83-Tale of Tales: Skin Deep
20 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The "Tale of Tales" is a very famous, moderately deranged collection of folklore from 16th century I...
82B-Arabian Nights: Show Me What You Got
13 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We have to go deeper. Well, for Scheherazade to survive, she always has to have another level of ...
82A-Arabian Nights: I'll Most Likely Kill You in the Morning
06 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
(Have you checked out Fictional? Check out Fictional! There are three episodes waiting for you. Go t...
81-Trolls: Breakups
30 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
An episode with a story from Scandinavia about trolls. Not the internet kind. No, these are the less...
80B-Perseus: I'm Set Free
23 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
**Have you subscribed to Fictional yet? You'll love it! https://fictional.fm/subscribe** Wrapping...
80A-Medusa: Golden Child
16 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hey! Have you subscribed to Fictional? Go subscribe to Fictional! You'll love it, and it will be an ...
79-Odin: The War to Begin all Wars
09 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the cold, unforgiving north, at the very beginning of Odin's reign. We'll see him meet...
78-Egyptian Mythology: The Master Namer
02 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Starting at the beginning of the universe and going to the beginning of the epic and mildly disturbi...
77-Romanian Folklore: Mrs. Piggy
26 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a dark (well, dark-ish. Actually, kind of not even that. You'll see.) prophecy, a kingd...
76-Greek Myths: Lioness
19 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Atalanta is one of the woman who just couldn't be stopped...and of a world that had a b...
75-Pecos Bill: Rider on the Storm
12 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Pecos Bill is that of a true American Hero...who spends half the story naked and who le...
74-Japanese Folklore: Do You Really Want to Live Forever?
05 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Sentaro the millionaire* is about a man with a dream. Well, not really a dream, but a d...
73-Japanese Folklore: I will find you
28 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A young woman's father is taken, and she decided to go to the edges of the known world to get him ba...
72-Kelpie: Party Horse
21 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A sea horse (but not that type of sea horse) that haunts the coasts of Scotland, the kelpie is a leg...
71C-Sinbad: There and Back and There and Back Again
14 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever wondered about giving that strange old man a piggy-back ride in the woods, the philos...
71B-Sinbad: Snake Eyes
07 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it's deadly literary references, sticky cows, or extremely inappropriate eulogies, the stori...
71A-Sinbad the Sailor: Venture
31 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sinbad (no, not that Sinbad) is probably the 3rd most famous story from a collection titled "One Tho...
70-Ugly Duckling: Fowl Play
24 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It seems like with a lot of fairy tales someone looked at the original, thought that there was absol...
69-Midas: You Got the Touch
17 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Don't, under any circumstances, trust the Midas touch. The king of unforced errors, Midas is a well-...
68B-Morgan le Fay: Her Majesty
10 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Wrapping up this two-part series on Morgan le Fay, we'll see her devious schemes within schemes come...
68A-Morgan Le Fay: Get Thee to a Nunnery
03 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Sorceress. Confidant. Traitor. Sister. All of those words describe Morgan Le Fay, King Arthur's half...
67B-Gawain and the Green Knight: Head On
26 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
I wanted to name this episode "it's not easy being green," but it really is. The Green Knight had hi...
67A-Gawain: To the Dogs
19 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
You probably had to read the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in high school. I know I did, ...
66-Paul Bunyan: Truth in Advertising
12 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
You know how to make your stories completely resistant to any ridicule from a future podcaster? Make...
65-Oedipus: Motherboy
05 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Oedipus is fun until it isn't. I've met people with varying degrees of familiarity with...
64-Frog Prince: Warts and All
22 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the frog prince is well known - a beautiful princess meets a frog, kisses him, and he t...
63-Puss in Boots: These Boots
15 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Puss is Boots is that of a cat who wears boots and talks. The character of the cat has ...
62-Thor: Hammer Time
08 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Quite possibly the last episode on Norse mythology before we start on the epic showdown that is Ragn...
61-Solomon: One Ring
01 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
According to folklore, King Solomon had a ring. Given to him by God, it allowed him control demons.....
60C-Beowulf: Unknowable but Certain
22 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
There has been a menace sleeping in Beowulf's homeland since he was born. It has lived for centuries...
60B-Beowulf: The Depths
15 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
It's round two for everyone's favorite (only?) Geatish hero, as he bravely takes on...his former adv...
60A-Beowulf: I'm Kind of a Big Deal
08 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
You know the story of Beowulf. I don't need to do this. But really, there's mead. There's Grendel. T...
59-Greek Myths: The Violence of Our Ancestors
01 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Many connected stories from Greek mythology. We'll start with story of Hades and Persephone, and lea...
