Myths and Legends
Jason Weiser and Carissa Weiser tell stories from myths, legends, and folklore that have shaped cultures throughout history. Some, like the stories of Aladdin, King Arthur, and Hercules are stories you think you know, but with surprising origins. Others are stories you might not have heard, but really should. All the stories are sourced from world folklore, but retold for modern ears. These are stories of wizards, knights, Vikings, dragons, princesses, and kings from the time when the world beyond the map was a dangerous and wonderful place.
Monkey King: The Shakedown
🐒 Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, knows a demon shakedown when he sees it.
And what's happening in this town, where people need to pay upwards of $30k (in 2026 USD) a year to a Buddha they never see? That's a shakedown. Does his master, the Tang Monk, believe him? Of course he doesn't.
😈 The Creature: Man-dragon
Hey, just because man-dragon knows something bad is about to happen and shows up there ahead of time doesn't mean he's obligated to tell you the bad thing that's going to happen.
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📖 The Book!
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Indian folklore: Guess I'll Die
✏️Gaṅgâdhara's astrologer dad has some bad news for his boy: he's going to die.
Well, first he'll spend a decade in prison, and then die. Then things will get better? It's the story of the Soothsayer's Son.
😈 The Creature: Denpachi Kitsune
Are you sure the best student in your school isn't a secret monster? Really? Ok, then, it's probably just Denpachi.
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🎉 The Giveaway!
From now until July 24th, 2026, Our awesome publisher is giving away 15 early copies of For the King, book one of Myths and Legends's...
Maui: Whatever Happened to the Man Who Snared the Sun?
🏝️No one has seen or heard about Maui for quite some time
Meanwhile, all these strange portents are leading disparate groups to a faraway island, all the while there are ominous tales spoken in whispers. It's probably ok, right? I mean, it's Maui. He's always looking out for us.
Right?
😈 The Creature: Menehune
They'll build things for you (out of love), or they'll shoot you (also out of love?) but you better not watch them do either.
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📖 The Book!
Myths and Legends has our first book...
Czech folklore: House of the Dragon
🍼 If your parent goes through the trouble of getting you superpowers...
Kind of the least you can do is get them a new house. And fight all the dragons infesting that house. And get their increasingly specific and dangerous medical treatments for their very real and not made-up illnesses.
😈 The Creature: Sisimito
I did not know the Soviets had a secret program to create Chimpanzee-human hybrid. That's almost unrelated to the Sisimito. Almost.
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📖 The Book!
Myths and Legends has our first book coming out on December 1st! FOR T...
Korean folkore: Feet First
🪱Mr. Worm is getting married! That (not creepy) stranger is looking in your windows! Shin is driving tired!
Five interconnected stories from Korean folklore about letting people know the real you. And
😈 The Creature: Duergar
If you're at risk of being beaten up by the Duergar, no offense, but you're probably already breaking several rules of the Myths and Legends podcast
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🎉 The Giveaway!
From now through June 14th, 2026, Our awesome publisher is giving away 35 early copies of For the King, book one of Myths and Legends's comprehens...
Medieval Knights: Fifty Shades of Graelent
⚔️Sir Graelent is too beautiful for his scruples
At least that's what the queen thinks. Good thing she doesn't have the power to wreck his whole life if he doesn't love her. Oh, wait...
😈 The Creature: The Witkəś
Sick bears eating dirt means you have to get your gunpowder boat, scarecrow, and slow stump wick. That sentence will make sense if you listen to the creature of the week.
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📖 The Book!
Myths and Legends has our first book coming out on December 1st! FOR THE KING is a compreh...
Norse Mythology: The Old Man and the Stick
🐐 Who knew packing so many epic Norse heroes into a single house could have such disastrous consequences?
Not Odin, that's for sure. There's trouble brewing in Valhalla, and there's only one man who knows how to solve it: Skíði, the smartest famous man of our world, Midgard. But, has the world of Midgard changed too much since Odin last looked in on it?
😈 The Creature: Lusca
If you see octopus hands feeling around your boat, you better not toss that empty plastic bottle into the ocean. Probably don't do that anyway, actually. Litterin...
Spanish folklore: Doña of the Dead
⛰️When the unthinkable happens, Doña must become something she doesn't even recognize to bring justice
But, once she travels so far from herself, can she find her way home? This is the story of Doña Josefa Ramirez y Marmolejo.
😈 The Creature: Sheepsquatch
Basically a Wampa from Star Wars that lives in West Virginia.
