93B-Theseus: Love and War
The Amazons are at the gates, and they want what they came for: the sister of the queen that was kidnapped by Theseus...but does Antiope, the Amazon, want to return? What will the horribly outmatched and, let's face it, outwitted Theseus do? How does this whole segment only take up 1/3 of the episode? We'll see on this week's thrilling conclusion to...last week's story. The creature this week ...
34m Dec 13, 2017
34m
93A-Amazons: Wonder Women
There is a monster that's worse than all other monsters. He's (literally) the father of monsters. His donkey-head scrapes the stars and his hands are a hundred snake heads. He was born for one singular purpose: to destroy the Olympians, and that's just what he'll do. His name is Typhon. And that's just the first story today. Then we launch into the main story, about Theseus and the Amazons. We'...
35m Dec 06, 2017
35m
92-Greek Myths: Gigantic
There is someone that isn't happy that the family of Zeus and Hera is sitting on Olympus. Well, there are many people that aren't happy about it. Actually most people except for Zeus and his family aren't thrilled about it. Even then, they all kind of hate each other. Regardless, someone finally comes along to do something about Zeus and his ilk. Someone from their past...and she's coming with ...
38m Nov 29, 2017
38m
91-Greek Myths: Fatherhood
Two stories of just terrible, terrible fathers from Greek mythology. The first is really only in the story for a few minutes, but helps to bring about two giants that could end his reign. The second is one who admits his mistake and takes pity on the boy before trying to do right by him. And it ends much, much worse than if he had done nothing at all. The creature this time is an elephant unic...
35m Nov 22, 2017
35m
90-Viking Legends: Mighty
The land of giants. Jotunheim. The realm of the monstrous "other" from Norse myth. Thorstein grew up being told it was only a legend, and he probably thought as much...until he walked into it. This is the epic saga of Thorstein Mansion-Might, a legendary Viking who is bigger than doors. The creature this time is Dr. Big Bird. He's a big bird who is an ancient world doctor. That sounds impressi...
40m Nov 15, 2017
40m
89-Maui: The Mauiest Maui
Maui. Trickster. Demigod. Sometimes-fish. Abandoned at birth but in the possession of great power, the story of Maui is the story of an underdog that came to help the human race in immeasurable ways: giving them fire, pulling up islands, making the day longer, killing monsters to give coconuts, and convincing the sun to give us some more time in the day...by beating him mercilessly with a fishh...
32m Nov 08, 2017
32m
88-Ragnarok: Doom
The Day of the Wolf. The Doom of the Gods. The end of all things. It has many names, but one word encapsulates it all: Ragnarok. It's what Odin has been dreading and fighting. It's what Loki has been planning. It's the dark end of days where the worlds will drop into eternal night, giants will battle gods, and all will burn. Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership (https://www...
45m Nov 01, 2017
45m
87-Werewolves: The Lost
Werewolves are people that turn into wolves. Or they don't. Maybe they just wear a fancy wolf belt. Or maybe part of a wolf skin. Or maybe they just like to think they're a wolf. Or maybe they're just people that like killing. Werewolf stories are simple ones, but there's no simple answer as to why this thing happens. And it did. A lot. All throughout history there are stories of Werewolves, st...
37m Oct 25, 2017
37m
86-Grimm: Clever
Clever Hans is clever. He knows the best way to store needles and knives and how to carry a goat in your pockets on long walks through the country. He's even getting married to Gretel, and we'll see how taking advice on wooing your fiancee from your mom can end up in way too much mutilation. The second story is also about Hans! A different one. It's about cat chefs and following voices down in...
34m Oct 18, 2017
34m
85B-Slavic Folklore: Hold on to Your Hat
The conclusion to the dwarf with the long beard, a story about a dwarf. And a long beard. And entering the ear canals of magic horses for fun and profit. We'll see the epic struggle between brothers come to an end, as well as a powerful argument in favor of facial hair. The creature this time is big, warm cat named Big Ears! He has Big Ears! And an army of demonic cats to do his will! --- Mu...
