Once Upon a Podcast

Episode 23: Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen didn’t just write fairy tales — he became one. In this episode, we step away from individual stories to talk about the strange, brilliant, deeply complicated man behind The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. From poverty and relentless ambition to self-mythologizing autobiographies, impossible romances, and a life that reads like one of his own tragedies, Andersen may be the most fascinating figure in fairy-tale history. This is not a tidy hero’s journey. It’s a story about obsession, creativity, loneliness, and the kind of determination that refuses to be told “no.”

Episode 22: Tom Tit Tot

This week Joe, Matthew, and Emma dive into Tom Tit Tot: Joseph Jacobs’ delightfully unhinged English version of Rumpelstiltskin. We talk pies (too many), imps (also too many), flax (never enough), and kings who really need to chill out about domestic textile production. We compare it to Grimm’s Rumpelstiltskin, break down its 19th-century dialect, explain why kobolds ruined the mining industry, and debate the morality of eating five hand pies in one sitting. If you enjoy a good “guess my name or I steal you” story, this one’s a classic.

Episode 21: Straw, Coal, and Bean

This week, Joe and Matthew dig into one of the Grimms’ smallest, but strangest, tales: The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean. From the chaos of a kitchen fire to an exploding bean and a tailor with great aim, it’s a story that’s equal parts absurd and oddly insightful. We explore its fable roots, the lost 1548 source text, and even how the Grimms’ students kept its spark alive centuries later. Also: bean breath, Cartoon Network songs, and survivorship bias.

Episode 20: The Stone-cutter

A humble worker, a mountain spirit, and a chain of wishes that goes way too far. In this episode, Joe and Matthew break down The Stonecutter, a Japanese folktale that might actually have Dutch roots. It’s a story of ambition and discontent, where one man wishes his way from stonecutter to everything from a prince to a cloud, only to discover that happiness doesn’t come from power, it comes from perspective. Along the way, we trace how Andrew Lang’s Crimson Fairy Book spread the tale worldwide, talk about its connection to The Fisherman and His Wife (ATU 555), and yes — detour briefly into a folktale called The Bullock’s Balls. You’ve been warned.

Episode 19: The Forest Bride

Joe, Emma, and Matthew discuss The Forest Bride from Mighty Mikko: Finnish Fairy Tales Retold by Parker Fillmore (1922). The trio explores the tale’s origins, parallels to The White Cat (Madame d’Aulnoy, 1698), and what makes Fillmore’s storytelling so distinct from his playful narration to his gentle, "certified non-toxic" characters. Expect tangents on Nordic bread culture, animated mice, and why this might just be the most wholesome love story involving a rodent ever told.