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)

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!