Odysseus finally landed on Ithaca, but, with 120 angry, armed men in his house who want his wife and life, can he survive his homecoming? The creatures are Black Annis and Gentle Annis. Black Annis is a pale blue and Gentle Annis wrecks boats. -- Sponsors: Simplisafe ! Save 20% off your Simplisafe system and get your first month free when you sign up for Interactive Monitoring Service by going to http://simplisafe.com/legends Helix Sleep ! Get up to $200 off a mattress order ad two free pillows ...
Aug 25, 2021•37 min
This week, we're in French fairy tales with queen who prepared her daughter for the world a little too well, and to the queen's despair she doesn't want to marry, choosing to rely instead on her own strength and judgement. Oh, and also there are griffin fights, dragons, sphinxes, giant turkey chariots, evil fairies, and cat-riding mythological dwarves. It's a big week. The creature is a toad full of hate. And also full of rainbow breath. -- Sponsors: Athena Club: Sign up today and you'll get 20%...
Aug 18, 2021•44 min
Three stories from Korean folklore! On the first, a boy loves collecting stories, but no one really taught him proper story care, so they went the way of so many carnival goldfish. On the second, a young man protests his unfair (and kind of murdery) working conditions...by turning his boss's lunchbox into a toilet. On the third, there are people, there are cows, and no one can tell the two apart. The creature is the ziz, and it wrecks cities by accident. -- Twitter: https://myths.link/twitter Sh...
Aug 11, 2021•44 min
This week, there are two stories from the north. On the first, a young Danish man is doing the hero's journey thing...but it's not going well, and that leads to him taking a job working for an actual troll. On the second story, from Iceland, we learn why, if a merman ends up in your net, you should pull an Elsa and just let it go. The creature is a rock monster who goes up against the Slayer of Alien Gods. -- Sponsors: Halo Collar: Check out the awesome Halo Collar at http://shophalocollar.com/m...
Aug 04, 2021•45 min
We finish up our current run of King Arthur episodes with the most evil castle in the land having fallen...maybe. Some knights will learn that the threat might not be so far removed, and Lancelot meets the dastardly commander of the Dolorous Guard...who might actually be pretty terrible at his job of being terrible. The creature is the Yech, a tiny shapeshifting cat in a top hat! Who wants to set you on fire! -- Sponsors: Best Fiends: Check out the 5 star-rated puzzle game FREE today on the App ...
Jul 28, 2021•37 min
We catch up with the strange knight in the white armor, the boy who doesn't know his own past, as he travels the realm, and we witness him come up against the cursed fortress known as the Dolorous Guard. The creature is an old bearded dude who's like a male siren, which, if you're into murderous older fishermen, might be your thing? -- Sponsors! Bombas: Bombas belong on your feet. Go to http://bombas.com/legends and get 20% off your first order! GoHenry: Get started at http://gohenry.com and get...
Jul 21, 2021•43 min
We're back in the world of King Arthur! It's been too long, and if you haven't heard our King Arthur stories (or it's been a while) then this is the perfect place to jump in. A beginner-friendly episode that kind of resets our timeline. I'm so excited to be getting back into the stories of Arthur and his knights because there are so many good ones still left to tell. The creature is the hairy, greasy Yamataro (山童), your eternal reminder that, no matter how tempting it seems, to not sumo wrestle ...
Jul 14, 2021•41 min
Robin decides that, you know what he needs? To walk directly into the home of his greatest enemies. Nothing bad can come from this. Nothing bad at all. The creature is the Wolpertinger, a German chimera who might help you solve some problems...but at the expense of your soul. -- Links: Tortilla blanket: https://myths.link/tortillas Twitter: https://myths.link/twitter Store: https://myths.link/store Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership -- Sponsors: Daily Harvest: Stay cool during th...
Jul 07, 2021•47 min
Two stories from Ireland. On the first, Finn McCool, a giant Irish here, isn't scared! He totally isn't! He's just speed walking away from that guy he's been threatening for weeks who finally showed up at his shore after leaving an incorrect forwarding address. The second is the story of a Leprechaun, and why you never want to take your eyes off the little guy. The creatures are the wish hounds! They're surprisingly dark for creatures called "wish hounds." -- Links: Twitter: https://myths.link/t...
Jun 30, 2021•35 min
A story from the Brothers Grimm about an evil king and a bad penny of a kid who's apparently unkillable. Oh, and prophesied to marry his daughter. The creature is a squirrel who wants to surprise you and shove psychotropic substances up your nose. -- Links! Left-handed candle: https://myths.link/lefties Twitter: https://myths.link/twitter Store: https://myths.link/store Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership -- Sponsors! Pretty Litter: check out http://prettylitter.com and use promo ...
