What The Folklore?

This week we read Why the Sea is Salt, courtesy of Asbjornsen and Moe. The answer is much, much closer to "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" than anyone could've possibly anticipated. Suggested talking points: Cheerleader Zamboni, The Sandwich Wars Accord, Brothers on Brothers on Brothers, Bacon Hot Takes, The Piss-cific Ocean If you'd like to support Carman's artistic endeavors, visit: https://www.patre...

This week we read The Goat of Mr. Seguin , and in the process accidently dredge up a centuries-old subtweet from an extremely bitter windmill adressed to a semi-fictional character. Oh yeah, and Gordie is back. Suggested talking points: H.P. Amorcraft's "Le Cthuleaux", Not a Windmill in the Classical Sense, The Mastertruck Chronicles, Number One In Raising Children Wrong, Goat Nirvana, The Shape o...

This week we continue reading Dwarf Long Nose, by Wilhelm Hauff, AKA Satan's Ghostwriter. Based on how things went last week, if you weren't expecting a Fairytale Bake-off, a magic goose, and a war over pastries, you need to turn in your damn folktale gun and badge. Thanks to Dave for joining us this week! Suggested talking points: Atrocity Tourist, Fresh Kitchen Fishin', This Soup is a Steak,  Go...

This week we begin reading Dwarf Long Nose, by Wilhelm Hauff, AKA Satan's Ghostwriter. In it, our precious good-boy hero is rudely accosted by a strange woman with very particular herb sensibilities. War looms on the horizon... Thanks to Dave for joining us this week! Suggested talking points: A New Fun Boy, The AI Art Equivalent of a Human, Insider Cabbage Trading, Guinea Pig Whistle, A Barber's...

This week we're reading Sangkuriang or Legend of Tangkuban Perahu, a tale rife with...complicated and troubling genealogies. Thanks to Dave for joining us this week! Suggested talking points: Were-Husband, The Piss Baby's Son So Easily Forgotten, It's a Nanowrimo Miracle!, Throwing a Tantrum So Hard it Creates Geography, Narratively Necessary Incest If you'd like to support Carman's artistic endea...

This week, while reading The Tale(s) of the White Elephant with Six Tusks , we get some conflicting information on the relative coolness of this elephant. You be the judge, dear listener! Thanks to Melissa for joining us this week! Suggested talking points:  If you'd like to support Carman's artistic endeavors, visit: https://www.patreon.com/carmandaartsthings If you like our show, find us online...

Zalutations listeners! On this week's episode of What The Folklore, we're reading Three Boys With Jugs of Molasses and Secret Ambitions Marvel as we descend further into Rootabaga-Tale-Madness Before all that, though, Tyler has some spooky-times movies he wants to bring to your attention I'm truly sorry Even though it eats up the runtime, we hope you enjoy So long, and Happy Spooklore! ...Also, th...

This week on WTFolklore, we hear two different Tales of the Boo Hag, a skinless Sailor Moon who loves to drink breath and hates poker players. Man, Myth-Times had some wild explanations for sleep apnea! Thanks to Dave/Psythe for joining us this week! Suggested talking points: The Boo Spectrum, Subsistence Breath Farmers, Knitting is Sweaty Work, Flayed by Mystical Anime Light, Winner Takes Wife, L...

This week on WTFolklore, we're joined again by the magical sweet potato as we read Struwwelpeter , a confusing collection of cautionary tales about some of the worst kids you've ever heard of. Also, a rabbit gets a gun at one point, unrelatedly.  Thanks to Jayson for joining us this week! Suggested talking points: The Mythos Manspreading Hour, Shotgun Blast of Baubles, The Fingerkinder, A Colony o...

To kick off Spooklore this year, Sun Wukong has us covered by encountering a tree with the creepiest fruit we've ever heard of! Thanks to DEFINEPROG (AKA Matt) for Joining us this week! Suggested talking points: FRUIT IS BACK ON THE MENU BOYS, Height-to-Demon Ratio, Cup O' Immortality, Bad Cop Worse Cop, Trauma-Bonded to a Monkey If you'd like to support Carman's artistic endeavors, visit: https:/...

This week on WTFolklore, we're joined by a talking sweet potato to help us read through Godmother Death , but we do take some side roads to talk about Google's "feeling lucky" button, and how to best christen a new sketchbook. Oh, and lube. Lots and lots of lube. Thanks to Jayson for joining us this week! Suggested talking points: The Robin Hood of Antibodies, WAP (Wealth And Prosperity), Wrong As...

Breath? You should take a deep Faith? this is quite the leap Taste? You KNOW it's bittersweet This week on WTFolklore, we face our fears, and recap a tale that, as one Grimoire Highwind puts it, is "Not Meant for Human Consumption". We're also joined by special guest, Nate!   Music in chronological order: Victory Fanfare (Holder & Ephixa Remix) Face My Fears by Hikaru Utada  Final Fantasy Ending T...

