Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean - podcast cover

Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean

Liv Albert mythsbaby.com

The most entertaining and enraging stories from 'Classical' mythology (and, often, ancient history of the wider Mediterranean!) told casually, contemporarily, and (more often than not) sarcastically. The world of Greek mythology and the history of the wider ancient Mediterranean is full of wonder, horror, and utter hilarity. These myths and stories are timeless for a reason, they're just as relevant today as they were 2500+ years ago. With over 700 episodes and counting, we dive deep into the realm of gods, goddesses, heroes, monsters, and everything in between.


Regular episodes every Tuesday, conversations with authors and scholars or readings of ancient epics every Friday. LTAMB: The Oracle Edition has ad-free episodes and so much more. Learn more about the podcast, and Liv's work, including her book Greek Mythology: the Gods, Goddess, and Heroes Handbook at mythsbaby.com.

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Episodes

SPOOKY SPECIAL: Finally We’re Talking About Zagreus, Are You Happy? The Orphic Thrice Born Dionysus

Revisiting an unofficial Spooky episode... Zagreus, Zagreus, Zagreus. It's gross, it's weird, it's both an afterthought and supremely important. Welcome to the story of thrice born Dionysus, better known as Zagreus. Find all six years of Spooky Season content on this Spotify Playlist ! Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: **this episode includes particularly egregious assault and incest, even for Greek myth** far too many Greek myths involve assault. Gi...

Oct 26, 202335 min

SPOOKY SPECIAL: Living Amongst the Dead, the Underworld & its Infernal Chthonic Cuties

Revisiting last's year's spooky... It's time for the infernal goddesses of the dead... Chthonic Cuties... the realm of the Underworld itself, and how the real people of ancient Greece worshipped and interacted with that realm while they're still in the land of the living... Find all six years of Spooky Season content on this Spotify Playlist ! Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typicall...

Oct 25, 202336 min

Children Make For A Very Impious Meal (Seneca’s Thyestes Part 3)

The finale of Seneca's Thyestes is just... horror, from start to finish. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. And this one features *graphic* infanticide and cannibalism... Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Seneca's Thyestes, primarily the version translation by Emily Wilson with long passages quoted f...

Oct 24, 202351 minSeason 7Ep. 553

Conversations: Beware of the Splash Zone! Gladiators in the Greek World w/ Alexandra Sills

Liv speaks with Alexandra Sills who studies spectacle! and, specifically: when Gladiators went to Greece... They talk mythologizing gladiatorial games, adapting things (splash zone!) and even, the evidence for women fighting in games. Read more from Alexandra at Bad Ancient and Working Classicists . Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as d...

Oct 20, 20231 hr 44 minSeason 7Ep. 552

What the Goddess of Divine Retribution Wants, the Goddess of Divine Retribution Gets (Seneca’s Thyestes Part 2)

As Seneca's Thyests continues, Atreus finalizes his plan for revenge and Thyestes returns home to Argolis with his beloved children. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. And this one features infanticide and cannibalism... Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Seneca's Thyestes, primarily the version trans...

Oct 17, 202344 minSeason 7Ep. 551

RE-AIR Conversations: Do You Like Scary Movies? Scream Queens of Myth w/ Vanessa Stovall

Some things are eternal. What does Persephone have in common with Sidney Prescott? Or Antigone with Marion Crane? Let Vanessa tell you all about it... Find more about Vanessa's study of horror in myth and Greek tragedy here , and follow her on Twitter for more . CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Attributions and licensing information for music us...

Oct 13, 20231 hr 31 min

A Cursed Ghost and a Goddess of Vengeance Walk Into a Bar… Seneca’s Thyestes (Part 1)

It's time to return to Seneca and the play whose only woman character is a goddess of vengeance. Tantalus' cursed grandsons are about to f**k things up. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Seneca's Thyestes, primarily the version translation by Emily Wilson with long ...

Oct 10, 202344 minSeason 7Ep. 549

Liv Reads Ancient Spooky: Selections from Pliny, Ovid, Aeschylus, and Lucan

Liv reads a selection of spooky content from ancient authors: Aeschylus' Agamemnon, translated by Herbert Weir Smyth ; Aeschylus' Eumenides, translated by Herbert Weir Smyth ; Lucan's Pharsalia ; Letters of Pliny the Younger, translated by William Melmoth . Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing...

