Mythos Podcast

It is a strange thing to think of death as nutritious, that death can make living things into the elemental stuff of life. But as summer's verdant life begins to succumb to an inevitable end, as death transforms the landscape, the strangeness of that thought recedes, becoming something full of sense and meaning.This is especially true as I walk through a local woodland and beneath my feet are the remains of arboreal death - humus, that dark organic matter that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays. When leaf litter and animals remains decompose, they break down into their most basic chemical elements…elements that are nutritious to life.This breaking down of living things, particularly as autumn transitions into winter on my Northern island, inspired this episode of Mythos, which will focus on primordial giant stories - myths in which a giant is sacrificed in order to become the building blocks of creation.The first is a Norse Myth, details of which can be found in the Prose and Poetic Eddas. The Prose Edda was written in 13th century Iceland and is considered the fullest and most detailed source of Norse Mythology. Drawing upon a variety of sources, the Prose Edda also references an older source - a collection of poems known as the Poetic Edda.The second story is from the Rigveda, an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit Hymns, one of the four sacred Hindu texts known as the vedas.Music:https://www.youtube.com/@ebanisteria.musicalehttps://www.youtube.com/@GeethanjaliClassicalMusichttps://www.youtube.com/@Nordicvibrations7979

Eggs are an ancient symbol. The magical properties, burial rites and folk beliefs surrounding eggs are many.In this first episode of Earth Lore, a Mythos series that retells ancient myth and traditional folklore surrounding the cosmos, earth, flora, fauna and natural phenomena, we will look at cosmic origin myths that feature magical primordial eggs. With a brief introduction, there will then be two retellings of myths from Finland and China.Music courtesy of Co-Ag music (copyright free music can be found on Youtube)

In Baltic folklore, birds are mediators of heaven and earth, between the living and the dead. Their music is heraldic and their song a prophetic chanting. Birds inhabit and embody the dynamic force of space, soaring through the invisible ether of the atmosphere. In this story, we will journey to the thrice-three realm, to the garden of a Baltic King, where, amidst bone white birches and tall meadow grasses, there dwells a bird only accessible to the truly wiseMusic (Youtube)This Fascinating World, Co-Ag Music Siidisulis linnukene' (Silken Feathered Bird), Maarja NuutTraditional kokle music variation 1, Laima Jansone Abandoned 1, Co-Ag MusicMuutuja, Maarja Nuut & Ruum Edge of Silence, Co-Ag Music

October, in much lore, is a spiritually potent time and the oft stated idea that the veil between worlds is thin at this time holds true in traditional Latvian practice. The living would prepare their homes for a visit from deceased ancestors, with the house cleaned and table laden with food for the occasion. To open this feast, an elder of the home would call the names of all the ancestral dead in living memory, inviting them to eat with the living.In this story, we follow a young man into a Latvian forest, where he follows yet another tradition - retrieving the ancestors from the forest cemetery in a horse drawn cart. Please head to www.mythospodcast.com and sign up for the email list for weekly stories and research content, for both creative inspiration and the solace of story. Also consider becoming a Patron: a library of episode transcript e-books and some special patrons-only episodes for top two tiers. And I welcome support for upcoming series on Japanese and Korean Folklore - and the Earth Lore series exploring the folklore of the natural world around the globe.Thank you to Co-Ag Music for the excellent soundscapes of this episode.

The mythic origin tales of Baltic amber are full of magic, and the pre-history of the golden-umber resin-stone is no less awe-inspiring. This pine-tree resin was fossilized 45 million years ago, during a period of intense warmth that caused the pines to exude huge amounts of sap. There is an inherent enchantment in handling something that warms to the touch and is the remnant of a prehistoric coniferous forest. Even more otherworldly are those pieces of amber that contain the tiny remains of this ancient - and almost mythical - past. Oak leaf bits, tiny twigs, pollen, and other plant detritus found itself preserved in the resin which hardened over millions of years. Even ancient insects have been encapsulated in the golden substance. No wonder then that the Baltics, where this fey stone can be found in particular abundance, was the site of trade for many many thousands of years. In this episode, we will dive into a Lithuanian origin myth for this precious stone.A big thank you to Co-Ag Music and Spanxti for the stunning music in this episode!You can find Co-Ag here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcavSftXHgxLBWwLDm_bNvAYou can find Spanxti here on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk1_IxRDcikIf you're wanting a bit more than monthly episodes - and like the sound of engaging with the stories of the folk more deeply and creatively - of restoring the ancient practice of listening to and responding to traditional tales, then the upcoming 'Your Story Heritage' course might be for you - if that's the case, right now, before you forget, CLICK HERE and then click on the orange ‘register your interest' button. Consider becoming a PatronYou can also make a one-time donation here: https://www.mythospodcast.com/

