This week I read an old Greek love story which has inspired a range of creations, including plays, musicals and movies. I found it in a book of Greek tales called 'Children of the Dawn' by E.F. Buckley. You can find it at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40476. I need to do some more exploring to find stories of the likes of Hercules, or perhaps read some extracts from old versions of the Iliad, etc. Perhaps a single chapter of the tale of Odysseus' return after the Trojan war. For now, I hope you enjoy this old tale that tells of the power of passion and love.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

03:48 - The Sculptor and the Image

20:46 - Commentary

A first look at folk tales from the Philippines. It's interesting to see similarities and differences between these and tales of similar supernatural or magical forces in cultures I'm more familiar with. The stories are fun to read and provide little insights into the history of The Philippines. The tales I found are in a book compiled by Mabel Cook Cole which I found at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12814.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

06:19 - Aponibolinayen and the Sun

21:16 - Commentary

I recorded the story a couple of weeks ago, but the last week was a particularly great experience of generosity for me. It got me thinking about how much generosity I really experience and how many opportunities I have to be generous myself. There's a lot of value, I think, in considering the generosity around us as well as the opportunities and rewards of generosity.

I hope you enjoy the story. Unfortunately, The story comes from 'The Norwegian Fairy Book', collected by Klara Stroebe. You can find the book at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38070

Chapters:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 05:19 - The Comrade
• 35:15 - Commentary

Unintended consequences are quite common. We usually only notice them when they're bad. And when they're bad, we often don't think of them as unintended. Instead, we ascribe intent and possibly malice to the person or persons whose actions led to the consequences. But even the best intentions can lead to unintended consequences that we see as negative, whether to us or to others. There are any number of things going on that are likely to have uintended consequences, whether it's AI or something your neighbour does. There are things going on these days where people concerned about possible unintended consequences are even demonised because their concern is viewed by some as active hatred.

When you find yourself facing the consequences of others' actions, give some time to considering what their real intentions were. When you find yourself faced with people dealing with such consequences, or even expressing concern about them, particularly if the views are contrary to your own, take some time to consider that person's point of view. You may think their views make no sense, but they're not really any different from your views in terms of how real they seem to the person who holds them.

This episode's story is another from The Grey Fair Book, which you can find at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6746

Remember, if you have any requests for particular stories, stories from particular authors, countries or cultures, please let me know.

Have a good one.

Chapters:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 02:22 - A Fairy's Blunder
• 30:53 - Commentary

After a long break, here is episode 7, the first of 2026. This story isn't what I started out intending to read, but I enjoyed it and wanted to share it. Over the past month I've been thinking about the values of different things, including the value of stories. Many stories are aiming to teach something, or encourage thought about something. We can just enjoy the stories, but there is often more to find if we choose to look. And where else is there value that we often don't really notice?

This episode's story is from the Grey Fairy Book, collected by Andrew Lang, which I incorrectly call The Grey Book of Fairy Tales in the episode. You can find it here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6746.

Chapters:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 04:13 - The Ogre
• 20:30 - Commentary

Until very recently, I'd never read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' by Clement Moore (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17135). I've heard bits of it referred to in TV series and movies, but I didn't know where they came from. It's a fun little poem and I decided to record it and put it out as a bonus on Christmas eve. So, here it is.

Have a good one.

(It turns out there's controversy over who actually wrote this poem. For some history of the poem and the history of this view of Christmas in the USA, check out the Revisionist History episode on it at https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/twas-the-night-before-christmas)

Chapters:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:43 - 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
• 03:59 - Outro

Christmas time, for those parts of the world where it is celebrated, is typically thought of as a time for cheer, family and friends. For some it centers around Santa Claus and gift giving, while for others the focus is spiritual or religious. Some prefer the notion of Festivus. For many it's a combination of these things. While I do usually spend Christmas with family and friends, for me it's as much a time to think than any other. So this week I chose a story that is specifically a Christmas story, but not a typical one. This is another Hans Christian Andersen story, The Fir Tree. As with the others of his I've read, this one can be found in the collection available at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27200.

Consider the possibility that you can practice expanding the way you feel and see others at this time of year to how you feel and see others every day. Trite, perhaps, but something worth thinking about, I think.

I hope you enjoy the episode and have a merry festive season.

Chapters

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:00 The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen
• 25:01 Commentary

This week I read my very first Japanese folk tale. It's about a folk hero well known in Japan, Momotaro, who was born out of a peach. The tale apparently dates back over 1000 years. I found it in a book of folk tales collected by Yei Theodora Ozaki. It considers ideas of teamwork, bravery, steadfastness and fighting for a better life for all.

Chapters:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:57 Momotaro, Or The Story of a Son of a Peach
• 32:50 Commentary

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This episode is about the light and dark sides of our nature and the pursuit of a virtuous life. The light vs dark nature is illustrated by The Shadow by Hans Christian Andersen and I talk about it in the context of the stoic ideas of pursuing a virtuous life.

Chapters

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:41 The Shadow by Hans Christian Andersen
• 31:29 Commentary

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In this episode I read The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen and reflect on the more obvious moral and social ideas it includes. But I also take a much longer look at the two characters in the story who do wicked things and ponder the reasons and whether it's possible that neither is evil in the way we (at least as I've encountered it) consider people to be evil. This episode is much longer the first largely because the story is much longer, but also because the idea I'm thinking about is much more nuanced.

Chapters

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:14 The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen
• 38:10 Commentary

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