Fireside Folklore with Hades

Hey there, listeners! Hermes here. Before you ask, no, I won't be writing all of the descriptions, and no, this podcast doesn't feature my uncle in name only.

Fireside Folklore with Hades is a variety show from the Underworld, hosted by my uncle, who has the deepest voice in any known pantheon and has finally learned to use it without my assistance. More on that in a moment.

Every episode, we bring you folklore from around the world. Ancient and obscure. Whimsical and dark. From Yemen to Korea, Palestine to Colombia, Australia to Hungary and everywhere the stories live. Sometimes we retell them faithfully. Sometimes we modernize them for a world where women aren’t expected to mind the house and the kids. Have you ever seen Artemis angry? Trust me. You’re lucky if you haven’t. And sometimes, Hades personally takes over a ferry and gets lost on the River Styx while nymphs ask for his autograph. These things happen when you let him improvise.

The family shows up too. Persephone brings recipes. Dionysus brings cocktails. Zeus advertises products that do not exist, cannot be purchased, and are not endorsed by anyone in the mortal world. Ares appears when someone needs to say something true and uncomfortable, which, given the state of the mortal world, has been frequently. Hestia once played a self-absorbed golden bird and delivered an aria about her own magnificence. She left the hearth and held that microphone like a star on Broadway. Osiris has set that to his ringtone.

Nobody plays the same role twice. Nobody has any business playing most of the roles they've been given. It works anyway.

Now. I am the god of commerce. I find it professionally embarrassing that this podcast has never charged a single drachma, has no intention of charging a single drachma, and my uncle has made clear that the fireside belongs to everyone who gathers around it, free of charge, forever, as a matter of principle. I have filed complaints. I have phoned the Furies. I’ve even tried bribing Persephone. All records of my attempts to introduce capitalism into this “enterprise” have mysteriously gone missing.

If you want a serious podcast where the gods stay dignified and follow their mythological portrayals to a fault, look elsewhere. If you're curious about world folklore, believe laughter is medically necessary, and want to learn without having to actually do any work, take a seat. The stories are plentiful and absolutely free.