Oct 06, 20231 hr 15 minSeason 7Ep. 548

Murder After Murder, Generation After Generation; the Curse of the Tantalids and the Pelopidae

It's that time of year again... When we talk about the most horrifying stories from myth. Today, that cursed and murderous family, the Tantalids. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Early Greek Myths by Timothy Gantz; Topostext entries on Tantalus , Seneca's Thyestes,...

Oct 03, 202333 minSeason 7Ep. 547

Conversations: The Politics of Mythology, Foreigners & Party Girls of Classical Athens w/ Dr Rebecca Futo Kennedy

Liv speaks with Rebecca Futo Kennedy about all things Athens: the politics behind Theseus' mythology, immigration and the rights (and absolute lack thereof) of foreigners in the city depending upon the time period, and particularly, how women fit in. Read more here. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I re...

Sep 29, 20231 hr 45 minSeason 7Ep. 546

Playing Antigone (or Maybe Creon?…), Reception of Sophocles w/ Dr Amy Pistone

Liv is joined by Amy Pistone to talk all things reception of Sophocles' Antigone, all the varied ways the play has been used to depict modern stories of resistance, in all its forms. Learn more about the Playing Antigone contest through Out of Chaos Theatre . Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referenci...

Sep 26, 20231 hrSeason 7Ep. 545

Conversations: Flashing Her Way to Freedom, Phryne & Hetarae w/ Dr. Melissa Funke

PHRYNE! You've all seen the meme of the Hetarae who stripped in an Athenian courtroom to prove her innocence, right? Well that *may* have happened, but she was amazing regardless. Dr. Melissa Funke shares endless Phyrne and Hetarae stories of ancient Athens. For more of everything, check out Peopling the Past ! Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, ...

Sep 22, 20231 hr 39 minSeason 7Ep. 544

Nobody Labours Like Heracles (Hercules): The Cultural History of the Panhellenic Hero

Heracles was like, a really big deal. Examining the historical and cultural impact of a 1000+ year old hero. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: The Oxford Handbook to Heracles, edited by Daniel Ogden; Herakles by Emma Stafford (including the Diodorus Siculus quote/tr...

Sep 19, 202343 minSeason 7Ep. 543

Liv Reads Ovid: The Metamorphoses Book XIII

Liv reads Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book XIII, translated by Brookes More. It's the end of the Trojan War, Ajax and Ulysses (Odysseus) fight over Achilles' armour; Trojan Women face their fates; and Aeneas starts his journey. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! This is not a standard narrative story episode, it's a reading of an ancient source, audiobook style. For regular episodes look for any that don't have "Liv Reads..." in the title! For a list of Roman/Lati...

Sep 15, 20231 hr 20 minSeason 7Ep. 542

Before Heracles, There was Alcmene: The Woman Behind the Greatest Hero

Before Heracles, there was Alcmene, and there's so much more to her than just "mother of a hero". Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Theoi.com entries on Hesiod's Shield of Heracles ; Pseudo-Apollodorus' Library of Greek Mythology ; Early Greek Myths by Timothy Gantz...

Sep 12, 202343 minSeason 7Ep. 541

Conversations: The Face That Lit a Thousand* Screens, Helen of Troy in Hollywood w/ Ruby Blondell

Liv speaks with author and scholar Ruby Blondell about Helen of Sparta, Troy, and the Silver Screen. Ruby's new book Helen of Troy in Hollywood is available in North America now and the UK later this month! Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Attributions and licensing informa...

Sep 08, 20231 hr 33 minSeason 7Ep. 540

There’s No One Quite Like Dionysus, Wine Daddy of Greek Myth

Dionysus is as mysterious as he is wonderful, he's new and he's old, local and foreign... Plus, he seriously loved his wife Ariadne. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Early Greek Myths by Timothy Gantz; Theoi entries on Dionysus' birth/birthplace, Prosymnos , Lykour...

Sep 05, 202343 minSeason 7Ep. 539

Conversations: Taking Inspiration from the Furies, Seneca’s Medea w/ Dr Lauren Ginsberg

So! Much! Seneca! Lauren Ginsberg joins Liv to RAVE about Seneca's Medea, and provide some helpful and fascinating Roman context, among so many other things. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found h...

Sep 01, 20231 hr 34 minSeason 7Ep. 538

BONUS: Liv Reads Seneca, Speeches from Medea

A bonus episode where Liv reads select speeches from Seneca's Medea, translated by Frank Justus Miller. This should accompany the three part series covering Seneca's Medea or else it won't make much sense! Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! This is not a standard narrative story episode, it's a reading of an ancient source, audiobook style. For regular episodes look for any that don't have "Liv Reads..." in the title! For a list of Roman/Latin names and who ...

