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The Snow Maiden: A Faerie Tale
Russia, 15 minute read The Snow Maiden, born to Father Frost and Spring has to protect herself from the indignant Sun God, but can she protect her icy heart? Happy New Years, Travellers! There are very few New Year’s stories or folktales that I could find, but I became fixated on King Frost, also known as Father Frost. I wanted to uncover the origins of the character- his stories, his symbolism, and anything else I could find. This research led me to Snegurochka, the Snow Maiden. I did recently release our first episode of 2026 which was the “King Frost…
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The Cobbler’s Son and the Serpent
The Cobbler’s Son and the Serpent Welcome travelers to another spooky tale to tell around the Campfire! If you missed our last post, you can read all about the Murder Maggot of Minnesota here! Now, I originally found this tale in Ask the Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World by David Holt and Bill Mooney, which includes “The Tale of the Haunted Forest” as a folktale from Uzbekistan. However, after looking into the references and trying to trace its origins, I was surprised to discover that the story actually comes from a collection of Central Asian folktales compiled by…
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Campfire Tales: The Murder Maggot of Minnesota
The Murder Maggot of Minnesota Listen to our Campfire Tales now! Imagine you’re a teenager sitting around a campfire, it is a dark and stormy night. Your teenage counselor begins a story that makes the hair on your arms stand up and sends shivers down your spine. They hold a flashlight under their face, casting eerie shadows as they reach the scariest part- and then suddenly, you hear something rustling in the trees. Everyone lets out a collective scream! That is precisely the feeling we want to embody in our campfire tale today! Of course, fairytales and folklore may be…
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Rebecca Ross and Mythmaking: The mythology and folklore of Wild Reverence
Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the…
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Katabasis: The Myth of Orpheus
R.F Kuang’s highly anticipated novel, Katabasis, was published recently and it has brought on a wave of discourse around journeying into the underworld as a physical and metaphorical storytelling device! ‘Katabasis’ itself is a Greek term for the hero’s descent into the underworld usually referring to Hades. We have covered many stories where our hero or protagonist journeys into the underworld as a symbol of death and resurrection (seasons) like Persephone in the Greek Hymn to Demeter, and the Sumerian stories of Inanna. We’ve also covered stories which feature voluntary travel to the underworld to fetch something, such as in…
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Graceless Heart, Florence and Sculpture Myths
In 15th-century Volterra, sculptress Ravenna Maffei enters a competition hosted by a secretive, immortal family who offer an invaluable boon to the victor. Desperate to win so she can save her brother, Ravenna reveals a rare magical talent—a dangerous act in a city where magic is forbidden. Her revelation makes her a target, and she is kidnapped by the Luni family and taken to Florence, a city of breathtaking beauty and cutthroat ambition. There, Ravenna is forced into an impossible task where failure means certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the family’s enigmatic and merciless heir. Some…
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Long Meg and the Summer Solstice
As summer comes to an end, we have a story from the summer solstice that we recounted last year. Our story delves into the history of one of Britain’s oldest and largest prehistoric stone circles, known as Long Meg and Her Daughters. Located near the village of Little Salkeld, there are 66 stones that form a circle, with the largest being slightly away from the others- this is Long Meg. The folktale associated with the stones is tied to witches being turned to stone! This connection was first mentioned by the topographer William Camden in the 17th century and later expanded…
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Food Folklore and Children’s Books
Recently, I have been reading more children’s books and one trend I have noticed is the rise in books about food! Now, this may be because as a Canadian immigrant (and something most immigrants can attest to) food has always been a constant source of embarrassment, history and comfort. I know it’s hard to believe nowadays because food is no longer such a big deal and multiculturalism (at least when it comes to food in some places) is ‘cool.’ The number of fusion restaurants opening at any given time or trending recipes circulating social media can attest to it. However,…
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The Shamans and Swords of K-Pop Demon Hunters
The Shamans and Swords of K-Pop Demon Hunters Welcome to Tales from the Box Office where Fox and Sparrow moonlight as TV and Movie reviewers who focus on the myths and monsters behind the fictional folklore fanfare! In this part, we will focus on Shamanism and Huntr/x. K-Pop Demon Hunters is the blockbuster of the summer and it was only just released in June! The movie which was produced by Sony Pictures Animation and co-directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans features a fictional K-Pop girl group called Huntr/x who just so happen to also be demon hunters. This post…
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Mullah Nasruddin
As many of our listeners know, the month of Ramadan is when Muslims worldwide fast and give thanks for all they have. Last year for Ramadan and Eid, we told the moral tales of the Wise Fool, a folk figure known as Mullah Nasruddin and now, following Eid al-Adha, we have our post! Of course, this is just one of his names since his tales come from many different regions. In Turkey, for example, he is known as Nasreddin Hodja of Anatolia and is believed to have been a real historical figure from the Seljuk empire. These stories are not…
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How the Rabbit Lost its Tail
How the rabbit lost its tail Brazil, 11 minute read This explanatory tale comes just in time for Spring and all things Easter. Did you know Rabbits used to have long tails? To find out how they ended up with just a tuft, be sure to listen to the episode or read the notes below! I’m sure you’re all gearing up to grab your Easter baskets, chocolates and, for some, preparing for your Easter festivals! In central Europe, our town centers are all decorated for Osterfest, while the Canadian supermarkets are bursting with their chocolate displays. And, of course, somewhere…
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The Apothecary and the Mermaid
This episode was released last February to celebrate African-American storytelling traditions. For those of our listeners not from Canada or the United States, every February, we celebrate Black History Month with an emphasis in schools on learning about the slave trade, the Underground Railroad and the civil rights movement. Now, on this podcast, we aim to cover a wide variety of international stories, and while we’ve covered North American Native tales, this will be our first African American story. America is truly a mosaic of legends, fairy tales and folktales that are as rich and unique as the generations of…
Tales from the Enchanted Forest 