Tales From The Enchanted Forest

There is no place we'd rather be than in Latin America to explore some more animal tales! Latin American folktales and animal tales are a truly remarkable fingerprint of history (as Nadine McFadden puts it) of their native cultures and the transmitted cultures from Europe. Join us for "Señor Coyote and Señor Fox" from Mexico and "The King of Leaves" from Nicaragua both adapted from The World of Fo...

Today it's Canada versus Switzerland in the Fifa World Cup and we thought we would cheer on our team with a story from Canadian First Nations! Of course, being on the cusp of summer vacation, we also had to pull out a seasonal tale just for you, travellers.  This story is called “How Summer Came to Canada” collected by Cyrus Macmillian in his “Canadian Wonder Tales.” This story is a Glooskap story...

We all know that monkeys love bananas. But did you know that they also believe all bananas belong to them? Join Sparrow as she flies to Brazil to learn more about this in this week's story, "Why the Bananas Belong to the Monkey". Show notes can be found on our website at: www.talesfromtheenchantedforest.com You can also find us on: Bluesky Instagram   Mastodon TikTok

The story of “The Lad who stole a Troll’s Hat, a Bird and a Horse and Married the Princess” comes from “Sámi Folktales from the Near and Far Worlds” by Just Knud Qvigstad and Isak Saba as translated by Barbara Sjoholm published just yesterday through the University of Minnesota Press! We were lucky enough to receive an early edition of the book and it was a treat to look through all the different...

Happy 5th Anniversary, Travellers! What started as a pandemic project is still going strong and we wanted to share our top "Enchantees" with you! We scoured our entire catalogue to find the best myths, fairy tales and folklore that cover such prestigious categories as:  The Failing Forward Award Wait, that's why? Award It’s Hot and it’s Cold Award Somehow that works Award Let us know what your nom...

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a beautiful, accomplished young woman must be in want of a husband who can keep her happy. Unfortunately, she ends up being courted by a Canadian-Wolf-Bird and a trickster fox. How does that lead to a Sparrow searching for Whirlwinds and Rain? Well, you'll have to listen to find out!  April showers bring May flowers and we'll be searching for rain in thi...

With all the buzz around NASA's Artemis II lunar mission with the Orion spacecraft, we thought now was a great refresher on the Greek Olympian herself- Artemis! The Goddess of the Hunt is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, sister of Apollo, and the maybe lover of Orion!  Learn about her origin story, the Homeric Hymns to Artemis, some of her wrath myths involving Niobe and her involvement in the Troja...

Travellers, we've covered most of the major players coming into the Trojan War and now it is time for the Iliad itself! That's right, the prologue and preamble was longer than the Iliad section, but don't worry as we will pull from the Odyssey along with other plays and writings to draw a picture of what happened to our sisters who started it all- Helen and Clytemnestra. Featuring one of my favour...

Last episode we dove into the beginnings of the Trojan War- namely centred around Helen of Sparta and her legendary, divine beauty that changed the world forever. However, more threads of fate were being woven together than just in the House of Sparta. The Trojan royal family had many secrets of their own....as did the House of Atreus...things are about to get a lot more messy before we can step i...

The Trojan War is the last great clash of the Greek heroes and it was all due to one face that launched a thousand ships- or was it? Join Fox and special guest, Squirrel, as we launch our first episode in our three part series on the lead up to the Trojan War and the women at the centre of it all. There are two prophecies Zeus receives about bringing calamity to mankind. The first involves Helen o...

With the 2026 Winter Olympics in full swing, let's take you on a journey to the Norse Olympics in the Land of the Giants! Thor and Loki make their way to Utgard where King Utgard-Loki challenges them to feats in order for them to stay. But, not all is as it seems... Collected from Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda and "Folklore and Legends of Scandinavia" edited by Charles Tibbitts.  Show notes can be...

Ever wondered where the "Heer and Ranjha" verse in Bachna Ae Haseeno's “Jogi Mahi” come from? Or who the Ranjha from the movie Sheershah's hit song is about? Well, we went down the rabbit hole so you don't have to! Join us as we tell the tragic tale of Heer and her lover, Ranjha that is sadly still applicable to life today.  We used many versions in our retelling with the main text being from Wari...