Jun 23, 2021•34 min
We're back in the story of the Monkey King and the Journey to the West. After picking up Sandy, the sand monster and final member of their party, the guys haven't seen a soul for two months. All that will change with a mysterious stop in the forest. The creature is the Wilser dragon, where the only thing more dangerous than fighting it...is killing it. -- Sponsors: Simplisafe : http://simplisafe.com/legends for a free security camera and a 60-day, risk-free trial. Check out Best Fiends on the Ap...
Jun 16, 2021•46 min
Two stories from the Italian writer Giovanni Francesco Straparola, who earns the title of one of the earliest fairy tale writers, putting tales down to paper in the 1500s. On the first, you'll learn that you can't con an honest man...and that you really shouldn't, because the honest man three con men do trick out of a mule comes back for vengeance...and beats the con men at their own game. On the second story, three men are proudly lazy and make a bet to see who can be the laziest scoundrel. The...
Jun 09, 2021•41 min
Two stories from Greek/Roman mythology this week with the (not remotely) love story of Apollo and Daphne as well as the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe, where we'll see that a wall can bring people together as well as keep them apart. The creature is the Bakru, from Suriname, a mythological creature in the form of a child that stopped on the way to becoming a real boy and you can also hire him to burn down someone's house on Fiverr. -- Sponsors: Warby Parker: Try five pairs of glasses at home for fre...
Jun 02, 2021•35 min
This week, it's the story of Fortunatus, the man who, bet you could never guess from his name, was given an inexhaustible fortune, and how things kind of went off the rails for him and his kids. The creature is Babi, from Egyptian mythology, who's as dedicated to your love life as he is to cracking you open like a coconut and feasting on your innards. -- Sponsors: Simplisafe: http://simplisafe.com/legends for a free security camera and a 60-day, risk-free trial. June's Journey: Download it free ...
May 26, 2021•45 min
The Egyptian folktale of a young woman who's not messing around. After fleeing her home, she only sees one way to live free: become a monster that haunts the wild. The creature is what happens when a jaguar and a human have a happy marriage...and a very unhappy mother-in-law. -- Sponsors: Check out Best Fiends on the App Store or Google Play by going to http://bestfiends.com Daily Harvest: Go to http://dailyharvest.com and use the promo code MYTHS to get $25 off your first box! Bombas: Go to htt...
May 19, 2021•34 min
This week, it's a story from Africa (more specifically the Nilamba people in northern Tanzania) about a hunt for a murderer that goes off the rails very quickly with talking animals...and giant, sad pumpkins. The creature this week is a dancing horse. A big chunky ballerina boy who wants to give you a high five at 2100 RPM. -- Acorn TV: Try Acorn TV free for 30 days at http://acorn.tv and use our promo code, LEGENDS! Simplisafe: Go to http://simplisafe.com/legends for a 60-day risk-free trial an...
May 12, 2021•32 min
There's a killer on the loose in Kyoto. Young women are disappearing from the streets, never to be heard from again. Minamoto no Raikō, the legendary samurai, knows that it isn't merely a serial killer, but the demons. After he and other samurai like him drove the demons away, the began amassing in the far-off, desolate regions of Japan, but now they have a new leader: Shuten Doji, the drunken demon, a creature as smart as he is deadly. Raikō knows he can't face these oni alone, so he puts toget...
May 05, 2021•50 min
Three connected stories of samurai from medieval Japan. On the first, Kintaro, a buff eight-year-old, discovers his destiny. On the second, Watanabe no Tsuna, a samurai warrior in his prime fights a demon that's been terrorizing a gate in Kyoto, and on the third he's recruited by Minamoto no Raiko to follow a magical floating skull to a dilapidated haunted house. All these lead into next week, when the heroes will come together to fight the greatest demon in Japan's history: Shuten-dōji. The cre...
Apr 28, 2021•40 min
A packed episode with Thor, Odin, mythological dwarves, sword arms, and Valhalla, all ending up with a beautiful double wedding...which ends somehow worse than the last time we visited a giant wedding on this podcast. We're finishing up the saga of Egil and Asmund. The creature this time is little mucus boy, and if you're a villain, you don't want to get caught monologuing around this sticky, moist little hero. -- Sponsors: Acorn TV: Try Acorn TV free for 30 days by going to http://acorn.tv and ...
Apr 21, 2021•45 min
We’re back in the nine worlds of Norse myth where two Viking blood brothers are looking for princesses that have been kidnapped by legendary monsters. Their journey will take them beyond their world of Midgard, to Jotunheim, to see the ravages Thor has brought. The creature this time is a kitty! Who wants to make a kitty-human hybrid for...reasons? The post (disclaimer, and a detailed summary of the nine worlds): https://myths.link/222a The store: https://myths.link/store The membership: https:/...