33m Oct 11, 2017
33m
85A-Slavic Folklore: For the Right Reasons
Today's story comes from Slavic folklore and it was so much fun. It's surprisingly complex and full of magic, love, and a sleazy little kidnapper who just can't catch a break. Did you know cotton balls were vegetarian friendly snacks? I mean, they're also living things, but they are primarily plants. They taste like old fish and/or honey, but they are low cholesterol so, you know, there's that...
31m Oct 04, 2017
31m
84-Famous Fairy Tales: Rule of Three
Threes are everywhere in folklore, and today we look at stories where they feature the most prominently: The three bears, the three little pigs, and Cinderella. The tales told and adapted for children children, the three pigs and Cinderella,  are extremely bloody and unforgiving, while the one that was originally for adults - the three bears - is about three very chill best bear friends enjoyin...
34m Sep 27, 2017
34m
83-Tale of Tales: Skin Deep
The "Tale of Tales" is a very famous, moderately deranged collection of folklore from 16th century Italy. It's by the author Giambattista Basile, a storyteller who traveled the Mediterranean region collecting stories. The collection known as "Tale of Tales" follows a similar framing narrative to "1001 Nights", with the storyteller telling the king stories in a very loosely-connected fashion. I'...
41m Sep 20, 2017
41m
82B-Arabian Nights: Show Me What You Got
We have to go deeper. Well, for Scheherazade to survive, she always has to have another level of story to go to - she always has to have another layer of protection, to keep the king interested or her story might end with the rising of the sun. Luckily the king is very easy to impress because these stories are bananas. The creature is a funny little guy who just wants to wash his beans in pie...
34m Sep 13, 2017
34m
82A-Arabian Nights: I'll Most Likely Kill You in the Morning
(Have you checked out Fictional? Check out Fictional! There are three episodes waiting for you. Go to https://fictional.fm for more info.) The collection known as "Arabian Nights" actually has an overarching story. And it is...interesting. Full of djinn, demons, kings, and slaves, it's an incredibly interesting way to set up one of the best known collections of folklore. The framing narrative (...
30m Sep 06, 2017
30m
81-Trolls: Breakups
An episode with a story from Scandinavia about trolls. Not the internet kind. No, these are the less annoying ones that will murder you in the forest. Two creatures this week! And they are dogs! And Myths and Legends will ruin dogs for you, too! Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership (https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership)
32m Aug 30, 2017
32m
80B-Perseus: I'm Set Free
**Have you subscribed to Fictional yet? You'll love it! https://fictional.fm/subscribe** Wrapping up the story of Perseus, we'll see that fated confrontation with the eternally cosmetologically-challenged monster, Medusa, as well as fall in love. Turns out it's really easy to meet people when they are imprisoned beneath you. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The creature this ...
35m Aug 23, 2017
35m
80A-Medusa: Golden Child
Hey! Have you subscribed to Fictional? Go subscribe to Fictional! You'll love it, and it will be an amazingly huge help to us. Thank you!! You can find it at: https://fictional.fm/subscribe --- Medusa is probably the most misunderstood villain in all of Greco-Roman Mythology, famous only for being a monster...and the hero's quest to kill her. We'll learn all about her background and follow th...
33m Aug 16, 2017
33m
79-Odin: The War to Begin all Wars
We're back in the cold, unforgiving north, at the very beginning of Odin's reign. We'll see him meet a new friend while being completely unsuspicious in giant land, a threat come from another world to try to topple the Aesir, and the lengths Odin will go to in order to gain power, acquire knowledge, and thwart his coming doom. The creature this week is an antlion. When a mommy ant and a daddy ...
38m Aug 09, 2017
38m
78-Egyptian Mythology: The Master Namer
Starting at the beginning of the universe and going to the beginning of the epic and mildly disturbing battles between Set and his nephew Horus, Egyptian mythology is epic, funny, interesting, and bizarre. It's taken way too long to get into this mythology, and I'm excited to dive in. The creature has no problem diving in...to your mouth. As a newt. Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.c...
