Gastromancy: The World of Talking Dummies

Some ancient Greeks described people as “belly speakers,” whose unusual voices were attributed to spirits within them. Eurycles, active in Athens in the fifth century BCE, is an early named example. We should be cautious about imagining these people doing exactly what modern performers do—the surviving accounts mix religious belief, theatrical effects, and accusations of deception.

On this episode we delve deeper into the sick and twisted world of ventriloquism and why it's so popular these days.

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