, Comedy, and Kill Tony Dreams

• The group kicks off with playful banter about viral Vine stars, songwriting routines, and their own day jobs in music and comedy.
• Hardy reveals his dream to appear incognito on "Kill Tony," and shares the story of hosting a comedy night on tour (03:01).
  • Quote: “I’ve actually daydreamed about that… going by a different name and walking out…” – Hardy (03:06)

2. Parenting Stories and “Trap Babies”

• Hardy shares about being a new father to a baby girl, describing his “trap baby”—a perfect, easy first child that lulls parents into having the (potentially wilder) second.
• Warm discussion of the differences between having sons and daughters.
  • Quote: “It’s the best thing in the world… it’s just so perfect…” – Hardy (05:36)

3. Cabin in the Woods: Strange Happenings in Franklin, TN

[16:30-19:33]

• The family trip to Tennessee takes a spooky turn: Josh’s daughter claims to see a little girl (ghost?) in their cabin. The group connects this experience to classic horror tropes and Hardy tells a similar, almost-horror-movie story about exploring an abandoned house.
  • Quote: "She just said, a little girl... in the basement." – Josh (16:49)

4. Animal Intelligence and Vengeance: From Bears in Japan to Killer Lions

[25:00-34:29]

• Discussion of a spike in bear attacks in Japan, winding into talk of animal possession, legends, and animal souls.
• Andy references a lion attack story in Africa where the animals seemingly acted out of vengeance, not hunger.
  • Quote: "There's something with animals we just don't know." – Andy (31:21)

5. The Great Squirrel Migration

[75:05-78:30]

• Hardy’s father witnessed a mind-blowing event in Mississippi: a wave of tens of thousands of squirrels migrating due to an acorn shortage in the 1960s—something corroborated by news reports and family memories.
  • Quote: "I saw this wave of like a million squirrel came through at one time..." – Hardy (75:53)

6. The 3i Atlas: Alien Probe, Asteroid, or Space Turd?

[42:02-47:44]

• The team unpacks recent astronomical buzz about “Three Eye Atlas,” a 7-mile-wide object displaying un-asteroid-like behavior (e.g., glowing, erratic speed), with speculation flying about aliens, secret government knowledge, and hidden NASA data.
  • Quote: “The Harvard guy... said there's a 5% chance that's an alien ship.” – Josh (46:22)
  • Visual: Described as "almost cigar-shaped... a space turd" (44:14)

7. Nashville’s Parthenon: Mud Flood, Tartaria, and World's Fairs

[79:47-88:49]

• Deep dive into the bizarre history of Nashville’s Parthenon—built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exhibition, possibly on the site of a much older structure. Theories arise about the “mud flood,” lost Tartarian civilizations, and the strange pattern of extravagant, temporary world's fair architecture.
  • Quote: “The mud flood theory is that they actually found the Parthenon in mud and they excavated it…” – Josh (82:09)

8. Modern Conspiracies: Food Chain, Wildfires, and Bill Gates

[89:40-94:42]

• A detailed and genuinely disturbing segment on PFAs (“forever chemicals”) contaminating wildlife in states like Maine and Florida due to fire retardants and disasters, leading to new food advisories and the looming “smart city” agenda.
  • Quote: “They're literally starting to circulate stories... why you wouldn't be able to eat venison or fish.” – Andrew (91:42)

9. Robots in the Home: The Creepy, Over-Priced Present

[63:31-69:16]

• The group discusses next-gen $20,000 home robots, currently operated by real humans via VR, raising privacy and security concerns—and setting the stage for inevitable Black Mirror scenarios.
  • Quote: "Anybody that could afford a twenty thousand dollar robot would not want somebody knowing what the inside of their house..." – Hardy (65:19)

10. AI, Deepfakes, and the Erosion of Reality

[73:29-76:24]

• Concerns shared about realistic AI videos fooling not only older generations but also the hosts, with stories of AI-generated animal videos and their potential to rewrite history and erode trust.
  • Quote: "There are some out there... I don't understand how AI can animate something that looks so real..." – Hardy (76:11)

Notable Quotes & Funny Moments

• Josh (on eerie cabin paintings): “My daughter...she’s two. I said, ‘What?’ She just said, ‘A little girl’...Don’t say that.” (16:49)
• Hardy (on baby luck): “Everybody’s like, that’s a trap baby! She’s perfectly healthy...” (06:08)
• Hardy (on comedy): “Comedy is like one of those things. It’s like music. It’ll never go away.” (03:41)
• On the 3i Atlas:
  • Andy: “Could it just be a big space turd?” (44:17)
  • Josh: “You know what’s even crazier? That it came from Uranus.” (45:01)
• On AI robots:
  • Hardy: “I would never have anything in my house that I could not overpower.” (70:48)
  • Andy: “This robot does laundry and my husband doesn’t. Oof.” (68:32)
• On weird animal vengeance:
  • Andy: “Don’t kill lions or lions will kill you. That’s what I’ve always said.” (34:35)
• On Nashville’s Parthenon:
  • Josh: “The mud flood theory is that they actually found the Parthenon in mud and they excavated it…” (82:09)
  • Andy: “That’s where I’m stuck...unless they didn’t build it.” (88:54)
• On the consequences of advanced tech:
  • Andrew: “The Pentagon has a ninjas meter...We gotta slow down.” (54:08)

Memorable Segments with Timestamps

• [03:01-04:10] – Hardy’s “Kill Tony” aspirations and music/comedy crossover discussion
• [05:25-06:47] – Hardy’s “trap baby” parenting tale
• [16:30-19:33] – Ghost girl at the cabin & Hardy’s haunted house story
• [25:00-34:29] – Animal vengeance, bear attacks, and animal souls
• [42:02-47:00] – Three Eye Atlas: aliens, glowing asteroids, CIA secrets
• [63:31-69:16] – The real (and horrifying) state of home robots
• [75:05-78:30] – Hardy and the legendary squirrel migration
• [79:47-88:49] – The true story of Nashville’s Parthenon, world fairs, and mud flood theories
• [89:40-94:42] – Forever chemicals, poisoned food, and infrastructural conspiracies

Tone & Style

The tone stays irreverent, bordering on absurdist, but with real moments of awe and speculation about history, technology, nature, and the fate of humanity. Conspiratorial curiosity and wry skepticism are ever present, while friendly roasting and inside jokes keep the laughter rolling.

For New Listeners

This episode is a heady, hilarious mix of urban legend, dad wisdom, existential speculation, and genuine oddities. The crew and Hardy shift effortlessly from riffing on TikTok to discussing the survival of civilization, weaving odd facts and out-there theories with big laughs and honest wonder. If you’ve got a taste for the wild and weird—and don’t mind the occasional tangential detour—this is a must-listen.

Want to hear about UFOs, Nashville’s potential secret history, animal conspiracies, and why you should beware of robot butlers? Don’t miss Episode 168.