Informazioni su questo podcast
Jason Weiser and Carissa Weiser tell stories from myths, legends, and folklore that have shaped cultures throughout history. Some, like the stories of Aladdin, King Arthur, and Hercules are stories you think you know, but with surprising origins. Others are stories you might not have heard, but really should. All the stories are sourced from world folklore, but retold for modern ears. These are stories of wizards, knights, Vikings, dragons, princesses, and kings from the time when the world beyond the map was a dangerous and wonderful place.
Episodi
I 50 episodi più recenti su 544
- 447: Medieval Knights: Bevis and Butting Heads · 1 h 35 min · Episodio 447🐴So, your step-dad is an evil emperor who's trying to murder you. Bevis of Southampton has had a difficult life. His dad went to the pharmacy (the woods) and never came back…
- 446: Samhain: Back from the Dead · 56 min · Episodio 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…
- 445: Indian folklore: Fake It 'Til You Make It · 54 min · Episodio 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…
- 444: Dwarves: Ortnit Wit · 58 min · Episodio 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…
- 443: Tricksters: Does Whatever A Spider Can · 55 min · Episodio 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…
- 442: Greek Myths: The Poseidon Adventures · 48 min · Episodio 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…
- 441: Celtic folklore: Deerly Beloved · 56 min · Episodio 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…
- 440: Monkey King: The Shakedown · 54 min · Episodio 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…
- 439: Indian folklore: Guess I'll Die · 59 min · Episodio 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…
- 438: Maui: Whatever Happened to the Man Who Snared the Sun? · 52 min · Episodio 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…
- 437: Czech folklore: House of the Dragon · 1 h 1 min · Episodio 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…
- 436: Korean folkore: Feet First · 1 h 3 min · Episodio 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…
- 435: Medieval Knights: Fifty Shades of Graelent · 51 min · Episodio 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…
- 434: Norse Mythology: The Old Man and the Stick · 55 min · Episodio 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…
- 433: Spanish folklore: Doña of the Dead · 57 min · Episodio 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…
- 432: Japanese folklore: Sword it Out · 1 h 7 min · Episodio 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…
- 431: Turkish folklore: These Dreams · 50 min · Episodio 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…
- 430: Finnish folklore: Worn Out · 51 min · Episodio 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…
- 429: Slavic folklore: The Devilkin Made Me Do It · 46 min · Episodio 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…
- 428: Monkey King: The Pride · 1 h 1 min · Episodio 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…
- 427: Norse Legends: Wither or Not · 55 min · Episodio 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…
- 426: 1001 Nights: Djinning Up Some Trouble · 1 h 9 min · Episodio 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…
- 425: Flemish legends: A Night Out · 36 min · Episodio 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…
- 424: Irish legends: Out of Time · 52 min · Episodio 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…
- 423: Japanese folkore: The Illusionists · 47 min · Episodio 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…
- 422: Scottish folklore: Witchful Thinking · 57 min · Episodio 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…
- 421: Viking Legends: Famous · 51 min · Episodio 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…
- 420: Korean Grim Reaper: Saja Boys · 55 min · Episodio 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…
- 419: Slavic folklore: Bad Heir Day · 42 min · Episodio 419Ivan 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…
- 418: French stories: Our Son, Ourson, the Bear · 47 min · Episodio 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…
- 417: Guy of Warwick: Don't Be That Guy · 1 h 3 min · Episodio 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…
- 416: Hans Christian Andersen: Humbugs · 39 min · Episodio 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…
- 415: Aesop's Fables: Bray it Ain't So · 47 min · Episodio 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…
- 414: Monkey King: Ham-bushed · 43 min · Episodio 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…
- 413: European folklore: Justice · 49 min · Episodio 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…
- 412: Indian folklore: Dicey · 55 min · Episodio 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…
- 411: Celtic folklore: The Wake · 57 min · Episodio 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…
- 410: Japanese folklore: Provincial · 59 min · Episodio 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…
- 409: Reynard: Nasty, Brutish, and Short · 50 min · Episodio 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…
- 408: Knights of the Round Table: Hither and Thither · 53 min · Episodio 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…
- 407: West African folklore: Wiser · 45 min · Episodio 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…
- 406: Slavic folklore: Udder Nonsense · 58 min · Episodio 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…
- 405: European legends: Ale to the King · 57 min · Episodio 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…
- 404: Monkey King: Not Found · 41 min · Episodio 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…
- 403: Norse sagas: Wormtongue · 55 min · Episodio 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. 😈…
- 402: Japanese folklore: Misconceptions · 55 min · Episodio 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…
- 401: Chinese Zodiac: Rat Race · 40 min · Episodio 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…
- 400: Celtic folklore: The Baddies · 60 min · Episodio 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…
- 399: Canadian folklore: Wild Night · 37 min · Episodio 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…
- 398: Nordic Christmas: In the Bleak Mid-winter · 49 min · Episodio 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…
