Audio: Gods & Monsters 2026 - Pelts or Portals: Cryptid Identity in the 21st Century
In March of 2026 I was on a round-table panel titled "Pelts or Portals: Cryptid Identity in the 21st Century" at the second Gods & Monsters conference at Texas State University, hosted by religious studies scholars Joe Laycock and Natasha Mikles.
The panelists included myself, Blake Smith of Monster Talk, archeologist Jeb Card, and was moderated by historian Josh Paddison. This was a wide ranging discussion that dug into what cryptozoology actually is as a practice; how creatures like the Wendigo and Skinwalker got drafted into the cryptid canon; why Bigfoot is increasingly seen as supernatural; the importance of mid-20th Century Men's Adventure Magazines for cryptozoology; Heuvelman's claims about mermaids, fairies, and djinn; what the Creation Museum is doing with dragons; and whether the Patterson-Gimlin film's future may be in jeopardy.
This version is paywalled. If you're a subscriber to Blake and Jeb's terrific podcast In Research Of you automatically get it. Otherwise it's $3 to listen. A free, albeit abridged, version is slatted to go up on MonsterTalk later this year. See less
How to cite this entry
Justin Mullis. “Audio: Gods & Monsters 2026 - Pelts or Portals: Cryptid Identity in the 21st Century.” Justin Mullis (blog), April 10, 2026. https://profjustinmullis.com/archive/bonus-gods-monsters-2026-pelts-or-portals-cryptid-identity-in-the-21st-century/.