Tales

In this Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, a pair of cursed red shoes force a young girl to dance herself to near insanity.

This peculiar Cinderella story comes from Germany: When cruel tragedy befalls her closest friend, a young maiden named Two-Eyes takes her despair to a fairy, whose advice has enchanting results…

In this variation on the classic Cinderella story, a young woman’s starving sisters kill their mother… and eat her. Distraught, the woman buries her mother’s bones beneath the hearth. They transform into riches, and set young Elle off on a thrilling journey.

This darkly humorous tale comes from 16th century Italy. A queen gives birth to a pig, and is determined to raise him as a true and proper prince. But when the time comes for him to find a bride, his search for true love and acceptance turns deadly.

In this Sudanese folktale, a man and his aging mother set out on a journey to find a land where they can live forever, only to discover the twisted reality behind its people's immortality.

In this Danish fairytale based on a portion of Homer's The Odyssey, a talented blacksmith is ordered by a prince to carry out a series of impossible tasks. But when the blacksmith discovers the prince is having an affair with his wife, he gets his magical revenge.

Its exact origins are unknown, but it likely comes from Colombia: a familiar and yet strange tale of a mysterious young boy, who follows three travelers through various tribulations—and into battle against a cruel witch.

First collected by folklorist Charles M. Skinner in 1896, The Buccaneer is an American folk tale that follows the adventures and misdeeds of a vengeful pirate. When his many sins come back to haunt him, the buccaneer learns his life of cruelty has ghostly consequences.

Brazilian legend tells the story of a vengeful mermaid spirit named the Yara who enchants and drowns the men who wander near her river deep in the Amazon. But in this classic tale, a pair of lovers set out to defeat the murderous mermaid, and attempt to use the purity of their love to break her dark spell.

Welcome to a world where fairy tales do exist, and “once upon a time” is closer, darker, and more dangerous than you imagined. Welcome to the immersive new Parcast original series, Faerie. Available exclusively on Spotify, Faerie follows the investigation of Ryan Bailey—a young woman who saves a man’s life and is thrust into a secret world of mythological creatures called “faeries.” Join Ryan as she unearths more about their mysterious existence and the covert agency charged with protecting them. This 12-episode event features two new episodes every Monday, free and exclusively on Spotify.

Get ready to question your truths and rethink your fantasies in this exclusive clip from Faerie’s first episode. If you want to listen to the full episode, follow Faerie, free and only on Spotify.