234-Scandinavian Folklore: Trolling
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, there are two stories from the north. On the first, a young Danish man is doing the hero'...
233C-King Arthur: Not Dead Yet
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We finish up our current run of King Arthur episodes with the most evil castle in the land having fa...
233B-King Arthur: 'Tis But a Scratch
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We catch up with the strange knight in the white armor, the boy who doesn't know his own past, as he...
233A-King Arthur: The Boy with No Name
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the world of King Arthur! It's been too long, and if you haven't heard our King Arthur...
232-Robin Hood: Public Enemy
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Robin decides that, you know what he needs? To walk directly into the home of his greatest enemies. ...
231-Irish Folklore: Challenge Accepted
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Ireland. On the first, Finn McCool, a giant Irish here, isn't scared! He totally is...
230-Grimm: A Hairy Situation
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A story from the Brothers Grimm about an evil king and a bad penny of a kid who's apparently unkilla...
229-Monkey King: Forbidden Fruit
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the story of the Monkey King and the Journey to the West. After picking up Sandy, the ...
228-Italian Folklore: Full Circle
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from the Italian writer Giovanni Francesco Straparola, who earns the title of one of the...
227-Greek/Roman Mythology: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Olympus
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Greek/Roman mythology this week with the (not remotely) love story of Apollo and Da...
226-European Folklore: Failing Upward
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's the story of Fortunatus, the man who, bet you could never guess from his name, was g...
225-Egyptian Folklore: Kitchen Nightmare
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Egyptian folktale of a young woman who's not messing around. After fleeing her home, she only se...
224-African Folklore: It's the Great Pumpkin, Kiali
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's a story from Africa (more specifically the Nilamba people in northern Tanzania) abou...
223B-Samurai Legends: Dinner Party
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There's a killer on the loose in Kyoto. Young women are disappearing from the streets, never to be h...
223A-Samurai Legends: The Devil went down to Kyoto
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Three connected stories of samurai from medieval Japan. On the first, Kintaro, a buff eight-year-old...
222B-Norse Legends: It Takes a Pillage
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A packed episode with Thor, Odin, mythological dwarves, sword arms, and Valhalla, all ending up with...
222A-Norse Legends: The Land of the Ice and Snow
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back in the nine worlds of Norse myth where two Viking blood brothers are looking for prince...
221-Chinese/Scottish folklore: The Great Beyond
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, there are two stories about death and what comes next, from China and Scotland. On the fi...
220B-Odyssey: Lonely Island
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the Odyssey where Menelaus comes home, Telemachus leaves it, and Odysseus? Odysseus ha...
220A-Odyssey: The Castaways
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Three men grappling with the legacy, or curse, of their fathers. Menelaus loses everything and finds...
219-Italian folklore: Unhand Me
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A story from the Pentamerone with a title so spoiler-y that I can't even say it here, but it's a fun...
218-Monkey King: Enter Sandman
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We resume our journey to the west right where we left off: the Tang monk has been kidnapped by demon...
217-Mabinogion: Bringing Home the Bacon
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back in the Mabinogion, where we’ll learn about the perils of bacon - and it’s not the c...
216-Baba Yaga: Which Witch?
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Russia. On the first, we catch up with the famous witch, Baba Yaga, as we follow ye...
215-Scandinavian Legends: Madness
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The story that inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet, the tale of Amleth, the prince of Denmark. A ton of de...
214-Japanese Folklore: Take Your Lumps
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Two short stories from Japan. On the first, an old man is in a tree surrounded by demons and faced w...
213-Reynard: What Does the Fox Say?
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We continue the saga of Reynard where the the classic trickster tries to do good in a world turned a...
212-Armenian Folklore: Witchy Woman
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An awesome story about a young king who wants to do the impossible! And the ill-advised! And, frankl...
211-Aeneid: Troy Story
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Aeneid, by Virgil, is one of the great world epics. Inspired by, and modeled after, the Odyssey,...
210-Russian Legends: Dragons, Dragons Everywhere
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Dobrynya the dragon slayer from Russian folklore is the tale of a young man finding his...
209C-Viking Legends: Black Widow
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kjartan and Gudrun were always meant to be together, but when the former gets waylaid in a foreign k...
209B-Viking Legends: Time and Tide
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our winter Norse saga continues, with our protagonists celebrating Christmas in Norway...and also le...
209A-Viking Legends: Bloodlines
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A Norse saga in the truest sense of the word, this story follows one family through changing times o...
208-Maui: Big Tuna
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do after you hook the sun, dredge up islands for humanity, and bring fire to the world? ...
207-Monkey King: Girls Before Swine
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the tale of the Journey to the West, where we'll catch up with the pious monk, Xangzan...
206-Mabinogion: The Blip
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh folklore, where we'll see what happens when the ...
205B-Odyssey: The Widening Gyre
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back, finishing up this leg of our journey in a packed episode with a witch, pigmen, more gian...
205A-Odyssey: Man of Constant Sorrow
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With monsters, witches, sirens, and cyclopes, the Odyssey is one of the landmarks of world literatur...
204-Russian Folklore: Get in the Bag
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in Russian folklore for a fun story about a soldier with some biscuits who fights demons,...
203-Grimm: Out of the Woods
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from the Grimm brothers! On the first, a wolf wants to eat some kids, and is annoyed tha...
202-Greek Myths: Dead Poets Society
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week it is the very very spooky* Halloween episode about a terrifying** trek through the Greek ...
201-1001 Nights: In the Wind
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the stories of 1001 nights, where Scheherazade has to tell bedtime stories to save her...
200-Irish Legends: The Things We Do for Love
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Returning to Irish legends, we tackle the wooing of Etain, a love story that goes up against witches...
199-Japanese folklore: Moonlight
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A story from Japanese folklore of Princess Moonlight, from Japanese folklore, where a bamboo cutter ...
198-Robin Hood: On the Road Again
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Robin Hood is back on the road and ready to make some quick cash, so of course, he's going to go und...
197-Viking Legends: VFFs
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After a ball game goes wrong in the worst possible way, Viking best friends go on a quest to clear t...
196-Reynard the Fox: Chaotic Good
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A reboot, of sorts, of Reynard the Fox, everyone's favorite brutal, amoral trickster. I found a much...
195-Greek Myths: Stranger Danger
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dionysus was the god of wine from Greek myths and the last Olympian to earn a place on Mount Olympus...
194-Mulan: The Warrior
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A completely new version of the Mulan legend, sourced from a story from the late middle ages, so eve...
193B-Monkey King: Pilgrim's Progress
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're on the road with the monk, Xuanzang, and Monkey King, Sun Wukong, as they start their Journey ...
193A-Monkey King: Golden Cicada
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We return to the stories of the Monkey King and pick up at the end of his long imprisonment under a ...
192-Grimm: Brave Traveler
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An off-the-wall story from the Grimm Brothers about a young man who knew no fear...and why that was ...
191-Norse Legends: See How they Fly
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode from Norse legends, we'll see that the worst breakups involve Thor breaking up the c...
190-Chinese Folklore: Fierce
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In one story, a dragon is rampaging around the countryside unless he gets his favorite meal: teenage...
189C-Nibelungenlied: I Know It Was You
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the third and final part of our series on the Nibelungenlied, the hero of the story, Siegfried, i...
189B-Nibelungenlied: Heinous
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We pick up right where we left off last week: Gunther has tricked his way into marrying Brunhild, an...
189A-Medieval Legends: Cheater Cheater
08 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The story starts out with one prince slaying a dragon and getting rich. It starts there. The wild ri...
188-The Flea: Forever Home
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from the bawdy, funny, and oftentimes deeply unsettling 17th century fairytale author Gi...
187-Greek Myths: The End to All Our Pain
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Agamemnon is coming home from the Trojan War. He has no idea what's waiting for him. There are ove...
186-Grimm: Don't Be Weird
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A story from the Grimm brothers about three down-on-their-luck soldiers who get everything they coul...
185-Queen of Serpents: With This Hiss I Thee Wed
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Eglė the Queen of Serpents, from Lithuanian folklore, about a young woman who is faced...
184-Robin Hood: Check, Please!
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We return to the Robin Hood stories with a (mostly) standalone episode. Robin Hood and his merry men...
183-Indian folklore: Revenant
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The story of an ancient Indian king who goes on a fetch quest through an evil-looking cemetery and l...
182-Slavic folklore: The Brave Companions
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Join Bulat the Brave Companion and Ivan Tsarevich (no, not that one) as they get a magical new horse...
181B-Mabinogion: With Friends Like These
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Branch two of the Mabinogion has the kings of Great Britain and Ireland (Bran and Matholwch, respect...
181A-Welsh Legends: Otherworld
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
King Pwyell just wants to go hunting in the dark forest alone. What's the worst that can happen? Huh...
