Myths and Legends

Episodes page 1 of 6

1. 446: Samhain: Back from the Dead

   21 Oct 2026 · 56 min · Episode 446

   👻No one parties on Halloween Night like Nera and his friends Because their parties involve making bracelets. And corpses. And making bracelets for corpses. It's Samhain night, and Nera, a lowly spearman, accepts a…

2. 445: Indian folklore: Fake It 'Til You Make It

   7 Oct 2026 · 54 min · Episode 445

   💪There's something powerful about confidence. Except that, if you're not actually powerful...or generous...or deadly, pretending to be those things can get you in a lot of trouble. Only if you get caught, though. Three…

3. 444: Dwarves: Ortnit Wit

   23 Sep 2026 · 58 min · Episode 444

   🗡️Ortnit has it all. The strength of twelve men. A secret, super lineage. A dwarven sword and unbreakable armor. The question is, what is he going to do with it? Start a war to try to date a princess? Start a war to…

4. 443: Tricksters: Does Whatever A Spider Can

   9 Sep 2026 · 55 min · Episode 443

   🕷️Spiders don't have tails, but this one has tales. Anansi is one of the most famous folklore tricksters in the world, but we'll see that behind every great trickster...is likely a trail of broken and/or angry people…

5. 442: Greek Myths: The Poseidon Adventures

   25 Aug 2026 · 48 min · Episode 442

   🔱It's Poseidon's turn. On the podcast. Not to be king of the gods. He's actually totally not mad that his little brother is king. Because Zeus isn't the king of him. But Poseidon does do everything his brother says.…

6. 441: Celtic folklore: Deerly Beloved

   12 Aug 2026 · 56 min · Episode 441

   🗡️If at first you don't succeed, die, die again. Ian's had a hard life. That life gets even more difficult when he falls in love with a woman who is (not-so-secretly) a deer. And who makes him eat her earwax. 😈 The…

7. 440: Monkey King: The Shakedown

   29 Jul 2026 · 54 min · Episode 440

   🐒 Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, knows a demon shakedown when he sees it. And what's happening in this town, where people need to pay upwards of $30k (in 2026 USD) a year to a Buddha they never see? That's a shakedown.…

8. 439: Indian folklore: Guess I'll Die

   15 Jul 2026 · 59 min · Episode 439

   ✏️Gaṅgâdhara's astrologer dad has some bad news for his boy: he's going to die. Well, first he'll spend a decade in prison, and then die. Then things will get better? It's the story of the Soothsayer's Son. 😈 The…

9. 438: Maui: Whatever Happened to the Man Who Snared the Sun?

   1 Jul 2026 · 52 min · Episode 438

   🏝️No one has seen or heard about Maui for quite some time Meanwhile, all these strange portents are leading disparate groups to a faraway island, all the while there are ominous tales spoken in whispers. It's probably…

10. 437: Czech folklore: House of the Dragon

    17 Jun 2026 · 1 h 01 min · Episode 437

    🍼 If your parent goes through the trouble of getting you superpowers... Kind of the least you can do is get them a new house. And fight all the dragons infesting that house. And get their increasingly specific and…

11. 436: Korean folkore: Feet First

    3 Jun 2026 · 1 h 03 min · Episode 436

    🪱Mr. Worm is getting married! That (not creepy) stranger is looking in your windows! Shin is driving tired! Five interconnected stories from Korean folklore about letting people know the real you. And 😈 The Creature:…

12. 435: Medieval Knights: Fifty Shades of Graelent

    20 May 2026 · 51 min · Episode 435

    ⚔️Sir Graelent is too beautiful for his scruples At least that's what the queen thinks. Good thing she doesn't have the power to wreck his whole life if he doesn't love her. Oh, wait... 😈 The Creature: The Witkəś Sick…

13. 434: Norse Mythology: The Old Man and the Stick

    6 May 2026 · 55 min · Episode 434

    🐐 Who knew packing so many epic Norse heroes into a single house could have such disastrous consequences? Not Odin, that's for sure. There's trouble brewing in Valhalla, and there's only one man who knows how to solve…

