Episodes

Two stories from Celtic folklore of the things that lurk among us: witches that live in our home town, trolls that hold dance parties on the frozen wastes, and tiny, 1000-year-old fairy creatures who are buying drinks after work. The creature this week is the Giant of Smeeth, who would really like you to watch your language, please. ***Slight correction*** I mention that it is 9th century Scotland in the first story. It's...probably not? The stories are just kind of vaguely Medieval or Early M...

Two stories from Japan about samurai (and wannabe samurai) following their dreams. Too bad it takes fights with giant creatures and a little bit of murder to do so. The creature this time is ao nyōbō, and she doesn't want you to stop by her beautiful, horribly dilapidated mansion. -- Creature page: https://yokai.com/aonyoubou/ Fart spray: https://myths.link/ohfarts Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership -- Sponsors: BOMBAS! https://bombas.com/legends with code LEGENDS at checkou...

This week, we learn where you shouldn't kiss a rabbit (it's exactly where you think), and how a dance party can save a city. The creature is B.O.B., the Beast of Blattenboro, and he's here to do two things: exsanguinate dogs and scare people...and there is a lot of dog blood to suck and people to scare, so it's going to be around for a while. -- Links! Links here! Get your links! Creepy baby hand candles: https://myths.link/babyhandles The Beast of Blattenboro newspaper article: https://myth...

The story of a family and the monsters that hunt them. The twist? These are monsters that they might know better than they realize. The creature is snow snake! It's a snake that lives in the snow, and if you're thinking, "that's ridiculous, snakes are cold blooded!" Well, while you were thinking about that it bit you and you died. Congrats. -- Links! Reuter's fact-check on Snow Snakes (2021): https://myths.link/snowsnakesreuters Snopes on Snow Snakes (2014): https://myths.link/snowsnakessnop...

An abbot spends Christmas surrounded by outlaws in the dark forest, so he can listen to mysterious, otherworldly music. A farm has a fun Christmas tradition where employees end up dead on Christmas morning. It must be the holidays in Swedish and Icelandic folklore. The creature is draugr of the sea, Norse sea zombies, who are going to get in the way of your holiday mead run. -- Like ad-free and bonus episodes? You'd like the Myths and Legends membership, here (https://www.mythpodcast.com/memb...

The spies are coming. Governor Sim has gone too far and earned the attention of the king, who's sending people to see what's going on in Sim's district. The only thing? Sim is four steps ahead of the king and those spies don't know what they're walking into. The creature is Western Europe's first vampire! And why you want to avoid mixing sorcery with your home improvement projects! -- Links! Say hi on Instagram? https://instagram.com/mythsandlegends New episode of Scoundrel out today! https:...

A home improvement project 800 years in the making that includes way too many wolves, rat parts, and beards. It's the story of the Tomten of Åbo Castle, from Finnish folklore. The creatures are women with varying degrees of faces from British folklore. The one thing they have in common? Drunk, possibly concussed guys are the only people that have seen them. -- Åbo/Turku Castle tour Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPSIBVQ8p3E Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership Cr...

We're back in the story of the Monkey King as he and the crew continues their journey to the west. Xanzang, the monk, of course gets captured again, but this time, it's by the son of an old friend of Monkey's from back in his pillaging days! He figures things should go well. Because, of course, there is nothing children love more than being bossed around. The creature is the L'esak, and it's why you shouldn't eat that delicious road bread, no matter how good it looks. -- Myths and Legends on ...

Lucius has been turned into a donkey after using the wrong body lotion. Then, he was kidnapped by bandits. Things are about to get a whole lot worse for Lucius. The creature is the Korori (虎狼狸), who offers a new way to feel better after you get sick. -- Links! Shop: https://shop.bardic.fm Disclaimer: https://myths.link/296b Source one for creature of the week: https://yokai.com/korouri/ Source two for creature of the week: https://uncannyjapan.com/podcast/korori/ -- Music: "Taoudella" by B...

Lucius’s lifelong dream, as of ten minutes ago, is learning how to do sorcery. Luckily, he’s not only in a city crawling with witches who are slicing bits off people’s faces to do their magic and bringing wineskins to life, but his hostess is a sorceress herself, and all he has to do is catch her in the act. The creature is the Lizard Man, lover of sinking his claws into cars…and his teeth into some Filet-o-Fish sandwiches. — Disclaimer: https://myths.link/296 Scoundrel: https://myths.link/s...

The story of a merchant gets lost ducking out early from a funeral and who ends up sleeping in a graveyard…and that’s somehow the least scary thing that happens to him that year. The creature is the Sirin, and they’ll only sing for you if you’re super happy and harmonious. So, kind of never. — Disclaimer: https://myths.link/295 Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership Come say hi on Mastodon if that's your thing: https://mastodon.social/@myths — Music: "Millworm" by Blue Dot Se...

The story of Moremi Ajasoro from modern-day Nigeria has love, loss, and, of course, evil forest monsters. The creature is the Van Meter Visitor, a dinosaur that was apparently stinking up the Old West. -- The newspaper article for the creature and the disclaimer: https://myths.link/294

Two stories, two small things making enormous problems. We have "The Princess and the Pea" and "The Red Shoes". For two stories about young women learning and growing, they contain kind of a lot of dismemberment. The creature is Striga! And she's the reason to put on that extra loaf of garlic bread and leave pig bones all over church. -- Disclaimer: https://myths.link/293 Fictional! https://www.fictional.fm/subscribe. New episode comes out Thursday 10/27 -- Music: "Celestial Navigation" b...

