Myths and Legends
Episodes
333: Arabian folklore, part 1: Resolve
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The epic story of Fatima, Dhat Al-Himma, the warrior woman, princess, mystic begins with the misadventures of her family line where they learn the per...
332: Japanese folklore: Frog and Slug are Friends
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Slug, frog, snake, shoot! You've heard of rock, paper, scissors, but have you heard of slug, frog, snake? That old man you're trying to rob who live...
331: English Folklore: Bad Habits
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from English folklore about the secrets we keep. The first is the story of the Monk of Leicester, Dan Hew, a man who has a few verses of p...
330: Jewish Folklore: The Gilded Cage
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Yiddish folklore of taking a chance, making a change, going for a ride on a giant bird's wings, yelling at a classroom full of kids, ...
329: Danish Folklore: Out of the Box
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What would you do if you could have anything you could imagine, but it would cost you everything you have? That's not a choice Hans made, but one h...
328: Monkey King: Bullish
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the story of the Monkey King with the Journey to the West, and we'll see Sun Wukong finally meet his match: a buffalo with a headband. ...
327-French Fairy Tales: Sister, Sister
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Finette Cendron is like a greatest hits of fairy tales. A tale of betrayal, sisters, ogres, bad poetry, and haircuts, we see three sister...
326-1001 Nights: Enough
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Three brothers. One cousin...who they want to marry. It starts in a weird place this week. Three brothers are sent on a quest: the brother who brought...
325-Greek Myths: The Power of Love
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aphrodite is looking for love in all the wrong places. It's the story of where she came from, her side of her doomed marriage with Hephaestus, and how...
324-Samurai Legends: Violent Ends
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two young men: a wildman determined to collect 1000 swords from defeated samurai, and a displaced son of a clan leader, who had spent his childhood on...
323-Knights of the Round Table: Ladies' Knight
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Erec and Enide from Arthurian Legend is a good illustration of why you should try to work out your problems as a couple with empathy, und...
322-Norwegian Folklore: Ask Dad
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Just ask dad Two Norwegian tales of asking dad. All seven of them. Who live in the same house. Or might not have a house to go back to, depending o...
321B-Viking Legends: The Peacemaker
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On his quest to help princess Ingigerd, Hrolf has become enslaved by the wily William, a con man who wants to be a prince. This episode, they'll come ...
321A-Viking Legends: Mostly Harmless
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's the Saga of Göngu-Hrolf, from Icelandic folklore. It starts with a king getting one, solitary, five-foot-long, apparently super attra...
320B-Popol Vuh: The Boys
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The hero twins will rise... ...and then fall. The underworld calls, and the monsters of their past comes back to haunt them. The creature is the ...
320A-Popol Vuh: Origin Story
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the beginning, the gods apparently had an undo button. And angry tortilla griddles that took out the first humans. Today, it's the beginning of ...
319-Indian folklore: Tricks and Illusions
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can you beat fate? Subramanya has learned something terrible about two people who are practically siblings to him. Can he use his deep wisdom to bea...
318-Greek Mythology: Sad Lad
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hephaestus has his day Who is the smith god of Olympus? Why is he married to Aphrodite, and why can't he catch a break? This week, it's all about He...
317-Monkey King: Make it Rain
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the story of the Monkey King, and monkey finds a noble new calling: freeing enslaved monks. Does this noble calling include the ignoble ...
316-French Fairy Tales: Right Meow
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when you see something you can't live without? A thing you desire so strongly that you can't stop thinking about it. Do you give up every...
315-Korean folklore: Mountain Magic
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A story from Korean folklore about friendship, kindness, moving on, and why magicians are terrible actors. The creature is the Silver Lake Serpent,...
314-Greek Myth: Baby Steps
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The story from Greek mythology of how Hermes became an Olympian by killing a turtle and eating some barbecue. The creatures are the heikegani (平家...
313B-1001 Nights: Night Shift
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We wrap of the stories of the dervishes (and the mysterious visitors to the party who are DEFINITELY NOT the caliph and Jafar) and then the hostess an...
313A-1001 Nights: Party Down
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A party no one can speak of under threat of death. Genie fights, wizard battles, and grocery shopping. Yes, we're back in One Thousand and One Nights....
312-Norwegian Folklore: Let's Dance
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A Norwegian tale about why you should pay your employees a living wage (or at least not beat them and try to have them executed), or else you could en...
