In this episode, the Muses have decreed that we’ll be looking at stories of heroes who were exiled from their homes and had to fight to regain what they had lost. There are a lot of epic tales that feature this theme, and it provides a great opportunity to send the hero on some sort of journey, where they can encounter monsters and challenges and all the exciting conflicts that make a story! We'll start with Sundiata Keita, a hero of the Mandinka people, and then explore a few other heroes from around the world.

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 2

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:

• Sundiata:
  • "The true story behind The Lion King" from the Washington Post
  • Sundiata Keita at World History Encyclopedia and National Geographic Education
  • Some information on Sundiata's descendant, Mansa Musa: National Geographic Education and the BBC
• Robin Hood:
  • The Robin Hood Project - A compendium of many, many original sources, but also has short summaries for each character
  • The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle - The Victorian text that is the source for most modern interpretations of the character.
• The Mahabharata:
  • A summary from Owlcation
  • An in-depth look at its history and context from World History Encyclopedia
• Jason and Medea:
  • Jason and Medea from Mythopedia
  • The quest for the Golden Fleece at Greek Mythology and World History Encyclopedia

Stuff to Watch:

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

Cool Images:

Sundiata Keita by Carlos Varejão on ArtStation

Sundiata Keita as he appears in the video game Civilization VI

Some Victorian-era images of Robin Hood:

Reynard the Fox:

Disney's Robin Hood:

A Statue of Arjuna in Bali:

Karna and Arjuna (1899)

Arjuna and a heavenly maiden (1900)

Athena helping to build the Argo (1st century CE, Roman)

Jason arriving in Pelias's palace (1st century AD, Roman)

Medea by William Wetmore Story (1868)

Jason and Medea by John William Waterhouse (1907)

Poster for the 1963 film Jason and the Argonauts

Jason battling skeletons in 1963's Jason and the Argonauts

Season Two of Myths & Muses kicks off with the tale of a hero who lost it all and had to start again somewhere new! Aeneas rises from the ashes almost literally, leaving the destruction of Troy behind and setting off on an adventure that takes him all over the Mediterranean and even to the Underworld. Driving him all the way is his looming destiny: to found a nation whose legacy will last for millennia.

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 1

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:

• Aeneas at Mythopedia and World History Encyclopedia
• The Underworld Adventure of Aeneas
• Aeneas's Trip to the Underworld

Stuff to Watch:

• Learn more about Aeneas with our curated YouTube playlist!

Cool Images:

The Journey of Aeneas (by Simeon Netchev for World History Encyclopedia)

Aeneas Carrying Anchises, black-figure pottery (c. 520 BCE)

Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1618)

Aeneas Carrying His Father Anchises, by Ludolph Büsinck (1643)

Aeneas Carrying Anchises, by Charles-Andre Van Loo (1729)

The Meeting of Dido and Aeneas, by Nathaniel Dance-Holland (18th century)

Season 2: The Comeback Kid starts on April 25th!

Hello, demigods! I’m Cass, host of the Myths & Muses podcast and daughter of Clio, the muse of history, here to announce that Season 2 will be launching soon!

The Muses have pointed me in a really interesting direction for this season. They sent me on a bunch of research trips over the winter, and then I got home to discover that they’re all a-flutter over … an Egg. But this is not just any egg. It’s a Phoenix Egg. Actually, it’s a bunch of Phoenix Eggs that have just… appeared all over the mythical world this spring.

None of us are… really sure what’s going on with that, but the Muses have proclaimed themselves inspired. They love what the Phoenix stands for: rising from the ashes, from the lowest point of failure and despair – to the bright flames of new life, new beginnings, and reinvention.

What does it mean to fail, pick yourself up, and try again? What gods and heroes have stories of triumphing over adversity that might be inspirational to us? Those are the tales we’ll be exploring in Season 2: The Comeback Kid.

These stories can also provide essential guidance for demigods everywhere, whether you’ve found your way to a camp or not. So if you are at Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter, Daring Girls, or Camp Mythik this summer, you’ll need this information so you’re prepared for the Quests you might face– and if you’re not at camp, you need it even more since you’re out there as a solo hero. Whatever you’re facing, we hope that the stories this season will inspire you.