Based on the snow conditions, it looks like King Frost has passed by, so why not tell a story to keep him at bay? For the first episode in the new year, we have a Fox short as Sparrow gathers more tales for the rest of 2026.  Our story today has the classic trope of "Kind and Unkind Girls" as taken from Edith Martha Almedingen’s retelling of Russian folktales based on the works of Aleksandr Nikola...

It's time to say farewell to another year and as everyone settles into the internight days before the real start of 2026, we have a light hearted episode today on the Swan Princess movie! By now, you must be sick of Christmas classics and hallmark shows full of snow and Santa, so join Fox and Sparrow for a look back on one of Sparrow's favourite tales based on the ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsk...

It's only 8 days until Christmas which means its time for a Christmas ghost story! Join us as we tell the harrowing tale of the The Deacon of Dark River also known as The Deacon of Myrká. Unlike Scrooge, this Christmas ghost had an unfortunate death and wanted to drag his poor lover down into hell with him. Spooky festive cheer to all those who celebrate and those who don't! This story comes to us...

It's almost like When Harry Met Sally, except Tawhaki literally climbs through the sky to get his girl. Straight from Edith Howes’ 1913 book titled, Maoriland Fairy Tales, we bring you a fairy story from New Zealand all about how having great upper body strength and carpentry skills can win you magic and love.  Show notes can be found on our website at: www.talesfromtheenchantedforest.com You can...

Welcome back to part two of our wild haunted ride at Pengersick Castle in Cornwall! Last time we left off with pirates and revenge and this time we'll pick up with Lord-Enchanter Pengersec and the Witch of Fraddam! He's less of a boy wizard and more of a reclusive-locked-up-in-his-tower-summoning-spirits type of wizard, but still makes for a great legend!  We are continuing using Robert Hunt’s Pop...

Strange things are afoot at Pengersick Castle in Cornwall and they include (but are not limited to) murder, vengeful spirits, pirates, enchanters, witches, love potions, civil war and generational trauma! That's right, we are going to dive deep into the stories of Lord Pengersec using Robert Hunt’s Popular Romances of the West of England which tells three stories based on ‘How Pengerswick became a...

A monk comes across an odd priest and an even odder town. You see, on the first night after a death, the entire village empties out for fear of the flesh eater. Curious, the Monk chooses to stay and that night, he beholds a frightening sound...then a frightening shape...then- what happens next? Well, you'll have to listen or read the 1998 book, Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by La...

R.F Kuang's Katabasis has reignited the discourse around journeying into the underworld as a storytelling device. We've covered many stories in the past with the theme of Katabasis (namely Inanna and Persephone), so why not deep dive into the various versions of Orpheus' myth especially with Supergiant Games' Hades II coming out! Join us as we trace Orpheus and Eurydice's story from Pindar to Virg...

Sometimes when you find the Shadow-Daddy of your dreams, you won't care that you're dancing with the Devil. Instead, you'll hold him tight until he needs to find a way to get rid of you! Join Fox and Sparrow as they share a tale that frightens even the devil himself! It is the tale of Katcha and the Devil by Czech writer Božena Němcová  from her collection Národní báchorky a powěsti (Folk Stories...

What one single creation probably changed the course of human evolution? If you're thinking tools then you're close but we're thinking FIRE! If you're looking for a tutorial on how to make a fire in Australia then this is not the episode for you! However, if you are searching for a tale on how Bootoolgah, the crane, and Goonur, the kangaroo rat, created fire and then hid it away from everyone else...

Combining the stories of the "Goose Girl" and "Love like Salt," we have the tale of the Goose Girl at the Well from the Brothers Grimm! The moral lessons of this tale? 1. Sometimes helping a wild old lady do a meaningless task that feels like torture is worth the hassle. 2. Telling your father you love him like salt can lead to immediate exile...who knew Kings could be so salty?  Show notes can be...

Welcome back to our special "Box Office" episodes where we look at the folklore behind the fiction. Today we deep dive into the mythology and monsters behind "K-Pop Demon Hunters" using interviews from co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans. We might not be covering tales of your idols, but we're still golden because we'll be discussing demon-hunting Shamans, the tale of Princess Bari, Jeose...

If you love playing "Who's that Pokemon" then this is the fable game for you! Join Fox as she tries to guess the animals in each tale Sparrow has collected! Sometimes with a furry clue and sometimes without- Sparrow shares 6 short tales from all around the world including tricksters and revenge!  Show notes can be found on our website at: www.talesfromtheenchantedforest.com You can also find us on...