This week I'm joined by Dr Ryan Denson, who really is the sea monster guy (though it's not on his socials yet). We talk about the ketos, the hippocamps, and Scylla and Charybdis, including why Charybdis in the Odyssey is just a whirlpool and never actually gets a body.

Ryan explains how a lot of these monsters started with real animals and with people simply not knowing what was 'under the sea' (excuse the pun). He also talks about how ancient peoples passed these stories around, and how the monsters took on the imagery of each culture that told them.

We also cover ghosts and necromancy, Leviathan and Beelzebub, Beowulf's sea monsters, and the aspidochelone, a Byzantine sea creature so big that sailors thought it was an island.

This episode reminded us that there is no 'true' myth, and that ancient peoples travelled a great deal more than we give them credit for. Hence the transference of ideas, and monsters.

You can find Dr Denson's book here: A Zoobiography of the Ancient Sea Monster: : Ancient Environments Ryan Denson Bloomsbury Academic - Bloomsbury

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Music: Intro and outro — Spirits of the Woods by Rotem Moav.

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Rome is burning. The Four Horsemen are riding. And somehow that's the same story as a Fallout quest.

In this special episode: I sit down with writer Tom Nolan Kelly, co-founder of TIVA (True Indie Voice Art) "a collective of artists who create audio plays and give them away for free, funded entirely through Patreon and a 'pay what you want' system."

We dive into why the big audio platforms are quietly starving indie creators, why Book of Revelation apocalypse imagery is the secret engine of Pax Romana's Rome, and why the aqua vitae shows up as a plot engine in the most unexpected place: a Fallout quest.

Then we get into Tom's modding Oblivion and Fallout 3 as a kid, why Mass Effect is still the gold standard for choice and character attachment, and why Tom writes hopeful sci-fi.

And we close on the fight that matters most right now: AI, corporate greed, and what's left for voice actors when both come for their credits and royalties.

• Founding TIVA with Alix Wilton Regan. "A collective of artists who create audio plays and give them away for free," funded through Patreon and 'pay what you want'.
• How major audio platforms punish independent creators.
• TIVA Patreon, bonus material, and actually getting close to the actors behind your favourite games.
• Tom Modding Oblivion and Fallout 3 as a kid.
• The Four Horsemen and the Book of Revelations inside Pax Romana's vision of Rome's collapse.
• The aqua vitae: Fallout's Revelation quote and why "water of life" is the plot engine that really inspired Tom's work.
• Writing optimistic sci-fi.
• Mass Effect and what it can teach us about choice, diplomacy, and attachment.
• AI, corporate habits, and the unfair treatment of voice actors' credits and royalties.

You can find Tom's work and those of your favourite game actors at tivoice.art

And you can find more Myths, Games and Meaning at mythsgamesmeaning.com and on Instagram @mythsgamesmeaning.

We would love to hear from you.

Music: Intro and outro — Spirits of the Woods by Rotem Moav.

www.mythsgamesmeaning.com

If you enjoyed the show please buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/jenahra1e

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Medusa has been a monster, a warning, a victim, and a symbol. In this episode, Dr Dani Shalet is joined by Dr Gina Bevan, whose work explores pop culture, gender, queer narratives, and ancient myth. Together they trace Medusa’s shifting meanings across myth and modernity, exploring fear, seduction, repression, and the power of the gaze. Their conversation also considers how Medusa has become a figure of empowerment, reclaimed by artists, writers, and thinkers who see strength where earlier traditions saw only danger or desire.

We would love to hear from you.

Music: Intro and outro — Spirits of the Woods by Rotem Moav.

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If you enjoyed the show please buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/jenahra1e

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In this episode, I’m joined by Samantha Béart for a lively conversation on performance, storytelling, and the myth of Karlach. This one is particularly special to me, as Sam was one of my very first interviews and has been incredibly supportive along the way.

We talk about how characters like Karlach become mythic in their own right, and why some game characters feel so powerful to play.

From Athena to Shakespeare to the ‘patron saints’ of sci-fi—Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor—we explore how these figures continue to shape how we understand myth today.

We would love to hear from you.

Music: Intro and outro — Spirits of the Woods by Rotem Moav.

