Myths and Legends

This week, it's the story of Fortunatus, the man who, bet you could never guess from his name, was given an inexhaustible fortune, and how things kind of went off the rails for him and his kids. The creature is Babi, from Egyptian mythology, who's as dedicated to your love life as he is to cracking you open like a coconut and feasting on your innards. -- Sponsors: Simplisafe: http://simplisafe.com...

The Egyptian folktale of a young woman who's not messing around. After fleeing her home, she only sees one way to live free: become a monster that haunts the wild. The creature is what happens when a jaguar and a human have a happy marriage...and a very unhappy mother-in-law. -- Sponsors: Check out Best Fiends on the App Store or Google Play by going to http://bestfiends.com Daily Harvest: Go to h...

This week, it's a story from Africa (more specifically the Nilamba people in northern Tanzania) about a hunt for a murderer that goes off the rails very quickly with talking animals...and giant, sad pumpkins. The creature this week is a dancing horse. A big chunky ballerina boy who wants to give you a high five at 2100 RPM. -- Acorn TV: Try Acorn TV free for 30 days at http://acorn.tv and use our...

There's a killer on the loose in Kyoto. Young women are disappearing from the streets, never to be heard from again. Minamoto no Raikō, the legendary samurai, knows that it isn't merely a serial killer, but the demons. After he and other samurai like him drove the demons away, the began amassing in the far-off, desolate regions of Japan, but now they have a new leader: Shuten Doji, the drunken dem...

Three connected stories of samurai from medieval Japan. On the first, Kintaro, a buff eight-year-old, discovers his destiny. On the second, Watanabe no Tsuna, a samurai warrior in his prime fights a demon that's been terrorizing a gate in Kyoto, and on the third he's recruited by Minamoto no Raiko to follow a magical floating skull to a dilapidated haunted house. All these lead into next week, whe...

A packed episode with Thor, Odin, mythological dwarves, sword arms, and Valhalla, all ending up with a beautiful double wedding...which ends somehow worse than the last time we visited a giant wedding on this podcast. We're finishing up the saga of Egil and Asmund. The creature this time is little mucus boy, and if you're a villain, you don't want to get caught monologuing around this sticky, mois...

We’re back in the nine worlds of Norse myth where two Viking blood brothers are looking for princesses that have been kidnapped by legendary monsters. Their journey will take them beyond their world of Midgard, to Jotunheim, to see the ravages Thor has brought. The creature this time is a kitty! Who wants to make a kitty-human hybrid for...reasons? The post (disclaimer, and a detailed summary of t...

This week, there are two stories about death and what comes next, from China and Scotland. On the first, a lonely fisherman meets an odd man down by the river with a strange plan for his life. On the second, a stablehand helps out two strangers who stop by his tavern for the night...and discovers a terrifying secret. The creature is an epic hero with oiled pecs who is doing his best to keep everyo...

We're back in the Odyssey where Menelaus comes home, Telemachus leaves it, and Odysseus? Odysseus has been stuck in the same place for seven long years. The creatures this week are the Agogwe, tiny hairy naked people who are really cool until they aren't. Disclaimer: https://myths.link/220b Thanos swimsuit: https://myths.link/thanos Store: https://myths.link/store Membership: https://www.mythpodca...

Three men grappling with the legacy, or curse, of their fathers. Menelaus loses everything and finds a life, but will his past come hunting for him? Telemachus lives each day in the shadow of the absence of his father, pushing back at the inevitable. Orestes knows what he must do to avenge his father, even if it means prolonging his family’s curse. The creature is a tiny elephant who might just ea...

A story from the Pentamerone with a title so spoiler-y that I can't even say it here, but it's a fun, mildly horrifying tale of a relationship that just doesn't work out. And is also really gross. The creatures this week are the little devil and angel on your shoulder, except one of them is a burly wildman and the other is a snake with a human head. Store: https://myths.link/store Membership: http...

We resume our journey to the west right where we left off: the Tang monk has been kidnapped by demons, and it's up to Sun Wukong and Pigsy to save him...if they aren't too busy making tiny monkey babies out of Sun Wukong's fur, crying, and talking to fantasically bearded men to save him. The creature this time is a monster skunk that isn't farting everyone to death! It's actually kind of way worse...