14. 433: Spanish folklore: Doña of the Dead

    22 Apr 2026 · 57 min · Episode 433

    ⛰️When the unthinkable happens, Doña must become something she doesn't even recognize to bring justice But, once she travels so far from herself, can she find her way home? This is the story of Doña Josefa Ramirez y…

15. 432: Japanese folklore: Sword it Out

    8 Apr 2026 · 1 h 07 min · Episode 432

    🍜Samurai Pirates, Stabby Sumo Wrestlers, and Punchable Oni Are the consequences of Jiuyemon's actions. We all make mistakes. Too many of the samurai Jiuyemon's mistakes involved killing people with a sword while…

16. 431: Turkish folklore: These Dreams

    25 Mar 2026 · 50 min · Episode 431

    ✨Cobbler Ahmet just wants to fix shoes✨ But his wife wants those sweet, sweet bath reservations, so it looks like he's going to go be the Chief Astrologer to the Sultan. The only problem(s)? He doesn't like astrology,…

17. 430: Finnish folklore: Worn Out

    11 Mar 2026 · 51 min · Episode 430

    ✏️Osmo is a pretty solid sketch artist✏️ He’s not drawing a criminal, though. He’s drawing his sister, whose only crime is stealing the prince’s heart. And also maybe trying to escape the prison of the sea king, but…

18. 429: Slavic folklore: The Devilkin Made Me Do It

    25 Feb 2026 · 46 min · Episode 429

    👞Goria the shoemaker has a bad boss👞 Is his boss the devil? Literally...well, no. Is the devil that Goria meets in a bar actually better than his boss? 100% yes. 😈 The Creature: Jack-in-Irons A creature who made it a…

19. 428: Monkey King: The Pride

    11 Feb 2026 · 1 h 01 min · Episode 428

    🐺Inside each of us there are two wolves. They are named 'Shifty' and 'Freaky'.🐺 Which one wins? Well it doesn't matter because they're both demons so maybe try to starve both of them out. Or spit in their faces and…

20. 427: Norse Legends: Wither or Not

    28 Jan 2026 · 55 min · Episode 427

    🧙♀️So, you think your stepmom might be a sorceress🧙♀️ Common problem. Well, common for fairy tales, at least. But, have you thought that she might not like you putting her in a box and deciding what she is before you…

21. 426: 1001 Nights: Djinning Up Some Trouble

    14 Jan 2026 · 1 h 10 min · Episode 426

    🧞♂️Trying to meet the love of your life? Maybe ask for help from two genies trying to kill each other.🧞♂️ Even if you're not trying to meet the love of your life or, like the characters in today's story, actively…

22. 425: Flemish legends: A Night Out

    31 Dec 2025 · 36 min · Episode 425

    🧌We've all been there.🧌 You spend a night out with friends, hanging out in the dark forest, crashing an ogre party and making dog friends. The only problem? You were out past curfew. Oh, and you came in through the…

23. 424: Irish legends: Out of Time

    17 Dec 2025 · 52 min · Episode 424

    🦌Oh, deer.🦌 No, really, the love of your life might just be a deer...or, well, a human in the form of a deer. Just ask your two cousins who are also your best friends and your literal dogs. They'll lead you right to…

24. 423: Japanese folkore: The Illusionists

    3 Dec 2025 · 47 min · Episode 423

    👹Something is lurking in the forest temple👹 While the country outside is rocked by the changes in the world, a village grapples with the idea that a monster of a land that's nearly gone still lurks in their midst. 😈…

25. 422: Scottish folklore: Witchful Thinking

    19 Nov 2025 · 57 min · Episode 422

    🧙♂️So you've decided to steal from a witch or wizard🧙♀️ Are you sure about that? If you are, you might want to think about what you're going to do more than the characters in today's stories from Scotland and Norway.…

