Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! is a weekly podcast on ancient Greek mythology which has been awarded the prize of the Third Top Podcast within the Top Mythology Podcasts of 2020 by Feedspot (accessed: April 2, 2020). Many ancient Greek and Roman myths, along with a series on Homer’s epics and on Greek drama, are broadcast in a casual yet comprehensive enough manner by Liv, “a 30-something Millennial with a penchant for cursing and a feminist attitude”.

Episodes have various length, from 5 to 50 minutes. In particular, a sub-section of “Mini Myths” presents stories in a more concise way. Some single episodes are about transversal myth-based pop culture products; e.g., a September 24, 2019 podcast brings a discussion of Madeline Miller’s Circe, a 2018 bestseller about the legendary ancient Greek sorceress.

The listings of the track are divided into four main topic ranges:

• The Olympians.
• Heroes & Heroines.
• Monsters & Beasts.
• Characters & Stories.

Source: mythsbaby.com (accessed: April 2, 2020).

Classical myths are told by Liv in a sarcastic and contemporary tone, yet the narrator proves to be quite knowledgeable. Liv’s newest twist to the retelling is a feminist approach and, while in a lighthearted way, it highlights mistreatments of women in ancient mythology. For example, parallels are drawn between mythical gods and present day “creepy” guys (e.g. the god Apollo chasing Dafne is compared, in a sarcastic way, to a modern stalker). As a result, the podcast ironically downplays the gods’ deeds. On the other hand, contemporary feminist issues are put forward, showing the deep roots of occidental sexist concepts. Nonetheless, this dynamic is effortlessly played out by Liv, using contemporary American slang, attracting listeners to ancient myths and showing them the everlasting power to engage people of any era.

In terms of accuracy of the material, Liv does not dissimulate her preferences for the versions of myths she picks (still, her aim remains to include as many versions of myths as possible). This is due to the oral nature of Greek myths and the circulation in ancient times of countless versions of a single story. To explain the concept, while talking about the wedding of Cadmus and Harmonia, Liv makes reference to Roberto Calasso’s Le nozze di Cadmo e Armonia. In fact, in this Italian contemporary novel, Calasso talks about a chain of myths which runs through the same stories yet retraces different outcomes of the mythical tradition. On her website (accessed: April 2, 2020) Liv announces that her stories are “deeply researched, thoroughly told, and they don’t hold back the details that have been sugarcoated and treated with kid gloves over the millennia.”

While showing detachment from the ancient Greek mentality, Liv lets perceive her attraction to the classic world. She studied Classical Civilizations at university and she informs listeners that, put aside any value judgment from contemporary perspective, ancient stories are just striking in their beauty. More often than not, she manifests open admiration for ancient myths, for pieces of art related to mythology (e.g. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Apollo e Dafne), for novels inspired by classical mythology (e.g., Calasso, Miller).

With regard to technical aspects, the first podcast (20th July 2017) starts with a later insertion from the author, wherein she informs new listeners that she must improve audio quality and edit the tracks. Therefore, she advises against starting to watch from the first episode, and suggests trying first some more recent content for a more accurate first impression.

Pat Barker, The Silence of the Girls.

Roberto Calasso, Le nozze di Cadmo e Armonia.

Natalie Haynes, The Children of Jocasta.

Madeline Miller, Circe.

Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles.