Title of the work
Country of the First Edition
Country/countries of popularity
Original Language
First Edition Date
First Edition Details
Myths and Legends, Episode 1A – Knights of the Round Table – 16:42 minutes, April 27, 2015, weekly.
Running time
Official Website
mythpodcast.com (accessed: April 3, 2020)
Available Onllne
mythpodcast.com (accessed: April 3, 2020)
Google Play (accessed: April 3, 2020)
iTunes (accessed: April 3, 2020)
Spotify (accessed: April 3, 2020)
Stitcher (accessed: April 3, 2020)
Awards
1st Top Mythology Podcasts (accessed: April 3, 2020) by Feedspot (2020).
Genre
Internet radio programs
Podcasts
Target Audience
Crossover
Cover
We are still trying to obtain permission for posting the original cover.
Author of the Entry:
Alessia Borriello, University of Bologna, alessia.borriello2@studio.unibo.it
Peer-reviewer of the Entry:
Elżbieta Olechowska, University of Warsawm elzbieta.olechowska@gmail.com
Daniel A. Nkemleke, University of Yaoundé 1, nkemlekedan@yahoo.com
Carissa Weiser (Author, Producer)
“Carissa joined Myths and Legends full-time in 2017 at Episode 67B. She's a former audiologist and professor with a background in acoustics, digital sound, linguistics, and Spanish” (source: mythpodcast.com, accessed: April 3, 2020.)
Bio prepared by Alessia Borriello, University of Bologna, alessia.borriello2@studio.unibo.it
Jason Weiser (Author, Scriptwriter)
“Jason started the Myths and Legends Podcast out of his love for reading/writing and training in English literature.” (source: mythpodcast.com, accessed: April 3, 2020.)
Bio prepared by Alessia Borriello, University of Bologna, alessia.borriello2@studio.unibo.it
Summary
Myths and legends is a podcast series on the “folklore that has shaped our world”. It was awarded the First Top Podcast prize in the Top Mythology Podcasts of 2020 by Feedspot (accessed: April 3, 2020). In Myths and legends legendary and folkloric traditions from all over the world and throughout different times are presented to wide audiences in informative and engaging audio episodes.
Classical mythology holds a significant place in this selection. In fact, among the current 177 episodes, about a hundred focus on ancient Greek myths (accessed: April 3, 2020). The stories are gathered in seven sections as follows (accessed: April 3, 2020): Greek Mythology (36), Mythology (34), Zeus (21), Hera (10), Theseus (8), Giants (7), Hercules (7), Trojan War (10), Troy (8).
Though the majority of stories may have been famous throughout the world, yet the podcaster assures that all carry further meaning and nuances that are worth listening to again.
Source: mythpodcast.com (accessed: April 3, 2020).
Analysis
In the trailer of the series, the narrator states explicitly the main aim of the podcast, which is to offer listeners “a ride into another world”. It means that the podcast is geared towards entertainment, through providing the users with stories from timeless folkloric traditions. Therefore, it is claimed that they will be presented as close to the original as possible.
At odds with other trendy podcasts on mythology for a larger public, the narrator does not bring out characters more than plots. In so doing, the plot comes to be the very protagonist of each story and keeper of the meaning of each myth. The narrator’s value judgment of characters becomes therefore superfluous. Speaker and listener alike dive into a breath-taking narration, yet interspersed here and there with ironic and light-hearted comments to help keep the focus.
With respect to the fidelity of the stories, a section of the Myths and Legends website provides a list of the main sources (accessed: April 3, 2020) used for the audio episodes. Most of them are available online, allowing the audience to refer directly to the sources when needed.
