Myths and Muses: A Mythik Camps Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Our feature monster this week is one whose stories are spun out of urban legends, making him a more recent addition to the monster roster. It’s time to talk about the mysterious Mothman. And while we're at it, we'll meet some other mythological figures of fate, destiny, and bad luck from Greek, Celtic, and Germanic mythologies.

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Episode 8

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Stuff to Read: 

• • Mothman: 
    • Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage: An Ode to a Hometown Creature: Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia 
    • Paranormal West Virginia: The Legend of Mothman
    • The Mothman Festival
  • Banshee: 
    • Irish Myths: What Is a Banshee? The Mythic Origins of Ireland’s Most Infamous Shrieking Spirit 
    • The Irish Post: Exploring Irish Mythology: The Banshee
    • History Cooperative: The Banshee 
  • Spectral Dogs:
    • 6 Folktales about Black Dogs
    • Britain’s Black Dog Legends – 7 Spooky Canines & Hellhounds
    • ‘They called them the demon dogs’- the Cwn Annwn, Welsh Hounds of Hell
  • Wild Hunt: 
    • Norse Mythology: The Wild Hunt 
    • History Today: The Wild Hunt of Odin 
    • Monster of the Week: The Wild Hunt
  • Moros: 
    • At THEOI and Olympoi

Stuff to Watch: Our curated YouTube Playlist for this episode!

Our feature story in this episode takes us to the Highlands of Scotland, where we’ll meet the elusive Loch Ness Monster, AKA Nessie. We'll also learn about some other Nessie-like creatures across the world, and some different water-dwelling creatures in the British Isles, Scandinavia, and western and central Africa.

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Episode 7

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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The "Surgeon's Photograph":

Stuff to Read:

• Nessie: 
  • Visit Inverness: The Loch Ness Monster
  • History Channel: The First Sighting of the Loch Ness Monster
  • NPR: 55-year-old camera set up to track the Loch Ness monster found in Scotland
  • The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register
  • The Loch Ness Centre
• Kelpies: 
  • Historic UK: The Kelpie
  • Ancient Myth in Modern Art
  • Folklore of Scotland: Kelpies
• Jormungandr and the Kraken
  • Jormungandr at World History Encyclopedia
  • Jormungandr: The Midgard Serpent in Norse Mythology
  • Ancient Origins: Jörmungandr: The Misunderstood Midgard Serpent of Norse Mythology
  • Sea monsters and their inspiration: serpents, mermaids, the kraken and more
• Ninki Nanka
  • Gambian Folktales: The Ninki Nanka
  • BBC: The Hunt for Gambia's Mythical Dragon
  • CNN: Here be monsters: The search for Africa’s mythical beasts
  • Coffee and Creatures: It’s Hard to Keep Things Straight With the Ninki-Nanka
• Mokele Mbembe
  • Cryptid Archives: Mokole-Mbembe
  • Sightings Of The Legendary Mokele-Mbembe "Dinosaur" Of The Congo Are Increasing. What Is Going On?
  • How Stuff Works: Mokele-Mbembe: The Truth Behind Africa's Mythical River Monster

Stuff to Watch: Our curated YouTube Playlist for this episode!

In this final episode, we’re going to look at a few stories about recovering from – and remembering – loss. Then, we’ll look back over this Comeback Kids season and think about what it really means for a hero to find their way home – and how that’s not always as easy as it might seem. We start with Achilles, greatest of the Greek heroes, then explore some myths from civilizations around the Arctic Circle.

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Comeback Kids Episode 10

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Stuff to Read: 

• More on Achilles and Patroclus:
  • Achilles at Mythopedia and the World History Encyclopedia
  • Patroclus at World History Encyclopedia
  • Q&A with Madeline Miller, author of The Song of Achilles
• On the Northern Lights: 
  • Aurora myths, legends, and misconceptions
  • History of the Northern Lights: Myths and Legends
  • Aurora Zone: Mythology of the Northern Lights
• On Nostos: 
  • The Journey Home, by Dylan Nathaniel Ozmore
  • Middle Earth Diaries: The Return to the Shire

Stuff to Watch: 

•  Learn more about the stories in this episode with our curated YouTube playlist!

