Myths and Muses: A Mythik Camps Podcast

In this final episode, we’re going to look at a few stories about recovering from – and remembering – loss. Then, we’ll look back over this Comeback Kids season and think about what it really means for a hero to find their way home – and how that’s not always as easy as it might seem. We start with Achilles, greatest of the Greek heroes, then explore some myths from civilizations around the Arctic...

In this episode, we explore gods who have made sacrifices -- some of them on purpose, for the sake of wisdom or another advantage, and some of them less-intentionally. We'll explore three stories showing just how far Odin will go for wisdom, then we'll find out why Tyr, the Norse god of law and justice, and Nuada, a leader of the Celtic Tuatha Dé Danann, lost their hands. Then we'll finish with a...

It’s time to finish up our “come back from the Underworld” mini-series! In this episode, we’ll be covering stories of some mythological figures whose trips to the Underworld were… unintentional. And not of natural causes. But they all manage to come back! Just usually with a little outside help. You'll hear two major stories from Egyptian and Norse mythology, and then a couple of lesser-known tale...

Our Underworld mini-series continues! This time, we’ll meet some mythological figures who make that harrowing trip maybe to learn something, maybe to make a point, or, in one case, to make sure the sun still rises. It’s never an easy trip, and they have to face down some serious dangers along the way. We'll follow a Sumerian goddess there and back, chart a recurring trip in Egypt, and see how a fa...

Stories of coming back from the Underworld are some of the biggest, most dramatic comebacks of all! And there are so many of them that they won't all fit in one episode! In this one, we’re exploring stories of heroes who went to the underworld and back for the sake of love. We already talked about the most famous story of this kind, Orpheus and Eurydice, back in Season 1 -- but he’s definitely not...

In this episode, we've got stories about heroes who got lost. Really lost. Lost-for-years-or-even-centuries lost. We'll hear about Odysseus's prolonged detour, some Celtic heroes who wandered into the fairy realm, and some creatures of West African forests who you might not mind running into if you get lost in the woods. Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theori...

In this episode, we're exploring stories of gods who, for one reason or another, withdrew themselves and their gifts from the mortal world -- but who eventually either came back or at least made sure someone else picked up the slack in their absence. We'll hear about an Egyptian rain goddess who ran away, a Greek agricultural goddess in mourning, a Japanese sun goddess who hid in a cave, and a Yor...

In this episode, we're exploring stories of heroes who lost themselves in some way and had to find themselves again. We'll see how Heracles's Twelve Labors -- the things that made him one of the most famous demigods of all time -- only happened because of something he did while under a terrible curse. We'll also see how going into a frenzy makes some Norse warriors much more fearsome, and some Art...

In this episode, the Muses have decreed that we’ll be looking at stories of heroes who were exiled from their homes and had to fight to regain what they had lost. There are a lot of epic tales that feature this theme, and it provides a great opportunity to send the hero on some sort of journey, where they can encounter monsters and challenges and all the exciting conflicts that make a story! We'll...

Season Two of Myths & Muses kicks off with the tale of a hero who lost it all and had to start again somewhere new! Aeneas rises from the ashes almost literally, leaving the destruction of Troy behind and setting off on an adventure that takes him all over the Mediterranean and even to the Underworld. Driving him all the way is his looming destiny: to found a nation whose legacy will last for...

Season 2: The Comeback Kid starts on April 25th! Hello, demigods! I’m Cass, host of the Myths & Muses podcast and daughter of Clio, the muse of history, here to announce that Season 2 will be launching soon! The Muses have pointed me in a really interesting direction for this season. They sent me on a bunch of research trips over the winter, and then I got home to discover that they’re all a-f...

In this fourth minisode inspired by Percy Jackson and the Olympians from Disney+, we explore the Greek and Roman traditions of prophecy and foretelling. [ Transcript for Minisode 4 ] ----more---- More on Oracles:  More on Oracles: Oracle of Delphi: Why Was It So Important To Ancient Greeks? The Cave of the Sibyl Dodona and the Pythia Video:  A Day in the Life of the Oracle of Delphi

In this third minisode inspired by Percy Jackson and the Olympians from Disney+, we explore a classic part of a hero's journey: entering the Underworld! The journey that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover take looks a little different from what some classical heroes encountered – although they do encounter some of the same figures and obstacles. [ Transcript for Minisode 3 ] ----more---- More on the Unde...

