The Conclusion of the "Story of Hong Gildong" takes us from the household drama of last episode to a story that spans the entirety of the Korean peninsula, with Gildong earning his title of the Korean Robin Hood. It then moves beyond Korea to mythical lands, where Gildong battles demons and becomes a doctor. Or pretends to be [...]
Hong Gildong has been called the Korean Robin Hood, but really oversimplifies the story. It is both an awesome adventure tale with dragons, magic, assassins, demons, bandits, and betrayal, and a complex human drama, where one young man must find and understand his place in the world. It's both action-packed, and heartbreaking. The titular character, Gildong, was [...]
Hercules is as terrible as he is awesome. In this episode there are sea monsters, centaurs, people being thrown off of things, Hydra poison, and Hercules making ridiculous choices. Basically, it's everything you could want from a Hercules episode. Oh, and he dies, because apparently he can do that. The creature this time is the Mamagwasewug, and he [...]
This is a type of beauty and beast story. One of the earliest European ones put down to paper, actually. It's about a king and queen who give birth to a little boy after being somewhat-blessed by fairies who hole mankind somewhat in scorn. It's messy, bloody, and ultimately a lesson in loving someone no matter [...]
An abbreviated history of Pocahontas and John Smith, this episode looks at the conflict largely from the Powhatan side. This isn't the Disney version. It is gritty, dark, violent, and, if Mattaponi oral history is to be trusted, fairly disturbing. Still, it tells the story of a clash of worlds, and one woman who stood in [...]
The story of Pocahontas and John Smith has turned from compelling historical story of a brave woman who united two warring nations, to a melodramatic, oversimplified love story. In reality, Pocahontas likely never view Smith as more than a friend, since she was 11 when they first met. But they won't meet quite yet. We need to [...]
The discussion post for the episode telling the original story of Beauty and the Beast. [...]
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Two stories from Greek Mythology: first, it's the story of Sisyphus, who you might know from his interminable, crushing labor, but who actually really deserved that punishment because of how horrible he was. The second story is of good-guy-Bellerophon, Sisyphus's grandson, who is constantly having that football pulled out from under him just as he is [...]
The story of Abu Muhammed the idle (also known as, apparently, Abu Muhammed the Lazybones), a young man who was so lazy that he refused to even chew his food, and instead made his mom feed him baby-bird-style. Also, he get's a pet ape and too much money. The creature will serve you pancakes if you [...]
As we've come to expect, the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, perhaps the second most famous story from One Thousand and One Nights, is much more violent than modern adaptations would have us believe. Medieval Persia was a dangerous place, and you needed to have your wits, a lot of luck, and apparently an [...]