Pod Insights Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean Introducing... You Are Odysseus by L Jenkinson Brown About this episode Introducing YOU ARE ODYSSEUS... A audiobook/podcast version of the new book by L Jenkinson Brown where You Are Odysseus, making the same decisions, or maybe better... smarter... less deadly... less deadly decisions? Listen where you're listening to this, or here https://laurajenkinsonbrown.co.uk/you-are-odysseus-audiobook-podcast/. Find our more about the book https://laurajenkinsonbrown.co.uk/publications/you-are-odysseus/!
Pre-order Liv's Odyssey adaptation (!!!), The Odyssey: a Modern Retelling. https://geni.us/TheOdysseyBook Submit your question for the next Q&A via email http://mythsbaby.com/questions or a voice note https://www.speakpipe.com/LTAMB. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbaby http://patreon.com/mythsbaby. Enter ourpodcast guest https://www.mythsbaby.com/contact form if you'd like to be on the show as a conversation guest!
CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.
Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here:mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions http://mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.
Learn more about Liv's next group trips https://travelbugxlivalbert.my.canva.site/ to GREECE! Application deadline is November 30 (Subject to change due to demand).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Liv Albert? Hey nerds, really quick note from me. I want to tell you that we now have the applications open for the next set of listener group trips. This is us going back to the original, the trips that we have held in the past that have been so much fun, so successful, and pretty affordable in terms of wandering around Greece with a bunch of nerds. So check out the details and get your applications in at mythsbaby.com/grouptrip.
0:42 Speaker 01 Hey, we're Nick and Jack, hosts of The Best One Yet. Behind every episode, there's research, emails, spreadsheets, and our shared Google Doc, the headline hammer. With Google Workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use, like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work.
1:01 Speaker 02 That means less time on the work around the work and more time finding the stories worth talking about.
1:05 Speaker 01 Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google Workspace with Gemini at go.o.gle/workspacewithgemini.
1:12 Speaker 02 That's go.o.gle/workspacewithgemini.
1:15 Speaker 03 Hi, everyone. It's Katie Couric. And on my podcast, Next Question, we love stories about how women are taking control of their lives. They are increasingly leading financial decisions in their households, yet many say they don't feel fully prepared for the long-term financial choices ahead. Real confidence comes from knowing your financial future is protected, whatever happens. Pacific Life has helped generations protect what matters today and prepare for tomorrow with life insurance and lifetime income solutions. It's a promise Pacific Life has kept for nearly 160 years, so its customers can keep theirs. Ask a financial
1:58 Speaker 03 professional about how Pacific Life can help you create a more confident financial future. Pacific Life Insurance Company, Omaha, Nebraska, and in New York, Pacific Life and Annuity, Phoenix, Arizona.
2:17 Liv Albert? Hello, this is Let's Talk About Myths, baby, and I am your host of that show, but not this, uh, Liv. That was a weird introduction. I am here really quickly just to introduce the little bonus episode that you're getting today, which is the first half of episode two, intentionally because it's fun, of You Are Odysseus, which is the new podcast from my good friend Laura Jenkinson Brown, uh, who is the better known as Greek Myth Comics and who has written the utterly incredible You Are Odysseus.
2:56 Liv Albert? Okay, so this is a semi-interactive audiobook version of that. Um, the premise of the wider book is that, you guessed it, you are Odysseus. So it retells not just the Odyssey, but the entirety of Odysseus's journey from the point of view of Odysseus, except you are Odysseus and you get to make those choices. So this audiobook is one version of that that Laura is presenting in this way, and you can listen to every episode as they come out. Uh, find the link in this episode's description, or just search You Are Odysseus. And of course, this is another podcast that we are doing, uh, with the Memory Collective,
3:41 Liv Albert? and I'm just so excited to be able to bring you guys these incredible voices. And, you know, if you are wondering whether or not this will fit alongside my own reading of the Odyssey, or, you know, spoil it in any way, I guess, I just want to say that these are, because of how Laura has gone about it, which is from the point of view of Odysseus, and therefore on like the more literal timeline, because of that, you get a completely different experience, because the Odyssey itself, you know, is told in like reverse timeline order, and so it's sort of all messy in that way. And so with this, you get like the beat
4:20 Liv Albert? by beat, what happens as Odysseus leaves Troy. And so it is, I would say, so different from my reading of the Odyssey, and yet simultaneously the Odyssey. So I'd recommend you very comfortably listening to both as they come out.
