Mythos Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Story Sources: Russian Wonder Tales by George Post Wheeler; A Branch from the Lightening Tree by Martin Shaw; The Book of Symbols edited by Ami Ronnberg and Kathleen Martin

As always, a huge thank you to Co-Ag Music, a constant source of quality copyright free music.

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.musicale

https://www.youtube.com/@GeethanjaliClassicalMusic

https://www.youtube.com/@Nordicvibrations7979

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