Long before there were books, there were voices around a fire.

Somebody remembered a story about a hero who crossed the sea, a trickster who stole the sun, a river that was once a goddess, or a king who never really died. They told it, and someone else told it again, and the story traveled.

Welcome to the show, where we follow those stories across the world and through the centuries. We’ll go from the epics of Mesopotamia to the sagas of the North, from West African oral traditions to Polynesian voyaging legends, from the myths of the Aztec and the Maya to the fairy tales collected in the villages of Europe and Asia.

In each episode, we’ll look closely at one work, one tale, or one cycle of stories. We’ll ask where it came from, who told it, what it meant to the people who loved it, and why it still echoes today.

Myths explain the world. Legends remember it, bending the truth along the way. Folklore keeps it alive in the voices of ordinary people.

So settle in, and let’s listen to the oldest stories we have.