Cool Images: 

The Wrath of Achilles, by Michel-Martin Drolling (1810)

The Triumph of Achilles by Franz von Matsch (1892)

Patroclus and Achilles in Troy (2004)

In this episode, we explore gods who have made sacrifices -- some of them on purpose, for the sake of wisdom or another advantage, and some of them less-intentionally. We'll explore three stories showing just how far Odin will go for wisdom, then we'll find out why Tyr, the Norse god of law and justice, and Nuada, a leader of the Celtic Tuatha Dé Danann, lost their hands. Then we'll finish with a coda to the story of Osiris, Horus, and Set.

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Comeback Kids Episode 9

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Stuff to Read: 

• More on Odin:
  • At Mythopedia and the World History Encyclopedia
  • "How Odin Sacrificed His Eye at Mimir's Well"
  • From Norse Mythology for Smart People: Why Odin is One-Eyed, The Mead of Poetry, and Odin's Discovery of the Runes
• About Runes:
  • Futhark Runes: Names, Meanings, and How to Use Them
  • Runes at Norse Mythology for Smart People (includes origins, meanings, and some book recommendations
  • What Are and How to Make Bind Runes
• About Tyr & Fenrir: 
  • Tyr at Mythopedia and Norse Mythology for Smart People
  • "The Binding of Fenrir"
• About Nuada: 
  • At Mythopedia and Timeless Myths
  • Tuatha dé Danann: The Story of Ireland’s Fiercest Tribe
  • Uncovering the Origins of the Tuatha Dé Danann
• Horus at Mythopedia

Stuff to Watch: 

•  Learn more about the stories in this episode with our curated YouTube playlist!

Cool Images: 

Odin the Wanderer, Georg von Rosen (1886)

Óðinn throws his spear at the Vanir host, by Lorenz Frølich (1895)

Odin Fighting Fenrir, Emil Doepler (1905)

Norse god Tyr sacrificing his arm to Fenrir the wolf, John Albert Bauer (1911)

It’s time to finish up our “come back from the Underworld” mini-series! In this episode, we’ll be covering stories of some mythological figures whose trips to the Underworld were… unintentional. And not of natural causes. But they all manage to come back! Just usually with a little outside help. You'll hear two major stories from Egyptian and Norse mythology, and then a couple of lesser-known tales from Japan and Finland.

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Comeback Kids Episode 8

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Stuff to Read: 

• More on Osiris:
  • At Mythopedia and World History Encyclopedia
  • From the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
• A little bit about Demeter, Demophon, and the Eleusinian Mysteries
• More on Baldr: 
  • At Mythopedia and World History Encyclopedia
  • The Death of Baldr (Norse Mythology for Smart People)
• More on Onamuji
  • From New World Encyclopedia
  • Ōkuninushi, the Master of the Land
• Lemminkäinen at the Finnish Folklore Wiki

Stuff to Watch: 

•  Learn more about the stories in this episode with our curated YouTube playlist!

Cool Images: 

Statue of Osiris

Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection (1911 reproduction of ancient tomb wall art)

"Death of Baldr" (c. 1750)

“Baldur’s Death” by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (1817)

"Each arrow overshot his head" (1902)

Our Underworld mini-series continues! This time, we’ll meet some mythological figures who make that harrowing trip maybe to learn something, maybe to make a point, or, in one case, to make sure the sun still rises. It’s never an easy trip, and they have to face down some serious dangers along the way. We'll follow a Sumerian goddess there and back, chart a recurring trip in Egypt, and see how a famous Greek hero made a really terrible choice.

