This week on the Myths and Legends podcast, I'll introduce the show and discuss what it will be about.

Then, we'll start writing on a story of a knight from King Arthur's Roundtable,

whose poor decision-making is rewarded with the castle, magic rings, and a pet lion.

Then, at the end of the show in the mythological creature of the week segment,

I'll talk about tiny, invisible Icelandic elves, who liked a party.

This is the Myths and Legends podcast, Episode 1A, Yvanglory.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the podcast.

As you know, don't gather from the neighbor of the show.

We'll be talking about myths, legends, and folklore in general from all around the world.

There are many, many reasons to know these stories, and I'll just mention a few here.

They're really helpful to know other cultures and peoples, and can be as informative as a historical record in knowing cultures as a whole.

They've inspired current popular stories.

For example, the next larger story I'll go over is the saga of the Vulsongs.

It's a little known North saga that was part of J.R.R. Tolkien's inspiration when writing Lord of the Rings.

Lastly, they're just really interesting, bizarre, ridiculous, and touching stories, and I'm excited to tell them.

I'll try to tell them as close to the original stories I can, trying to avoid the intervening years with cultures and adaptations that have put their spins on things.

For example, the story of Aladdin, a Middle Eastern folk tale about a boy and a genie, is way different than the popular Disney movie.

In the original tale, Aladdin was actually Chinese, and the story was set in China, and his genie, which didn't grant wishes, originally came from his ring.

OK, here's another one that Disney's changed, the story of Mulan, the Chinese girl who took her aging father's place in the army.

Contrary to the movie, Mulan fought for 10 years without being discovered, and retired to many accolades.

OK, one more.

In the original story, the Holy Grail was accompanied by an equally holy, Lance that blood from its tip, which was quietly minimized on later tellings.

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