58-Native American Folklore: Monster
25 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The first story today is from the Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Maliseet people, about all the things ...
57-Japanese Fairy Tales: Faithful
18 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week, there are two stories from Japanese folklore. The first has to do with a butterfly th...
56-Nepali Folklore: Hope You Guess My Name
11 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A story of a young woman from Nepal who has a (sadly) common problem for folklore, but a very uncomm...
55-Grimm: My (Bird) Heart Will Go On
04 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This story from the Grimm brothers has giants, witches, magical animal organs, enchanted produce, an...
54C-Gilgamesh: Dust
28 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The end of the saga of Gilgamesh...and possibly the end of Gilgamesh, but not if the demi-god has an...
54B-Gilgamesh: Huge
21 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Gilgamesh and his new best friend are heading out on an adventure to fight a firebreathing giant nam...
54A-Gilgamesh: Did We Just Become Best Friends?
14 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Epic of Gilgamesh is amazing. It is quite possibly the oldest epic we have, and though it only e...
53-African Folklore: Crocodile Tears
07 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a dragon slayer from South Africa has, of course, dragons, but it also has giant towers...
52-Greek Mythology: An Eternal Flame
30 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Two love stories from Greek mythology...because those go so well. The first is the story of Narcissu...
51-Loki: Them Apples
23 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories of Loki, the infamous trickster from Norse mythology. Most of his hijinks are light-he...
50-Dracula: Bad Blood
16 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Dracula isn't a creature from myths, legends, or folklore. The fictional vampire is a product of Bra...
49-Russian Folklore: I Pity the Fool
09 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The unexpected story of a fool, an epic quest, and a flying ship. Also, why you should respect your ...
48-Snow White: Killer Queen
02 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The original stories of Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White, despite their Disney adaptations and ...
47-Urban Legends: In the Dark
26 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
For this Halloween episode, we are doing something different. Instead of diving into the stories of ...
46D-Jason and the Argonauts: Scorned
19 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The end of the story of Jason, Medea, and the Argonauts. Things have been pretty easy for Jason. Med...
46C-Jason and the Argonauts: The Long Way Home
12 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It finally comes time to fight the dragon, (hopefully) survive the return journey home, and have the...
46B-Jason and the Argonauts: MacGuffin
05 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The quest for the golden fleece begins for the legendary heroes packed aboard the Argo. We find them...
46A-Jason and the Argonauts: Some Assembly Required
28 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The beginning of the story of Jason and his legendary Argonauts doesn't start with Jason, but with Z...
45-Rumpelstiltskin: Let's Make a Deal
21 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories of people making deals. The first is from Japanese folklore, and it's about making the...
44-Saint George: Here Be Dragons
14 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Three and a half stories of monsters of the ancient world. We meet vile beasts that lurk in the fore...
43-Slavic Folklore: The Wasteland
07 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
A story of a super-powered Russian hero fighting the evil, also super-powered villain known as Night...
42-Chinese Folklore (Cinderella): You Only Live Thrice
31 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's two of the earliest Cinderella stories, one of which is the earliest written version...
41C-Lancelot: It's Complicated
24 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It's the conclusion of the Lancelot story, and we'll immediately pick up after last week's fairly ch...
41B-Lancelot: Promises to Keep
17 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Things get weird on Lancelot's journey to become a knight of the Round Table...if Merlin trying to p...
41A-Lancelot: The Stolen Child
10 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We're back in the time of King Arthur, picking up right about where we stopped off last time (though...
40-West African Folklore: Cold-blooded
03 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Five stories of a very savvy, completely unscrupulous turtle from Nigeria. He's a trickster we've me...
39-Odin: In the Land of the Blind
27 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Born in ice and fire, Norse mythology starts violently...and strangely. There's a blood ocean, a gia...
38B-Korean Literature: Master of Two Worlds
13 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Conclusion of the "Story of Hong Gildong" takes us from the household drama of last episode to a...
38A-Korean Literature: Crossing the Threshold
06 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Hong Gildong has been called the Korean Robin Hood, but really oversimplifies the story. It is both ...
37-Hercules: The Best at What He Does
29 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Hercules is as terrible as he is awesome. There are sea monsters, centaurs, people being thrown off ...
36B-Pocahontas: Between Two Streams
22 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
An abbreviated history of Pocahontas and John Smith, this episode looks at the conflict largely from...
36A-Pocahontas: The Empire Business
15 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Pocahontas and John Smith has turned from compelling historical story of a brave woman ...
35-Beauty and the Beast: Prisoners
08 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This is not the Beauty and the Beast you've heard. It's not even the story the one you've heard is b...
34-Greek Mythology: Uphill Battle
01 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from Greek Mythology: first, it's the story of Sisyphus, who you might know from his int...
