Myths and Legends

We're back in the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh folklore, where we'll see what happens when the apocalypse comes and goes. The good news is that you survived! Yay! The bad news is that, since your servants have all disappeared, you'll now have to make your own bed. Bummer. The creature this week is the Afanc, which is also from Wales, with a great reason why you don't want that angry lizard be...

We're back, finishing up this leg of our journey in a packed episode with a witch, pigmen, more giants, Scylla, Charybdis, Hades, Tiresias, and, of course Hercules. The creature is an evil, eyeless monster from South Africa and the reason you'll want to carry a 2-ton boulder with you everywhere you go. -- Sponsors: BetterHelp: our listeners get 10% off your first month at http://betterhelp.com/myt...

With monsters, witches, sirens, and cyclopes, the Odyssey is one of the landmarks of world literature and a classic for the ages. This is the start of Odysseus's long journey home from a war that he didn't want to join in the first place. The creature is a big monster with one small request: all the water in the world forever. Chipfingers: https://myths.link/chipfingers -- Sponsors: Simplisafe: Hu...

We're back in Russian folklore for a fun story about a soldier with some biscuits who fights demons, heaven, and yes, death itself. The creature is the valravn and I just can't get over how cool that name is. -- Sponsors: Bombas!! They are fantastic, and right now you can get 20% off your first order by going to http://bombas.com/legends . AcornTV: We're low key addicted (in the best way) to Acorn...

Two stories from the Grimm brothers! On the first, a wolf wants to eat some kids, and is annoyed that he needs to do the smallest amount of effort to do so. On the second, a woman travels to a mysterious land, talks to some bread, and finds her strength. The creature is a lonely monster with an awesome blue bonnet and flowing blonde hair...but you can't take a look at them because he's so ugly you...

This week it is the very very spooky* Halloween episode about a terrifying** trek through the Greek underworld. It's definitely not a lighthearted romp where a Greek god makes a podcast, trick-or-treats as Hercules, and emcees a poetry competition. Nope. Not at all. The creatures this week are bogeymen! I don't know why it's pronounced like that they don't boogie but they do eat children. Membersh...

We're back in the stories of 1001 nights, where Scheherazade has to tell bedtime stories to save her life. On the first, a man ruins a wedding reception and can't show his face in town again. The second starts with a murder, and then only gets darker. This week's item, the ridiculous umbrella hat: https://myths.link/umbrella -- Sponsors: BetterHelp: get 10 percent off your first month at http://Be...

Returning to Irish legends, we tackle the wooing of Etain, a love story that goes up against witches turning people into puddles and flies, multiple angry spouses, and death itself. The creature is a dangerous blanket! Don't sit on blankets with teeth! -- Sponsors: Simplisafe: Check out http://simplisafe.com/legends to get a free HD camera with your order. -- Music: “Balti” by Blue Dot Sessions “O...

A story from Japanese folklore of Princess Moonlight, from Japanese folklore, where a bamboo cutter finds one of those magical heaven babies in a bamboo stalk (you know, those extremely common glowing children found in plants) and it changes his life, and the whole empire, forever. The creature this week is a dangerous Greek fox because the ancient Greek city of Thebes can't catch a break ever. --...

Robin Hood is back on the road and ready to make some quick cash, so of course, he's going to go undercover as a beggar an infiltrate a secret society. Meanwhile Little John poured himself into a friar costume to hit on strangers. The creature is an iron-toothed rat who will eat your books. -- Sponsors: Simplisafe: Check out http://simplisafe.com/legends to get a free HD camera with your order. Be...

After a ball game goes wrong in the worst possible way, Viking best friends go on a quest to clear their names. A quest that involves poison vultures, evil priestess witches, kings that can transform into dragons, and stuffed animal cows. The creature is the teakettler! A creature that just wants to be left alone and if you keep hassling it, it will get really steamed...in that it will shoot a jet...

A reboot, of sorts, of Reynard the Fox, everyone's favorite brutal, amoral trickster. I found a much older, much more nuanced version of the fox's stories. Today, we meet his father, get an origin story, and see him trying to make things right in a society run by predators...or is he working a long con to eat all the animals in his charge? With Reynard, we never really know. The creature this week...