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📖 The Book!
Myths and Legends has our first book coming out on December 1st! Written by Carissa, it's a definitive version of the King Arthur legends.
If you like the podcast, you...
Japanese folklore: Sword it Out
🍜Samurai Pirates, Stabby Sumo Wrestlers, and Punchable Oni
Are the consequences of Jiuyemon's actions.
We all make mistakes. Too many of the samurai Jiuyemon's mistakes involved killing people with a sword while drunk, though. While the heat dies down, he needs to start a new life in exile. As a toothpaste salesman.
😈 The Creature: Kappa
Famous for being cute and giving boat rides in Animal Crossing! Don't ask about what he used to get up to before he was a kawaii manga star, though! It definitely doesn't involve eating humans and having...
Turkish folklore: These Dreams
✨Cobbler Ahmet just wants to fix shoes✨
But his wife wants those sweet, sweet bath reservations, so it looks like he's going to go be the Chief Astrologer to the Sultan. The only problem(s)? He doesn't like astrology, doesn't know how to do it, and starts out by selling his astrology by the side of the highway.
That's actually the second story, because this week there are two stories of two Ahmets following dreams. On the first is junkman Ahmet, who has the same wonderful dream every night...except when it stops being wonderful, and...
Finnish folklore: Worn Out
✏️Osmo is a pretty solid sketch artist✏️
He’s not drawing a criminal, though. He’s drawing his sister, whose only crime is stealing the prince’s heart. And also maybe trying to escape the prison of the sea king, but that comes later.
😈 The Creature: The Jurua
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, there’s the jurua who is taking their family out to a nice dinner…of your flesh. Hope you’re wearing the right creeper.
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Slavic folklore: The Devilkin Made Me Do It
👞Goria the shoemaker has a bad boss👞
Is his boss the devil? Literally...well, no. Is the devil that Goria meets in a bar actually better than his boss? 100% yes.
😈 The Creature: Jack-in-Irons
A creature who made it a bad thing to walk around threatening people with a spiky club and wearing human heads. Thanks, Jack.
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Monkey King: The Pride
🐺Inside each of us there are two wolves. They are named 'Shifty' and 'Freaky'.🐺
Which one wins? Well it doesn't matter because they're both demons so maybe try to starve both of them out. Or spit in their faces and steal their name tags, like Sun Wukong does. No wrong answers because, in the world of the Journey to the West, anything goes.
But for real, we catch back up with Monkey, Sandy, Pigsy, and the Tang Monk on their travels as they enter year 14 and the final leg of their journey. But are they ready...
Norse Legends: Wither or Not
🧙♀️So, you think your stepmom might be a sorceress🧙♀️
Common problem. Well, common for fairy tales, at least. But, have you thought that she might not like you putting her in a box and deciding what she is before you even get to know her? It's something you might want to think about. Definitely because you shouldn't be prejudiced. Also because if she's really a sorceress do you really want to make her mad?
😈 The Creature: Ipupiara
A hairy, smelly merman who's just trying to keep up with the trends.
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1001 Nights: Djinning Up Some Trouble
🧞♂️Trying to meet the love of your life? Maybe ask for help from two genies trying to kill each other.🧞♂️
Even if you're not trying to meet the love of your life or, like the characters in today's story, actively trying to avoid meeting the love of your life because you really don't want to marry, you still might end up falling for someone anyway. And then maybe dying of a broken heart because that's apparently actually a thing.
😈 The Creature: Ebu Gogo
They will take your stuff and your children...and then ask the children how...
Flemish legends: A Night Out
🧌We've all been there.🧌
You spend a night out with friends, hanging out in the dark forest, crashing an ogre party and making dog friends. The only problem? You were out past curfew. Oh, and you came in through the chimney and absolutely trashed your parents' house.😈 The Creature: Jud
The personification (or horse-onification) of evil who wants to talk to you about your drinking.