33-Ali Baba: Inheritance
18 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
As you've probably come to expect, the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, perhaps the second ...
32-Tricksters: Wager
11 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Three stories of tricksters. We have Coyote from Native American mythology giving great gifts and ra...
31B-Viking Sagas: Face-off
04 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The conclusion of the Saga of Arrow-Odd, a man who is destined to live 300 years, yet cursed to be ...
31A-Viking Sagas: Odd Man Out
27 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The saga of the legendary Viking Arrow-Odd contains trolls, ogres, giants, magic arrows, and a sorce...
30-Latin American Folklore: Unbreakable
20 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
A story from Chilean folklore about the smartest woman in the world, her talking shoe, and a prince ...
29-Grimm: Upward Mobility
13 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Two stories from the Grimm brothers, both of which have people going up, but in different ways. The ...
28-Prometheus: Adamantine
06 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The much-requested story of Prometheus, a Titan who was cursed by Zeus to have his liver pecked out ...
27C-King Arthur: The Errant Knight
05 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Old foes resurface as Balin, the fugitive knight, flees from King Arthur's court. He'll find himself...
27B-King Arthur: Mayday
23 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When we left king Arthur, the monstrous Questing Beast was lumbering toward him. We'll learn all abo...
27A-King Arthur: The Violence Inherent in the System
16 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the legendary King Arthur, from just after when he pulled the sword from the stone.Thou...
26-Japanese Fairy Tales: Wisdom
09 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This week: two folktales from Japan. One is about a humble, happy stone cutter who becomes a power-m...
25-Dragons: This is Where You Get to Make it Right
02 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a famous dragon from the folklore of north east England is filled with knights, curses,...
24-Thor: Whosoever Holds this Hammer
24 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Norse mythology, like all mythology, is strange. Thor's hammer is gone. It was stolen...or he just l...
23-Cupid and Psyche: Burned
17 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In this famous story from Greek Mythology, we'll meet Cupid (not a baby), as he accidentally nicks h...
22C-Irish Legends: The Spoils of War
10 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
A double-sized episode with the whole epic and slightly-ridiculous story of a cattle raid that end...
22B-Irish Legends: You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry
03 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Queen Medb, King Ailil, and Fergus make their way into Ulster while the army is crippled by feeling ...
22A-Irish Legends (The Tain): Red Ledger
27 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Starting an epic string of legends from Celtic folkore. We're back in the time of kings, princesses,...
21-Frozen/The Snow Queen: Fearful Symmetry
20 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It's the original story of the Snow Queen, more commonly known as the source material for the hyper-...
20-Korean Folklore: Prayers
13 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This week, it's a horror story from Korean folklore. A little girl gets lost in the forest, and then...
19-Native American Folklore: Skeletons
06 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The first episode of much-requested Native American folklore has giants, ghosts, anthropomorphic coy...
18-St. Nick: Rusty Chains and Candy Canes
23 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The story behind the transition from Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus is one that includes murder, prie...
17C-Theseus: I Volunteer as Tribute
16 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The final chapter in the story of Theseus, the Minotaur, and all the other people that have gotten s...
17B-Icarus and Daedalus: A Portrait of the Artificer as a Young Man
09 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Daedalus and Icarus is much more than just Icarus flying too close to the sun. Daedalus...
17A-Theseus: It’s Dangerous to go Alone!
02 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
We have all heard the story of Theseus fighting that monstrous half-bull, half-man beast known as th...
16-Russian Fairy Tales: She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named
18 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a young woman, her magic doll, and a witch who may be the most terrifying - or the most...
15-Slavic Folklore: Bad Wolf
11 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this Russian Fairy Tale from the same collections as the stories of Koschei the Deathless, we fin...
13B-Ragnar Lodbrok: Why’d it have to be Snakes?
04 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The end of the saga of this legendary king has Viking battles, magic cows, and a long con to take ov...
14-Doppelgangers: Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night
28 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
People throughout history, before they died, have seen something...strange. They have seen ghostly d...
13A-Ragnar Lodbrok: The Beggar King
21 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, legendary Viking king and main character of the History Channel series "...
12-Pig-faced Women: Citation Needed
14 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
For over 200 years in western Europe, there was a pervasive belief among large portions of the popul...
11-Japanese Fairy Tales: Key Details (Urashima Taro, The Boy Who Drew Cats)
07 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
These are two stories from Japanese fairy tales. I don't want to ruin them, so I can't say too much,...
10B-Hercules: Labor Intensive
30 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Finishing up the twelve labors, Hercules fights way, way too many things: a giant boar, a giant bull...
10A-Hercules: Going into Labor
23 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Hercules is one part gritty, serious tragedy and two parts over-the-top monster fights....