26. 421: Viking Legends: Famous

    5 Nov 2025 · 51 min · Episode 421

    🔥All the Viking warriors' hearts burn with love for Nítíða🔥 And also the rest of them is on fire as well because that's what happens when you try to kidnap a maiden-king. 😈 The Creatures: Henkie The henkie is dancing…

27. 420: Korean Grim Reaper: Saja Boys

    22 Oct 2025 · 55 min · Episode 420

    ⚰️It's Halloween⚰️ What do you do when death comes for you? Well, the characters in today's stories have a lot of ideas, and they're surprisingly successful. The problem? Death works on a much, much longer timeline. 😈…

28. 419: Slavic folklore: Bad Heir Day

    8 Oct 2025 · 42 min · Episode 419

    🪉Ivan fights wizards and monsters and Baba Yaga with a music streaming subscription🪉 What do you get when your daughters have been kidnapped by a sleezy cloud and your son not only spends all of his days jamming with…

29. 418: French stories: Our Son, Ourson, the Bear

    24 Sep 2025 · 47 min · Episode 418

    🐻Ourson is a Beary Good Guy🐻 Sorry, I couldn't resist, but he is actually a good guy. He isn't a bear though. He just looks like one to people who have probably never seen a bear, because he's kind of just a very…

30. 417: Guy of Warwick: Don't Be That Guy

    10 Sep 2025 · 1 h 04 min · Episode 417

    🛡️This Guy?🛡️ This guy is Guy of Warwick, and he's your guy. But only if you need someone to be the best guy in the world at fighting and killing. It's just too bad Guy hates being that guy. 😈 The Creature: Freybug…

31. 416: Hans Christian Andersen: Humbugs

    27 Aug 2025 · 39 min · Episode 416

    🪲They're not so different🪲 One is the king of the world, and the other is a beetle. One wants to fight God, the other wants to wear golden horse shoes. When it comes to being completely arrogant and insufferable,…

32. 415: Aesop's Fables: Bray it Ain't So

    13 Aug 2025 · 47 min · Episode 415

    🫏One little rent-a-donkey, one big journey🫏 Actually he's a full-grown rental donkey but the journey is a big one because, when you're a poorly treated rental donkey and you have a chance to escape, you take it. Then,…

33. 414: Monkey King: Ham-bushed

    30 Jul 2025 · 43 min · Episode 414

    🐷Sun Wukong is a bad friend🐷 But, to be fair, he never said he and Pigsy were friends...because you don't send your friends to dinner parties where everyone is trying to murder you. 😈 The Creature: Each Tened A horse…

34. 413: European folklore: Justice

    16 Jul 2025 · 49 min · Episode 413

    🔔Ring the bell for justice🔔 Want justice? Ring the bell. Doesn't matter if you're a horse or a snake or a merchant or a peasant but if you're one of the latter two probably don't get caught ringing the bell of…

35. 412: Indian folklore: Dicey

    2 Jul 2025 · 55 min · Episode 412

    🎲Losing your kingdom in a game of dice🎲 The story of Nala and Damayanti is a tale of love, loss, and losing everything but your underwear because of your terrible decisions and then also your underwear. 😈 The…

36. 411: Celtic folklore: The Wake

    18 Jun 2025 · 57 min · Episode 411

    ⛵️Get lost at sea with Maelduin⛵️ All Maelduin wants to do is avenge his father's murder...with more murder. He should have listened to that wizard. Because he didn't, his trip just got a whole lot longer. And…

37. 410: Japanese folklore: Provincial

    4 Jun 2025 · 59 min · Episode 410

    ⛩️Stories from the Japanese countryside⛩️ Five interconnected stories of purpose, meaning, justice, talking animals, the boss falling off a cliff, mushrooms, and travel hampers. 😈 **The Creature: The Dinny Mara The…

