A story from Hans Christian Andersen about becoming your best self…after that self completely separates from you and leaves you as merely a shadow. The creature this time is the invincible bear monster your ghost grandpa warned you about. — Scoundrel: All new this week! https://myths.link/scoundrel Fictional: All new tomorrow! https://fictional.fm/subscribe — Sponsors: BOMBAS: Suuuuper comfortable [...]
Two stories from Norse myth .The first is about how you should just be you, even if people think you're a fool for doing so...actually, kind of especially if people think you are a fool for doing so. The second is about why you shouldn't go to the bathroom alone at night: Norse toilet zombies. The [...]
A story of believing in yourself and finding your own way in the world...by imitating Pokemon and Hodor and wearing flashy suits from your best friend's stone safehouse. From a story from what's now Czech Republic and Slovakia, called "Prince Bayaya." Coming to a garden near you, the creature is the Jidra, from Medieval Europe. You [...]
A story from One Thousand and One Nights of an incompetent dude, a genie that's more than happy to be used for evil, and how the best legal outcome is one that involves free honey cakes. This is also where we wrap up the framing narrative, and we see if Scheherazade's gambit, of keeping herself alive [...]
A super-powered monkey from Chinese folklore meets more than he bargained for: a sloshing hollow gourd full of pus. The creature is the Mikaribaba (箕借り婆) from Japanese folklore, a great reason not to shower (because she will literally gouge out your eyes). -- Scoundrel! New episode of Scoundrel this week. Check it out: https://myths.link/scoundrel New episodes [...]
Five stories from Korean folklore all woven together to tell a grand narrative of the lives of normal people (and animals...and trees) on a mountainside in medieval Korea. The creature is the Iara, from Brazil, a vampire mermaid who isn't thrilled to be a vampire mermaid but hey, it was the best her fish friends could [...]
Three stories of things worth more than gold from Slavic, Celtic, and Chinese folklore. Also, why you shouldn't eat gold (it will literally kill you), why you should dig into that road cake early on, and why you should remember where you put stuff before getting the authorities involved. The creature is a cow's stomach with [...]
Three stories from Japan about love gone wrong. On the first, the fairest youth in all the land is set to marry the daughter of a rich noble. The problem? His father kind of oversold his looks... On the second, we'll see why moths and other nighttime bugs go toward the light, and on the third, [...]
Two stories of King David's magic mirror. One actually involves a folklore version of the Biblical king facing off against an enemy from his past...and maybe turning into a balloon? The second involves a rabbi, a murderous sorcerer, and a magic battle dinner party. The creature is what happens when you stay too long as a [...]
Heidrek the wise...was not actually all that wise. He took ownership of a cursed sword for one. He also got in a riddle battle with Odin, which is never a good idea. In fact, if you want to be wise, it might be a good idea to just look at Heidrek's life, and do the opposite. [...]