So make sure you’re subscribed! Episode One will be available to stream or download in one week, on April 25th, 2024!

Until then, stay brave, demigods!

In this fourth minisode inspired by Percy Jackson and the Olympians from Disney+, we explore the Greek and Roman traditions of prophecy and foretelling.

[Transcript for Minisode 4]

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More on Oracles:

• More on Oracles:
  • Oracle of Delphi: Why Was It So Important To Ancient Greeks?
  • The Cave of the Sibyl
  • Dodona and the Pythia
• Video: A Day in the Life of the Oracle of Delphi

In this third minisode inspired by Percy Jackson and the Olympians from Disney+, we explore a classic part of a hero's journey: entering the Underworld! The journey that Percy, Annabeth, and Grover take looks a little different from what some classical heroes encountered – although they do encounter some of the same figures and obstacles.

[Transcript for Minisode 3]

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More on the Underworld:

• 14 Journeys to the Underworld in Greek and Roman Mythology
• Examples of journeys to the underworld in other cultures:
  • Inanna's Descent
  • Izanagi and Izanami
  • Video: The Twins Who Tricked the Maya Gods of Death
  • Video: The Death of Osiris
• More on Cerberus
• More on the Styx and the other Rivers
• Video: A Tour of the Greek Underworld
• Video: Legends Summarized: Underworld Myths (recommended for Jupiter-age demigods)

In this second minisode inspired by Percy Jackson and the Olympians from Disney+, we get to know the stories behind the monster Medusa. But... is she really as terrible as her legend claims?

[Transcript for Minisode 2]

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More on Medusa:

• Mythopedia: Medusa
• World History Encyclopedia: Medusa
• The Met: Medusa in Ancient Greek Art
• Video: Mythology & Fiction Explained, "The Many Faces of Medusa"
• Video: PBS Monstrum, "Medusa: Victim or Villain?"
• Video: Overly Sarcastic Productions, "Miscellaneous Myths: Perseus"

With the release of 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 1, we meet the Furies: goddesses of vengeance, tormenters of the wicked, and protectors of Athens.

[Transcript for Minisode 1]

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More on the Furies:

• Mythopedia: Erinyes (Furies)
• History Cooperative: The Furies: Goddesses of Vengeance or Justice?
• World History Encyclopedia: Furies
• Video: See U in History/Mythology, "Furies (Erinyes): The Terrible Avenging Deities"
• Video: World History Encyclopedia, "The Moirai and Erinyes of Greek Mythology"

Throughout its evolution, Halloween has remained a time when the world gets a little … well, weird! For one night, the regular everyday world falls away, and it feels like anything could happen. That sense of possibility – maybe both frightening and exciting! – is central to the theme of transformation around this holiday and its central creatures. Whether it’s the world transforming to winter, the dead transforming back to the living world, the human turning into a wolf, the vampire turning into a bat, or you, yourself, turning into Darth Vader or Wonder Woman or a robot or a cat or anything else you can imagine! The idea of change lives behind so many of the myths, legends, and traditions we associate with Halloween -- and that's what we're exploring in this episode!

This episode's interview features Lisa Longo, the administrative mermaid at Mythik Camps, who has also worked as a guide for ghost tours! Lisa shares some favorite ghost stories and shares why she thinks scary stories are something we enjoy.

If you'd like to submit a story or artwork to be featured on Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

[Transcript for Episode 10]

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Stuff to Read:

• More information about werewolves:
  • The Ancient Origins of Werewolves
  • Werewolves in History
  • The Long, Hidden History of the Viking Obsession With Werewolves
• More on vampires:
  • Carnegie Museum's Booseum on Vampires
  • Vampire History
• The history of Halloween:
  • The World History Encyclopedia's History of Halloween
  • A collection of articles about the history of Halloween
  • A timeline of Halloween's development

Stuff to Watch:

• Our YouTube Playlist for Episode 10, which includes more information on werewolves and vampires, some unique ghost stories from across the world, and deeper dives into the history of Halloween!

Cool Images:

An Athenian vase depicting a man in a wolf skin, circa 460 BC:

The "werewolves of Ossory", c. 1200 CE: