Myths and Legends
Episodes
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 greedy official…the only issue? The victim had doze...
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 a woman chasing a dumpling across her floor…and...
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 it doesn't live to tell about it, and it moves se...
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 about a changing time and a man struggling to kee...
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 always has a lot of problems, but this one involves a ...
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-here-and-let-the-giants-die-from-their-own-unforce...
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 usually be pretty great...except her parents are al...
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, and the other let her son do whatever he wanted ...
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, though, the weirdness of last week gets ironed ou...
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 wanderer who definitely isn’t named Odin but have you h...
153-Odysseus: The Angry One
04 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A boy is born, fated to be one who brings strife. Two sons seek to outrun a family curse. A wife is spared the grisly fates of her husband and son...o...
152-King Arthur: When in Rome
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Things are going well for King Arthur for once. He’s in complete control over the island of Great Britain, he’s got a bunch of awesome knights, an...
151B-Faust: The Bad Place
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Faust decides that if he's going to have these powers, he's really going to enjoy them so, in no particular order, he gives himself: A Doctor Strange ...
151A-Faust: A Man of Wealth and Taste
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Faust and his infamous deal is one that has survived for hundreds of years. Beginning as whispers in Germany in the 1500s, it grew to pla...
150B-European Epics: Where the Shadows Lie
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From the end of the world to the underworld and Armageddon itself, Kalevipoeg does way too many things. The creature will throw acres of caustic fe...
150A-European Epics: King Me
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From the Estonian epic, the Kalevipoeg, comes the story of, well, Kalevipoeg, the son of a giant who battles sorcerers who are trying to get with his ...
149-Japanese Fairy Tales: Son of a Peach
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why you absolutely should take the biggest peach you can find in the supermarket and sing to it. It might just hatch a baby! Unfortunately your fairy ...
148B-Monkey King: Leaps and Bounds
10 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The monkey king has done it all: he was immortal, he had allied with all the mythological creatures he could find, and he controlled an army 40,000 st...
148A-Monkey King: Good Little Monkey
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sun Wukong, the (Handsome) Monkey King, is both an actual monkey and an actual king…and presumably handsome according to whatever standard that is j...
147B-Antigone: Authority
26 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A dark story gets darker as Antigone battles an authoritarian state in the form of her uncle Creon. -- All music by Blue Dot Sessions Support th...
147A-Oedipus: Team Spear It
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When we last left the Oedipus family, they all found out they were more related than they ever thought possible. It's somehow about to get even worse....
146-Scandinavian Folklore: Twinning
12 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Tatterhood is unlike any I've ever read on the podcast, and it's so excellent. The problem? I can't really say much without ruining the s...
145-Achilles: The Age of Heroes
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We're back on the road to the Trojan War, with the story of Achilles. Starting from when his father interrupted the ritual to make him immortal, we'll...
144-Viking Legends: The Old Gods and the New
29 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
King Olaf has a new guest...named Guest. Guest has a story, an impossible story of gods, giants, and heroes from a time long past. If it's true, it co...
143-Japanese Folktales: Crabby
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The story this week is the reason you don’t make enemies with a decapod who’s friends with a bee, a pile of dung, a mortar and a chestnut. The oth...
142B-Rome: Politics
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Romulus and Remus are finally striking out on their own, and what could go wrong with two seventeen year olds starting their own city when they are ac...
142A-Rome: Glory
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you're remotely familiar with the legendary history of Rome, you might know about two babies suckling a she-wolf....and that's about it. Really, th...
141C-Robin Hood: On Brand
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off last week, Robin Hood was stabbed in the side by an assassin who deceived him, and he was bleeding out all while his camp was being s...
141B-Robin Hood: The Hunted
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it’s a continuation of our Robin Hood tale, and this time, the Sheriff of Nottingham is on his final nerve. With his reputation on the li...
141A-Robin Hood: Merry
17 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Robin Hood is a name that has echoed through the ages as a noble outlaw - one who takes from the rich and gives to the poor and who, with his bow and ...
140-La Llorona: No Way Out
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you hear her weeping, it might already be too late. A life fraught with loss and betrayal creates a tragic and dangerous being that's trapped betwe...
139B-Irish Legends: Evitable
03 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Where we left off, Cú Chulainn was getting dung smeared in his face by a stronger, magical king. None of that matters, because Cú Chulainn won. Of c...
139A-Irish Legends: The Hound
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Swan hunting, demon horde fighting, and marriage counseling: we’re back in the stories of Cú Chulainn, the hound of Ulster, after he won the war. H...
138-Knights of the Round Table: Carl
20 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gawain, Kay, and Bishop Baldwin are road tripping, but it's starting to rain. Kay won't camp out in the rain, so that only leaves one option: Carl's h...
137-Italian folklore: Tailor-made
13 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Young Dionigi is an apprentice to the master tailor, Maestro Lattantio. It’s a good job and, frankly, the best one he could get. The problem? He wan...
136-Pecos Bill: To the Moon and Back
06 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the long awaited, frequently requested return of Pecos Bill, and we’ll see the aftermath of the incident with the twister, watch him pitch th...
135C-Tristan and Isolde: Homecoming
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The jig is up, the news is out, they finally found Tristan and Isolde. They were renegades who had it made, but they were caught red-handed...mainly b...
135B-Tristan and Isolde: Secrets
20 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan and Isolde have a problem: they can't get enough of each other. After they inadvertently drank the love potion, they couldn't control their lo...
135A-Tristan and Isolde: Matchmaker
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
I don't want to spoil anything for someone who doesn't know this story, but this three-parter has everything: sneering villains, valiant heroes, monst...
134-Grimm: Thirsty
06 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For once, the king is dead and the queen is alive, and she's going to make sure her daughter avoids the dangers that many princesses have to face. Or,...
133-Filipino folklore: Monkey Business
23 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's a fable from the Philippines with a monkey, a turtle, and Game of Thrones level violence and retribution when something is stolen (don...
132B-Trojan War: Some Foolish Thing
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is the episode. This is the episode where Helen of Sparta becomes Helen of Troy, and an event happens that launches 1000 ships toward the city in...
132A-Trojan War: The Wars to Come
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this prelude to the Trojan War, we learn the origin of the most famous Greek hero, and maybe the most reviled Trojan prince. Also, you shouldn't le...
131B-Greek Mythology: All in the Family
02 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, Hera hid that she was pregnant. This week, we learn who the father isn’t, and see the births of two more important figures from Greek myt...
131A-Greek Mythology: Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal
26 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The origin stories of the Olympians. The creatures this week are the Yule Lads, their mom, stepdad, and murderous cat. -- Sponsors: Check out Bird Box...
130C-Jungle Book: An Old War
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Mowgli is hiding among the humans to stay safe from Shere Khan after burning and shaming the tiger at the showdown at Council Rock. The problem? The t...
130B-Jungle Book: The Strength of the Pack
12 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We catch up with Mowgli after he’s been tossed in a pit of cobras while his friends fight countless vicious monkeys outside. We’ll also see what S...
130A-Jungle Book: Welcome to the Jungle
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A boy is lost. A tiger hunts. The wolf pack takes on a new cub. The story of the Jungle Book begins -- Sponsors: Audible! Audible is my favorite way t...
129B-Persian mythology: Champions
28 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Rostam embarks on his quest to free his king, taken captive in the land of the demons, where he'll not only have to free his stupid, stupid ruler and ...
129A-Persian Mythology: The Mammoth that Rides
21 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Rostam from the Shahnameh, an important book in Iranian Mythology. It starts out in a weird place, with a strange little Benjamin Button-...
128-Irish folklore: Give Him the Finger
14 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A fairy tale from Ireland with a genre savvy queen who has one request for her husband: don't let his surely evil next wife get anywhere near her thre...
127-Finnish Mythology: The Boy who Lived
07 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A story from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, about revenge, letting go, and moving on. Also why you shouldn't mess with babies that can whisp...
126-Wendigo: Hunger
31 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On our annual Halloween episode, it's stories of a monstrous creature who stalks the north woods...and how they might be sitting right next to you. ...
125-Norse Mythology: Bound
24 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in Norse Mythology. It's set before Ragnarok (obviously), and it's a story we never got to of Freyja, Odin, Loki, and four dwarves. Freyja ...
124-Greek Mythology: The Fall
17 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Theseus has had a long and storied life, but now he faces his greatest challenge: after you've accomplished everything you set out to do and your name...
123-Dark Tower: Directions
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A game turns dark as a child disappears. Her brothers must follow her into a land that's like a mirror image of our own to get her back from the king ...
122-Indian Folklore: Let it Be
03 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A king fighting against fate. A young man surviving the impossible. A hermit reading the future from his toilet. This week, it's the long road to beco...
121-Grimm Brothers: King of the Mountain
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A man loses everything except for his children and his field, but it's while he's in that field with his children that he receives a visit from a myth...
120B-Holy Grail: Beyond the Sea
19 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Seven people have been informed that they will be pivotal in the quest for the greatest holy object that has ever existed: the Holy Grail. First, they...
120A-Holy Grail: Only the Penitent Man Will Pass
12 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The Holy Grail: The greatest legendary item of all time and the focal point of the Arthurian legends. This is its origin. Beginning as the humble cup ...
119-Sleeping Beauty: Rude Awakening
05 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's the first written version of Sleeping Beauty, put down to paper in the 1600s by the Neapolitan writer Giambattista Basile. And it's horrifying. ...
118-Jewish Folklore: The Eyrie
29 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The king is annoyed. All of these people want to make him work. It's just...not fair. Sure, they're starving and about to riot in the streets, but act...
117-Romanian Folklore: What did it Cost?
22 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's the fairy tale "Youth without Age and Life without Death", from Romania, a tale of love, loss, impossible quests, and acheiving your d...
116B-Mexican Legends: Outlaw Country
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Joaquin is out of control. He is riding through town, doubling the rewards on his own wanted posters. He has cowed or killed anyone who has tried to s...
116A-Mexican Legends: Alta California
08 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's 1850. The gold rush in the wild west, and Joaquin Murrieta seeks a better life in the US state of California, only recently taken from Mexico in ...
115-Chinese Folklore: Another Brick in the Wall
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Meng Jiangnu and the Great Wall is one of the four great folktales of China. It's the story of love, tyranny, and standing up for what is...
114B-Indian Stories: Heavy
25 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The world has been quiet for centuries, but everyone knows that they will return. The demon kings. An ancient evil destined to be reborn a third and f...
114A-Indian Stories: Calamity
18 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Three lifetimes, two guardians, one objective: get back home. In our long overdue first foray into stories from India, it's the story of Jaya and Vija...
113-Armenian folklore: Occupational Hazard
11 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The prince is having a bad day...because the prince is having a great day. His life is just too easy. Too awesome. He is suffering from too much luxur...
112C-Pinocchio: Whale Jail
27 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's the end for Pinocchio. We left him last week the lead suspect in a murder investigation (no, I'm not joking), and we'll catch up to him on the be...
112B-Pinocchio: Nosey
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I wouldn't really call Pinocchio ill-fated. That implies that it's undeserved, and it's definitely not. The little guy lies like it's a second languag...
112A-Pinocchio: No Strings Attached
13 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Prison. Assassins. Marionette dance parties. The original story of Pinocchio has it all. Of course, you know of Pinocchio and Geppetto, but did you kn...
111-Thumbelina: Sweet Summer Child
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Thumbelina's life is already difficult. She lives in early modern Denmark and is no bigger than her mom's thumb. Oh, and also, everyone wants to marry...
110-Viking Myths: Alone
30 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Odin. Jotunheim. Shin Tinder. We're (basically) back in Norse mythology with the legendary story of Hadingus, a Viking king that hates being king. We'...
109-Athens: Home
23 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The city of Athens is one of the most famous of the ancient world and its royal family was plagued with, well, weirdness. Between the dragon kings and...
108-Tom Thumb: Thumbs Up
16 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Thumb is the story of a guy named Tom...who is as big as his dad's thumb. A practical joke by a wizard, Tom went on to become Sir Thomas Thumb, th...
107B-Golem: To Dust You Shall Return
09 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's quiet. Too quiet. It has been years since the last blood libel and the Jewish community in Prague is starting to relax. Then, the Maharal receive...
Bonus-U.S. Folklore: Gaslighting
05 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As a way to say thank for voting for Myths and Legends for the Webbys (and for being the reason why we won!), we wanted to share an additional story t...
107A-Golem: Guardian
02 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In 16th century Prague, a people are under attack. Accused of an unspeakable crime they didn't commit, they have no recourse: even the rulers of the c...
106C-African Legends: Who Tells Your Story
25 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The king returns to his homeland after nearly a decade of exile. An evil sorcerer king is at the apex of his power. Owls deliver insults and dating is...
106B-African Legends: Bad Move
18 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A new shadow rises to the north of Mali and an evil sorcerer king (and connoisseur of severed heads) will rise, but not before Djata, Sogolon, and oth...
106A-African Legends: Long Live the King
11 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The epic of Sundiata, the founder of the Mali empire, has everything - magical old women, evil magician kings, nice magician kings, and helpful buffal...
105B-Reynard: Ferocious Mr. Fox
04 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Reynard, having received a pardon from the Lion who was a King, is up to his old tricks. Like, immediately. He bit the head off the rabbit that was ac...
105A-Reynard: Fox on the Run
28 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Despite cute talking animals, the world in the stories of Reynard the fox is a rough place. The fox might not be the biggest or toughest animal in the...
104-Egyptian Mythology: The First Avenger
21 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Horus's uncle Set murdered his father, and because his mother was shrewd, he gained the throne and the murderer was exiled to the South. There was jus...
103-Middle Eastern Folklore: Shipshape
14 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A story about a king and his garden...that somehow turns into a story with genies, witches, boats full of male models, guys getting boiled alive, angr...
102-Charlemagne: Honor Among Thieves
07 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Charlemagne is the Holy Roman Emperor, and as a Holy Roman Emperor in a legend, it's not surprising that he'd get a command directly from God. What is...
101-Fairy Tales: Three Dog Night
28 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do if an obvious witch stops you on the road and asks a favor? Keep walking, right? Well, for the first time in possibly the entirety of t...
100B-Knights of the Round Table: Family Reunion
21 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Things get weird this week. The knights continue their quests through the Country of Strange Adventure, and the side-quests becomes the main quest as ...
100A-Knights of the Round Table: Buddy System
14 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Yvain and Gawain are just two best friends taking a fun trip together. Nevermind that they've been exiled from Camelot forever, making it a mandatory ...
99-William Tell: One Shot
07 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The story of William Tell is so much more than an arrow and an apple. It's the story of a reluctant hero, a tyrannical ruler, and why you shouldn't le...
98-Native American History: Runner in the Night
31 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
As I was reading the story of Gouyen, I couldn't believe it was a true story - the lengths and the danger this woman went to in order to bring her hus...
97-Jack and the Beanstalk: Sleeping Giant
24 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I feel pretty confident saying that this episode is the most fun you'll have listening to a story about child murder and cannibalism. Jack of Jack and...
96-Russian Folklore: Cold as Ice
17 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Two vastly different stories of children made from snow. The first is one where the king is called on to solve some dating issues...but then discovers...
95B-Irish Legends: Finn the Human
10 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A giant otherworldly monster that shoots fire from its mouth. The treacherous chief that killed his father. A super-smart fish dinner. These are just ...
95A-Irish legends: Wanted
03 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
If I could have just re-named myself in grade school, it probably would have been Finn MacCool. I mean, yeah, that's only an English transcription and...
Bonus-The Time Machine: Inspector Spacetime
29 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Since Myths and Legends is off this week, I thought I would run an episode from our other show, Fictional. It's a podcast where we adapt and retell st...
94-Norse Legends: A Very Viking Christmas
20 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a few violent, zombie-filled Christmases from Norse legend. There are two creatures this week! The first is the gloso! A friendly litt...
93B-Theseus: Love and War
13 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
93A-Amazons: Wonder Women
06 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...