Fate & Fabled

In this episode, we examine the Fates - three shadowy figures who seem to have a near omnipresent influence in the goings-on throughout the Greek mythical universe - and who show up in stories and religions from cultures whose time and place are far removed from the ancient Greeks.

Not quite deities and definitely not human, cats have stalked our cultural imagination since ancient times. As demons, defenders, evil sidekicks, and sleek companions, they play many roles in culture and myth. But what makes cats so enduring, and what does our feline fascination tell us about human nature?

For the Ancient Egyptians, the cycle of life itself began and ended with Isis and Osiris. Their story is one of the oldest known myths, and it informed spiritual beliefs, power structures, and gender roles in Ancient Egypt and beyond. And who wouldn’t be drawn to a tale that has it all?

Constellations: Shifting Messages from the Stars The stars have guided and entertained us for thousands of years. Here we explore some of the messages people have seen in the stars through the millennia and look forward to how we might relate to the stars in the future.

As beings that mediate between heaven and earth, angels have been the focus of both fascination and fear for centuries. For many of us today, the enduring image of an angel is a winged, benevolent baby or adult sporting a halo. But in the past, they’ve been described as fireballs, forms without substance, or massive beings that collect blood or trumpet the end of time. Where did these archetypes come from and why has that of the winged cherub endured?

In Greek mythology, the magnificent mother and daughter duo Demeter and Persephone were the bringers of food and fair weather and were worshiped in lush harvest celebrations. But their story has a darker side – one involving violence, tragic compromise, and a bittersweet resurrection.

The Greek Titan Prometheus molded humans from mud and gave us fire to cook and advance our civilization - a good deed that famously didn’t go unpunished!

Queen of the Dead is a pretty cool title though. Hades used an invisibility *helmet, not a shield.

Most of us think of unicorns as happy, magical horses, but this class of one-horned creatures has a darker, more multifaceted history than you might expect.

In Irish folklore, Cú Chulainn was one of the greatest warriors ever to live. From his first battle against a vicious hound at the age of 6 to his last against an entire army just two decades later, Cú Chulainn lived a legendary, but short life. Some might call him a tragic hero, but is it tragic to get everything you ever wanted?

Cultures around the world have venerated trees for thousands of years, often seeing them as gifts from or manifestations of Gods. With their impressive size, longevity, and ability to support life, it’s hard not to see trees as divine. But unlike the gods they sometimes represent, trees rely on us almost as much as we rely on them.

In Norse mythology, there are two types of gods: the war-loving Aesir and magic-wielding Vanir. Long ago, they fought an epic war over who should be worshiped more by humans, but neither side could win. They reached a truce and united into a single pantheon, which is very rare in folklore. This might indicate a meeting of cultures in Norway from more than 3000 years ago!

The Mesopotamian myth of Gilgamesh is less of a hero’s journey, and more of an existential crisis.| After making a bad reputation for himself, losing his one true love, and botching an epic quest, Gilgamesh is forced to admit that being a hero isn’t everything it's cracked up to be.

Knights of the Round Table were expected to adhere to a strict moral standard of piety, honor, bravery, and courtesy called chivalry. But considering that they often spent their days killing and rampaging at the behest of their lord, that must've required some next-level compartmentalization.

Maybe you’ve heard of Pele? She’s a major figure in Hawaiian mythology and pop culture, allegedly the inspiration for Te Fiti in Disney’s Moana. But most people don’t know that Pele was briefly entangled with a shapeshifting demigod named Kamapua’a.

Join us as we reveal the true purpose of this ancient text and learn more about the ancient Egyptian people - and their relationship with death and the afterlife.

What happens when angels and demons battle in heaven? Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all have a story of cosmic conflict—some depict all-out war, while others are more courtroom drama. Their differences give us insight on each faith's beliefs about the afterlife, good and evil, and humans' moral responsibilities. But their similarities point to an ancient ancestor all three religions share.

Several mythologies from around the world imagined that the world sits on the back of a turtle. Centuries later, we end up with the whimsically iconic phrase “it's turtles all the way down.” Let's explore the origins of the phrase, some of these turtle mythologies . . . and talk about my new tattoo!

Utopias are the everything bagel seasoning of myth devices because they are born out of something everyone everywhere can relate to: the desire for a better existence, even one currently out of our mortal reach.