In this episode, we journey again to Lithuania: we will go to the noble hall of an ignoble count and to a sylvan lake, to meet a washerwoman of great spirit, whose patrons are full of earth and water magic. A massive thank you to Co-Ag Music and Jēkabs Zariņš for their permission to use their music. 'Meža diesma,' 'tehniskas variācijas,' and 'Grandparent's Blessing' by Jēkabs Zariņš 'Taste the Fear,' and 'Who will save my soul,' by Co-Ag Music. Jēkabs Zariņš: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9izFNeuvBR3qt5vfgfBkOw Co-Ag Music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcavSftXHgxLBWwLDm_bNvA

In this episode’s panorama of ancient woodland, northern seas and shamanic underworlds, the world-traversing magic of the grass snake clashes with the bone-deep force of ancestral longing and family drama. From forest pools to pearl-white sands, from black-deep ocean caverns to a verdant underworld, we will explore the magic landscapes of Lithuania, in one of her most famous pieces of folklore. This story was brought to life by the music of these talented musicians! - Co-Ag Music on Youtube - "Turėja Liepa" by Simona Smirnova: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIqzz8UZeOE - Also, visit her website at: https://www.simonasmirnova.nyc/ - "Lakštingalėle" by Kumaniusilelis https://www.youtube.com/user/kamaniusilelis/featured - Also, visit their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kamaniusilelis - Agota Ago https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaRsJDijtkZ5zVXV_Z9ZHTw - Performance of a Lithuanian Midsummer Folksong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeEnhlRteiA&list=PLfjWyCNZi947Y4DDyk_VnqpRA_aZDaqQg&index=2  

Goddaughter of the Rock Maidens. The name of the story lit up my imagination, as did the brief outline of a plot in W.F Kirby’s 1895 English translation of famous Estonian tales. In just a few sentences, I sensed a powerful narrative: nature spirits and underworlds; a young girl tutored by powerful female fey-folk and enchantments and serpent kings. For all my listeners, consider joining my upcoming Story Heritage Webinar on Power & Powerlessness. The aim is to explore the wisdom and insights of world folklore surrounding this fundamental human experience. If you want to explore our world storytelling heritage, get inspiration for your own creative life and experience the therapeutic powers of story, go to https://www.mythosstorytelling.com/storyheritage-webinars Please do consider helping with research costs so I can bring the stories of the folk into our cultural consciousness: https://www.patreon.com/mythospodcast A huge thank you to Maarja Nuut and Co-Ag Music for allowing me to use their music! Donate to Maarja here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0rQSHGbaVqFhj4gcXDAjKy?si=5YLWNMrOSaORlMXbkEfMyA Maarja Nuut songs: 'Veere, Veere päevakene,' 'Handi pandimehe lugu' - Estonian Folk Song Co-Ag Music: 'Beautiful Days' and 'A Dark Myth'

It is November in an Estonian village and it is the Time of Souls, when dead ancestors return and roam, visiting homes and enjoying the pleasures of life in the sauna In this time of extended night, there are forces afoot, and not just those of deceased ancestors. There might be Nututaja: the evil eye, whose envy distresses and disturbs the new-born, and is one amongst a number of supernatural threats around the globe that threaten the infant. Perhaps a symbol of the immense world - with all of its dangers - surrounding the vulnerable little one, the Nututaja’s influence unsettles the baby, who becomes colicky and unable to sleep. In fact, Nututaja’s envy, the evil eye, is so powerful that it creates what seems to be an entity in its own right: Ööitketaja, the Night Wail. A huge thank you to Maarja Nuut, a stunningly talented Estonian musician whose music seems made for these stories. Songs: 'Siidisulis linnukene,' 'Veere, Veere, paevakene,' and 'Odangule.' For more from Maarja, see her website: https://maarjanuut.com/ Introduction Music: Estonian Cradle Song

A quick introduction to the Baltic States and why a journey into the folkloric realms of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is well worth your time.

Welcome to episode 1 of 'Folklorica Baltica' - the fourth season of Mythos focusing on The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. In this episode, follow the journey of a young girl who dares enter the dread Wood of Tontla...and who discovers strange magic and hidden blessings. Music credit goes to some fine Estonian folk musicians who very kindly allowed me to use their music in this episode. Do explore their music for something beautiful and different. Kirtana Rasa (artist): Monet Aiad (song) and Leia mind taas (song) Maarja Nuut (artist): Kargus (song) Midrid (artist): Meeste Kutse (song) Rüüt (artist): Orjalaul (song) Handi Paadimehe lugu (traditional song)

Welcome to Story Therapy, a Mythos mini-series exploring the relationship between narrative and mental health, particularly traditional tales as a therapeutic space where difficult emotions and circumstances can be acknowledged and explored. In this series, experts, mental health practitioners and storytellers will share stories from folklore, myth and legend and we will explore to what extent such tales provide space for delving into what it means to be human, delving into what drives us and what challenges us. In this episode, Lily Asch, Director of Real Talk, tells a story about the sun hiding its face and the desperate measures taken to deal with this impossible situation. However, what finally works could never have been anticipated!

This short episode is a part of the Lockdown Lore series - a short story published bi-weekly for a bit of escape and respite. Listen to Dan Tovey tell an unusual story about a very strange woman turning up to a candy store after closing hours.

This short episode is a part of the Lockdown Lore series - a short story published bi-weekly for a bit of escape and respite. The story was inspired by the idea of avenging forest spirits - creatures made of the forest itself (much like the recently released 'Birch' from indie folk horror online station Crypt TV), as well as more traditional monsters like the Slavic Leshy. For more information on the guest storyteller, Jason Buck, visit www.jasonbuckstoryteller.co.uk and follow his page on Facebook. His storytelling shows are highly recommended and he is currently telling to great effect on Zoom!

Welcome to Story Therapy, a Mythos mini-series exploring the relationship between narrative and mental health, particularly traditional tales as a therapeutic space where difficult emotions and circumstances can be acknowledged and explored. In this series, experts, mental health practitioners and storytellers will share stories from folklore, myth and legend and we will explore to what extent such tales provide space for delving into what it means to be human, delving into what drives us and what challenges us. In this first episode, Lily Asch, Director of Real Talk, tells a tale about a grieving sibling. We then discuss what this story tells us about grief, an emotion that many are feeling these days as they face the losses created by the pandemic. Find out more about Real Talk CIC here: https://www.realtalkproject.org/

This short episode is a part of the Lockdown Lore series - a short story published bi-weekly for a bit of escape and respite. In this Polish folktale, a dragon is outwitted when a soldier decides to heed the wisdom of Mother Forest.

The Sami are the Nordic region's indigenous people: though they share a similar ethnic identity, they inhabit a vast geographical area - from the Atlantic coast of Norway, the lakes, rivers, mountains and forests of Norway, Sweden and Finland to the Kola peninsula of Russia. These stories were collected by a Danish ethnographer, who lived among Swedish Sami. Here is what she has to say about their storytelling tradition: ‘In the protective light, everything may be named, all the horror and sorcery conjured by the darkness. Outside [the tent] in the deepest night wander the dead, the spirits, the evil thoughts one person sends to another...out there are storms and clouds, the moon stars and northern lights. Here inside the tent is the campfire; here is home, the great safe place...During the day the Sami, like other people, are busy with tasks. But when the darkness draws them to the campfire, when the stew kettle hangs on its sooty chain and the steam and smoke rise through the tent opening to the clouds and the night sky, then rest comes, memories slip in, like dreams to a sleeper. The tales and customs of olden times are still a well-spring among the Sami.’ Music: Co-Ag Music, Berit Margrethe Oskal and Sofia Jannak

