Tales From The Enchanted Forest

Join Fox on a solo trip down to Mexico with three fun regional folktales! From the Endless Story to Horse Hooves and Chicken Feet, these delightful stories are the perfect transition away from the doom and gloom of winter as we celebrate May!   Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpods and tell us what story you want us to cover next! S...

This week Fox & Sparrow laugh out loud as they retell a series of very short stories starring Mullah Nasruddin. His stories come from all over, but they share something in common- readers are left feeling confused on whether Nasruddin is wise or a fool. Today we explore some of his tales from Turkey and Iran!  Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or fo...

Hoppy Easter Travellers! In this week's solo episode, Sparrow explores a rabbit-centric Brazilian folktale from Elsie Spicer Eells's 1917 book, Fairy Tales from Brazil. This cute explanatory story recounts why rabbits no longer have a tail and why another animal now does.    Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpods and tell us what sto...

Spring has finally arrived in the Enchanted Forest, but it's also the Persian New Year, Nowruz! In honour of this celebration, Fox and Sparrow explore the classic Persian folktale: Fatima and the Crow. This cozy story will make you feel like you have entered a Studio Ghibli film before moving to a higher-stakes ending where an old grandma learns how to take down those in power.   Enjoying the Podc...

In honour of St Patrick's Day, Fox and Sparrow look at an Irish folktale from the county of Kildare. In this quaint county, there is a grand manor with some peculiar goings on, and the servants are spooked. Little do they realize that a pooka, a trickster spirit, is the source. But is the Pooka here to help? Or does this fae creature have a more sinister plan for the manor? Enjoying the Podcast? W...

Storms, doctors of dead things, a damp mob and a miserable mermaid make this a mermaid story straight from the heart and soul of South Carolina’s literary tradition. Please enjoy the African-American tale of the "Apothecary and the Mermaid" collected by John Bennett and retold by Virginia Hamilton in "Her Stories" as "The Mer-Woman out of the Water."  Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you...

Fox & Sparrow are back together for a new year with a new wild tale to tell! This Italian tale is like Snow White if it was made by Studio Ghibli. From an evil stepmother to a mischievous eagle and a questionable prince, our female protagonist, Ermellina, will have her work cut out for her to avoid her fate in the Crystal Casket.   Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a rev...

Sparrow soars solo this week to Greenland for a wild tale about brothers and what happens when they make some pretty big decisions for their sisters. From surprise marriages to murder and even an epic boat chase, this tale will keep you guessing until the end. Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpods and tell us what story you want us...

Join Fox for the first story of the year where we'll dive into a story gifted by a friend. Enjoy a short, weird tale that takes us over rivers, over fields, over ridges, over bens and glens and seas!  Eachann MacPhaidein's "The Butterfly's Wedding" (Pòsadh An Dealan-dè) comes from Highland Legends (1905) as edited by Johnny Mains for the British Libraries "Celtic Weird."  Enjoying the Podcast? We...

Happy New Year! Join Fox and Sparrow for the final story of the year, a whirlwind of a tale from the enchanted forests of Bulgaria! Can a little orphan girl with a warm heart thwart the witch's plan for a forever winter? In the final episode of 2023, Fox and Sparrow reflect on what they have been into the previous year. From getting sick to enjoying new media, it's been a full year, and there is a...

The winter holidays are fast approaching and to celebrate, Fox & Sparrow are teaming up with a special guest Julia, aka Kuzco! Together they will cover not one but three Festive Folklore Figures! From Krampus to the Kallikantzaros to the Yule Cat, these animal companions are dedicated to sharing the Christmas whimsy and terror of these holiday creatures. Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear f...

Ever wonder why a jellyfish looks the way it does? Well, wonder no more! Fox and Sparrow retell a Japanese fairy tale that explains the appearance of one of the ocean's more peculiar creatures and the importance of staying in school. In this week's catch-up, Sparrow has caught the Animal Crossing bug and Fox is getting amped for the upcoming Percy Jackson TV series.   Enjoying the Podcast? We want...

