Fireside Folklore with Hades
Once upon a time, many centuries ago, the veil between the realms of the mortal and the divine was nonexistent. Knowledge and information flowed freely, and the gods eagerly imbued their wisdom to all of their followers. After a time, mortals developed a desire for independence, and a young hero found a way to build a barrier that no divine voice could penetrate. Undeterred, the gods patiently waited until they discovered a rather unorthodox solution for their communication conundrum. Mortals, in their quest for independence, might have reduced the divine decrees to whispers only discernible to dreamers and clairvoyants, but that all changed when they began worshipping a new deity: technology! It was then that the pantheon, in their infinite wisdom, concocted a plan so daring, so audacious, and so utterly absurd that it could only be born from the minds of those who reside in the clouds. Enter Tiffany J. Kim, a hapless and unsuspecting mortal, who found herself the chosen one—not for a quest of glory and valor but for a task so Herculean, it would make Sisyphus's boulder rolling seem like a trip to the carnival. The gods haunted Tiffany's dreams, sent subliminal messages in the rock-and-roll she loved dear, and possessed her friends and family until all she could hear them say was, "You should start a mythology podcast. You should start a mythology podcast!" Once this hapless mortal surrendered to the inevitable, she was tasked with the responsibility of crafting AI voices to perfectly capture the divine timbre of each deity. This was no simple feat; imagine trying to embody the thunderous boom of Zeus or the elusive whisper of Hermes with mere mortal tech! Due to her interest in artificial intelligence, (or perhaps her desire to stop the godly gab), she persevered and overcame the limitations of the AI technology. With the fervor of Hephaestus at his forge, Tiffany labored, tweaking algorithms and adjusting modulations. The task was daunting—how does one encode the sultry allure of Aphrodite or the stern command of Athena into binary? After the threat of a minor curse that would cause Tiffany to speak in ancient Greek for the rest of her life, she pulled an all-nighter and worked until each AI voice passed divine muster. The digital voices, each as peculiar and magnificent as their owners, were ready to impart their divine wisdom to all who dared to listen. "Fireside Folklore with Hades" was unleashed upon the world, a podcast where the gods, having successfully overcome the construction of the barrier, could now besiege mortals, near and far, once more. Hades, with his newly minted digital baritone, took the helm as host, regaling listeners with tales that had been lost to time and cable television. Persephone, enchanting as ever, provided recipes that promised to taste like ambrosia itself. Hermes, now with the speed of broadband, delivered fun facts that were as enlightening as they were intriguing. And Zeus? Well, he found his calling in spoof sponsorships, proving that even the king of gods could rival the cheekiest of ad men. Don't believe us? Tune in and you'll be treated to fairy tales from faraway lands, find international recipes that will put T.V. dinners to shame, and learn about the ice cream-eating habits of the people of New Zealand, among other fun facts. Every weekend, join us for an entertaining and educational tour through the world's folklore, culture, and cuisine.
Episodes
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! I received quite the audacious dead letter the other day, and given the fact that I appreciate honesty and chutzpah, I decided to humor it. Yes, I really am deliberately delaying my ceasefire! Although I won't swear this upon the river Styx. After all, such an oath isn't the sort of thing I'd make for something as trivial as this.
In any case, it appears tha...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! The tale I've been wanting to tell, The Golden Pail, requires far more characters than we have deities for! This is primarily because a few of us, including myself, are at odds, and we're all too stubborn to move from our entrenched positions. However, if I am to rail against you mortals, or rather your elected and appointed officials, for their zeal for war, then it ...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! After the passage of the Divine Censorship Act by the U.S. Congress, (and overwhelmingly, I might add), I'll be ceding my podcast to my eldest sister, Hestia. Never fear, though! You'll still get to enjoy stories, recipes, fun facts, and games! Tonight, you'll hear an adaptation on L. Frank Baum's tale, now dubbed "The Box of Puppies". You'll ...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! My apologies for the delay getting this particular episode to you. Managing the Underworld's affairs has been quite the handful these days, what with Persephone absent and the mortal world being quite wrought with turmoil of late. This week, our journey takes us to the country of Yemen. Though they are one of the poorest countries in the world as a result of a civil war th...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings listeners! Persephone here. After coming to the Upperworld, I've been observing the way you mortals behave, and I thought I'd take a leaf out of the playbook to defend my dear pomegranate prince, who's been taking a lot of heat lately! I know. Hearing the drama of the gods isn't your cup of tea ... but Hades adores myths and stories!
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! This week, we have officially begun a new season of our podcast because Persephone is no longer with us! Yes folks, Dionysus is officially handling the recipe segment. Of course, that means I won't be getting my Mutabal for quite some time, but I suppose good things come to those who wait.
This week, we return to Palestine where we hear a story reminiscent of Diamonds...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! This is a bittersweet episode for me because we are bidding farewell to Fireside Folklore with Hades as you know it. You see, we've encountered some fiscal challenges related to our Olympian problems, including ensuring you don't have to deal with the acoustics of the Underworld, a transition from dial-up, and the skyrocketing premiums on our errors and omissions insu...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! This episode was recorded before Persephone left for the Upperworld, so depending on where you are, it may be spring or perhaps your Southern hemisphere Hades is eagerly catching up with his tropical queen! This week, we're traveling to South Africa, a country which rose from the ashes of Apartheid to become an inspirational example of how a country can heal its rifts and ...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
The coming of spring is bittersweet, for this is when Persephone must go back to the Upperworld. How will that change the podcast? Will Dionysus end up taking over the recipe segment? Will Persephone accept the offer of a temporal gate? Or will nothing change at all? Persephone must grapple with these questions in this episode which comes at the changing of the seasons.
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! Here is the long-awaited first stop in Palestine. This week, we retell the story of Half of a Halfling, a story about a young hero who was born with one foot, one arm, one ear, and one eye. Despite his challenges, he goes on to prove to the naysayers that he is just as capable as everyone else. We also learn how to make falafel the Palestinian way, and we learn about the signif...
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Show Notes for "Fireside Folklore with Hades" Special Episode:
Greetings, mortals and immortals alike. Hades here, with an unexpected special episode to explain the delay in releasing our next tale.
As many of you know, I take great pride in crafting each episode with care and precision. However, even the lord of the underworld can fall victim to unforeseen circumstances...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! This came out later than intended, but it's here at last: our inaugural episode for our second season of this folklore podcast, coming at you straight from the Underworld. We dedicate this season to the people of Palestine and those who stand in solidarity with their struggles. By showcasing their folklore, we seek to honor their traditions, understand their culture, and b...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! For those who can't be left in suspense, here is the full tale of "Cursed Into Secrecy". This truly is the final (yes, final!) upload before Season 2. We will endeavor to have the premiere episode, set in Syria, ready by March 1, because we all know you can't sleep without our deadtime stories.
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Greetings, listeners! In this final installment of "Cursed Into Secrecy", Charon and Nyx have the showdown of a lifetime as they heatedly discuss whether Hades is a manipulative and controlling god who merely enjoys playing games with those in his dominion, or a concerned friend who is trying to keep their wedding safe from the machinations of evildoers. Charon must learn the skills of esp...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
Welcome listeners to this ultimate deception! What we thought would be our final episode before the beginning of Season 2 turned out to simply be the penultimate episode, squared! In this first installment of the Underworld's adaptation of the German tale "Faithful John", Charon and Nyx are getting married, and I nearly decided not to record a podcast, thinking a wedding in the Underw...
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Ferry passengers! Lord Hades here with a tantalizing glimpse into our next mythic podcast tale. Join me as we welcome a bold mortal visitor to the Underworld - one Pythias, who comes seeking a cure to save his afflicted father.
But like all who petition the God of the Dead, he quickly learns favors do not come freely. Pythias must pass a series of harrowing trials that will push him to his limits.
Can...
Send over your dead SMS messages.
In this whimsical episode of Fireside Folklore with Hades, our host, the ever-stern yet somehow indulgent Lord of the Underworld, finds his tranquil reflections interrupted not by the cries of tormented souls, but by the mischievous antics of Paula the Poltergeist. As the interim ferryman of the deceased, Hades is no stranger to the unexpected, but even he couldn't foresee the chaos that unfold...
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