Old Wives

Today we're in Romania, where a young princess unknowingly embarks on a never-ending adventure. With the help of her horse Sunbeam, she'll outwit her father, battle genies AND their mothers, rescue a second princess, and make a hearty lunch while on her mission to stop the emperor waging war. But when she's not quick enough to sneak past the nuns, a curse changes everything. Join us for a tale of schemes, flashbacks, and stray locks of hair. Thanks for a whole year of listening!

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.

Today we're in Italy attending a 17th century gender reveal party, as seven sons demand their mother produce a sister for them. The gender reveal goes sideways of course, and the sons leave in a sisterless rage. When they get turned into seven doves, only one person can save them: the sister they didn't know they had. The Mother of Time can reverse the curse, but that'll be a whole thing involving whales and apes and a cloak made of names. Join us for a lightly spooky tale of dust and ruins!

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.

This week we're in Bavaria to meet a giant and his stepson Hans. When Hans finds an enchanted sash that makes him strong, his parents get suspicious and steal his eyes before giving him the boot. With the help of some friends he made, plus a few strangers and rodents, Hans will get a second act—if he can keep his blindness a secret. Can he get away with it? And will he ever get to drink that wine? What does the giant do with his sash? Join us for all this and absolutely no answers.

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.

We're in India today to hear about some small dumb animals working together and being friends. A standard issue Human Son buys a cat, a dog, and a snake with the last of his cash, and they lead him to an underwater kingdom and a magic ring. When the ring goes missing, he's too sad to get it, so his pets will have to do it for him. Can the cat and dog put their differences aside? How do snakes hug? And where DOES that highway go to? Join us for this and more!

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.

We're in Scotland this week for a bizarre Upstairs, Downstairs-style caper complete with pratfalls and prop humor. Meet the king's bard, who is hell-bent on destroying his nemesis: the steward to the king. Each passing year, the bard's schemes to sink the steward grow more absurd, as he enlists a crow, a witch, and a trout to help him. Will one of his compatriots betray him? Can he ever outsmart the steward? And which way does that sun rise, anyway? Join us for all this and more!

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.

We're in Hungary this week to meet a lad with a curious appendage hanging from his side and a secret he won't tell. Despite kings threatening him, women seducing him, and witches tricking him, he guards it fiercely—even to the gallows. Can his clanking appendage help him survive? Can he prevent a frivolous war between capricious kings? Most importantly, can his girlfriend get a spinoff series? Join us for the story of The Secret-Keeping Boy.

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.

We're in Turkey today to meet a woodcutter and his wife. He's content with a humble life, but she sees more potential in him. She pushes him to be a stargazer for the king, and he gets the gig with an assist from a servant and a rooster. A series of accidental wins moves him up the corporate ladder, but the closer he gets to the top, the more his impostor syndrome threatens to undermine his success. Will the pressure make him crack? Join us to find out!

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.

Greetings from the Slavic lands, where we meet The Maid with the Hair of Gold, a titular woman with no speaking lines whatsoever. Lowly servant George is nobody in particular, but after a bite of a magical fish, he gets the power to understand the animals. After that, life for George becomes a complicated maze through nature's quirky mores as he wanders around collecting IOUs from spiders and birds. But can he outwit a capricious king with an itchy guillotine finger? Join us to find out!

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.

Today we visit the Celts to discuss The Black Horse, a tale of The Youngest Son and his exploits in the Kingdom Under Waves. The Youngest Son starts his life with nothing. But things take a turn when he meets a stranger who wants to take his limping garron in exchange for a wild black horse. The black horse is the perfect guy to help rescue a princess, brave a fire lake, and, perplexingly, build an underwater fountain. But who IS this horse, really? Join us to find out!

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.

In Brazil this week, a bowl-maker is deeply distressed after his three daughters have been cruelly *checks notes* traded for money by *checks notes again* the bowl-maker himself. Fortunately, his son is on the hunt with the help of some enchanted items. Along the way, he marries the Giant King's daughter, but can he save her from an enormous beast? Will his new brothers-in-law answer his cries for help? And, is pigeon society an absolute or constitutional monarchy? Come fly with us, for answers to these mysteries and more.

For sources and links, support us on Patreon, or follow on Twitter. Our theme music is from Carnaval des Animaux, performed by Aitua.