Dionysus was the god of wine from Greek myths and the last Olympian to earn a place on Mount Olympus. His story starts with him being born from Zeus's thigh...and then somehow gets stranger. He does make a lot of really fun, dangerously intense fans among the humans, though. The creature is the Tenjoname! He's a helpful ghost who will clean your ceilings with his filthy tongue! Check out the ad-fr...

A completely new version of the Mulan legend, sourced from a story from the late middle ages, so even if you think you know the Mulan story, this version has twists and turns that make her big secret, that she's a woman pretending to be a man, the least of her worries. The creature is the Manticore! It's terrifying, but not for the reasons that it should be terrifying! The episode post (and horrif...

We're on the road with the monk, Xuanzang, and Monkey King, Sun Wukong, as they start their Journey to the West... that is, if Sun Wukong is coming back from taking off in a huff (he is). Once he gets back, the trip won't be without problems, though, like river dragons, murderous monks, and bear ogre birthday parties. -- Sponsors: We think it's the best in home security. Give it a shot with free s...

We return to the stories of the Monkey King and pick up at the end of his long imprisonment under a mountain, for trying to overthrow everyone and everything. Meanwhile, a messenger from heaven is on the move, looking for a pilgrim to make a dangerous journey that will bring them into contact with demons, monsters, and companions to help him along the way...who might just be more dangerous than an...

An off-the-wall story from the Grimm Brothers about a young man who knew no fear...and why that was a massive problem for him. The creature is a man who you don't want to high five. Mainly because he has eyeballs on his palms. Also mainly because he'll drink your bones with a straw. -- Disclaimer: https://www.mythpodcast.com/14487/192-grimm-brave-traveler/ --  Music: "The Consulate" by Blue Dot Se...

In this episode from Norse legends, we'll see that the worst breakups involve Thor breaking up the couple with his hammer and we'll see that even though Odin can shapeshift, that doesn't mean he skips the conditioner. It's the Saga of King Gautrek, a story spanning generations of Viking warriors and their bizarre and dangerous interactions with the gods, giants, elves, and everything in between (b...

In one story, a dragon is rampaging around the countryside unless he gets his favorite meal: teenage girls. In the other, a young woman trapped in an impossible situation meets a new friend who might just be able to save her: a parrot with a secret. Two stories with two very different heroines who share one defining characteristic: their unbreakable will to survive. On the creature of the week, wh...

In the third and final part of our series on the Nibelungenlied, the hero of the story, Siegfried, is dead and his wife, the princess, has a score to settle.  The creature this week is the strong toad, a super cool toad who can read your mind, but he's so nice and definitely not making me write this right now.  --  Music: "Prayer" by Enzo Orefice "Plasticity" by Blue Dot Sessions "Clockwork by Mic...

We pick up right where we left off last week: Gunther has tricked his way into marrying Brunhild, and Brunhild decided to give him a minor test of strength on their wedding night. He failed, and ended up naked and hog-tied, yelling out for help while dangling upside down from the rafters. The creature is the Tsurube-otoshi (釣瓶落とし), from Japan, who will go head-to-head with you in the forest....

The story starts out with one prince slaying a dragon and getting rich. It starts there. The wild ride of the Nibelungenlied has echoes of one of our most beloved stories, the Saga of the Volsungs, with it's over-the-top characters, the ridiculous situations, the betrayals, and, yes, dragon fights. The creature is a dragon cat with poison breath. -- Music: "Order of Entrance" by Blue Dot Sessions...

Two stories from the bawdy, funny, and oftentimes deeply unsettling 17th century fairytale author Giambattista Basile, both of which have to do with pets. The first pet is a rooster, whose owner just can't bring himself to kill it. No judgement there. The second pet is a flea...the size of a lamb.  The creature this week is a cat that's either evil and smells like a skunk dog, a hero who defeated...

Agamemnon is coming home from the Trojan War. He has no idea what's waiting for him. There are over fifty bonus episodes on the Myths and Legends bonus feed! Check out that and weekly ad-free shows at https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership Check out the store at https://shop.bardic.fm Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mythsandlegends Find the episode post and the disclaimer at https://ww...

A story from the Grimm brothers about three down-on-their-luck soldiers who get everything they could ever dream of and then do their absolutely best to lose it. The extended creature of the week is a fearsome critter from Colorado - a land whale called the Slide Rock Bolter who exclusively eats tourists who care about the environment. The Myths and Legends store is up! Check it out at http://www....