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August 13, 2025 51 mins

You’ve heard his name before: Merlin. Not the first wizard, but the most important wizard! We’re taking a crack at Arthurian legend, digging into how the prototypical wizard shaped the stories, including his demonic birth, his terrible romances, and his role as Arthur’s Wizard Daddy.


Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of colonialism, warfare, child endangerment/sacrifice, bestiality, death, poor working conditions, sexual assault/harrasment, incest, and sexual content. 


Housekeeping

- Books: Check out our previous book recommendations, guests’ books, and more at spiritspodcast.com/books

- Call to Action: Get our new Old Wives’ Tale Teller Corduroy Hat!

- Submit Your Urban Legends Audio: Call us! 617-420-2344


Sponsors

- Bookshop.org, where you can now use the code we shared in the midroll to get 10% off your purchase!


Find Us Online

- Website & Transcripts: spiritspodcast.com

- Patreon: patreon.com/spiritspodcast

- Merch: spiritspodcast.com/merch

- Instagram: instagram.com/spiritspodcast

- Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/spiritspodcast.com

- Twitter: twitter.com/spiritspodcast

- Tumblr: spiritspodcast.tumblr.com


Cast & Crew

- Co-Hosts: Julia Schifini and Amanda McLoughlin

- Editor: Bren Frederick

- Music: Brandon Grugle, based on "Danger Storm" by Kevin MacLeod

- Artwork: Allyson Wakeman

- Multitude: multitude.productions


About Us

Spirits is a boozy podcast about mythology, legends, and folklore. Every episode, co-hosts Julia and Amanda mix a drink and discuss a new story or character from a wide range of places, eras, and cultures. Learn brand-new stories and enjoy retellings of your favorite myths, served over ice every week, on Spirits.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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