Aug 30, 202324 minSeason 7Ep. 537

There’s Nothing Like a Mad Woman… Seneca’s Medea Part 3

Finishing on our first ever Roman tragedy... Seneca's Medea is bigger and badder and absolutely willing to commit violence on stage...  Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Seneca's Medea, Oxford Classics edition translated by Emily Wilson; Seneca's Medea translat...

Aug 29, 202346 minSeason 7Ep. 536

Conversations: When Romans Write Greek Myth, Statius’ Thebaid w/ Meagan Cleveland

Liv speaks with author Meagan Cleveland about Statius' Thebaid... A very Roman (read: violent and dark) epic about the Oedipus dynasty and the Seven Against Thebes. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be ...

Aug 25, 20231 hr 14 minSeason 7Ep. 534

She’s Everything, He’s Just Jason… Seneca’s Medea Part 2

Continuing on our first ever Roman tragedy... Seneca's Medea is mouthier, angrier, and even more vengeful and violent than Euripides, and I'm here for it.  Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Seneca's Medea, Oxford Classics edition translated by Emily Wilson; Sen...

Aug 22, 202340 minSeason 7Ep. 533

Liv Reads Ovid: The Metamorphoses Book XII

Liv reads Book XII of Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Brookes More. The Greeks prepare for war with Troy, Caenis becomes Caeneus, there's a war between Centaurs and Lapiths, and Achilles, well... No spoilies. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Attributions and licensing i...

Aug 18, 20231 hr 1 minSeason 7Ep. 532

Who Knew Medea Could Be Even Angrier, Even More Bloodthirsty? (Seneca’s Medea Part 1)

It's time for our first ever Roman tragedy... Seneca's Medea is mouthier, angrier, and even more vengeful than Euripides, and I'm here for it.  Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Seneca's Medea, Oxford Classics edition translated by Emily Wilson; Seneca's Medea ...

Aug 15, 202340 minSeason 7Ep. 531

Conversations: A Bronze Age Iliad, Trans Achilles in Wrath Goddess Sing w/ Maya Deane

Liv speaks with Maya Deane, author of Wrath Goddess Sing, about her retelling of the Iliad, trans Achilles, and writing a historically Bronze Age Trojan War... Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found...

Aug 11, 20231 hr 30 minSeason 7Ep. 530

But What About Rome?! Roman Mythology & the Great Mother Cybele

Liv dives (or perhaps wades into the shallows) of Roman mythology and religion, and tells the story of how the Phrygian goddess Cybele ended up in Italy. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Theoi.com entry on Cybele,   Agdistis , and Attis ; Ovid's Fasti , transl...

Aug 08, 202343 minSeason 7Ep. 529

Liv Reads Ovid: The Metamorphoses Book XI

Liv reads Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 11, translated by Brookes More. Orpheus is torn to shreds, Hesione faces a sea monster, the story of Ceyx and Halcyone, and more... Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! This is not a standard narrative story episode, it's a reading of an ancient source, audiobook style. For regular episodes look for any that don't have "Liv Reads..." in the title! Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be f...

Aug 04, 20231 hr 11 minSeason 7Ep. 528

Augustus Demands Respect, Rome’s Foundation Myths w/ The Partial Historians

Liv is joined by the Partial Historians who share the myths surrounding the foundation of Rome. Liv also shares the Athenian foundational myth. This episode was formerly Patreon exclusive! Find the Partial Historians here or wherever you're listening to this podcast. Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I r...

Aug 01, 202350 minSeason 7Ep. 527

Liv Reads Ovid: The Metamorphoses, Book X

Liv reads Book 10 of Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Brookes More. We've got Orpheus and Eurydice, lost loves of Apollo, Atalanta's foot race, and the horrifying origins of Adonis, among others! Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! This is not a standard narrative story episode, it's a reading of an ancient source, audiobook style. For regular episodes look for any that don't have "Liv Reads..." in the title! Attributions and licensing information for musi...

Jul 28, 20231 hr 4 minSeason 7Ep. 526

All I Really Want Is To Talk About the Fire-Breathing Goat… Bellerophon, Pegasus, and the Chimera

Diving deeper into the story of Bellerophon, the perpetually forgotten hero who defeated the absolutely magnificent Chimera (and was the only hero to actually ride Pegasus!). Help keep LTAMB going by subscribing to Liv's Patreon for bonus content! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: Theoi entries on Bellerophon ; ToposText entries on Belle...

Jul 25, 202346 minSeason 7Ep. 524
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