Myths and Muses: A Mythik Camps Podcast

With the release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+, the Muses thought our listeners might like to know the stories behind some of the characters and creatures they'll meet in the series!

In Minisode 1, we meet the Furies: goddesses of vengeance, tormenters of the wicked, and protectors of Athens.

[Transcript for Minisode 1]

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Throughout its evolution, Halloween has remained a time when the world gets a little … well, weird! For one night, the regular everyday world falls away, and it feels like anything could happen. That sense of possibility – maybe both frightening and exciting! – is central to the theme of transformation around this holiday and its central creatures. Whether it’s the world transforming to winter, the dead transforming back to the living world, the human turning into a wolf, the vampire turning into a bat, or you, yourself, turning into Darth Vader or Wonder Woman or a robot or a cat or anything else you can imagine! The idea of change lives behind so many of the myths, legends, and traditions we associate with Halloween -- and that's what we're exploring in this episode!

This episode's interview features Lisa Longo, the administrative mermaid at Mythik Camps, who has also worked as a guide for ghost tours! Lisa shares some favorite ghost stories and shares why she thinks scary stories are something we enjoy.

If you'd like to submit a story or artwork to be featured on Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

[Transcript for Episode 10]

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The history of sports is deeply woven into the stories humanity has told, from its earliest days. In this episode, we look at the mythological tie-ins of the Olympic Games, how wrestling shows up in many ancient stories, and a particularly wild sport from Minoan civilization. We also explore some of the most popular modern sports -- and how some of those have ancient origins, too!

This episode's interview features Anna Willenbrock, a Camp Mythik and Camp Half-Blood Brooklyn Counselor who has a deep love of athletics! She's done everything from discus to sword-fighting, and she wants demigods to hear that athleticism can be for everyone.

If you'd like to submit a story or artwork to be featured on Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

[Transcript for Episode 9]

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Music is something that we as humans have used to express ourselves for millennia – and it works its way into many of the stories we tell, too! Many myths speak to the power of music to change minds, charm beasts, and even create magic. In this episode, we explore some famous and some less-well-known tales about mythological musicians and dancers.

This episode's interview features Kelly Branco, child of the Muses and a demigod with quite a bit of experience bringing music to others! You can find Kelly on her website, www.kellybranco.com, or on Instagram @kellybranxo. You can also find her epic playlists on Spotify and listen to "The Sound" on 89.1WFDU-HD3 Mondays and Thursdays 7-9pm.

If you'd like to submit a story or artwork to be featured on Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

[Transcript for Episode 8]

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With summer at an end, the Muses have asked me to do an episode focusing on going back to school! As you might imagine, the Muses are all big fans of education. So many of the artistic things they inspire get studied in schools – books and poems and movies and paintings – but they also know that learning can inspire creativity. In this episode, we'll explore some stories about famous mythological teachers -- the figures who helped heroes become heroes -- and about some other gods of wisdom, knowledge, and learning.

This episode's interview features Jordana Elias, daughter of Aphrodite and National Program Director for Plato Learning. In her mortal guise, Jordana has also worked as a classroom teacher! She shares insights on how teachers prepare to go back-to-school and assures us that they do not, in fact, hibernate in their classrooms.

If you'd like to submit a story or artwork to be featured on Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

[Transcript for Episode 7]

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Whether it’s dogs, cats, birds, fish, lizards – all kinds of pets today are a frequent inspiration for artistic expression, from Instagram photos to movies. And that’s always been true. As long as humans have had pets, we’ve wanted to work them into the stories we tell! In this episode of Myths & Muses, we look at some of mythology's most daring dogs and fabulous felines.

This week's interview features a very special guest, joining us straight from the depths of Tartarus!

[Transcript for Episode 6]

If you'd like to submit a story or artwork to be featured on Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

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Our demigods are known for their swordplay, so it's only natural that we devote an episode of the podcast to the arts of war and battle! Epic fights have played a role in so many amazing stories from mythology through the ages, from the poems of Homer to modern movies. In this episode, we talk about the key PVP fight of the Trojan War, between Hector and Achilles, as well as several other major fights from Egyptian, Aztec, and Chinese mythology.

This week's interview features Laine Flores, who works for Hermes as a logistics coordinator for Plato Learning, making sure that all our demigods get their swords and shirts every summer! But elsewhere in life, Laine is an expert in stage combat! Learn all about what that means in this episode.

If you'd like to submit a story or artwork to be featured on Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

[Transcript for Episode 5]

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From ancient board games to modern video games and tabletop role-playing games, this episode looks at how demigods play -- and the role that games have sometimes played in mythological stories!

From the Hero Twins of the Maya Popol Vuh and their ball game that you can really lose your head over to the Egyptian game of senet and its role in the Egyptian calendar, we explore some ancient origins of gaming. Then, we bring it all the way forward, exploring how modern video games and tabletop role-playing games incorporate mythology, often putting the player right in the role of an epic hero. And, of course, no episode on demigod gaming would be complete without discussing Mytho, Mythik Camps' very own tabletop role-playing game.

This week's interview features Shann Smith, child of Dionysus, who also runs our Mytho programming! Shann discusses their love for the community-building and improvisational aspects of tabletop gaming, as well as their work developing their own games.

If you'd like to submit a story or artwork to be featured on Myths & Muses, use this form (with a Mortal Guardian's permission!).

[Transcript for Episode 4]

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