311-Samurai: Lost and Found
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A Ronin (a masterless samurai) goes on a quest to find a stolen sword and restore the honor of his family's name, but, when it comes to pushing the li...
310-Norse Sagas: The Maiden King
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Sigrgarthr and the Maiden King, from Icelandic folklore has Viking male models, ruthless princesses, people shoving metal down their pant...
309-Scandinavian Folklore: The Enemy of my Enemy
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, there are three stories of people bargaining: with the devil, with that angry lady who owns too many cats, and with...rocks, and we'll see ...
308-Tricksters: Food Chain
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Stories of tricksters from the folklore of the Hopi, Northern Pueblo, and Algonquin people. Coyote makes an enemy when he steals Fox's best friend...a...
307-Dragons: Pie Hard
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The story of why, no matter how good of an idea it sounds like after a few drinks, you shouldn't steal church bells and drop them into a nearby pond. ...
306-Latin American Folklore: Payback
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Latin America folklore about people (and animals?) getting payback. The first is a story about why you shouldn't bite strangers. The...
305-Turkish Folklore: Angry Bird
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the Bird of Sorrow, from Turkish folklore, has love, loss, gratitude, people messing up coffeehouses, genie girlfriends, and elaborate pr...
304-Celtic Folklore: Among Us
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Celtic folklore of the things that lurk among us: witches that live in our home town, trolls that hold dance parties on the frozen wa...
303-Japanese Folklore: Rice and Means
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Japan about samurai (and wannabe samurai) following their dreams. Too bad it takes fights with giant creatures and a little bit of mu...
302-Jewish Folklore: Losing Hares
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we learn where you shouldn't kiss a rabbit (it's exactly where you think), and how a dance party can save a city. The creature is B.O.B.,...
301-Japanese Folklore: After Sundown
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a family and the monsters that hunt them. The twist? These are monsters that they might know better than they realize. The creature is ...
300-Norse Christmas: A Slaying Song Tonight
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An abbot spends Christmas surrounded by outlaws in the dark forest, so he can listen to mysterious, otherworldly music. A farm has a fun Christmas tra...
299-Korean Folklore: Long Con
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The spies are coming. Governor Sim has gone too far and earned the attention of the king, who's sending people to see what's going on in Sim's distric...
298-Finnish Folklore: Footsteps in the Dark
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A home improvement project 800 years in the making that includes way too many wolves, rat parts, and beards. It's the story of the Tomten of Åbo Cast...
297-Monkey King: Up in Smoke
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the story of the Monkey King as he and the crew continues their journey to the west. Xanzang, the monk, of course gets captured again, b...
296B-Roman/Greek myths: Should I Bray or Should I Go?
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucius has been turned into a donkey after using the wrong body lotion. Then, he was kidnapped by bandits. Things are about to get a whole lot worse f...
296A-Greek Myths: To Bewitch or Not to Bewitch
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lucius’s lifelong dream, as of ten minutes ago, is learning how to do sorcery. Luckily, he’s not only in a city crawling with witches who are slic...
295-1001 Nights: What's in the Box?
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a merchant gets lost ducking out early from a funeral and who ends up sleeping in a graveyard…and that’s somehow the least scary thin...
294-West African Folklore: Spirited Away
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Moremi Ajasoro from modern-day Nigeria has love, loss, and, of course, evil forest monsters. The creature is the Van Meter Visitor, a di...
293-Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Things
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories, two small things making enormous problems. We have "The Princess and the Pea" and "The Red Shoes". For two stories about young women lear...
292-Germanic Legends: Dwarf Fortress
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Magic swords, Viking legends, dwarves, ice queens, and enchanted rose gardens, this story of Dietrich of Bern and the Dwarf King Laurin has a bit of e...
291-Japanese Folklore: The Monsters
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories of monsters from Japan. We have a tanuki, the monsters that lurk in the civilized places, and monsters that might be under your home rig...
290-Indian Folklore: Hiss and Make Up
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A story from Kashmir folklore about love, marriage, and murder. Kind of a lot of all those things, actually. The creature is a Jaculus, the snake th...
289-Viking Sagas: Half the Man
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Half's Heroes, from the Icelandic Sagas. If you don't like being burned alive...and also do absolutely nothing to avoid the completely av...
288-Viking Sagas: The Pillage People
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Saga of Half and His Heroes from Icelandic folklore starts with Odin spitting in a family's ale and only gets stranger from there. The creatures...
287-Korean Legends: Sob Story
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's the story of Stupid Ondal and the Princess Pyeonggang, where we see that it's Pyeonggang's birthday, and she can cry if she wants to. ...
286-Japanese folklore: Cat Dad
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Tokutarō is not going to be tricked by fox monsters. He's just not. Also, a dad has a big problem with the new pet cat. Two stories from Japan a...
285-Romanian Folklore: Grin and Bear It
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Harap Alb (Povestea lui Harap Alb) from Romanian folklore has it all. Like, it really does try to jam as many fairy tale tropes in as pos...
284-Grimm: To the Point
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I mean, if you style your beard to a point so that it looks like an enormous bird's beak, you can't really fault an insult comedy pro princess for tak...
283B-Indian Folklore: To the Victor
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We see if Victor can come out on top using the power of stories…for murder? The creature is a tiny fish with fingers and teeth! — Disclaimer...
283A-Indian Folklore: King of the Jungle
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when a lion and his prey become best friends? Or when a monkey starts messing around on a worksite? Or a weaver pretends to be a god to w...
282-Gawain: All Knight Long
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
King Arthur and his best knight, Sir Gawain, have to answer the age-old question: what do women want? Oh, and if King Arthur doesn't find the definiti...
281-Grimm: Beyond the Grave
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from the Grimm brothers with people going beyond death. On the first, it's a prince and princess who find love...after they swear a terrib...
280-Korean Folklore: Family Matters
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories from Korean folklore about family with terrible frog sons, angry imps beating guys with sticks until their arms get tired, and a mayor w...
279-Norse Sagas: Prince Ali
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Spotted Ali, from the Icelandic sagas, has werewolves, ogre battles, and witch curses. It also has parents doing the right thing (and the...
278-Oscar Wilde: Skyrockets in Flight
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two literary fairy tales from Irish writer Oscar Wilde. On the first, we'll see that even fireworks need spa days. Is that what wallowing in the mud w...
277-1001 Nights: Kiss the Cook
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the cook and the warlock, from 1001 Nights, where you see how a hot tub can change your entire life's course. The creature is the Murgh...
276-Swiss Horror: Along Came a Spider
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An adaptation of a Swiss horror novella "The Black Spider" by author Jeremias Gotthelf (AKA Albert Bitzius), about a town with a knight problem, so th...
275-Tibetan Folklore: Free Bird
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A prince, chased by seven evil wizard roommates, seeks help from a hermit. This leads him on a journey of discovery that entails ghosts, mythological ...
274-European Folklore: Murky
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Eastern Europe where we see why mythological water monsters aren't a great way to discipline your kids. On the second, if a wizard is...
273-Robin Hood: The Good Thief
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You would think, if you're the most wanted person in Britain, you would probably want to lie low for a little while and think that the all-too-happy-t...
272-Egyptian Folklore: Imposter
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a young man who decided that he would do anything to live the life of his dreams...but how far is too far? The creature is the Minata-K...
New Podcast: Myths and Legends, now in Spanish!
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sonoro and Nextpod (that’s Jason and Carissa Weiser!) present Mitos y Leyendas. The acclaimed podcast about mythology and worldwide folklore, now in...
271-Korean folklore: A Friend in Need
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories of people helping people from Korea, including helpful monsters, deadly Pictionary, and why you should shove strangers down hills. The...
270-Greek Myths: Cloud Cuckoo Land
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Olympus will fall. The reign of the Greek gods will come to an ignoble end to an enemy that has been lurking in the shadows the whole time....
269-Hans Christian Andersen: What We Do With the Shadows
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A story from Hans Christian Andersen about becoming your best self…after that self completely separates from you and leaves you as merely a shadow. ...
268-Viking Legends: Hride or Die
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Norse myth. The first is about how you should just be you, even if people think you're a fool for doing so...actually, kind of especi...
267-Dragons: The Horse and his Boy
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A story of believing in yourself and finding your own way in the world...by imitating Pokemon and Hodor and wearing flashy suits from your best friend...
266-1001 Nights: Good Night and Good Luck
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A story from One Thousand and One Nights of an incompetent dude, a genie that's more than happy to be used for evil, and how the best legal outcome is...
265-Monkey King: Out of Your Gourd
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A super-powered monkey from Chinese folklore meets more than he bargained for: a sloshing hollow gourd full of pus. The creature is the Mikaribaba (...
264-Korean folklore: On the Mountainside
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Five stories from Korean folklore all woven together to tell a grand narrative of the lives of normal people (and animals...and trees) on a mountainsi...
