This week on Myths and Legends, it's four small stories of dogs.

You'll see how the male Norse deity Loki ends up as the grandmother of a famous horse.

And a tiny dog king will bravely go to battle for his kingdom,

fighting alone against huge wolves, and it ends exactly how you think it would end.

Then, on the creature of the week, we'll meet a tiny old man who lives in Anne Hills,

who will change the color of your pea if you damage his home,

or just mind your own business when walking by.

This is the Myths and Legends podcast, Episode 9, Generations.

This is a podcast where I tell stories that have shaped cultures through our history.

Some are incredibly popular stories you think you know, but with surprising origins.

Others of stories you probably haven't heard, but really should.

Each week on our show, we choose an narrative, and I tell you the story as it was originally written.

This week, however, I'm going to pick a theme and bring you different kinds of stories on that theme.

Today's show, Dogs.

Dogs are kind of the perfect merging of civilization and the wilderness.

I don't know if you know this, but dogs are a domesticated animal,

and thus wouldn't exist without humans.

Dogs are the descendants of wolves that dared to get close to groups of humans,

to scavenge off them, and eventually to rely upon them.

The humans began to rely upon these wolves for protection, or letting them know if something was approaching,

and as the years turn to centuries and the centuries to millennia,

we began to make the distinction between dogs, the loyal, friendly domesticated animals, and wolves,

...