Myths and Legends
Episodes
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 the Minotaur, but the original story starts years ea...
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 ridiculous - person you've ever seen. You'll al...
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 find a prince who goes on a quest for the firebird. T...
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 over England. Ragnar's poor planning when it comes t...
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 doubles haunting their steps, foretelling their doo...
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 "Vikings" and the many women in his life you absolu...
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 population that the upper classes in society were hidin...
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, but they are amazing. One is about a boy who draw...
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, vicious birds, man-eating horses, the three-head...
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. This week, in the origin story of one of the grea...
9-Dogs and Wolves: Generations (Fenrir, The Black Dog, Dog King of Denmark, Gelert)
16 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Instead of one long story, this week I'm telling four stories about canines from folklore from all around the world. We'll go back to the Norse gods a...
8-Merlin: Call of the Wyllt
09 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A short supplemental on one of the inspirations for Merlin, a man named Myrddin the Wyllt, a Welsh warrior bard who went insane after seeing his fri...
7-Little Mermaid: Cry with the Saints
02 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The real story of the Little Mermaid is way more violent and grim than the Disney version, and does not have a happy ending. It's the story of a teen...
6C-King Arthur: How I Met Your Mother
26 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Wrapping up this current run of King Arthur episodes, we find a kingdom in shambles. We'll see the final(ish..for now at least) battle between the Sax...
6B-Merlin: What’s Red, White, and Fighting All Over
19 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This is where we meet Merlin, a son of a demon who uses his evil powers for good. But he's not yet the bearded sorcerer we all kind of know and love. ...
6A-King Arthur Prologue: The Once and Really Only that One Time King
12 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The King Arthur legends don't actually start with Arthur, but with several years of war, intrigue, and betrayal among the Britons, and a slippery ea...
5B-Slavic Folklore: The First Horcrux
05 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
As it turns out, Koschei the Deathless is very, very hard to kill, a fact one could probably guess from his name. This episode explores his tragic ori...
5A-Slavic Folklore: Tried and Died
29 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this story of a dangerous magician from Russian folklore, you'll learn that you should maybe believe your spouse if she says you definitely don't w...
4-Mulan: A Likely Hero
22 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Mulan, the woman who took her aging father's place in the army, does not mean what you think it means. The original character is almost c...
3E-Vikings: The Debt is Paid
15 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The final chapter of the Saga of the Volsungs follows Sigurd as he finds that navigating relationships with the in-laws is way, way more hazardous tha...
3D-Vikings: Blood of the Dragon
01 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Part four and the penultimate episode in the Saga of the Volsungs, the story of a legendary Norse family finds Sigurd riding with his Vikings in an at...
3C-Vikings: Renewed shall be Blade that was Broken
24 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
You can clearly see J.R.R. Tolkien's inspiration in this episode, what with that cursed ring finally making an appearance, a legendary sword reforged,...
3B-Vikings: All that Hate’s Gonna Burn You Up
18 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The Saga of the Volsungs continues, with a princess held captive by the man who killed her father, and her brother roaming the forest waging a covert ...
3A-Vikings: The Norse and the Furious, Bredi’s Drift
03 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Swords, dragons, werewolves, Vikings, betrayal, and revenge are all hallmarks of the thrilling, yet little known, Saga of the Volsungs, the story of a...
2B-Aladdin: A Whole New World of Problems
27 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In the conclusion of the original Aladdin story, there's the meteoric rise of Aladdin, who is definitely not using magic to do any of this. Really. W...
2A-Aladdin: The Magician’s Nephew
20 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The story of a poor man who finds a being of unlimited power, and not only uses it to put food on the table, but goes a little farther to take over t...
1C-Knights of the Round Table: The Lion Knight Rises
13 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, you'll see that you should definitely interfere if you see two apex predators fighting to the death in the wilderness. We'll finish t...
1B-Knights of the Round Table: You’re So Yvain
06 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're continuing the story of Yvain, a knight of King Arthur's court who we left in a very bad spot. He'll find an ally within the castle w...
1A-Knights of the Round Table: Yvainglory
30 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Myths and Legends podcast, I’ll introduce the show and discuss what it’ll be about. Then, we’ll start right in on the story of ...
Myths and Legends Trailer
27 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A little bit about what to expect when you listen to Myths and Legends. Subscribe using your favorite podcast app: http://apple.mythpodcast.com htt...