November is when the dark creeps up on us and nightmare creatures run rampant in the night! So, snuggle in as Fox and Sparrow dig deep to find the tale behind the Wampus-Cat with the Cherokee tale of Running Deer and the Ew'ah. Also, catch-up with us as we have some spoiler-free Iron Flame and 'Jetlagged' chatter before the story!    Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a revie...

Catch up with Fox and Sparrow as they talk about Animal Crossing, cozy games, and Dungeons and Dragons! The story for today comes from Edith Howes. Two friends set off to gain immortality for all of mankind, but despite their success and fairy intervention, the Sky Father has other plans!  Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpods and t...

With Halloween fast approaching, Fox and Sparrow bravely explore the spookier part of the Enchanted Forest. This Taiwanese tale features two sisters who are left home alone until they suddenly hear a mysterious knock at the door.  During this week's Current Obsession catch-up, Fox tells of her latest Netflix binge and kindly explains Korean reality shows to Sparrow. Meanwhile, Sparrow gushes over...

Join Fox and Sparrow as we share two Nigerian Animal Tales and contemplate the existence of animal tales in a bleak future of extinct mammals! Will Elephants join the mammoths in the folkloric landscape? Chat with us about the strongest Nigerian birds, and African trickster animals!   Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpods and tell u...

Cosy up with Fox and Sparrow as we travel to Romania/Ukraine to bring you the Bukovinian fairy tale of the Fairy Queen's Daughter! It's like the Persephone myth...if the Persephone myth had a seductive Dragon Mother, three very old men, a magic bell and a runaway mare! Who needs House of the Dragon?  Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goo...

This week, Fox and Sparrow toss and turn over this small tale. Is it just a fun silly little story? Or is there more below the surface of Hans Christian Anderson's retelling? Find out the truth of the seemingly simple story of the Princess and the Pea (or as it was originally known: The Princess on the Pea).    Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follo...

Join Fox and Sparrow as they Dance the Night into Barbieland and examine the Grimm story behind Barbie in the Twelve Dancing Princesses. For our Five Fantastic Finds we look at the origins of the Barbieverse movies, the ballet connection, the locked room trope and much more! Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpods and tell us what sto...

Join Fox's solo episode on the Rainbow Serpent, a Dreamtime Creature from Aboriginal Australian Stories. The Rainbow Serpent is a creation creature from "Everywhen" that created the rivers, mountains and (sometimes) humans! There is also a darker, bloodier underbelly to this rainbow snake... Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpods and...

Join Sparrow as she dives into this fishy tale of man's greed, a great Lobster's power, and the sardines' tragic fate. This week's story comes from Professor Cyrus MacMillan's 1922 book, which is simply titled Canadian Fairy Tales. This collection covers various stories all across Canada but the story of this episode originates from Canada's east coast near the Magdalene Islands.  Enjoying the Pod...

Join Fox's solo episode on the entire tangled web of the Caledonian Boar Hunt! From Atalanta and Meleager to Jason and Heracles, all of our favourite Greek Heroes are involved in this extended marvel cinematic universe style showdown. Also, of course special smiting appearances from Artemis, Aphrodite and Zeus.  Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or foll...

What if you could know when Death was coming for you? Would you want to know? And would you even be able to recognize the signs? Join Sparrow as she explores these ideas in the Brothers Grimm story: Death's Messengers.   Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpods and tell us what story you would like us to cover next! Show notes can be f...

Join Fox as she explores the Nahua story of Princess Iztaccíhuatl and her star-crossed lover, Popocatépetl. This story from Mexico explains how the volcanoes came to be and a fun story about how another mountain lost his head after fighting Popocatépetl!  Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpods and tell us what story you would like us...

We all love to find answers and understand the world around us. But when does that curiosity stop making us happy and start becoming an obsession with empty knowledge? Join Sparrow as she explores a tale from Estonia, which sees how far one will go to see what mortal eyes have never seen before.   Enjoying the Podcast? We want to hear from you! Leave us a review on Podchaser or follow us on Goodpo...