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Comeback Kids Episode 7

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Stuff to Read: 

• More on Inanna: 
  • From World History Encyclopedia and Britannica
  • Inanna's Descent: A Sumerian Tale of Injustice
  • Seven Top-Ranking Gods of the Sumerian Pantheon
• More on Ra and the Solar Barge:
  • From Mythopedia and World History Encyclopedia
  • Ra as Creator God
  • The Egyptian Afterlife
• More on Pirithous and Theseus:
  • Pirithous at GreekMythology.com
  • Theseus at Mythopedia

Stuff to Watch: 

•  Learn more about the stories in this episode with our curated YouTube playlist!

Cool Images: 

Ninshubur and Inanna (24th-22nd century BCE)

Sculpture that may be Ishtar or Erishkigal (19th-18th century BCE)

from Lewis Spence’s Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916)

Ishtar by Yliade (2021)

The sun god Ra in his solar barque, protected by the coils of a serpent (14th-13th century BCE)

The ram-headed form of Ra traveling through the Duat (13th century BCE)

Sun Barge of Ra by MichaelJaecks on Deviant Art (2009)

Stories of coming back from the Underworld are some of the biggest, most dramatic comebacks of all! And there are so many of them that they won't all fit in one episode! In this one, we’re exploring stories of heroes who went to the underworld and back for the sake of love. We already talked about the most famous story of this kind, Orpheus and Eurydice, back in Season 1 -- but he’s definitely not the only one! You'll meet a beautiful, adventurous princess, a loyal wife, and a pair of Japanese primordial deities, all of whom face down death in one way or another.

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Comeback Kids Episode 6

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Stuff to Read: 

• More on Cupid and Psyche:
  • Psyche, Greek Goddess of the Soul at THEOI
  • Psyche at World History Encyclopedia
  • The Myth of Cupid and Psyche at ThoughtCo
  • Eros and Psyche: The Greek Origin of Fairy-tales That You Never Knew, from The Collector
  • Original story (in translation) by Lucius Apuleius
• Alcestis at World History Encyclopedia
• More on Izanagi and Izanami: 
  • At World History Encyclopedia
  • At Mythopedia
  • The Story of Izanagi and Izanami: A Japanese Creation Myth, at Owlcation
• More on Shintoism: 
  • About Religions in Japan, from Japan Tours
  • Shinto Beliefs and Holidays, from Diversity Resources
  • Shinto at a Glance, from the BBC
  • Video from Cogito

Stuff to Watch: 

•  Learn more about the stories in this episode with our curated YouTube playlist!

Cool Images: 

Roman Mosaic of Cupid and Psyche from the Poseidon Villa (2nd-3rd century)

Psyche Honoured by the People, Luca Giordano (1695)

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, Antonia Canova (1794)

Psyche, Yliade (2023)

Admetus Mourning Alcestis, Johann Heinrich Tischbein (1780)

The God Izanagi and the Goddess Izanami, Nishikawa Sukenobu (18th century)

The Gods Izanagi and Izanami on the Floating Bridge of Heaven, Utagawa Hiroshige (1850)

In this episode, we've got stories about heroes who got lost. Really lost. Lost-for-years-or-even-centuries lost. We'll hear about Odysseus's prolonged detour, some Celtic heroes who wandered into the fairy realm, and some creatures of West African forests who you might not mind running into if you get lost in the woods.

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Comeback Kids Episode 5

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Stuff to Read: 

• More on Odysseus: 
  • From Mythopedia 
  • From World History Encyclopedia
  • Map of Odysseus's Journey from UPenn
  • In the Riordanverse Wiki
• The Celtic Otherworld:
  • Oisin at Bard Mythologies and Irish Central
  • Niamh at Wilderness Ireland
  • The Voyage of Bran
  • A translation of the original story-and-song
  • The Otherworld at Celtic Life International
• More about the Aziza

Stuff to Watch: 

•  Learn more about the stories in this episode with our curated YouTube playlist!

