Muses of Mythology

“Were the Norse a fatalistic people?” Is this episode Fates 2.0? Not exactly… Other topics include the Norn as caretakers of the World Tree, which Norn is working two jobs, a more nuisance interpretation of name meanings, and examining Riordan's choice to use the Norn the same way the Fates were used in PJO (we don't love it). Spoilers for Kingdoms of Amalur, American Gods (novel), Wicke...

“There’s always a prose section in these poems.” We’ve come full circle to the topic that almost broke the podcast! Other topics include Darien spending way too long trying to figure out why Gunilla turned into a swan, Rick Riordan skipping over a very important detail in the Helgi/Hunding “rivalry,” poetic devices that may be responsible for the rumor of valkyries riding on wolves, an uncommon ex...

“Hymir, Gam Gam’s not doing so hot.” Did you know the Bifrost is ON FIRE? We certainly didn’t. Other topics include the lack of time spent beyond the walls of Hotel Valhalla, Asgard definitely not being Troy, scholarly speculation on the long lost legacy of Tyr, the true classes of humanity, Heimdall being weird (not for the reasons you think), and another rant about Doctor Strange and the Multive...

“That’s quite the glow up.” It’s a brand new guest! Elliot (any) from The Demigod Pod joins the show to expound on their observations about the gnomes in Medusa’s garden. What better time to do so than in an episode about dwarves and elves in Norse mythology? Other topics include tricky homophones, some sweet dwarven crafts, casual homicide, the differences (if any) between dwarves and dark elves,...

To celebrate Wrath of the Triple Goddess releasing (and because Darien was on vacation this past week), we're sharing our May 2023 ReMyth episode about another recent Riordanverse release: From the World of Percy Jackson: The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. (Wow, that's a mouthful, huh?) Spoilers for The Sun and the Star (obviously) and the t...

  “That’s some Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote sh*t.”   DJ (he/him) takes over the episode, guiding Darien (she/they) through a land of adventure: Jötunheimr. Other topics include Darien learning Frost Giants aren’t a Norse Mythology thing, another round up of Thor Adventures, comparing an Icelandic pagan poem to the Book of Genesis, DJ’s challenges to remembering which Edda Snorri wrote, and theories...

“I would die for these ducks.” Queer author of queer stories Fran McMahon (they/them) returns to the pod to muse about the most mid place in all the realms: Midgard. Other topics include the unfortunate optics of the “Vikings reached the United States” theory, lore behind a duckling statue that helped ease US-Soviet tensions during the end of the Cold War, the base elements of the realms AKA some...

It's the very first live episode of Muses of Mythology! Recorded at Boise Comic Arts Festival on Saturday, August 24, 2024. Huge shout out to our co-host of the panel, Leo the Geek Scorpio!! Get more Gaming Theater Presents: https://www.instagram.com/gamingtheaterpresents/ Slide Show Visual Aid: https://tinyurl.com/bdz7y3mz Battle Bracket: https://tinyurl.com/5c7ua729 Content warning: This ep...

“You know what she could have been? A goddamn valkyrie!” Special guest Kelsey Dody “escapes” from Bunker 9 to join the show on the main feed to discuss the divine twins! No, the other divine twins: Freyr and Freyja! Other topics include the struggle to pronounce symbols not used in American English, Freyr being down so bad he rejects traditional social decorum, another Rick Riordan OC (Do Not Stea...

“We can’t use this kind of metal in our weapons!” Even the Norse scholars accuse Snorri of making things up! In this episode, Darien (she/her) and DJ (he/him) ask if that is the case when it comes to the Vanir and their home, Vanaheimr. Other topics include the strange timeline of Nine from the 9 Worlds , whether or not Snorri made up the idea of Vanaheimr, an excellent observation from Carter ove...

“He’s just Father from Codename: Kids Next Door!” Darien (she/her) and DJ (he/him) present the perfect episode for a mid-summer heatwave: Muspelheim, land of lava and fire. Other topics include the narrative choice to not include the book one villain in book three, origins of the universe, another examination into why stating that “Snorri made it up” fails to grasp the nuisance of oral traditions...

“Loki is—I’m assuming—an insecure, jealous dick.” This week, Darien (she/her) and DJ (he/him) discuss how Baldr, the greatest guy ever, kicked the bucket because Loki just couldn’t deal with not being the center of attention for five minutes. Other topics include finally being able to read comments from Spotify listeners, Baldr being the god of ????, Loki being a insecure, jealous dick, the oversi...

“Snorri’s out here gatekeeping the real Norse mythology.” Time to take a journey to Hel, which isn't too far from Midgard! That's fortunate since the dead have to arrange their own transportation. Other topics include actually having the soul of the protagonist's mother before trying to make a deal, Darien leaving the recording not once but twice, directions to Hel, extrapolating cu...

“Couldn’t think of a name for an all-knowing eagle.” Yggdrasil, the World Tree, holds all things in its mighty branches. Even this very podcast episode, which features one extra sleepy host! Other topics include Snorri Sturluson doing whatever he pleases (again), a reminder that Iceland is very far away from Scandinavia, the hosts’ shocking lack of knowledge about trees, key elements of Norse myth...

“Ragna-Rock-a-Doodle-Doo.” All right, let's do this one last time… Darien (she/her) and DJ (he/him) jump back into Norse Mythology by starting at the very end of all things—or do they? Other topics include Snorri Sturluson doing whatever he pleases, the Ragnarok Highlight Reel, Darien misremembering key details about an independent live-action/animated musical comedy film from 1991, analyzing...

“Odin and Mr. Moseby are friends! Canon!” Darien (she/her) and DJ (he/him) enjoy a romp across the nine realms in a series of delightful, medium-stakes adventures in the short story collection 9 from the Nine Worlds. Other topics include disappointing art choices, Hearthstone being a top-tier spell slinger, DJ winning the ship war, Amir’s story getting wildly dark, Schrödinger’s joke, a disappoint...

“I’m sure—and this is me again, huffing Hopium—he’s got something planned.” Set sail to prevent Ragnarok in Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Ship of the Dead! Other topics include ranking Riordanverse books based on satisfying endings, the injustice of Halfborn Gunderson’s Big Damn Hero Moment happening off-page, the LEGENDARY transcription from Chapter 9 to Chapter 10, the massive crossov...

“I’m thirty. I don’t hang out with sixteen-year-olds who haven’t been to therapy yet.” The podcast course corrects and dives back into Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard!    Other topics include Magnus Chase subverting the expectations for a male hero protagonist, the three-way tie for Worst Parent Ever, an unexpected comparison of an elf and dwarf to heroes of the Iliad, Darien’s struggles to pi...

We're not ending the show! If you read the title, got freaked, and immediately checked the show notes, let us assure you that the announcement isn't the end of Muses of Mythology. Since you're here, we'll give you the short version: The first ten minutes is the start of what was meant to be our Einherjar episode. Then we went off-mic for about 30 minutes to have a serious conve...

“Water? Do you think Odin would serve water?!” Time to begin the journey through Norse mythology in earnest! First stop: Valhalla. Other topics include a brief examination of how far away Iceland is from the rest of the Nordic countries (Thank you, Owen!), a correction on the number of floors in Hotel Valhalla, Odin’s penchant for costumes, a typical day in Valhalla, the best of meats, and the pre...

“He’ll flood the Earth. So, let’s not do that; we’re in Iceland.” Before we get into talking about Norse mythology, Darien (she/her) and DJ (he/him) spend some time exploring why talking about Norse mythology is so weird. Other topics include the brevity of the Viking Age compared to other mythic eras, when Christianity became all the rage in Scandinavia, Snorri Strurlson being way more than a poe...

“Have you heard the theory that Jason Grace goes to Valhalla?” Darien (she/her) and DJ (he/him) leave Greek mythology behind and check into Hotel Valhalla with Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. Other topics include the perfect timing to branch away from the Percy Jackson books, first-person narrative being Rick Riordan’s greatest strength, the fluctuating timeline of these interconnected middle...

"Illuminating the often-overlooked stories of women in mythologies." In this special bonus episode, Darien was joined by author, drawer, and singer Amrita Sen to discuss her musical audiobook, Hidden Women . "Hidden Women is a captivating collection of stories that shines a spotlight on the often-overlooked women who played significant roles in the lives of famous men from well-know...

Is A Christmas Carol the best Christmas tale ever told? Yes, and we're still not taking feedback at this time. Enjoy the first episode of our special Patreon Holiday Event: 12 Days of Musemas! Listen to the rest of the series over the next 11 days at Patreon.com/musesofmythology Spoilers for A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Support the show No portion of this episode may be used for AI tr...

“Why is he a bird still?!” From the top of Mount Olympus, we explore the home of the gods and reflect on our journey through Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians . Other topics include the name for a group of pegasi, Medusa’s inventory management strategy, the correct number of treats to give a multi-headed canine, weirdly specific myths Percy knows versus common ones he doesn’t, the eve...