Spirits: Mythology, Legends, & Folklore

With a new Christopher Nolan epic in preparation, the episode walks through The Odyssey's story, the plot beats to expect and the characters to look out for, and offers opinions on what an adaptation should be.

With Helena Greer

Author Helena Greer, who holds a degree in writing and mythology, joins the hosts to discuss Clytemnestra, whom she calls the Murder Queen, alongside blood curses and sapphic battle axes.

With Lexie Henning

Scholar and podcaster Lexie Henning joins the hosts to discuss Homer and The Iliad, from traveling bards and days-long performances to a 10 year war.

With Jess Zimmerman

Circe turns men into pigs, enchants sailors with herbs and feasts, and turns a woman into dogs from the waist down, earning the title of the Odyssey's biggest badass.

Back to nymphs, this time all about water nymphs of rivers, the sea, the springs and lakes: Oceanids, Nereids and Naiads, with a warning that the talk runs from cannibalism and castration to drowning.

Ten years after their first episode, the hosts revisit Persephone and Hades, looking at the same myth again through a decade of new experiences and life changes.

The hosts trace interesting words that come from Greek mythology, then invent a few new ones of their own, inspired by the same myths, hoping some might catch on.

Aphrodite, goddess of Sex, Love, and Not Exactly Rock and Roll, gets her turn, with talk of why parents warned about sea foam and a tour of the Poetry Corner.

The Oedipus plays get taken as a set of three with prequels, sequels and plenty of feuding, mixing high school theater stories with political commentary along the way.

The goddess of compost finally makes an appearance: Demeter, in an episode that explains what the hosts mean when they whisper An ear of grain, cut in silence.

The hosts revisit Disney's 1997 film Hercules to weigh what the studio got right and wrong about Greek mythology, plus some commentary on just how wild the 90s were.

Billed as Girl Boss Time, this episode covers some cool birds, how Meryl Streep channels Athena in most of the movies she is in, and how weaving is cooler than war.

The hosts explore Dryads, the tree spirits of Greek mythology, timed to summer, and even find room for an Ancient Greek take on Mamma Mia.

Hermes, King of Interns and patron of finance bros, gets his week as the messenger god, with Amanda channelling her past jobs and Julia thinking about the most handsome boy.

Apollo gets cast as a finance bro in this episode, covering all the women and men Apollo has wronged alongside a nod to SoupFest 2021.

With Felicia Day

Felicia Day joins the hosts to talk about her newest graphic novel, Lost Daughter of Sparta, along with Greek mythology, mythological retellings, and how these stories help readers look at how modern society treats women.

A new title is suggested for Jason and the Argonauts, Medea and the Himbos; the 1963 film is watched first, followed by a deep dive into the original Greek telling, with thanks to Edith Hamilton.

Poseidon gets a wild, stormy episode full of talking horses, wives fond of sea monsters, and a lot of great titles.

Introducing the It's All Greek to Me segment, the hosts start with Artemis, Julia's favorite goddess ever since she first picked up Edith Hamilton's Mythology.

The Muses get their own episode, covering their origins, idiosyncrasies, and role in Ancient Greek society, with the hosts inventing a few new Muses of their own.

Acting as tour guides through the Greek Underworld, the hosts talk about the new game Hades as well as the chthonic gods, the Furies, and the mystery of who Zagreus is.

Hestia, the living embodiment of the heart of the home, gets her due as an oft-forgotten Olympian who might not have gotten into the same shenanigans and antics as the other gods yet still matters greatly.

Continuing their theatre grind, the hosts take on The Bacchae, a play about debauchery, tragedy, and Dionysus that even doubles as a play about plays.

Whatever listeners thought about Ares before, the hosts think they can change minds a little, talking about propaganda, roosters, and learning lessons from mistakes.

The hosts set out their case against Zeus, cover how Hera is just doing her job and how Homer kept grudges like a forlorn high school senior, and land on toxic masculinity.

With Jess Zimmerman

Returning guest Jess Zimmerman joins the hosts to discuss women and monsters from Greek mythology, touching on Aerosmith music videos, mansplaining, and Athena's lack of allyship.

The episode credits Hephaestus for pottery and cool jewelry and so much more, covering how the Greeks did him dirty and how he is cooler than listeners knew.

Touring the Western Zodiac, the hosts dwell on Zeus's love life and joke about Castor and Pollux's new clothing line.

Wrapping up the It's All Greek to Me segment, the hosts explore Dionysus's unique place on Olympus, the tragic origins of wine, and his habit of bucking societal expectations.

Taking a well-known myth and turning it on its snake head, the episode moves past Medusa's familiar image and her power to turn people to stone into her tragic origins, her fearsome legacy and translation issues.

The first episode of Spirits introduces the ancient Greek gods through the story of Hades and Persephone, explaining why marrying siblings wasn't weird and what Hades was really like.