Myths and Legends

Faust decides that if he's going to have these powers, he's really going to enjoy them so, in no particular order, he gives himself: A Doctor Strange cloak Telekinesis A demon common law wife and baby A get-out-of-debt plan that involves humorously tearing off his own limbs And grapes. In the winter. Crazy, right?   Seriously, though, we take the somewhat more grounded story of last week...and then completely go off the rails while Faust (and the writer of the chapbook.....

The story of Faust and his infamous deal is one that has survived for hundreds of years. Beginning as whispers in Germany in the 1500s, it grew to plays and, most famously, a play by the German writer Goethe, largely considered to be one of the greatest works of German literature. 

The story has been done and redone, and the phase Faustian bargain is still in use to this day...

From the end of the world to the underworld and Armageddon itself, Kalevipoeg does way too many things. 

The creature will throw acres of caustic feces in your direction. 

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From the Estonian epic, the Kalevipoeg, comes the story of, well, Kalevipoeg, the son of a giant who battles sorcerers who are trying to get with his mom and throws rocks the size of Volkswagens to win the kingship, all while trying to carve out a place in the world for his people and his homeland. 

The creature this week is an annoying piggyback ride from a stranger in the dark forest and why you should go along with that...

Why you absolutely should take the biggest peach you can find in the supermarket and sing to it. It might just hatch a baby! Unfortunately your fairy tale baby will do what fairy tale babies do: grow up and hear that call to adventure, going out to seek their fortune, taking no more than a plucky attitude and an angry dog to battle the evils of the world. 

The creature this time is Batman...if Batman was a literal bat who turned into an old man...

The monkey king has done it all: he was immortal, he had allied with all the mythological creatures he could find, and he controlled an army 40,000 strong...but heaven didn't care about any of that. They were coming for him, whether or not it was legal, and there was nothing he could do to stop them. 

The creature this week is a big, angry, hairy unicorn with a...weird surprise...

Sun Wukong, the (Handsome) Monkey King, is both an actual monkey and an actual king…and presumably handsome according to whatever standard that is judged. One of the most famous anti-heroes of Chinese literature, we start his story, and the story of the extremely famous “Journey to the West” at the beginning, with the story of the monkey’s rock mom on the Flower-Fruit mountain. 

The creature this week is the ningyo, the human fish...

A dark story gets darker as Antigone battles an authoritarian state in the form of her uncle Creon. 

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All music by Blue Dot Sessions
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When we last left the Oedipus family, they all found out they were more related than they ever thought possible. It's somehow about to get even worse. 
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Music: "An Unknown Visitor" by Blue Dot Sessions "Daisy" by Chad Crouch "Lilac" by Chad Crouch "Seafoam" by Chad Crouch "Trailrunner" by Blue Dot Sessions "Dasher" by Blue Dot Sessions
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The story of Tatterhood is unlike any I've ever read on the podcast, and it's so excellent. The problem? I can't really say much without ruining the story. So check it out, you won't be disappointed. 

The creature is the tomcod, a catfish that's actually a catfish. It's a lot more off-putting than you'd think...