Fate & Fabled

Energy from the sun gives heat, offers a bright reprieve from the darkness of night, and serves as the base for our entire food chain. It is no wonder it plays a central role in nearly all world mythologies.

In Greek mythology, the magnificent mother and daughter duo Demeter and Persephone were the bringers of food and fair weather and were worshiped in lush harvest celebrations. But their story has a darker side – one involving violence, tragic compromise, and a bittersweet resurrection.

As beings that mediate between heaven and earth, angels have been the focus of both fascination and fear for centuries. In the past, they’ve been described as fireballs, forms without substance, or massive beings that collect blood or trumpet the end of time. Where did these archetypes come from and why has that of the winged cherub endured?

The stars have guided and entertained us for thousands of years. Here we explore some of the messages people have seen in the stars through the millennia and look forward to how we might relate to the stars in the future.

For the Ancient Egyptians, the cycle of life itself began and ended with Isis and Osiris. Their story is one of the oldest known myths, and it informed spiritual beliefs, power structures, and gender roles in Ancient Egypt and beyond. And who wouldn’t be drawn to a tale that has it all?

Not quite deities and definitely not human, cats have stalked our cultural imagination since ancient times. As demons, defenders, evil sidekicks, and sleek companions, they play many roles in culture and myth. But what makes cats so enduring, and what does our feline fascination tell us about human nature?

In this episode, we examine the Fates - three shadowy figures who seem to have a near omnipresent influence in the goings-on throughout the Greek mythical universe - and who show up in stories and religions from cultures whose time and place are far removed from the ancient Greeks.