33m Aug 02, 2017
33m
77-Romanian Folklore: Mrs. Piggy
The story of a dark (well, dark-ish. Actually, kind of not even that. You'll see.) prophecy, a kingdom overrun by monsters (again, kind of), and one woman's globe spanning quest to do what's right (that's pretty much correct). Also, pig plague parties are only fun if you're a talking swine with a moderately sinister agenda. The creature this time is the Alkutane, from the folklore of the Pacif...
36m Jul 26, 2017
36m
76-Greek Myths: Lioness
The story of Atalanta is one of the woman who just couldn't be stopped...and of a world that had a big, big problem with that. Giant monster fights, meddling gods, and well-known heroes make an appearance in the story of a heroine who just can't be kept down. The creature this week is Al, from North Africa, and he's a great reason to not run with scissors. --- Music: "Gringo Steele Rocks the...
39m Jul 19, 2017
39m
75-Pecos Bill: Rider on the Storm
The story of Pecos Bill is that of a true American Hero...who spends half the story naked and who legitimately thinks he is actually a coyote. But don't tell him that. He's cool and won't hurt you, but you'll get into a long discussion and won't actually convince him or his horse (named Pegasus/Widowmaker/Jeremy) that he's actually a human being. Also, while we're at it, he can lasso water and ...
33m Jul 12, 2017
33m
74-Japanese Folklore: Do You Really Want to Live Forever?
The story of Sentaro the millionaire* is about a man with a dream. Well, not really a dream, but a deep, abiding fear of death. Soon, he becomes so obsessed with avoiding the inevitable that it leads him on a journey across Japan and later the world to find a way to avoid that which will come to us all. The creatures this time are from the US and one will "please and excite" you in the forest....
28m Jul 05, 2017
28m
73-Japanese Folklore: I will find you
A young woman's father is taken, and she decided to go to the edges of the known world to get him back, to a faraway island harboring a dark and terrible secret. The creature this week is skunk ape! He's 0% skunk, 0% ape, and 100% into stealing your produce. --- Music: "Two Dollar Token" by Blue Dot Sessions "These Times" by Blue Dot Sessions "Slow Casino" by Blue Dot Sessions "Yellow Dust" by...
42m Jun 28, 2017
42m
72-Kelpie: Party Horse
A sea horse (but not that type of sea horse) that haunts the coasts of Scotland, the kelpie is a legendary cryptid that represents the dangerous unknown of the water...as well as new guys stopping by your village for the sole purpose of picking up women. The creature this time is the Shojo, a Japanese yokai, who is living its best life: by lounging on the beach drinking and pulling off daring ...
38m Jun 21, 2017
38m
71C-Sinbad: There and Back and There and Back Again
If you've ever wondered about giving that strange old man a piggy-back ride in the woods, the philosophical nuances of way too much grave robbing, or how many people are necessary to take down a four-story-tall baby bird, well, then this is the episode for you. Sinbad finishes up his epic tale of epicness and we see what led to him falling back on his plan "B" of living a life of leisure on his...
43m Jun 14, 2017
43m
71B-Sinbad: Snake Eyes
Whether it's deadly literary references, sticky cows, or extremely inappropriate eulogies, the stories of Sinbad have it all...as long as by "it all" you're looking for a story of how a rich (and, let's face it, not-so-smart) guy for whom everything pretty much always works out. It's like Mr. Magoo without the nearsightedness and with much, much more impalement and cannibalism. The creature th...
36m Jun 07, 2017
36m
71A-Sinbad the Sailor: Venture
Sinbad (no, not that Sinbad) is probably the 3rd most famous story from a collection titled "One Thousand and One Nights". It's a story of loss, hardship, and redemption...and then partying so hard that you forget all that loss, hardship, and redemption and need to do it all over again. Six more times. On the plus side, it's not just about an out-of-touch rich guy being out-of-touch and rich, b...
33m May 31, 2017
33m
70-Ugly Duckling: Fowl Play
It seems like with a lot of fairy tales someone looked at the original, thought that there was absolutely no way they could tell that to a child, and re-wrote it to get rid of the shocking violence and general terribleness of every creature ever. "The Ugly Duckling" by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen is no exception. It's shockingly violent and sad at times, but underneath its brutality a...
