Myth: The First and Last Word

EP 39 - What Oldest Human Didn't Know (Season 1 Finale)

Content Warning: Brief mention of death. In this episode, I tell a modern myth entitled "What Oldest Human Didn't Know". Normally I cannot tell myths from the modern day, as they are typically inaccessible under copyright law. This story was written by myself, and thus I am able to record it. The tale tells of the Oldest Human's once-in-a-decade walk, the transformation of a boat, and the chance meeting of the Oldest Human and a young child. The themes of the story include the concepts of cyclicity, the lacking of knowledge, death, and natural transformation. Today, I leave the analysis up to you. You can find a written copy of the myth on my website (linked below). Feel free to send me a response at theechocain@gmail.com.  Thank you for listening! You can find all of my work through the following links: https://linktr.ee/echocain [https://linktr.ee/echocain] www.echocain.com [https://www.echocain.com/]

EP 38 - The Descent of Ishtar

In this episode, I tell an Akkadian myth called "The Descent of Ishtar". The story is a reinterpretation of a longer Sumerian work written approximately 500-900 years prior called "The Descent of Inanna". The version of the myth that I will be telling was unearthed at the great library of Nineveh. The author of the stone cuneiform tablet remains unknown, though this myth was ubiquitous across Mesopotamia. The tale makes use of repetition to parallel an ancient, recorded ritual glorifying the change of seasons in which a statue of Ishtar/Inanna was undressed and clothed again.  We'll discuss the transition from matriarchy to patriarchy and this historical conflict's relation to the written word. We'll also seek to understand the characterization of these deities, their perceived effect on the Mesopotamian world, and how these themes were exported to other surrounding cultures. (I am currently writing a screenplay reinterpreting this myth, so my analysis will be sparse on this episode to reflect the bias I have towards this story). Thank you for listening! You can find all of my work through the following links: https://linktr.ee/echocain [https://linktr.ee/echocain] www.echocain.com [https://www.echocain.com/]

EP 37 - The Children of the Sun

Content Warning: Brief discussion of sex, ritual murder, colonization of indigenous peoples, genocide, slavery, kidnapping, classism, and misogyny. In this episode, I tell a central origin myth of the Inca Empire: "Children of the Sun". The Inca, especially those in the higher social classes, saw themselves as educators working under their King, an incarnation of the myth's "Father Sun". The story was probably first told early in the foundation of the Kingdom of Cuzco, as it decrees a particular way of civilizing so-called wild peoples and mythologizes the first ruler, Manco Capac. The re-education process described in the myth would be what the Inca carried out over the 10 Million people they ruled at the height of their power in the Andean mountain range. The tale has also been recorded numerous times by different anthropologists and recounted by a multiplicity of storytellers.  We'll discuss the complicated and lengthy history of the peoples who historically inhabited the Andes, demonstrating that the development of civilization is not a unique occurrence in any capacity, nor is it always bounded by the same set of rules and worldviews. We'll also make sense of the strict gender roles in the myth, the importance of defining humanity in expansive ways, and critiquing the usage of the education narrative by Imperialists and Fascists. Thank you for listening! You can find all of my work through the following links: https://linktr.ee/echocain [https://linktr.ee/echocain] www.echocain.com [https://www.echocain.com/]

EP 36 - The Doomed Rider

Content Warning: Brief mention of colonization and death. In this episode, I tell a short folktale from Scotland entitled "The Doomed Rider". This entertaining myth is likely quite old and functioned as a campfire-style ghost story throughout Scottish history. The tale surrounds a prophecy spoken by the Kelpie, a mythical creature associated with Celtic stories. Much of the language is in antiquated English which I have modernized for your listening pleasure. The story was initially published in 1889 by Charles John Tibbitts in one of his many collections of folktales. Little information is available concerning this editor's life despite his relatively enormous impression left on folklore studies, as he published numerous stories in multiple anthologies from across Eurasia.   We'll analyze how this story comments on fate, the indigenous connection to the land, and the dangers of "false fords". Furthermore, we'll make sense of the position of mythical creatures in etiological analysis of myth and how the trope of the "encroaching beast" remains in our entertainment today. Thank you for listening! You can find all of my work through the following links: https://linktr.ee/echocain [https://linktr.ee/echocain] www.echocain.com [https://www.echocain.com/]

EP 35 - Maui Traps Sun

Content Warning: Brief mention of colonization of indigenous peoples and war. In this episode, I tell "Maui Traps Sun", a myth from the people of Hawaii. The titular protagonist, Maui, is a culture hero present across Polynesian peoples' stories, Maori stories, and Hawaiian stories. He is best known today from his reinterpreted presentation in Disney's 2016 film, Moana. The myth's origin remains a mystery, though it is clearly ancient due to the prevalence of analogues across the vast expanse of the Pacific ocean. The tale was not recorded until the arrival of European colonizers on Hawaii's shores. The occurred almost certainly post-1820, the year that King Liholiho permitted European settlers and missionaries to permanently reside on the island.   We will be discussing the etiological importance of this myth, the non-dual nature of gender roles in story, and the position of story within modern science education.  Thank you for listening! You can find all of my work through the following links: https://linktr.ee/echocain [https://linktr.ee/echocain] www.echocain.com [https://www.echocain.com/]