In the final tie-in minisode for Disney's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, we look at the magical item that drove the action of that season: the Golden Fleece.

[Transcript for Minisode 8]

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More on the Golden Fleece:

• Jason at Mythopedia
  • His story from TedED, on YouTube
• Chrysomallos at THEOI
• The Ancient Kingdom of Colchis

In this minisode, drawing from Disney's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2, we ask: Are you a good witch, or a bad witch, Circe?

[Transcript for Episode 7]

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More on Circe:

• Circe at Mythopedia
• Circe at THEOI
• Madeline Miller, author of adult fantasy novel Circe, shares a photo essay
• "Searching for the Lost Location of the Isle of Circe, Enchantress of Odysseus"

Our tie-in minisode series for Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 continues! This time, we meet Tantalus -- the worst substitute teacher ever -- and find out more about his background and his legacy.

[Transcript for Minisode 6]

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More on Tantalus:

• From Mythopedia
• From World History Encyclopedia
• The Torment of Tantalus: Animated Video

With the release of Season 2 Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+, the Muses thought our listeners might like to know the stories behind some of the characters and creatures they'll meet in the series!

In Minisode 5, continuing our previous tie-in series, we enter the fast and furious world of chariot racing.

[Transcript for Minisode 5]

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More on Chariot Racing:

• Homer - The Iliad: Book XXIII
• From World History Encyclopedia: Chariot Racing in Ancient Rome

Ramses II fighting in a chariot at the Battle of Kadesh, 1274 BCE

Ceremonial chariot of Tutankhamun, c. 1330 BCE, found in his tomb:

A Hittite war chariot, c. 1650-1250 BCE:

Assyrian war chariot, c. 640 BCE

Diagram of the Roman Circus Maximus, from DK Ancient Rome:

The Circus Maximus as it appears today:

In the final episode of our Misunderstood Monsters season, we explore the story of Arachne: It’s usually presented as one of hubris: a cautionary tale against pride. But can we revisit her story in the light of our Misunderstood Monsters theme? We'll also meet some other spider-folk from across the world, including West Africa, the American Southwest, and Japan, and we'll wrap up the Gauntlet of the Gorgon with a look at how Medusa is having a real moment in modern book publishing.

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 12

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:

• Medusa
  • Middle Grade novels: Medusa and The Gods' Revenge by Katharine Marsh
  • Young Adult novel: Medusa by Jessie Burton
  • Adult novels: Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes, Medusa by Nataly Gruender and I, Medusa by Ayana Gray
  • Book Riot: Medusa: The Gorgon’s Story Adapted 4 Ways
  • How ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Changes the Book’s Medusa Myth
• Arachne:
  • On Mythopedia and World History Encyclopedia
  • Madeline Miller: Myth of the Week: Arachne
  • Quotes from original Greek and Latin sources (translated to English) from THEOI
• Anansi:
  • Myth Matters: A World without Stories and the Trickster Anansi
  • All Stories are Anansi's
• Other Spiderfolk:
  • Neith: The Goddess Who Created the World
  • Wisdom, War, and Weaving: The Egyptian Spider Goddess
  • The Native American Story of Spider Woman: A Journey of Discovery
  • World History Encyclopedia: Iktomi Tales
  • Yokai.com: Jorogumo

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

Our feature monster for this episode is that curiosity of the Caribbean – and other regions across Central America and the American Southwest – El Chupacabra. We'll explore its relatively recent identification and its potential mythological roots in Taino and Aztec stories. We'll also introduce a few other cryptids of the Americas!

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 11

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:

• El Chupacabra
  • American Natural History Museum: Modern Myths
  • How Stuff Works: El Chupacabra: Legend, Sightings & Facts
  • National Geographic: Chasing chupacabras? You may find something even more extraordinary here.
• Xolotl:
  • Xolotl: Aztec God for the Motion of Life
  • X is for Xolotl (Folktales of Endangered Species)
• Cryptids:
  • Cryptids of North America
  • Map of Cryptids in America
  • Squonkapalooza Festival

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

Images:

The Minotaur is a total icon, one of the fiercest and most well-known monsters in Greek mythology. So what’s his story? We'll explore it, plus meet some astonishing bovines from other cultures, such as the Mesopotamian Bull of Heaven and Donn Cuailnge, the bull at the center of Irish mythology's greatest battle.

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 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:

• The Minotaur
  • On Mythopedia and World History Encyclopedia
  • Quotes from original Greek and Roman sources (translated to English!)
  • Theseus and the Minotaur: More than a Myth?
  • Ashmolean Museum: Myths of the Labyrinth
  • The Labyrinth Society
• The Bull of Heaven
  • From World History Encyclopedia
  • From The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet VI
• The Cattle Raid of Cooley
  • An Táin Bó Cúailnge: Ireland’s National Epic
  • Irish Road Trip: The Legend of the Cattle Raid of Cooley
  • On Mythopedia: Cu Chulainn
  • English translation of "The Combat of Ferdiad and Cuchulain" from An Táin Bó Cúailnge

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

It's a very special bonus episode of Myths & Muses! We're interviewing Rob Rokicki, who you listeners might know from The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. He's also behind Monstersongs, a synthesis of art, music, and performance that is right in line with our summer theme of Misunderstood Monsters. Listen as he discusses the stories that inspire him, the heart that goes into his work, and his own memories of summer camp.

About Our Guest: Rob Rokicki is a New York based writer and composer/lyricist whose songs “live at that perfect intersection of musical theatre and radio rock” (Adam Gwon). Rob wrote the music, lyrics and co-orchestrated the Broadway show The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (book by Joe Tracz). The show was nominated for Lortel, Off-Broadway Alliance, and three Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical, before touring across North America. The original cast recording had the highest pre-sale in Broadway Records history and the show is licensed globally.