180-Azorean Folklore: Power
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The story from Azorean folklore about a sorcerer who turned his life around. He became a priest, hel...
179-Slavic legends: Grateful Dead
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A classic quest from Slavic legend with princesses, dragons, wizards, dragons fighting wizards, and ...
178-Tanuki: Changes
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An episode about the Tanuki, the notorious raccoon-dog trickster from Japan with giant...well...you'...
177D-Trojan War: Horsin' Around
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Greeks finally find a way into Troy and while, yes, it's exactly the way you think they get in, ...
177C-Trojan War: When I am Gone
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Achilles is back and it's god vs. god, Greek vs. Trojan, Achilles vs. Hector in the most epic battle...
177B-Trojan War: Storm of Spears
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The episode starts with Menelaus sparking the biggest battle of the war so far and ends with an even...
177A-Trojan War: Rage
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Sing, O muse, of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaea...
176-The Emperor's New Clothes: Matchless
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories this week from the Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen about people that ...
175-Thor: Surprises
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Thor’s daughter is getting married to a dwarf, and Thor is the last person to find out about it. A...
174-Medieval Knights: Take Your Time
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Sir Isumbras, a knight from the high Middle Ages, includes talking birds, epic battles,...
173-Tunisian Folklore: Fortune
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fortune favors the bold. Or people willing to put up with a decade of junk. Or the best liars. On th...
172-Norwegian Folklore: Adventure!
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the master thief, from Norwegian folklore, which will have you wondering what the diffe...
171-Indian Folklore: Love and Marriage
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories of love from India. The first is what happens when a prostitute and a thief try to bui...
170B-Norse Sagas: On a Long Enough Timeline
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we continue the story of Grettir. Last week he was driven by an intense, mysterious tende...
170A-Norse Sagas: Good for Nothing
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re back in the Icelandic sagas with the story of Grettir the strong, who, whether it...
169-1001 Nights: A Bottle of Djinn
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A story from the famous Middle Eastern collection of folklore entitled 1001 Nights where, three frie...
168-Robin Hood: Team of Rivals
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How to win friends and influence people and also get beat up a lot in the 12th century. We've talked...
167-Nutcracker: Cracked
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it is the insane original story behind the popular holiday ballet. In this story for chil...
166-Grimm Brothers: The Dark Forest
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Two (originally children's) tales that underscore the shocking brutality of the world in which these...
165-Greek Myths: A Tangled Web
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a weaving contest between a goddess and a woman challenging the cruelty and tyranny of ...
Supplemental: Lady White Snake Conclusion
09 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A short supplemental that finishes the story of Lady White Snake...because there wasn't enough story...
164B-Lady White Snake: Enlighten Me
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Xu Xian is dead. He discovered the truth about his wife and he died. I mean, yeah, he's dead...but h...
164A-Chinese Legends: Here I Go Again
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The legend of the White Snake is one of the four great folktales of China. Today, we start that with...
163-Hansel and Gretel: Crumble
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There's a surprising amount to the story of Hansel and Gretel. There's your average fairy tale weird...
162-47 Ronin: Wanderers
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the 47 Ronin is a historical tale where a powerful daimyo is shamed and killed by a gre...
161-Japanese folklore: Karma
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Japanese folklore today dealing with the consequences of our actions. The first has...
160-Halloween Special: Lurking
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There's something in the forest in 16th century Scotland. It's been there for years. Anyone who sees...
159-Rip Van Winkle: Bad Dad
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Rip Van Winkle is more than just a guy taking a long, alcohol-induced nap. It's a story...
158-Agamemnon: Fate Proceeds
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re back on the boat to the Trojan War where Agamemnon has a problem. I mean, he alwa...
157-Jack the Giant Killer: Giant Problems
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jack the giant killer is back, and he’s less Jack the giant killer than Jack the let’s-just-sit-...
156-Italian Folklore: Clever Girl
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories, one from Italy, one from England. In the one from italy, Costanza is born which would u...
155-Fairy Tales: The Pearl
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories of terrible parents. One decides to get rich by strapping a gemstone to an infant's head...
154B-Viking Legends: The Army of the Dead
18 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Hrolf Kraki must avenge his father by confronting his step-father...and brother-in-law. Don't worry,...
154A-Viking Legends: Family Business
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back in the Norse Sagas with witches, trolls, Norns, magic, elves, and this one-eyed wandere...