Myths and Legends

The story of a weaving contest between a goddess and a woman challenging the cruelty and tyranny of the Olympians leads us into three more stories: Pandora's box; the great flood of the ancient Greek world; and the love story of Idas and Marpessa, two people who saw the gods taking whatever and whoever they wanted, and said "no."  The creature this week is the rolling calf. It's neither rolling no...

A short supplemental that finishes the story of Lady White Snake...because there wasn't enough story left for a full episode. There's still a full Myths and Legends episode coming out on Wednesday! The Myths and Legends store: http://www.mythpodcast.com/store Music: "Louver" by Blue Dot Sessions Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Xu Xian is dead. He discovered the truth about his wife and he died. I mean, yeah, he's dead...but he's also unwittingly married to a 1700 year old magical demon snake on a redemption arc, so...you know...something might happen. Seriously, though, this is a packed episode. There are magical (if not wholly unexpected) resurrections, crustacean armies, Doctor Strange ripoffs, and that's just in the...

The legend of the White Snake is one of the four great folktales of China. Today, we start that with an act of kindness, demons lurking in the places we can’t look, and a (misguided?) monk hoping to bring justice.  When the creature this week has time off, it prefers crashing funerals and projectile vomiting on strangers.  Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership

There's a surprising amount to the story of Hansel and Gretel. There's your average fairy tale weirdness, like load-bearing cake and aquatic duck Uber, but there's an unexpected humanity in the story that I think is overlooked. I hope you like it.  The creature is punyaiama, from India, and she's the reason you can't get drunk in your own home.  --  "Re:Joyce" by Podington Bear "Running on Empty"...

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 dozens of loyal samurai, and they’re not about to forget what happened to the man they served.  The creature is Pricolici, from Romania, a were-dog that is anything but man’s best friend.  --  “Bell Solo” by Blue Dot Sessions “Cicle Vascule” by Blue Dot Se...

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 into a mysterious, far-away land. The second is what happens when a horrible tragedy brings two people together…only to have their fates tear them apart. The creature is the Peluda, a vicious turtle dragon (not Bowser, though) who’s mad about not bein...

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 seamlessly between land and sea, leaving nothing but body parts in its wake. With a body count in the thousands, it's a legendary historical horror story that's supposedly true.  The creature is a goblin spider. It's a goblin who's also a spider...or,...

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 keep up. It's a story about lost love and and a second chance. It's a story about one of the most insufferable fictional protagonists that you didn't know you hated: Rip Van Winkle.  The creature is the Polong, from Malaysian folklore, the little one-in...

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 bunch of warriors with nothing to do but wait for the winds to pick up, and they're not going to pick up until Agamemnon does what needs to be done.  The creature this week is pollo maligno, the evil chicken. He's honestly perfect for this segment. -- ...

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-unforced-errors guy. That’s way less catchy, though.  The creature (pixui) is a constipated robber with daddy issues.  --  Music: “Popism” by Blue Dot Sessions “The Gall” by Podington Bear “Mello D” by Podington Bear “Flatlands 4th” by Blue Dot Sessions “Twosom...

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 already in retirement and have given everything away to her older sisters, so she sets out on her own in the wild medieval world. The second story is Molly Whuppie, whose parents have left her and her two sisters in the forest to die. Then things get w...

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 until the day came when she needed him to do one little thing: babysit a chicken. It did not go well.  The creature is the phooka, from Ireland, and it will fly you to the moon...but not in the charming Sinatra way, but in the literal way where you s...

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 out when we enter more familiar territory for the Viking legends. Our wonderful one-eyed wanderer makes an appearance, kings battle kings, and berserkers battle trolls, draugr, other berserkers, random bystanders, and, well, just about everyone. The cr...

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 heard about how awesome Odin is? No? We’ll he’s happy to tell you. This is the saga of Hrolf Kraki and his twelve legendary berserkers.  The creature is the reason you should actually follow that strange creature into the dark forest (free all-you-can-eat...

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...only if she will marry the one who committed the atrocities. A daughter is saved from certain death...by judgy ducks. These are the stories of the names that would go down in legend: Odysseus, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Clytemnestra, and Penelope, and their...

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, and dragon attacks are down. What could go wrong? King Arthur should know to never ever ask that question, because twelve men from the definitely not defunct and/or fictional Roman Empire are here to show him exactly what can go wrong.  The creature this t...

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 cloak Telekinesis A demon common law wife and baby A get-out-of-debt plan that involves humorously tearing off his own limbs And grapes. In the winter. Crazy, right?   Seriously, though, we take the somewhat more grounded story of last week...and the...

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 plays and, most famously, a play by the German writer Goethe, largely considered to be one of the greatest works of German literature.  The story has been done and redone, and the phase Faustian bargain is still in use to this day. In today's episode, w...

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 feces in your direction.  Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership

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 mom and throws rocks the size of Volkswagens to win the kingship, all while trying to carve out a place in the world for his people and his homeland.  The creature this week is an annoying piggyback ride from a stranger in the dark forest and why you...

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 tale baby will do what fairy tale babies do: grow up and hear that call to adventure, going out to seek their fortune, taking no more than a plucky attitude and an angry dog to battle the evils of the world.  The creature this time is Batman...if Bat...

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 strong...but heaven didn't care about any of that. They were coming for him, whether or not it was legal, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.  The creature this week is a big, angry, hairy unicorn with a...weird surprise.  --  Music: “Cicle...

Sun Wukong, the (Handsome) Monkey King, is both an actual monkey and an actual king…and presumably handsome according to whatever standard that is judged. One of the most famous anti-heroes of Chinese literature, we start his story, and the story of the extremely famous “Journey to the West” at the beginning, with the story of the monkey’s rock mom on the Flower-Fruit mountain.  The creature this...

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 the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership