This time, I’m sharing “The Monkey King Tricks the Demon,” a Chinese folktale-style story about a mountain road gone quiet and the kind of creature that thinks a sealed jar is the same thing as control. The Monkey King walks in looking harmless, lets the demon believe he has him caught, and then turns that belief against him—escaping without being seen and returning to the jar just in time to be “found” again. It’s a story about patience, pride, and what happens when a bully keeps checking the lock and still can’t feel safe.

Feral Folktales is where I step aside from the main show and tell a straight folktale—simple, spoken, and exactly as it’s meant to be heard. These bonus episodes are just a little something extra between the full installments of The Feral Folklorist, which is where you’ll find the deeper dives into history, folklore, magic, hauntings, and the stranger corners of human belief.

A new folktale often appears between the regular podcast releases—just a short story to keep the world of folklore moving.

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