Folklore, Tales and Myths
Episodes
Japanese Folklore. The Tongue-Cut Sparrow: The spiritual symbolism of the Shita-kiri Suzume folktale.
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The discovery that this "fairy tale" was treated as a legal reality in 1661, appearing on a government land dispute map in Gunma Prefecture,...
The Story of O-Tei: A Vow Stronger Than Death
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, we explore "The Story of O-Tei," a well-known tale from Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan. The story is about a young woman who,...
Why the Norse Cosmos Was Fated for Destruction
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Norse universe wasn't built for peace. Its creation from a murdered giant (Ymir) means that chaos is an inherent, inescapable part of the worl...
The conceptual evolution of the "demon," from the neutral Greek daimon to the malevolent entity of Christian theology
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, we explore the history of the "demon." It's a word we all know, but its meaning has changed dramatically. This episode ...
Tsuru no Ongaeshi: A Japanese Folktale of Love, Sacrifice, and Greed
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The tale is not just about a magical reward, but a tragic warning. It explores how human greed (or curiosity) corrupts a supernatural gift, forcing th...
Japanese Folklore: Can Grief Turn a Man Into a Demon?
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The idea that the purest love and most profound grief can corrupt a holy man into a monster, and that the same obsessive energy, when redirected, can ...
The legend of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his loyal warrior monk, Benkei.
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The paradox that Yoshitsune's military genius and immense popularity, which won a war for his clan, were the very qualities that led his own broth...
The legend of the Ganjō-ji temple mermaid mummy and the story of the nun and the page.
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The popular idea of a "ghostly nun" at Ganjō-ji is a modern myth; the true, ancient legend is a tragic story of a mermaid who fell in love ...
Japanese Mythology: Yamato Takeru, Tragic Hero or Imperial Symbol?
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The stark contrast between the two earliest accounts of his life: the Kojiki, which portrays him as a tragic hero exiled by a fearful father, and the ...
The story of the Kasane-ga-fuchi curse, its historical context, and modern legacy.
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The tale of Kasane exists in two powerful forms: one as a generational curse haunting a single bloodline, and another, older version where a ghost'...
The legend of Emperor Sutoku's transformation into a vengeful spirit.
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How a rejected prayer, a holy scripture written in blood, became a 700-year curse that toppled an empire.In this episode of our podcast, we explore on...
The myth of Hoori and Hoderi (Luck of the Sea and Luck of the Mountains)
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The myth of Hoori and Hoderi is not just a fairytale about sibling rivalry but a sophisticated political allegory created to provide divine justificat...
The Tale of the Straw Millionaire (Warashibe Chōja)
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The story's evolution from a Buddhist parable, where wealth is a reward for piety and selfless compassion, into the secular "trading quest&qu...
The horror tale of the Hashihime of Uji (The Bridge Princess)
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The idea that the Hashihime was not a passive victim who became a ghost, but a living woman who willfully transformed herself into a demon through a h...
The Real-Life Horror Behind the Ghost of Yotsuya
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Oiwa's ghost is a famous tale of domestic horror, but it's also a dark reflection of the real-life terror and deadly rivalries wi...
The Purity and Power of Tawara Tōda's Arrow (My Lord Bag of Rice)
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The idea that a monster impervious to normal weapons was defeated not by a magical sword, but by the hero's own saliva, revealing a deep connectio...
The tale of the Hanged Woman of the Pass: Japanese Folklore and the Underworld's Deadly Debt
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of our podcast, we explore the chilling Japanese tale of the Hanged Woman of the Pass. We'll discuss how this story is not a singl...
The Legend of Momotaro, the Peach Boy
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of our podcast, we explore one of Japan's most famous and beloved folktales: the story of Momotarō, the Peach Boy. We begin by re...