32m May 24, 2017
32m
69-Midas: You Got the Touch
Don't, under any circumstances, trust the Midas touch. The king of unforced errors, Midas is a well-known figure in mythology mainly because of horrible decision-making and lack of foresight. They say any publicity is good publicity, and I hope that is the case for Midas, who took a bad choice and used it to propel himself to everlasting notoriety. Mouse bears. The creatures this week are mous...
35m May 17, 2017
35m
68B-Morgan le Fay: Her Majesty
Wrapping up this two-part series on Morgan le Fay, we'll see her devious schemes within schemes come to fruition with one aim in mind: killing King Arthur and seizing the throne for herself. The creature this week is fish man, from Spain. He's kind of like a superhero if all superheroes did was lay around and drink wine at their parents' house. ---------- Music: “Lamplist” by Blue Dot Session...
43m May 10, 2017
43m
68A-Morgan Le Fay: Get Thee to a Nunnery
Sorceress. Confidant. Traitor. Sister. All of those words describe Morgan Le Fay, King Arthur's half-sister. She is by far the most complex character I've come across in the Arthurian legends, but she's constantly portrayed in the medieval and early modern texts as a one-note traitorous baddy who is evil because she's an evil sorceress and evil sorceresses are evil. If you're familiar with the ...
32m May 03, 2017
32m
67B-Gawain and the Green Knight: Head On
I wanted to name this episode "it's not easy being green," but it really is. The Green Knight had his head chopped off last episode...but still carried it out of the most uncomfortable Christmas dinner ever. Really, it's not easy being Gawain, who has to go present his neck in payment. Except it really is easy being Gawain. Most of this episode will consist of him sleeping until noon in a fancy...
38m Apr 26, 2017
38m
67A-Gawain: To the Dogs
You probably had to read the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in high school. I know I did, and it's a great story. There are beheadings, green guys, confusing interactions with ladies. It might be one of the most violent non-Die Hard Christmas stories. Anyway, everyone knows that. You probably don't know the story I'll tell today. It's of how Gawain grew into the paragon of virtue he's...
44m Apr 19, 2017
44m
66-Paul Bunyan: Truth in Advertising
You know how to make your stories completely resistant to any ridicule from a future podcaster? Make them as ridiculous as possible. The stories of Paul Bunyan arose from the camps of lumberjacks in the US in the 1880s, but he spread to be a nationwide symbol of American strength and a pioneer spirit. Except that a lot of what we know about Paul Bunyan might actually not be folklore, but storie...
32m Apr 12, 2017
32m
65-Oedipus: Motherboy
The story of Oedipus is fun until it isn't. I've met people with varying degrees of familiarity with the story. Some are familiar only with the central premise of the story, while others' knowledge only extends to a certain disgusting little complex popularized by a similarly-disgusting Viennese psychologist. Regardless, the story of Oedipus is a fascinating commentary on fate, our willing blin...
41m Apr 05, 2017
41m
64-Frog Prince: Warts and All
The story of the frog prince is well known - a beautiful princess meets a frog, kisses him, and he turns out to be a prince. Except, in the earliest version, it doesn't go like that at all. I won't spoil it, but the original frog prince is extremely bizarre, and I had the most fun writing it of any episode so far. The second story is of a frog princess, from Russian folklore, and not only is it...
47m Mar 22, 2017
47m
63-Puss in Boots: These Boots
The story of Puss is Boots is that of a cat who wears boots and talks. The character of the cat has somehow gone on to be voiced by Antonio Banderas, take part in a one really successful franchise, spin off into its own movie AND Netflix series. The 2011 movie alone went on to gross, and I'm not making this up, over half a billion dollars worldwide. The original is something you haven't heard b...
32m Mar 15, 2017
32m
62-Thor: Hammer Time
Quite possibly the last episode on Norse mythology before we start on the epic showdown that is Ragnarok, this story has Thor earning a ridiculous facial feature and wetting himself in terror. Also, you shouldn't follow Loki into the wilderness, no matter how good the party he is telling you about sounds, and we'll learn how far is too far when it comes to idle, drunken boasts in the halls of t...
34m Mar 08, 2017
34m
61-Solomon: One Ring
According to folklore, King Solomon had a ring. Given to him by God, it allowed him control demons...but it also had some other powers unknown to Solomon, powers that make it essential for fighting dragons, escaping witches, and taking nice Sunday afternoon flights through the country. The creature is a shaggy, mostly-kind monster who is really great at walking on hillsides and really terrible...
41m Mar 01, 2017
41m
60C-Beowulf: Unknowable but Certain
There has been a menace sleeping in Beowulf's homeland since he was born. It has lived for centuries, and it is strong and dangerous, while Beowulf has lived for only eighty years, and is weakening. Yet, their paths draw them inexorably toward one another in a battle that will live on in legend, but might destroy them both.  The creature this week is why you should keep a giant vat of moonshine...
36m Feb 22, 2017
36m
60B-Beowulf: The Depths
It's round two for everyone's favorite (only?) Geatish hero, as he bravely takes on...his former adversary's mother. Really, it's way more interesting than it sounds. Also she's not Angelina Jolie, but a terrifying, demonic swamp hag. The creature this week is so cute you won't even mind that it watches you sleep. The Bogey Man: http://amzn.eu/8FZRv67 Our awesome sponsors: http://www.lootcrate....
32m Feb 15, 2017
32m
60A-Beowulf: I'm Kind of a Big Deal
You know the story of Beowulf. I don't need to do this. But really, there's mead. There's Grendel. There are mead-fueled fights with Grendel. It's just a fun, (kind of) light re-telling of the classic story, minus all the yelling, Angelina Jolie, and eye explosions of the 2007 movie. The creature this week is why you have that perpetual sun burn. And vampire fingers. ---------------------------...
33m Feb 08, 2017
33m
59-Greek Myths: The Violence of Our Ancestors
Many connected stories from Greek mythology. We'll start with story of Hades and Persephone, and learn why she's always hanging around the underworld (hint: it's not because she wants to). Then, I'll tell the story of the curse of the house of Atreus, starting with Tantalus and his questionable food choices. It's a long, dark episode, so get ready. The creature is the Nakki, from Finland, who j...
45m Feb 01, 2017
45m
58-Native American Folklore: Monster
The first story today is from the Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Maliseet people, about all the things that can go wrong when creating the animals and why you shouldn't drink gross monster waste water. The second story is from Cree fokllore, about Monster Skunk farting everyone to death because this is a serious podcast that takes itself very seriously. The creature is evil. Literally, she is the ...
31m Jan 25, 2017
31m
57-Japanese Fairy Tales: Faithful
This week, there are two stories from Japanese folklore.  The first has to do with  a butterfly that just won't give up trying to land on the face of a dying man. The second is of a monk-in-training who just doesn't want to stop partying. The creature is Hedley Cow, and she will give you hope that that the relationship with your crush might work out...but will leave you standing alone in the sw...
34m Jan 18, 2017
34m
56-Nepali Folklore: Hope You Guess My Name
A story of a young woman from Nepal who has a (sadly) common problem for folklore, but a very uncommon solution. Also she eats goat vomit. She probably doesn't enjoy it, though. The creature this time is the Habetrot, and she'll make you want to wear stone glasses...and them promptly throw them down in horror and run away. The Myths and Legends store is now up! Check it out at http://www.mythpo...
33m Jan 11, 2017
33m
55-Grimm: My (Bird) Heart Will Go On
This story from the Grimm brothers has giants, witches, magical animal organs, enchanted produce, and a helpful (and maybe a little homicidal) cloud buddy who just wants to aid you in finding the next steps on the journey that is life. This story is bizarre and wonderful and a testament to the endurance of love and the continuing admonishment to avoid entering spooky castles in dark folklore fo...
31m Jan 04, 2017
31m
54C-Gilgamesh: Dust
The end of the saga of Gilgamesh...and possibly the end of Gilgamesh, but not if the demi-god has anything to say about it. After a tragic loss, Gilgamesh goes on a quest to defeat mankind's greatest enemy - death itself, and he learns the secrets of our destructive past. The creature this week slathers his naked body in mud and twigs. Hows that for juxtaposition? Sponsors: Loot Crate! Check ou...
45m Dec 28, 2016
45m