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This episode is a heartfelt thank you to everyone who’s been listening, supporting, and sharing this podcast. I’m endlessly grateful for every guest who has offered their time and stories, and for every listener who has stayed with me, even through the quieter moments.

Life and work have been a little overwhelming lately, which led to an unplanned pause. But this space, and the people who fill it, mean so much to me. Taking a step back gave me a chance to breathe, reflect, and remember why I love making this show in the first place.

And I’m genuinely excited for what’s coming next. The upcoming episode features someone who is incredibly busy, yet still took the time and opportunity to sit with me for a wonderfully myth‑filled conversation. Their warmth and passion shine through, and I can’t wait for you to hear it when it arrives in just a few weeks.

In the meantime, I’d love to stay connected. Come say hi on Instagram at @mythsgamesmeaning. Share your ideas for future episodes, tell me what you’d love to hear more of, or simply drop a friendly hello; it all means more than you know.

Thank you for your patience, your kindness, and for being part of this little community. I’m looking forward to being back in your ears very soon.

Find us at: https://mythsgamespod.wixsite.com/myths

We would love to hear from you.

Music: Intro and outro — Spirits of the Woods by Rotem Moav.

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If you enjoyed the show please buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/jenahra1e

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In this episode, I continue my conversation with Nanci Santos as we return to the complicated, and often affectionate, relationship between myth, archaeology, and video games.

We revisit Apotheon, one of Nanci’s favourite titles, and talk about why its bold visual style and mythic approach work so well, even without strict historical realism.

From there, the conversation turns to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, where Knossos, questionable frescoes, and a familiar love and hate relationship with the series all come into play. Nanci reflects on both her frustrations with the game and the places she wanted to explore in greater depth but could not. It is a reminder that video games can spark curiosity about the ancient world, even as they limit how long we are allowed to linger in it.

Along the way, we also touch on Lara Croft and Tomb Raider, and what it means to enjoy games while keeping a critical edge.

Find us at: https://mythsgamespod.wixsite.com/myths

We would love to hear from you.

Music: Intro and outro — Spirits of the Woods by Rotem Moav.

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If you enjoyed the show please buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/jenahra1e

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After a short hiatus, Dani returns to the mic and is joined by special guest and friend Nanci Santos for a conversation about ancient adventures, fandom joy, and the role video games played in keeping people connected to the ancient world during lockdown.

When Covid shut everything down, exploration didn’t stop. It just changed shape. Dani and Nanci talk about how games became a practical and imaginative way to engage with the ancient world through play, research, and storytelling.

From early gaming memories like Woody Woodpecker, to discovering myth and history through Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Apotheon, the conversation explores why ancient settings work so well in games, and when they don’t.

And of course, there is time to celebrate an unsung hero. We return to The Mummy (1999) the best of the Mummy films, and make the case once again for Evelyn Carnahan as the real protagonist.

Join us for fandom, fieldwork, and folklore.

Find us at: https://mythsgamespod.wixsite.com/myths

We would love to hear from you.

Music: Intro and outro — Spirits of the Woods by Rotem Moav.

www.mythsgamesmeaning.com

If you enjoyed the show please buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/jenahra1e

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Welcome back to Myths, Games & Meaning. This episode took a little longer to land than usual after I lost my voice with a chest infection, but I’m really glad to be back, especially for Part Two of my conversation with Earl Baylon, actor, geek, gamer, and the voice of Jonah in Tomb Raider.

In this second part, we go fully nerdy. We chat about Lara Croft, The Lord of the Rings, the Valar, archaeology, and fandom, and we even dip into a little Quenya and Sindarin (“Elvish”) along the way.

We also wander into childhood geek memories, including how the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park didn’t quite line up with Earl’s own realistic imaginings as a kid.

Earl also tells the story of finally meeting Elijah Wood at Comic Con.

It’s an easy, joyful conversation about games, myth, and geek culture, very much a chat between mega geeks.

So grab a cuppa, get comfy, and join us for Part Two

We would love to hear from you.

Music: Intro and outro — Spirits of the Woods by Rotem Moav.

www.mythsgamesmeaning.com

If you enjoyed the show please buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/jenahra1e

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