In this second minisode inspired by Percy Jackson and the Olympians from Disney+, we get to know the stories behind the monster Medusa. But... is she really as terrible as her legend claims? [ Transcript for Minisode 2 ] ----more---- More on Medusa:  Mythopedia: Medusa World History Encyclopedia: Medusa The Met: Medusa in Ancient Greek Art Video: Mythology & Fiction Explained, "The Many Faces...

With the release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+, the Muses thought our listeners might like to know the stories behind some of the characters and creatures they'll meet in the series! In Minisode 1, we meet the Furies: goddesses of vengeance, tormenters of the wicked, and protectors of Athens. [ Transcript for Minisode 1 ] ----more---- More on the Furies:  Mythopedia: Erinyes (Furie...

Throughout its evolution, Halloween has remained a time when the world gets a little … well, weird! For one night, the regular everyday world falls away, and it feels like anything could happen. That sense of possibility – maybe both frightening and exciting! – is central to the theme of transformation around this holiday and its central creatures. Whether it’s the world transforming to winter, th...

The history of sports is deeply woven into the stories humanity has told, from its earliest days. In this episode, we look at the mythological tie-ins of the Olympic Games, how wrestling shows up in many ancient stories, and a particularly wild sport from Minoan civilization. We also explore some of the most popular modern sports -- and how some of those have ancient origins, too! This episode's i...

Music is something that we as humans have used to express ourselves for millennia – and it works its way into many of the stories we tell, too! Many myths speak to the power of music to change minds, charm beasts, and even create magic. In this episode, we explore some famous and some less-well-known tales about mythological musicians and dancers. This episode's interview features Kelly Branco, ch...

With summer at an end, the Muses have asked me to do an episode focusing on going back to school! As you might imagine, the Muses are all big fans of education. So many of the artistic things they inspire get studied in schools – books and poems and movies and paintings – but they also know that learning can inspire creativity. In this episode, we'll explore some stories about famous mythological...

Whether it’s dogs, cats, birds, fish, lizards – all kinds of pets today are a frequent inspiration for artistic expression, from Instagram photos to movies. And that’s always been true. As long as humans have had pets, we’ve wanted to work them into the stories we tell! In this episode of Myths & Muses, we look at some of mythology's most daring dogs and fabulous felines. This week's interview...

Our demigods are known for their swordplay, so it's only natural that we devote an episode of the podcast to the arts of war and battle! Epic fights have played a role in so many amazing stories from mythology through the ages, from the poems of Homer to modern movies. In this episode, we talk about the key PVP fight of the Trojan War, between Hector and Achilles, as well as several other major fi...

From ancient board games to modern video games and tabletop role-playing games, this episode looks at how demigods play -- and the role that games have sometimes played in mythological stories! From the Hero Twins of the Maya Popol Vuh and their ball game that you can really lose your head over to the Egyptian game of senet and its role in the Egyptian calendar, we explore some ancient origins of...

Siblings! They can be the absolute best... or the absolute worst, especially when we're talking about families with divine powers. In this episode, we'll explore some of the most famous tales of sibling rivalry, like that of Romulus and Remus, as well as stories where the siblings manage to pull together! We'll also talk about how the importance of twins carry down from the divine to mortal life i...

Art is amazing! The creative impulse has spurred humanity for thousands of years. We naturally want to tell stories, paint pictures, shape metal and stone into beautiful objects, and perform through song, dance, and theatre. In this episode, we explore the mythological connections to all those ways of expressing creativity! From the Muses of Greece to the Hindu goddess Saraswati, from Anansi the s...

What happens when the Muses of Greek mythology want to have a podcast... but they don't actually want to do the work of making one? They conscript a demigod, of course! In the inaugural episode of Myths and Muses: A Plato Learning Podcast, we start at the very beginning: origin stories and myths of creation! Whether it's stories of how the whole world and all the gods came to be, or stories with a...