From Norway’s verdant mountain pastures where lonely dairymaids tend the seter, or summer farm, to the shadowed forests of Sweden and Denmark, we will encounter the strange beings of the summer wilds. This episode will focus on folktales whose backdrop is the summer season, when the lush reproductive potency of the world is obvious and abundant. Across the Nordic world, Midsummer is celebrated with huge bonfires, and traditionally, was believed to be rich with magical properties. Agrarian Finns, for example, celebrated Midsummer by adorning rooms with flowers, green branches and twigs. According to Finnish folk belief, Midsummer was abundant with väki, a term referring to the inherent power of all things. Midsummer was believed to be charged with curative väki, arising from the fecundity of nature at the height of summer.

In Scandinavia’s most ancient literature, there exists primordial giants whose actions - and very being - are identified with the origin and creation of the world. Engendered in the great chasm called Ginnungagap, where the frozen waters of the cold-realm Niflheim and the hot breath of the fire-realm Muspel met, the frost giant Ymir and a cow named Audumla were the first created beings. In this creation story, the combination of fire and ice made life possible: some mysterious life grew and thrived in the drops of melting water, which took the form of the giant Ymir. Called jätte (yett-uh) in Swedish, troll or jutul (yoo-tool) in Norwegian, trolls and giants are prominent in fables and in etiological legends explaining the origin of many huge rock formations, lakes and the so-called giants potholes. The Norwegian word ‘jutul’ stems from the Old Norse Jotunn, which denotes a race of giants in opposition to man and gods. From the pine-laden mountains and prosperous farms of the Vågå region in Norway to imperial Copenhagen, from the jagged-peaks and moss-laden cliffs of Iceland’s West-fjords to the immense vertical sea cliffs of the Faroe Islands, we will hear tales of earth-sculpting colossal beings.

Dark northern forests of ambiguous shadow and sinister presence. Ancient churchyards with secrets beneath searching feet. Inhuman beings of terrifying power made even more powerful during the spiritually potent winter season….these are all elements of the Swedish tradition of Arsgang (Oshgong), or the Year Walk, in which an individual completes a kind of divination journey through night-shrouded woodland. Through forest, field and churchyard the year walker journeys, hoping to gain insight into the future, to know their own fate as well as the fate of their village, to have some knowledge of those issues of life and death: war, crop-destroying weather or fire, disease, significant deaths. This episode is a tribute to the game 'Year Walk' created by Swedish developing company Simogo.

The hulder-folk, sometimes referred to as the hidden-folk or subterraneans, are preternatural beings that populate wild areas and are given to enticement and abduction. While thought to live beneath the ground, they are often sighted, heard and experienced in forests, mountains and moors. In this episode, we will catch glimpses of the huldra, a stunningly beautiful woman with long hair and an animal’s tail; we will encounter Danish elves, far from the sweet beings of Christmas tradition but rather dangerous figures whose dances can cause madness and whose powers can cause sickness.  We will encounter human beings whose lives are forever altered by their encounters with the hulder-folk. The first two stories are Norwegian and the third is Danish. Episode Script at www.mythospodcast.com Listen to the Fey Worlds episode of Series 1 if you want more folklore in this vein.

In this episode, you will hear London-based storyteller Sarah Liisa Wilkinson retell two stories from the the Kalevala,  a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology. From frozen wilderness to the very land of the dead itself, these stories focus on a feisty girl named Aino and the loving and courageous mother of the feckless Lemminkäinen. If you're interested in learning more about Sarah and her work as a storyteller, visit this website: https://storyjamjar.com/story-jam-conversations/sarah-liisa-wilkinson-talks-about-working-to-deadlines-delving-deeper-and-putting-things-off/

In folklore across the Nordic world, the human soul or ‘hug’ is a force to be reckoned with and is intimately connected with the body. Indeed, if a person were to be somehow separated from their hug, perhaps through magic, they were said to have been ‘hugstjalet’ or ‘hug-stolen - a folk explanation for people who showed abnormal behaviour and psychological disorders. The soul, or ‘hug’, is a source of power and manipulation of the hug is the source of all magic.  The hug could free itself of the body for various periods of time and could live a life outside the body. Unconsciously or consciously, the hug can be used to effect the material world and can even become a supranormal entity, one of the most terrifying examples being the mare, the nightmare personified, a being who puts immense pressure on the chest of their sleeping victim. This projection of the ‘hug’ is considered the cause for the frightening experience of sleep paralysis. The ‘hug’ can also be used in what is a kind of Scandinavian astral projection. The Vord (or Swedish vård) is not only the doubled presence of every individual but the dream-soul that can separate from the sleeping body. A Swedish folklorist defined the vård as ‘a being attached to the individual’ which ‘sometimes reveals itself either as a glimmer or in the form of the person as a second self, a phantom. The presence of the vård can be felt both by other people and the individual when he is out of doors at night.’ Welcome to Series 3: Folklorica Nordica. As these autumn days descend into the dark days of winter, we will journey into subterranean and spiritual realms - through the folklore of the Nordic world. We will encounter the shamans, the subterranean beings, the wise-folk and healers, and the trolls and giants of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Finland. In these northern lands, we will encounter a fascinating body of tales retold to evoke not only the original magic of the stories but also the beautiful and mysterious regions they come from. Music by Co-Ag Music (Available on Youtube)

From the dread KGB to the Western consumerism that threatened communist values, this episode will look at urban legends told fairly widely in the Soviet Union from the 1960s to the 1990s. This is a taster episode of the Urban Legends series that will be available only to Patreon supporters. If you would like to support Mythos Podcast monthly please go to www.patreon.com/mythospodcast.

In this episode, hear stories about a particularly special manifestation of the unclean force: those water-bound spirits who are also said to be spirits of the unquiet dead; human spirits who perhaps committed suicide or died an untimely or tragic death. Perhaps because of the terrible nature of their deaths, they have been transformed, their spirits manifesting into sometimes terrifying, sometimes beautiful forms. Despite their appearances, the beings in this episode are nearly always deadly. So from the glacier-covered Russian island of Novaya Zemlya to the coniferous forests and fecund lake basins of Poland; from the great heights of the Ukrainian Carpathians to the dark waters of the Slovakian Danube, you will hear tales of water-bound beings who are dangerous to mere frail humans. While in Russia and Poland, we will encounter the Rusalka, the water-bound spirit of a woman who has ended her own life. While in the Ukraine, we will encounter the Rusalka’s sister-lore - the Mavka, the spirit of a woman who has died a tragic and/or untimely death. Lastly, while touring the Slovakian Danube, we will meet the Vodnik, the male counterpart of the Rusalka All music by Co-Ag Music (Available on Youtube) To support Mythos financially, see www.patreon.com/mythospodcast

In this special guest episode, professional storyteller Vanessa Woolf tells a fascinating tale involving a mysterious tomb in Brompton Cemetery, London. Unfasten your doors of perception with an extraordinary tale of occult, magic and a secret time machine in Victorian London. Music by Co-Ag Music (available on Youtube) London Dreamtime storynights are secret storytelling adventures in hidden corners of London. Vanessa tells eerie, exciting, scary and fantastical stories for adults in London’s forgotten corners, derelict buildings, muddy foreshores, empty foot-tunnels, urban forests and midnight cemeteries...they often include live music and are usually only lit by candles. Different events run every month and details are on www.londondreamtime.com/calendar

In lore across the Slavic world, from the northern Slavs of Poland and Russia to their southern kin in Croatia and Slovenia, there are the so-called ‘unclean’ spirits of forest and field, home and bathhouse. And the more domestic of these unclean spirits - those of the home and bathhouse - is our focus in this episode. Now, we will meet these mysterious beings, in whom mingles the earthly and angelic, in whom dwell the deep powers of ancestral longing, order and homeliness. For a little boy in an undisclosed Russian village, while playing, has spotted a dilapidated bathhouse on the edge of the great Taiga, that vast wooded realm of northern climes - and when he sees the water-rotted wood and the sagging brooding structure he shudders, runs home to his grandfather and asks about its history. This is the grandfather’s story….. All music by Co-Ag Music (available on Youtube)