Apr 14, 2021•40 min
This week, there are two stories about death and what comes next, from China and Scotland. On the first, a lonely fisherman meets an odd man down by the river with a strange plan for his life. On the second, a stablehand helps out two strangers who stop by his tavern for the night...and discovers a terrifying secret. The creature is an epic hero with oiled pecs who is doing his best to keep everyone in the world alive. The cat that I tried to put in a harness (he hated it): https://myths.link/to...
Apr 07, 2021•36 min
We're back in the Odyssey where Menelaus comes home, Telemachus leaves it, and Odysseus? Odysseus has been stuck in the same place for seven long years. The creatures this week are the Agogwe, tiny hairy naked people who are really cool until they aren't. Disclaimer: https://myths.link/220b Thanos swimsuit: https://myths.link/thanos Store: https://myths.link/store Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership -- Sponsors: Talkspace: Go to http://talkspace.com and use the code MYTHS for $100...
Mar 31, 2021•42 min
Three men grappling with the legacy, or curse, of their fathers. Menelaus loses everything and finds a life, but will his past come hunting for him? Telemachus lives each day in the shadow of the absence of his father, pushing back at the inevitable. Orestes knows what he must do to avenge his father, even if it means prolonging his family’s curse. The creature is a tiny elephant who might just eat your brain? Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership Store: https://myths.link/store Bob...
Mar 24, 2021•36 min
A story from the Pentamerone with a title so spoiler-y that I can't even say it here, but it's a fun, mildly horrifying tale of a relationship that just doesn't work out. And is also really gross. The creatures this week are the little devil and angel on your shoulder, except one of them is a burly wildman and the other is a snake with a human head. Store: https://myths.link/store Membership: https://www/mythpodcast.com/membership Post: https://myths.link/219 THE REDWALL COOKBOOK: https://myths....
Mar 17, 2021•33 min
We resume our journey to the west right where we left off: the Tang monk has been kidnapped by demons, and it's up to Sun Wukong and Pigsy to save him...if they aren't too busy making tiny monkey babies out of Sun Wukong's fur, crying, and talking to fantasically bearded men to save him. The creature this time is a monster skunk that isn't farting everyone to death! It's actually kind of way worse! Stephen the frog (soap): https://myths.link/stephen The store: https://myths.link/store The member...
Mar 10, 2021•35 min
We’re back in the Mabinogion, where we’ll learn about the perils of bacon - and it’s not the cholesterol, but the magical wizard war that the first pigs ever brought to the world. Then, we’ll see why you shouldn’t lie to a wizard and how to be safe stepping out of the bath and onto your pet goat - just make sure no one is throwing spears at you. The creature this week is a hatchet headed prankster! Who wants to headbutt you! Disclaimer: https://myths.link/217 Store: https://myths.link/store Memb...
Mar 03, 2021•38 min
Two stories from Russia. On the first, we catch up with the famous witch, Baba Yaga, as we follow yet another young person who has been sent on an errand/to be eaten at the evil witch's walking hut. The second one is about a dragon slayer, Dobrynya, as he makes a wrong turn down in the city and keeps falling in love with a woman who wants nothing at all to do with him. The creature is a tiny little old man with long hair who cries like a baby! And eats people! The membership: https://www.mythpod...
Feb 24, 2021•33 min
The story that inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet, the tale of Amleth, the prince of Denmark. A ton of death, some cryptic non-riddles, and copious amounts of poop smearing serve as the starting point for one of the greatest works in the English language. The creature this week is a sad little bird from Hebrew folklore who just can't catch a break. Store: https://myths.link/store Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership Episode post: https://myths.link/215 -- Sponsors: Bombas: Give a pair w...
Feb 17, 2021•35 min
Two short stories from Japan. On the first, an old man is in a tree surrounded by demons and faced with a desperate choice. On the second, a man has a pet that his wife is not thrilled about, so she makes that known. With scissors. The creature is a sad cow! Or a vampire! Either way you probably don't want to hang out with it. Weird flavored soda: https://myths.link/soda The store: https://myths.link/store The membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership -- Sponsors: Simplisafe: To get a 6...
Feb 10, 2021•33 min
We continue the saga of Reynard where the the classic trickster tries to do good in a world turned against him...and, by his actions, reveals a sinister truth about the world in which the story was written. The creature is hatred! Who just wants love...and to not be turned into a jellyfish. Disclaimer: https://myths.link/213 The membership: https://mythpodcast.com/membership The store: https://myths.link/store -- Sponsors: Talkspace: We're so glad we found Talkspace. Check it out and get $100 of...
Feb 03, 2021•38 min