We’re back in the Mabinogion, where we’ll learn about the perils of bacon - and it’s not the cholesterol, but the magical wizard war that the first pigs ever brought to the world. Then, we’ll see why you shouldn’t lie to a wizard and how to be safe stepping out of the bath and onto your pet goat - just make sure no one is throwing spears at you. The creature this week is a hatchet headed prankster...

Two stories from Russia. On the first, we catch up with the famous witch, Baba Yaga, as we follow yet another young person who has been sent on an errand/to be eaten at the evil witch's walking hut. The second one is about a dragon slayer, Dobrynya, as he makes a wrong turn down in the city and keeps falling in love with a woman who wants nothing at all to do with him. The creature is a tiny littl...

The story that inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet, the tale of Amleth, the prince of Denmark. A ton of death, some cryptic non-riddles, and copious amounts of poop smearing serve as the starting point for one of the greatest works in the English language. The creature this week is a sad little bird from Hebrew folklore who just can't catch a break. Store: https://myths.link/store Membership: https://ww...

Two short stories from Japan. On the first, an old man is in a tree surrounded by demons and faced with a desperate choice. On the second, a man has a pet that his wife is not thrilled about, so she makes that known. With scissors. The creature is a sad cow! Or a vampire! Either way you probably don't want to hang out with it. Weird flavored soda: https://myths.link/soda The store: https://myths.l...

We continue the saga of Reynard where the the classic trickster tries to do good in a world turned against him...and, by his actions, reveals a sinister truth about the world in which the story was written. The creature is hatred! Who just wants love...and to not be turned into a jellyfish. Disclaimer: https://myths.link/213 The membership: https://mythpodcast.com/membership The store: https://myt...

An awesome story about a young king who wants to do the impossible! And the ill-advised! And, frankly, makes a kind of stupid choice to go into the murder forest that took the lives of his father and six consecutive brothers. Inside, a deeper, darker secret lurks, one that brings fairies, witches, sorcery, and...love? The creature is a tall hairy man who takes issue with your dating choices...all...

The Aeneid, by Virgil, is one of the great world epics. Inspired by, and modeled after, the Odyssey, it's the story of Aeneas's journey from burning Troy to found the Roman empire, and all bleeding ground, sad Cyclopes, and bellybutton-wolves he encounters along the way. The creature is the Camazotz, from Mayan mythology, and it's like Batman, only if a Batman was an actual bat and not only didn't...

The story of Dobrynya the dragon slayer from Russian folklore is the tale of a young man finding his heroic destiny, from magical hats to skinny dipping and dancing with baby dragons. Sorry, did I say dancing *with* baby dragons? I meant dancing *on* baby dragons. The creature is the lavellan a plague-ridden mouse! Because we need more of that right now! The store: https://myths.link/store The mem...

Kjartan and Gudrun were always meant to be together, but when the former gets waylaid in a foreign kingdom with a beautiful princess, the latter needs to make other plans. Of course, she accepts the proposal of their mutual best friend, sparking a love triangle that could prove deadly. The creature is a good dog! Who has to die! The store: https://myths.link/store The membership: https://www.mythp...

Our winter Norse saga continues, with our protagonists celebrating Christmas in Norway...and also learning what Christmas is when the king basically puts a sword to their necks and tells them to convert or die. We’ll also follow Gudrun on marriages 1 and 2, the first ending with a problematic wardrobe malfunction and the second with a meddling of (possible) sorcerers. The creature is the Tomten, a...

A Norse saga in the truest sense of the word, this story follows one family through changing times of the Middle Ages. There are cursed swords, Viking love triangles, and why throwing stinky socks at a person whose only desire is to punch you in the face is a terrible idea. The creature is the Yule goat, who hasn't been burned down yet! Maybe! The Yule goat's twitter: https://myths.link/goat The M...

What do you do after you hook the sun, dredge up islands for humanity, and bring fire to the world? How about settle down with a nice goddess, have some kids, and enjoy the simple life. Nevermind that your new spouse's evil ex is on the way...and he's a vicious, monstrous eel. You have nothing to worry about! You're Maui! You have a...fishhook? Ok maybe you do have something to worry about. The cr...

We're back in the tale of the Journey to the West, where we'll catch up with the pious monk, Xangzang, the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, and the incognito dragon horse, Yulong as they continue their trek to India. This week, they stop off on what they think is a side-quest - helping an old man whose daughter was kidnapped by a pig monster - but they might get more than they bargained for...and make a n...