Lady death mowing down a victim with her scythe. A demon of the harvest fields in the shape of a mourning widow. Is it any wonder that folklore symbolically conflates death and the harvest in such potent images when the harvest was the very heart and pulse of the agricultural communities of the ‘folk’? We will encounter these beings whose very nature combines life-giving harvest and death-giving exhaustion from labour - we will encounter harvest demons in the golden wheat fields and the life-stripping heat of the noonday sun in Poland, Russia and Slovenia. We will also meet the wolf-shepherd, an unusual patron to Croatian cattle farmers and their gentle field dwelling bovines. All music by Co-Ag Music (available on Youtube)

From the last bastion of primeval woodland straddling Poland and Belarus to mountain-top pine forests in the Czech Republic, from swampish realms in aforementioned Polska to Serbian forests ringing with shrill hunting cries, meet the female huntresses, child-snatchers and protective spirits of Slavic lore. The vision of Mythos Podcast is to retell stories with a sense of magic, as if they were entirely real. With a brief introduction and analysis, the emphasis is on the stories themselves, with each episode comprised of four tales. Listen and enjoy a fresh take on ancient folklore, complete with immersive narrative, lush music and a dark edge.

Variously a mythical wise woman, a witch, a forest spirit or a leader of others in the spirit realm, Baba Yaga’s legacy of lore comes from mixed cultural groups within Eastern Europe and as such a fantastic and horrifying collection of motifs have assembled around the character. Flying through the air in a magical mortar and pestle, she leaves her forest hut which sits astride chicken legs, its keyhole filled with sharp teeth and its land surrounded by a fence of human bones topped with skulls. Music by Co Ag Music (available on Youtube)

From the castle haunts of witch hares and rabbit haunted groves in England to fey goat maidens in Scotland and horse-mounted portents of death in Ireland, we will explore stories from that parallel dimension, the land of dead. Music by Co-Ag music (available on Youtube) Subscribe to newsletter on www.mythospodcast.com

From the stately Windsor forest to Scotland’s mist shrouded lochs and streams; from dark and dank Welsh coal mines to barren sandstone hills in Leicestershire, we will explore stories that embody our troubled relationship with our own physical vulnerability - with winter, unknown spiritual forces, with the strains and dangers of manual labour, with geological forces and -ultimately - with the inevitability of death itself. www.mythospodcast.com All music by Co-Ag music (available on Youtube)

From the tor-covered wilds of Dartmoor to the mist-shrouded Scottish Highlands; from the otherworldly black cells of  London’s notorious Newgate Prison to Ireland’s limestone cave entrance to the underworld, in places where the veil is thin between our known world and the fey worlds of spirit and death - there you might hear paws padding along or a heavy bestial breathing from canine nostrils. You might hear the rattling of chains, or perhaps more in the distance, the baying of hounds on the hunt. www.mythospodcast.com Music courtesy of Co Ag Music (available on Youtube)

From southern England’s chalk ridges to boggy Scottish headlands overlooking deep and mysterious lochs, there are barrows, megaliths and standing stones of great antiquity. Before the Romans, before the Anglo-Saxons, before the Scandinavian or Norman invasions, there were these weird structures: temple like megalithic standing stones, like the well-known Stonehenge, and large grass covered earthen mounds, man-made earthworks with seemingly subterranean magical intent. All music courtesy of Co-Ag Music (available on Youtube and HIGHLY recommended)

From the deep lochs of Scotland to the murky sylvan ponds of England and then lastly to the other worldly tempestuous coasts of Ireland, these are tales tinged with algae and sea-salt. Experience the dark creatures of the dark depths. All music courtesy of Co-Ag Music (available on Youtube and HIGHLY recommended)

To discover the fey folk, the true fairy of the lore of old, we will travel from the high moorlands of Northumberland, England’s most northern and most sparsely populated county to the verdant hills and wild crags of southwest Ireland; from Scotland’s Orkney Islands, ridden with neolithic sites and gold-white sandstone cliffs, to a sleepy village in Suffolk - these are stories of fey folk and their fey worlds. See www.mythospodcast.com for more information on this episode. All music courtesy of Co-Ag Music (available on Youtube and HIGHLY recommended)