First things first, I mucked up Hymir's name multiple times throughout the story. It's unfortunate, but too much work had been done by the time I realized it to go back and fix it. For clarity: It's Hymir ("Him-ear") not Hymnir ("Him-near") - H

The Panthers' Green Corn Dance

Oct 24th, 2021 5m 23s

When you're a Cherokee hunter and you go out a'hunting for your family, it's perhaps not a bad idea to team up with a panther to make the hunt easier. Or maybe it's a terrible idea. You'll need to listen to this episode, featuring a brave Chero

The Horse-Bride and Her Horse-Husband

Oct 11th, 2021 22m 21s

This week we travel to ancient Turkey for a story featuring a Sultan, a horse, a jinn, a witch, and a woman who has married in to some significant family drama. When a father gives his daughter to a horse in marriage, things go sideways in unex

Anansi and Mr. Dry-Bone

Sep 26th, 2021 16m 44s

Last week we shared a piece of folklore from Ghana which featured Anansi, and in that folktale Anansi was less of a trickster and more of a villain. But Anansi's body of work, like the African diaspora itself, is broad and varied. Depending wit

Anansi Tricks Kweku and Kweku Tricks Anansi

Sep 13th, 2021 7m 53s

Anansi, the spider trickster of West Africa, and later the Caribbean at large, is often depicted as selfish and greedy in addition to being ever-lazy and painfully clever. Anansi is always quick to hatch a plan to swindle another person (or ani

Van Wempel's Goose

Aug 30th, 2021 11m 29s

Nicholas Van Wempel was the sort of drinker with a knack for stumbling into situations of the dumbest of luck, and perhaps the smartest misfortune - but where does the goose come into it? Listen to find out, and if you'd like to support this po

The Chessboard Cherry Tree

Aug 15th, 2021 13m 1s

The Chessboard Cherry Tree is a story about a hot-headed Daimyo named Oda Sayemon, a faithful retainer named Saito Ukon, an a fateful game of Go that would change both their lives. It's a story about service to a master, and all the dangers, an