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Irish legends: Out of Time
🦌Oh, deer.🦌
No, really, the love of your life might just be a deer...or, well, a human in the form of a deer. Just ask your two cousins who are also your best friends and your literal dogs. They'll lead you right to her. This is the story of Oisín in Tir na nÓg from Irish folklore.😈 The Creature: Chaneque
A little shriveled man with the face of a baby who might eat your brain and/or soul
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Japanese folkore: The Illusionists
👹Something is lurking in the forest temple👹
While the country outside is rocked by the changes in the world, a village grapples with the idea that a monster of a land that's nearly gone still lurks in their midst.😈 The Creature: Boraro
Watch out or he'll turn you into a human Capri-Sun
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Scottish folklore: Witchful Thinking
🧙♂️So you've decided to steal from a witch or wizard🧙♀️
Are you sure about that? If you are, you might want to think about what you're going to do more than the characters in today's stories from Scotland and Norway. Especially if, like them, you end up stealing way more than you bargained for.😈 The Creature: ewaipanoma
The headless friends of all the children in South America. No you can't see them. Why would you even ask. Oh, you didn't? Well, you still can't see them.
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Viking Legends: Famous
🔥All the Viking warriors' hearts burn with love for Nítíða🔥
And also the rest of them is on fire as well because that's what happens when you try to kidnap a maiden-king.😈 The Creatures: Henkie
The henkie is dancing with itself. When it's not watching you sleep, that is.
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Korean Grim Reaper: Saja Boys
⚰️It's Halloween⚰️
What do you do when death comes for you? Well, the characters in today's stories have a lot of ideas, and they're surprisingly successful. The problem? Death works on a much, much longer timeline.😈 The Creatures: Bulgasari
Why you don't feed your rice monster metal needles. Unlike most pets, it will be fine. You'll be in trouble, though.
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Slavic folklore: Bad Heir Day
Ivan fights wizards and monsters and Baba Yaga with a music streaming subscription
What do you get when your daughters have been kidnapped by a sleezy cloud and your son not only spends all of his days jamming with his self-playing harp, but DOESN'T want to tear the heads off his friends? You get Tsar Wisehead, who apparently just figured out that parenting is hard.😈 **The Creature: Garm
Garm is serious about his job, and that's unfortunate because that job involves blood splatters and the end of the world.
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French stories: Our Son, Ourson, the Bear
🐻Ourson is a Beary Good Guy🐻
Sorry, I couldn't resist, but he is actually a good guy. He isn't a bear though. He just looks like one to people who have probably never seen a bear, because he's kind of just a very hairy kid. He's like that because his mom kicked a toad that wasn't a toad and the toad cursed him. Don't worry, it'll make sense (mostly).😈 The Creatures: Ga-Gorib
A monster who does bad by tempting people into murdering...themselves?
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Guy of Warwick: Don't Be That Guy
🛡️This Guy?🛡️
This guy is Guy of Warwick, and he's your guy. But only if you need someone to be the best guy in the world at fighting and killing. It's just too bad Guy hates being that guy.😈 The Creature: Freybug and the Barguest
Two black dogs who might give you wounds that will never heal, or maybe just stand there awkwardly until you leave.
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Hans Christian Andersen: Humbugs
🪲They're not so different🪲
One is the king of the world, and the other is a beetle. One wants to fight God, the other wants to wear golden horse shoes. When it comes to being completely arrogant and insufferable, though, they have more in common than you might think. It's two fairy tales of pride and power from Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.😈 The Creature: The Elle-folk
They're NOT elves. They just look and act like them and have a very similar name but if you say they're elves hope you enjoy your VERY sick cow...
Aesop's Fables: Bray it Ain't So
🫏One little rent-a-donkey, one big journey🫏
Actually he's a full-grown rental donkey but the journey is a big one because, when you're a poorly treated rental donkey and you have a chance to escape, you take it. Then, spend the rest of the time trying to get back to captivity because the world is dangerous and scary.😈 The Creature: Eikthymir
The giant stag from Norse myth that makes it rain...rain. He's not as cool as his friend, who has alcohol constantly flowing out of her udders.
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Monkey King: Ham-bushed
🐷Sun Wukong is a bad friend🐷
But, to be fair, he never said he and Pigsy were friends...because you don't send your friends to dinner parties where everyone is trying to murder you.😈 The Creature: Each Tened
A horse committed to justice. If the punishment for every crime was searing thigh fire.
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European folklore: Justice
🔔Ring the bell for justice🔔
Want justice? Ring the bell. Doesn't matter if you're a horse or a snake or a merchant or a peasant but if you're one of the latter two probably don't get caught ringing the bell of justice. King Charlemagne puts of a bell of justice and consequences ensue.😈 The Creature: The Dun Cow
A giant cow that just wants to give your free groceries. Just don't try to take more than your fair share.
