310-Norse Sagas: The Maiden King

🕷️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 likely a trail of broken and/or angry people who want to get even.😈 The Creature: Tsuchinoko People are cr ... Show More

🔱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 does do everything his brother says. Not because Zeus told him to, though. He just planned to do it a ... Show More

🗡️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. And who makes him eat her earwax.😈 The Creature: The Charles Mill Lake MonsterThis week, the state of Oh ... Show More

Before “Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones,” dragons stalked the pages of mythology across the world. The European version became a powerful metaphor for the evils that supposedly stalked mankind. And that's where we get the most iconic European Dragon Story, featuring a man ... Show More

Beneath the northern lights of Iceland lives an evil amphibious horse. Your fingers want to touch its glistening mane, but resist the urge! Once you do, you’re bound to its evil intent, and the only way to break free is by screaming its name. Can you be so quick? Learn more about ... Show More

Bloodsucking fiends appear in the folklore of every culture on the planet. But for some, they were more than just horror stories. Today’s story comes from early 18th-century Europe. A doctor tries in vain to save lives, while a monster waits in the shadows… determined to see him ... Show More

Ruthless warriors. Ancient sagas. This season, we’re exploring the lives of the Vikings — starting with the legend of a leader named Ragnar and his equally famous sons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

The Wolfman is more than just a Universal Monster — it’s a representation of man's capacity for evil. Today's story retells one of the original werewolf stories from Norse mythology's The Saga of the Volsungs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 

It's officially Spooky Season! Ancient werewolves, ghosts, and haunted houses... CW/TW: this episode contains less mythological references to sexual assault and may be more triggering than typical episodes, there is a warning in the episode prior to that story and can easily be a ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests will be delving into the world of medieval legend in pursuit of the powerful and enigmatic Fisher King. In the world of medieval romance there are many weird and wonderful creatures – there are golden dragons and green knights, sinister enchantresses and t ... Show More

What myths did the Norse believe, and what influence did they exert on daily life? Was the trickster god Loki really that bad, and was Odin really that wise? And why is Christianity a crucial part of the story? Speaking to Kev Lochun, historian and broadcaster Eleanor Rosamund Ba ... Show More