Magic swords, Viking legends, dwarves, ice queens, and enchanted rose gardens, this story of Dietrich of Bern and the Dwarf King Laurin has a bit of everything. The creature this week is the Samodivi, the reason why you should be going out to the club each night. -- Scoundrel! New episode of Scoundrel out about Black Bart, the Gentleman Outlaw. Check it out at https://myths.link/scoundrel -- Music: "Lead Shroud" by Blue Dot Sessions Support the show: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership

Three stories of monsters from Japan. We have a tanuki, the monsters that lurk in the civilized places, and monsters that might be under your home right now. The creature is a decapitated man who loves hugs. -- Scoundrel! https://myths.link/scoundrel -- Sponsors: Indeed: Start hiring now at http://Indeed.com/LEGENDS SimpliSafe: Get a free indoor security camera plus 20% off with Interactive Monitoring at http://SimpliSafe.com/LEGENDS Best Fiends: Download for free from the App Store or Goog...

A story from Kashmir folklore about love, marriage, and murder. Kind of a lot of all those things, actually. The creature is a Jaculus, the snake that will kill you with kindness. And its sharp javelin head. -- New Scoundrel out today! https://myths.link/scoundrel Pickle Bath Salt: https://myths.link/picklebathsalt -- Sponsors: Bombas: Get 20% off your first purchase at http://Bombas.com/legends Faherty: Get 15% off with code MYTHS at http://FahertyBrand.com/myths Support the show: https:/...

The story of Half's Heroes, from the Icelandic Sagas. If you don't like being burned alive...and also do absolutely nothing to avoid the completely avoidable fate of being burned alive...can you even call yourself a man? The creature this week is the Ubigabi (姥ヶ火), the flaming head that's barreling toward you in the night. -- Sponsors: Best Fiends: Connect with us on Best Fiends with Friend Code: 2829841 Shopify: Sign up for a FREE trial at http://shopify.com/legends (all lowercase!) Helix...

The Saga of Half and His Heroes from Icelandic folklore starts with Odin spitting in a family's ale and only gets stranger from there. The creatures are the Ellyllon, the flower glove wearing, grocery-store-visting, fungus eaters. -- Links! Scoundrel! https://myths.link/scoundrel That comic book villain podcast we have: https://www.nextpod.com/botw The shocking potato thing: https://myths.link/potato -- Sponsors: Bombas: Get 20% off your first purchase at http://Bombas.com/legends Best Fie...

This week, it's the story of Stupid Ondal and the Princess Pyeonggang, where we see that it's Pyeonggang's birthday, and she can cry if she wants to. Oh, it's the next birthday, and she's still crying? Wait, three years down the road, and she hasn't stopped. Should someone find out what's wrong? The king just wants to threaten her with marriage to a guy he sees as terrible? Yeah, this should end well. The creature is Lazy Laurence. He guards apple orchards. And also doesn't mind a little backwa...

Tokutarō is not going to be tricked by fox monsters. He's just not. Also, a dad has a big problem with the new pet cat. Two stories from Japan about things not being what they seem (or things being exactly what they seem). -- New Scoundrel out this week! Some of the most famous paintings in the world are now publicly visible only because a woman tried to have her own son murdered! https://myths.link/scoundrel That disclaimer: https://myths.link/286 -- Sponsor: June's Journey! Check it out ...

The story of Harap Alb (Povestea lui Harap Alb) from Romanian folklore has it all. Like, it really does try to jam as many fairy tale tropes in as possible, but it actually works. It's a fun story with a little bit of everything. Oh, and talking lettuce. The creature is the Iwana bōzu (岩魚坊主) a priest who loves fish and has a seeeeecrettttt. -- Sponsors: Indeed: Visit http://indeed.com/legends to start hiring now! Best Fiends: Check it out on the App Store or Google Play! -- Music: "Quind...

I mean, if you style your beard to a point so that it looks like an enormous bird's beak, you can't really fault an insult comedy pro princess for taking some shots at it. It's "King Thrushbeard" by the Grimm brothers. The creature is a giant whose career path involves working for kings, hermits, and, oh yeah, the devil. -- Get your links. Hot and fresh. Scoundrel. Learn how two sisters in the 1800s were inadvertently responsible for John Edwards and Miss Cleo. https://myths.link/scoundrel M...

We see if Victor can come out on top using the power of stories…for murder? The creature is a tiny fish with fingers and teeth! — Disclaimer/mermaid: https://myths.link/283b Membership: https://www.mythpodcast.com/membership — Sponsors Shipstation: Free 60-day trial at http://ShipStation.com, click on the microphone at the top of the page and type in MYTHS Indeed: $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post at http://Indeed.com/LEGENDS Best Fiends: Friend us with code 2829841 Canva:...

What happens when a lion and his prey become best friends? Or when a monkey starts messing around on a worksite? Or a weaver pretends to be a god to woo a princess? The Panchatantra happens. An eclectic, free-flowing anthology of short, funny, sometimes brutal stories that are meant to teach people wisdom...but might all be part of a long-con to gain control of a kingdom. The creature is the Nasnas, and he is very bad at hide and seek. And will also melt your flesh. -- Links! An English vers...