The story of the 47 Ronin is a historical tale where a powerful daimyo is shamed and killed by a greedy official…the only issue? The victim had dozens of loyal samurai, and they’re not about to forget what happened to the man they served. The creature is Pricolici, from Romania, a were-dog that is anything but man’s best friend. -- “Bell Solo” by Blue Dot Sessions “Cicle Vascule” by Blue Dot Sessions “Cover Letter” by Blue Dot Sessions “Doubled” by Blue Dot Sessions “Vik Fenceta Lan” by Blue Dot...
Nov 13, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Two stories from Japanese folklore today dealing with the consequences of our actions. The first has a woman chasing a dumpling across her floor…and into a mysterious, far-away land. The second is what happens when a horrible tragedy brings two people together…only to have their fates tear them apart. The creature is the Peluda, a vicious turtle dragon (not Bowser, though) who’s mad about not being allowed on Noah’s ark. He’s working out his emotions in…less than healthy ways (by killing everyth...
Nov 06, 2019•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast There's something in the forest in 16th century Scotland. It's been there for years. Anyone who sees it doesn't live to tell about it, and it moves seamlessly between land and sea, leaving nothing but body parts in its wake. With a body count in the thousands, it's a legendary historical horror story that's supposedly true. The creature is a goblin spider. It's a goblin who's also a spider...or, is it? We'll see that things aren't always what they seem on an extended creature of the week. -- Mus...
Oct 30, 2019•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast The story of Rip Van Winkle is more than just a guy taking a long, alcohol-induced nap. It's a story about a changing time and a man struggling to keep up. It's a story about lost love and and a second chance. It's a story about one of the most insufferable fictional protagonists that you didn't know you hated: Rip Van Winkle. The creature is the Polong, from Malaysian folklore, the little one-inch tall woman who will cut a hole in your side and just run around inside you, messing all sorts of t...
Oct 23, 2019•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re back on the boat to the Trojan War where Agamemnon has a problem. I mean, he always has a lot of problems, but this one involves a bunch of warriors with nothing to do but wait for the winds to pick up, and they're not going to pick up until Agamemnon does what needs to be done. The creature this week is pollo maligno, the evil chicken. He's honestly perfect for this segment. -- Music: “Triana” by Blue Dot Sessions “Matamoscas” by Blue Dot Sessions “Vela Vela” by Blue Dot Sessio...
Oct 16, 2019•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jack the giant killer is back, and he’s less Jack the giant killer than Jack the let’s-just-sit-here-and-let-the-giants-die-from-their-own-unforced-errors guy. That’s way less catchy, though. The creature (pixui) is a constipated robber with daddy issues. -- Music: “Popism” by Blue Dot Sessions “The Gall” by Podington Bear “Mello D” by Podington Bear “Flatlands 4th” by Blue Dot Sessions “Twosome” by Podington Bear “Scallat” by Podington Bear “Rope Swing” by Podington Bear “Indian Paintbrush” by ...
Oct 09, 2019•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Two stories, one from Italy, one from England. In the one from italy, Costanza is born which would usually be pretty great...except her parents are already in retirement and have given everything away to her older sisters, so she sets out on her own in the wild medieval world. The second story is Molly Whuppie, whose parents have left her and her two sisters in the forest to die. Then things get worse. The creature this week is hoop snake, a snake that's a hoop and also really confused as to why...
Oct 02, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Two stories of terrible parents. One decides to get rich by strapping a gemstone to an infant's head, and the other let her son do whatever he wanted until the day came when she needed him to do one little thing: babysit a chicken. It did not go well. The creature is the phooka, from Ireland, and it will fly you to the moon...but not in the charming Sinatra way, but in the literal way where you suffocate. -- Music: “Wonder Happens” by Podington Bear “Order of Entrance” by Blue Dot Sessions “High...
Sep 25, 2019•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hrolf Kraki must avenge his father by confronting his step-father...and brother-in-law. Don't worry, though, the weirdness of last week gets ironed out when we enter more familiar territory for the Viking legends. Our wonderful one-eyed wanderer makes an appearance, kings battle kings, and berserkers battle trolls, draugr, other berserkers, random bystanders, and, well, just about everyone. The creature this week is Penny Dragon, a dragon that will leave you pennies and maybe also burn down your...
Sep 18, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re back in the Norse Sagas with witches, trolls, Norns, magic, elves, and this one-eyed wanderer who definitely isn’t named Odin but have you heard about how awesome Odin is? No? We’ll he’s happy to tell you. This is the saga of Hrolf Kraki and his twelve legendary berserkers. The creature is the reason you should actually follow that strange creature into the dark forest (free all-you-can-eat shrimp!) — Music: “Keo Keo” by Blue Dot Sessions “Convoy Lines” by Blue Dot Sessions “Degradation” b...
Sep 11, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast A boy is born, fated to be one who brings strife. Two sons seek to outrun a family curse. A wife is spared the grisly fates of her husband and son...only if she will marry the one who committed the atrocities. A daughter is saved from certain death...by judgy ducks. These are the stories of the names that would go down in legend: Odysseus, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Clytemnestra, and Penelope, and their lives before the event that would make them all famous: the Trojan War. The creature this week is a...
Sep 04, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Things are going well for King Arthur for once. He’s in complete control over the island of Great Britain, he’s got a bunch of awesome knights, and dragon attacks are down. What could go wrong? King Arthur should know to never ever ask that question, because twelve men from the definitely not defunct and/or fictional Roman Empire are here to show him exactly what can go wrong. The creature this time is orphan bird, because when you can turn a bird that abandons her children into an religious all...
Aug 28, 2019•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Faust decides that if he's going to have these powers, he's really going to enjoy them so, in no particular order, he gives himself: A Doctor Strange cloak Telekinesis A demon common law wife and baby A get-out-of-debt plan that involves humorously tearing off his own limbs And grapes. In the winter. Crazy, right? Seriously, though, we take the somewhat more grounded story of last week...and then completely go off the rails while Faust (and the writer of the chapbook...mostly the writer of the c...
Aug 21, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast The story of Faust and his infamous deal is one that has survived for hundreds of years. Beginning as whispers in Germany in the 1500s, it grew to plays and, most famously, a play by the German writer Goethe, largely considered to be one of the greatest works of German literature. The story has been done and redone, and the phase Faustian bargain is still in use to this day. In today's episode, we're getting back to the very beginning - to the legends behind the masterpieces, and the story of a ...
Aug 14, 2019•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the end of the world to the underworld and Armageddon itself, Kalevipoeg does way too many things. The creature will throw acres of caustic feces in your direction. Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership
Aug 07, 2019•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast From the Estonian epic, the Kalevipoeg, comes the story of, well, Kalevipoeg, the son of a giant who battles sorcerers who are trying to get with his mom and throws rocks the size of Volkswagens to win the kingship, all while trying to carve out a place in the world for his people and his homeland. The creature this week is an annoying piggyback ride from a stranger in the dark forest and why you should go along with that. - -- Music: “Light Filtering Canopy” by Chad Crouch “The Pond” by Chad Cr...
Jul 31, 2019•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why you absolutely should take the biggest peach you can find in the supermarket and sing to it. It might just hatch a baby! Unfortunately your fairy tale baby will do what fairy tale babies do: grow up and hear that call to adventure, going out to seek their fortune, taking no more than a plucky attitude and an angry dog to battle the evils of the world. The creature this time is Batman...if Batman was a literal bat who turned into an old man. — Music “Adventure” by Chad Crouch “Coin Op” by Cha...
Jul 17, 2019•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast The monkey king has done it all: he was immortal, he had allied with all the mythological creatures he could find, and he controlled an army 40,000 strong...but heaven didn't care about any of that. They were coming for him, whether or not it was legal, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. The creature this week is a big, angry, hairy unicorn with a...weird surprise. -- Music: “Cicle Desert” by Blue Dot Sessions “Wide Eyes” by Chad Crouch “Illustrated Novel” by Chad Crouch “Pythagoras...
Jul 10, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sun Wukong, the (Handsome) Monkey King, is both an actual monkey and an actual king…and presumably handsome according to whatever standard that is judged. One of the most famous anti-heroes of Chinese literature, we start his story, and the story of the extremely famous “Journey to the West” at the beginning, with the story of the monkey’s rock mom on the Flower-Fruit mountain. The creature this week is the ningyo, the human fish. It’s neither human nor a fish, but it is a tired introvert who ju...