38. 409: Reynard: Nasty, Brutish, and Short

    21 May 2025 · 50 min · Episode 409

    🦊 Reynard the fox hates meetings, too 🦊 Especially because at most of the meetings he's invited to, people usually try to kill and eat him. Today, we're back in the stories of Reynard the fox, with sick kings,…

39. 408: Knights of the Round Table: Hither and Thither

    7 May 2025 · 53 min · Episode 408

    🏰When a knight says he'll be right back, he means it Unless he dies. Or gets captured. Or just forgets about it, prompting his son to come looking for him in the land of wickedness...and also maybe saving Camelot in…

40. 407: West African folklore: Wiser

    23 Apr 2025 · 45 min · Episode 407

    🍼Have a budding tyrant? You need a snarky talking baby🍼 Yenga Naa is wiser than the chief. How do you know? Well, he named himself that...the moment he was born. 😈 The Creature: The Cornu How do you torment sinners…

41. 406: Slavic folklore: Udder Nonsense

    9 Apr 2025 · 58 min · Episode 406

    🐄Baba Yaga, Dragons, Giant Talking Pigs🐄 We'll see what happens when a king who wants one son gets more than he bargained for: three sons, with the oddest one of all, the one capable of calming dragons (when he's not…

42. 405: European legends: Ale to the King

    26 Mar 2025 · 57 min · Episode 405

    🍺Meet Cambrinus, things aren't going so well for him🍺 He's a peasant kid with a job that's going nowhere, a crush who doesn't love him back, and no one takes him seriously when he absolutely knocks it out of the park…

43. 404: Monkey King: Not Found

    12 Mar 2025 · 41 min · Episode 404

    🤑 The Monkey King and friends are making money and staying in fancy hotels🤑 What is this that you heard about them being monks? What? No. That's ridiculous. They don't know why you thought that. So weird. They are…

44. 403: Norse sagas: Wormtongue

    26 Feb 2025 · 55 min · Episode 403

    ⚔️The plight of the Viking celebrity poet⚔️ Friends become enemies, enemies become friends, and none of what you actually say matters all that much...as long as you're famous. 😈 The creature: the cicada It's not a…

45. 402: Japanese folklore: Misconceptions

    12 Feb 2025 · 55 min · Episode 402

    🐸Love means never having to say I'm sorry (I poisoned you)"🐸 ...or something like that. This Valentine's Day there are three love stories from Japan. On the first, a man moves on after becoming a widower (kind of), on…

46. 401: Chinese Zodiac: Rat Race

    29 Jan 2025 · 40 min · Episode 401

    🐀It's Race Day🐀 Today, we tell the story of how the animals in the Chinese Zodiac got their years: a race that's terrible for all involved. 😈 The Creature: Nian Why you want to dress in red to avoid long, unpleasant…

47. 400: Celtic folklore: The Baddies

    15 Jan 2025 · 1 h 00 min · Episode 400

    👸 Our princess is in another castle! 👸 Two stories from Ireland where it's unclear who the villain is...and how it might just be among the people we least suspect. 😈 The creature: le cheval Bayard A horse who just…

48. 399: Canadian folklore: Wild Night

    31 Dec 2024 · 37 min · Episode 399

    🎉At a bad New Year's party?🎉 It has to be better than little Joe and Baptiste's New Years, in the frigid Canadian wilderness. But they're going to change that. By making a deal with the devil. 😈 The creature: The Yale…

49. 398: Nordic Christmas: In the Bleak Mid-winter

    18 Dec 2024 · 49 min · Episode 398

    🌲Trolls, zombies, and evil housecats🌲 It must be Christmas in the Nordic countries. Today, a young officer is stuck in the city after being in a brief coma. At least there are some tales to keep him company. 😈 The…

50. 397: Monkey King: King of Hearts

    11 Dec 2024 · 43 min · Episode 397

    🐵Monkey and Co. are really hoping this city is different🐵 I mean, it has to be, right? Not every city can be full of monsters...can it? We're back in the Journey to the West with Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. 😈 The…