This week on WTFolklore, we read The Blue Light, a sort of remix of two other tales we've read rather recently, see if you can guess which! In it, we learn of the terrifying capabilities of color-coded dwarves, and the frightening lengths they will go to in order to alleviate their own boredom. Suggested talking points: Beyond the Pavlov Barrier, Smash That Castle Button, Handfuls of Sherbet, Invi...

This week on WTFolklore, we continue our trudge through Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp , this time in China, which is not a sudden change of scenery at all. Turns out life is just nothing but problems, especially if you continually, almost deliberately forget you have a magical genie living on your finger. Suggested talking points: Hungry Hungry Himbo, Disney Movie Crisis Actors, Pitchforks and Pa...

This week on WTFolklore, we learn possibly THE most efficient way to squander two genies, chock full of wish-juice, as we begin (but do not conclude) reading Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp Suggested talking points: AMAB, Amp-to-Amp Genie Wishes, The Round Boy and Jafar, PLEASE Nort the Vizier, A Cause to Lube Up, Hit-Genies If you'd like to support Carman's artistic endeavors, visit: https://www.p...

This week on WTFolklore, we read pull the ripcord on an Emergency Rutabaga Bomb, and dip back into Carl Sandburg's Rootabaga Tales , to read through How They Broke Away to go to the Rootabaga Country. Yes, "rutabaga" is spelled wrong on purpose. Prepare to learn a lot more than you ever cared to know about the gestation of Clowns. Suggested talking points: Turn the Doorknob so the Whimbus May Touc...

This week on WTFolklore, we read The Twelve Dancing Princesses , the classic Grimm Bros. tale about a rat king made out of daughters who dance their lives away every night down in Space Jam World. Suggested talking points: Busted Podcasting Rig Covered in Spikes, A Ratking of Girls, Just a Tame Inside Fire, High Top Emu Boots, A Monarch's Dozen, Twelve Baby Anakins, Three "Honk Shoos" and One "Mim...

This week on WTFolklore, we read two vastly different versions of The Legend of the Hero, Menesk , which both purport to be true accounts. Shockingly, Astoundingly, and with great effort, we DO manage to make both accounts true simultaneously. All we had to do was tear open a TIME HOLE. Suggested talking points: The "English" to "Why-is-this-happening" Translation, The Story Equivalent of Peripher...

This week on WTFolklore we finish reading the Hans Christian Anderson tale, The Tinder Box , which is shockingly revealed to be a collaboration with Mary Shelley (the inventor of Mars), and a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of infinite dog money. Suggested talking points: Digital Space Knapsack, Largely a Work of Spite, Old-Timey Zippo, One Million Money to Live, Mars Needs Monarchy, Way Too Cl...

This week on WTFolklore we check in with the Hans Christian Anderson catalogue, reading The Tinder Box , which is a story that definitely, totally, 100% takes place on Mars, and you can't change our minds. Suggested talking points: Backwards Engineering Excuses, Punzel Chassis, Giger's Big Red Kaiju, Whips and Sugar Sticks, No Sentiment on Mars, Too Many Stairs for Friendship If you'd like to supp...

This week on WTFolklore we read the Grimm tale, The Iron Stove , wherein we finally decide to test our mettle as Folklorists, and employ the new GTC Classification System to better inform YOU about what kinda story you're in for. Mileage may vary. Suggested talking points: Return to the Cotton Eye Joe Void, The Tyler Hate Zone, Nut Dress, Magic Paycheck Splurge, Winky Drinky Coinkydinky, Yoink-a-L...

This week on WTFolklore we read The Shoes of Abu Kassim , which as far as we're concerned is a film franchise with Rowan Atkinson's name plastered all over it. We also discover just why Elon Musk is SO obsessed with tunnels. Truth bombs abound on this episode. If you'd like to support Carman's artistic endeavors, visit: https://www.patreon.com/carmandaartsthings If you like our show, find us onlin...

This week on WTFolklore we read The Snow, The Crow, and The Blood , a story largely about none of those things! Surprise!  It IS a cautionary tale about letting your horny be your guide in life, and falling under the charming spell of a little red man who needs some extra dps for his sidequests. But at the end of the day, he'll help you lobotomize a lady of your choosing, so you decide if it's a g...

This week on WTFolklore after a short...Divergence...from our normal banter, we read an anthology of King Midas tales from around the world, all focused on a, uh, lesser known aspect from the original tale. Suggested talking points: A World Where Parkour is Important, One Hundred Percent None Percent Normal, Bloated with Secrets, The Sweeney Todd Paradox, No Rules Just Write If you'd like to suppo...

This week on WTFolklore we check in on Carman's time at FWA, Tyler's ongoing Robin Hobb Problem, and then read the Grimm's tale, Bearskin.   Somewhat appropriately, as this is only half the Devil's number, he only appears for half the episode Suggested talking points: Hotboxing All the Buzzy Boys, Cybergrams, A One-Man Island of Misfit Toys, Army Teaches You the Hard Tickles, The Stinkiest Bezos I...