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Indian folklore: Dicey
🎲Losing your kingdom in a game of dice🎲
The story of Nala and Damayanti is a tale of love, loss, and losing everything but your underwear because of your terrible decisions and then also your underwear.😈 The Creature: Drekavac
The creature is the Drekavac, and it's many things to many people. All of them are weird
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Celtic folklore: The Wake
⛵️Get lost at sea with Maelduin⛵️
All Maelduin wants to do is avenge his father's murder...with more murder. He should have listened to that wizard. Because he didn't, his trip just got a whole lot longer. And stranger.😈 The Creature: The Donestre
The lion headed stranger who will eat you, sure, but also feel really bad about it.
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Japanese folklore: Provincial
⛩️Stories from the Japanese countryside⛩️
Five interconnected stories of purpose, meaning, justice, talking animals, the boss falling off a cliff, mushrooms, and travel hampers.😈 **The Creature: The Dinny Mara
The Dinny Mara is a friendly merman who wants to rehabilitate the reputation of water creatures. They could probably start by not drowning so many people?
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Reynard: Nasty, Brutish, and Short
🦊 Reynard the fox hates meetings, too 🦊
Especially because at most of the meetings he's invited to, people usually try to kill and eat him. Today, we're back in the stories of Reynard the fox, with sick kings, superpowered storks, and Isengrim the wolf trying to not constantly get skinned alive.😈 The Creature: The Devs
I guess you have to worry about head trauma and TBI a lot less when you have seven heads.
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Knights of the Round Table: Hither and Thither
🏰When a knight says he'll be right back, he means it
Unless he dies. Or gets captured. Or just forgets about it, prompting his son to come looking for him in the land of wickedness...and also maybe saving Camelot in the process? It's the story of Sir Morien.😈 The Creature: The Kaichigo
All those games you haven't played are lonely...and also maybe messing with your stuff in the basement.
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West African folklore: Wiser
🍼Have a budding tyrant? You need a snarky talking baby🍼
Yenga Naa is wiser than the chief. How do you know? Well, he named himself that...the moment he was born.😈 The Creature: The Cornu
How do you torment sinners without getting your hands dirty? The cornu, that's how.
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Slavic folklore: Udder Nonsense
🐄Baba Yaga, Dragons, Giant Talking Pigs🐄
We'll see what happens when a king who wants one son gets more than he bargained for: three sons, with the oddest one of all, the one capable of calming dragons (when he's not slaying them) and outsmarting giant evil pigs (when he's not slaying them), being born...from a cow.😈 The Creature: Coliunn Gun Cheaun
The worst, best headless friend you hopefully never had.
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European legends: Ale to the King
🍺Meet Cambrinus, things aren't going so well for him🍺
He's a peasant kid with a job that's going nowhere, a crush who doesn't love him back, and no one takes him seriously when he absolutely knocks it out of the park playing the viola. If only he knew he was destined to be legendary King of Beer.😈 The Creature: The Cocoa
A two-foot-long sparkling cat sounds like a lot of fun. Until it's very much not.
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Monkey King: Not Found
🤑 The Monkey King and friends are making money and staying in fancy hotels🤑
What is this that you heard about them being monks? What? No. That's ridiculous. They don't know why you thought that. So weird. They are horse traders who trade horses while they pass through this city that murders monks. Wait NO DON'T TOUCH THEIR HATS.😈 The Creature: The Cinnamologus
We meet the cinnamon bird, because who doesn't love their cinnamon sticks covered in bird poop and lead?
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Norse sagas: Wormtongue
⚔️The plight of the Viking celebrity poet⚔️
Friends become enemies, enemies become friends, and none of what you actually say matters all that much...as long as you're famous.😈 The creature: the cicada
It's not a creature at all. Just a normal bug...or maybe that's what Zeus wants you to think?
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Japanese folklore: Misconceptions
🐸Love means never having to say I'm sorry (I poisoned you)"🐸
...or something like that. This Valentine's Day there are three love stories from Japan. On the first, a man moves on after becoming a widower (kind of), on the second, two frogs fall out of love...with a place, and on the third, the whole world is in love with a geisha.😈 The Creature: Maikubi (舞首)
Three heads that don't so much as dance as they do bite each other and sink ships.
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Chinese Zodiac: Rat Race
🐀It's Race Day🐀
Today, we tell the story of how the animals in the Chinese Zodiac got their years: a race that's terrible for all involved.😈 The Creature: Nian
Why you want to dress in red to avoid long, unpleasant runs on New Year's Day, though any run in January or February (or in general) is unpleasant.
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