Cool Images: 

Terracotta plaque showing the return of Odysseus (ca. 460–450 BCE)

Hermes Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus, Gerard de Lairesse (1670)

Calypso calling heaven and earth to witness her sincere affection to Ulysses, Angelica Kauffman (c. 1775)

Niamh, illustrated by Beatrice Elvery in Heroes of the Dawn (1914)

"Oisin and Niamh of the Golden Hair" by P.J. Lynch (2008)

Stephen Townsend's Aziza (2018)

In this episode, we're exploring stories of gods who, for one reason or another, withdrew themselves and their gifts from the mortal world -- but who eventually either came back or at least made sure someone else picked up the slack in their absence. We'll hear about an Egyptian rain goddess who ran away, a Greek agricultural goddess in mourning, a Japanese sun goddess who hid in a cave, and a Yoruba Orisha creator god who is really good at delegation!

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Comeback Kids Episode 4

If you'd like to share your Comeback Kids story with us, get a Mortal Guardian to help you record it here!

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Stuff to Read: 

• More on Tefnut: 
  • Tefnut at Ancient Egypt Online and Mythlok
  • Tefnut, Goddess of Moisture and Rain at History Cooperative
  • A Brief History of the Gods and Goddesses of Egypt from World History Encyclopedia
• More on Demeter: 
  • Demeter at Mythopedia and World History Encyclopedia
  • Quotes about Demeter from original Greek sources at THEOI
• Amaterasu at Mythopedia and World History Encyclopedia
• Olorun at Mythopedia and Oriire

Stuff to Watch: 

•  Learn more about the stories in this episode with our curated YouTube playlist!

Cool Images: 

Relief of Tefnut, Ptolemaic Period. 180-47 BCE.

Stele featuring Osiris, Tefnut and Shu

Red Attic figure of Demeter, c.5th century BCE

Roman statue of Demeter/Ceres

Demeter by Yliade on DeviantArt, 2020

Amaterasu emerging from the cave, by Utagawa Kunisada, 19th century

The Installation of the Sun Goddess, 1925

In this episode, we're exploring stories of heroes who lost themselves in some way and had to find themselves again. We'll see how Heracles's Twelve Labors -- the things that made him one of the most famous demigods of all time -- only happened because of something he did while under a terrible curse. We'll also see how going into a frenzy makes some Norse warriors much more fearsome, and some Arthurian knights very much the opposite, and we'll hear a little about a mysterious prophecy making its way through the mythical world.

Visit the World of Mythik website to learn more and to contribute your theories to our board!

All stories told on Myths & Muses are original family-friendly adaptations of ancient myths and legends. Stories from ancient mythology can also sometimes deal with complicated topics for young listeners — to the mortal parents and caretakers reading this, we encourage listening along with your young demigods to help them navigate those topics as they explore these epic tales.

Transcript for Comeback Kids Episode 3

If you'd like to share your Comeback Kids story with us, get a Mortal Guardian to help you record it here!

If you'd like to submit something creative you've done inspired by the stories in Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Stuff to Read: 

• More on Heracles: 
  • From Mythopedia
  • A close look at the Twelve Labors
• More on Berserkers: 
  • Berserkers and Other Shamanic Warriors
  • Myths and Reality of Berserkers and Ulfhednar
• More Arthuriana: 
  • Knights
  • Lancelot

Stuff to Watch: 

•  Learn more about the stories in this episode with our curated YouTube playlist!

Cool Images: 

Bronze Hercules, 2nd century: 

Megara and Hercules, 3rd century:

Hercules constellation, by Johann Bayer (1603):

Hercules from an Italian film (1958)

Disney's Hercules and Megara (1997)

Drawing taken from a Swedish bronze plate (c. 900)

Berserker depicted as a chess piece (12th century):

"Guinevere Scorns Lancelot's Gift", George Wooliscroft Rhead and Louis Rhead (1898)

"The Madman of the Forest who was Sir Launcelot", Howard Pyle (1907)

"Sir Lancelot in His Madness", Innes Fripp (1912)

"Sir Launcelot and the Queen Talked Sadly Together", Arthur Dixon (1921)