Jul 03, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast A dark story gets darker as Antigone battles an authoritarian state in the form of her uncle Creon. -- All music by Blue Dot Sessions Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership
Jun 26, 2019•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast When we last left the Oedipus family, they all found out they were more related than they ever thought possible. It's somehow about to get even worse. -- Music: "An Unknown Visitor" by Blue Dot Sessions "Daisy" by Chad Crouch "Lilac" by Chad Crouch "Seafoam" by Chad Crouch "Trailrunner" by Blue Dot Sessions "Dasher" by Blue Dot Sessions Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership
Jun 19, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast The story of Tatterhood is unlike any I've ever read on the podcast, and it's so excellent. The problem? I can't really say much without ruining the story. So check it out, you won't be disappointed. The creature is the tomcod, a catfish that's actually a catfish. It's a lot more off-putting than you'd think. -- "Wavy Glass” by Podington Bear “Fantasy and Denouement” by Podington Bear “Go to Sleep” by Podington Bear “Sandcastle” by Chad Crouch “Rice” by Chad Crouch “Periwinkle” by Chad Crouch “L...
Jun 12, 2019•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're back on the road to the Trojan War, with the story of Achilles. Starting from when his father interrupted the ritual to make him immortal, we'll follow him as he goes to that epic Greek daycare run by Chiron and watch as his mother tries to keep him away from the war that is beginning to consume the Greek world. -- Music: "Clouds at the Gap" by Blue Dot Sessions "Adventure" by Podington Bear "Um Pepino" by Blue Dot Sessions "Tillis County" by Blue Dot Sessions "Falcon Hood" by Podington Be...
Jun 05, 2019•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast King Olaf has a new guest...named Guest. Guest has a story, an impossible story of gods, giants, and heroes from a time long past. If it's true, it could change everything King Olaf thought he knew about himself, his people, and his history. If it's not true, well, at least it's still a good story. -- Music: "Campfire Rounds" by Blue Dot Sessions "Watercool Quiet" by Blue Dot Sessions "At All Ends" by Blue Dot Sessions Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership...
May 29, 2019•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast The story this week is the reason you don’t make enemies with a decapod who’s friends with a bee, a pile of dung, a mortar and a chestnut. The other is the reason why you should buy a waterbottle for your next hike, or you might just need to be carried out of the woods. The creature this week is why you don’t want to mispronounce anything ever because it might lead to you being cursed for eternity as a vampire. I’m pretty much already screwed. -- Sponsors: Go to https://SimpliSafe.com/LEGENDS to...
May 22, 2019•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Romulus and Remus are finally striking out on their own, and what could go wrong with two seventeen year olds starting their own city when they are accompanied by a band of outlaws and they have too many weapons and not enough leadership experience and no one taught them how to share? Everything? Did you say everything? Because everything going wrong is the exact right answer. The creature this week is Sir worm, AKA the Minhocão from Brazilian folklore, who likes to wear armor, eat horses, and m...
May 15, 2019•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you're remotely familiar with the legendary history of Rome, you might know about two babies suckling a she-wolf....and that's about it. Really, though it's a story of intrigue and murder, betrayal and redemption, and, yes, a loving wolf mom with her two demigod babies. -- Sponsor: Check out https://amazon.com/legends to get two months of Kindle Unlimited (access to over a million e-books and over 5,000 audio books) for just 99 cents. -- Music: "Future You" by Chad Crouch "Pilgrim's Progress"...
May 08, 2019•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast When we left off last week, Robin Hood was stabbed in the side by an assassin who deceived him, and he was bleeding out all while his camp was being swarmed by the Sheriff of Nottingham's men, his friends being driven off, captured, or killed. It's not looking good. The creature this week is the only one who could resist those sinful apple slices...and it gets rewarded by being set on fire. -- Sponsors: Get $20 off your subscription to Storyworth at https://storyworth.com/legends With Kindle Unl...
May 01, 2019•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, it’s a continuation of our Robin Hood tale, and this time, the Sheriff of Nottingham is on his final nerve. With his reputation on the line, failure is not an option…despite his unimpressive past peppered with exactly that. Then, on Creature of the Week, it’s the Merman in all his glory. And this time, you have options. Except, nobody said those options had to be great. -- Sponsors: Go to https://madison-reed.com and use the code LEGENDS to get 10% off plus free shipping. With Kindle ...
Apr 24, 2019•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Robin Hood is a name that has echoed through the ages as a noble outlaw - one who takes from the rich and gives to the poor and who, with his bow and arrow and merry men, makes the powerful, cruel leaders answer for their treatment of the downtrodden. He wasn’t always that symbol. In his earliest tellings, Robin Hood is a much different outlaw. He’s a cutthroat who lives on the edges of the society. He takes from rich and poor alike and gives to his own. He will grow into the symbol that will be...
Apr 17, 2019•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