263-Celtic Folklore: You Can't Take it With You
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories of things worth more than gold from Slavic, Celtic, and Chinese folklore. Also, why you shouldn't eat gold (it will literally kill you),...
262-Japanese Folklore: Fatal Attraction
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories from Japan about love gone wrong. On the first, the fairest youth in all the land is set to marry the daughter of a rich noble. The prob...
261-Jewish Folklore: Mirror, Mirror
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories of King David's magic mirror. One actually involves a folklore version of the Biblical king facing off against an enemy from his past...an...
260-Norse Sagas: Norse Code
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Heidrek the wise...was not actually all that wise. He took ownership of a cursed sword for one. He also got in a riddle battle with Odin, which is nev...
WE HAVE A NEW PODCAST! SCOUNDREL: HISTORY'S FORGOTTEN VILLAINS IS AVAILABLE NOW!
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From Jason and Carissa Weiser, the hosts of Myths and Legends, comes Scoundrel: History's Forgotten Villains. History consists of heroes and villains...
259-Egyptian Folklore: Butter
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
NEW SHOW NEW SHOW! We have a new show out. We've partnered with Kast media to make a history podcast called Scoundrel: History's Forgotten Villains....
258-Icelandic Legends: Welcome Back, Cotter
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Iceland. On the first, Signy has a shot at the good life. Unfortunately, that shot involves camping out in a cave with giants, tone...
257-Chinese Folklore: Love Me, Love Me
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's (almost) Valentine's Day, and we have two stories from Chinese folklore about love, loss, and marrying all sorts of things you shouldn't be marry...
256-Indian Folklore: Tiger Mom
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A story from India that's like a more awesome version of two different Grimm fairy tales. A woman is promised in marriage to a stranger and we learn t...
255-Chinese Folklore: Picture Me This
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A story from China where we see a young man embark on a dangerous journey for love that definitely isn't a knock-off version of "The Journey to the We...
254-Spanish Folklore: Ready or Not
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A story from Spanish folklore of three brothers, a crafting competition, a smelly Trojan parrot, and a lesson that it's never too late to start on the...
253B-Monkey King: The Good Guys
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Monkey has been fired. Sandy has been captured. Pigsy is fleeing in terror, and the monk is about to be cut to pieces by a room full of angry guys. Th...
253-Monkey King: Severance
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're back on the road on the Journey to the West and our heroes are starving. The solution? Some murders, some personnel changes, and human buns. T...
252-Greek folklore: Name that Tune
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fighting your own fate: it's a theme nearly as old as human civilization. We'll hear two stories of people who both lament their fate...and see that t...
251-Icelandic Legends: Ghosts of Christmas Past
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories of Christmas in Iceland. So that apparently means wizards and zombies? The creature is the Cuegle! It's like a walking great white shark...
250-Grimm: Fauxsicians
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories of absolutely real and definitely not fake doctors! The first is a Grimm tale where a guy goes to medical school and opens a practice! Nev...
249-Italian Folklore: Unbearable
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Giambattista Basile, Neapolitan writer, of angry sisters, busted Mario pipes, and she-bears that are only mad if you try to force the...
248-Sorcerer's Apprentice: The Magic Words
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories of sorcerer's apprentices. The first picks the wrong major at wizard school. The second finds a creative way into school...by becoming a d...
247-Argentinian Folklore: Beast Tartare, Can't Go Far
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's the story from Argentina about Senorita Maldonado. We'll learn that sometimes the beasts of the woods might be better than your cruel,...
246-Slavic Legends: The Queen's Gambit
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The legendary story of Olga of Kiev, a 10th century queen who's always four steps ahead of her enemies. For the creature of the week, when you're th...
245-Pirates: Pretty Pretty Pirate
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a pirate princess from Jewish/Polish folklore, we'll see how many fiancees is too many fiancees (the answer, of course, is however many t...
244-Georgian Folklore: Here Fishy Fishy
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A story from Georgian folklore about a king who needs a cure for his condition, the prince who decided that cure was going to be his new pet, and all ...
243B-King Arthur: Double Trouble
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Arthur has been kidnapped. Guinevere's evil twin is at large. The kingdom is thrown into chaos. Their hope rests with a bunch of knights putting other...
243A-King Arthur: Doppel-Gwen-er
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Queen Guinevere as she goes from princess, to queen, to convict. The creature is the Ciguapa, from Haitian and Dominican folklore, and ...