4:38 Liv Albert? Okay, enough of me. Please, sit back and imagine who you are, Odysseus.
4:54 Speaker 04 You Are Odysseus, a retelling of the Odyssey, written and read by L. Jenkinson Brown.
5:06 Speaker 04 Episode Two: The Cyclops.
5:16 Speaker 04 Tell me, oh listener, of that complicated man. Let the muse of epic poetry Calliope inspire you to tell a tale worthy of the generations to come. Can you make the same choices as Odysseus?
5:44 Speaker 04 A note before we begin: When you hear this sound, you're about to hear the choices Odysseus can make at this moment. After a pause, you'll hear this sound, after which will follow the choice Odysseus actually makes in the Odyssey. If you want to know what could have happened if Odysseus made a different choice, you'll have to read the book of You Are Odysseus instead. Try and think like Odysseus.
6:16 Speaker 04 The ancient Greek heroes were guided by: Klaos, glory and renown, a name that lasts forever. Kudos, the things one must do to get Klaos. Aidos, shame intended to circumvent wrongdoing. Nostos, the need for homecoming. Xenia, the act of hospitality protected by Zeus, and their piety in respecting their pantheon of gods. Your story resumes.
6:53 Speaker 04 As soon as rose-fingered dawn appears, the men wake. You call the whole fleet to an assembly. The crews stand around in groups with their captains at their head. Cheerful chatter gives way to expectant silence as they wait for you to speak. What will you say?
7:14 Speaker 04 You tell them you want to explore that other island. You could see fires burning there last night. You could find wealth or inhabitants to give you guest gifts. You will win more clayos this way. Or... You tell them that you will continue your journey home.
7:35 Speaker 04 "My friends," you say to your men, "stay here while I take my ship to that further island to establish whether there might be savages there or god-fearing and hospitable people." The gathered crews are happy to stay and rest further while you take your ship's crew off to explore. You call your own crew to you, and soon they are striking the surf with their oars as excited as you. Your enthusiasm is infectious.
8:04 Speaker 04 As you near that mainland, you see a cave near the sea overhung with laurel. Getting closer, you see a wall made of quarried stones surrounding the cave, enclosing it and several tall pine trees and a spreading oak.
8:21 Speaker 04 You land the ship on a beach well past this cave, a tiny cove well sheltered by cliffs, and pick out twelve of your best crewmen to accompany you to the cave. You also select a guest gift to repay your potential host for their potential hospitality. You choose from...
8:42 Speaker 04 A solid silver mixing bowl, this is a fine gift for any civilized host to receive. Or, a goat skin of unmixed wine, the regular vintage drunk by you and the soldiers. This is a sociable gift, if a poor one, but one appropriate to a cave dweller, the drinking of which will surely improve at any first meeting. Or, a goat skin of the unmixed wine, the dark, sweet and strong vintage you got from the priest Maron of Ismarus when you sacked the Cacones. And a bag of food, appropriately rich gift to a cave dweller, and one which will certainly lift the mood with the wine scent alone. Which will you pick?
9:31 Speaker 04 The wine you got from the priest of the Cacones will do nicely.
9:36 Speaker 04 You and your twelve chosen men take your chosen guest gift with you, and soon you are at the mouth of the cave. A cursory inspection suggests no one is home.
9:49 Speaker 04 Curiously, you enter the cave. You are shocked to discover baskets full of cheeses, well-made vessels full of milk and whey, and pens full of young animals, lambs and goat kids, all organised into groups by age. Clearly a shepherd lives here, and a successful one at that. Your men excitedly beg you to allow them to take some of the cheeses back to the ship, then come back and herd the animals back too. Will you allow this? That is a great idea. You help them select the finest of the cheeses, and between you all, you herd the animals you have chosen back the way you came.
10:30 Speaker 04 Or, is that theft? You shall not take the risk of angering Zeus, the god of guests, by stealing from your unknown host. You shall stay and wait for the cave's owner, and see whether you can get some guest gifts in return for your offerings.
10:48 Speaker 04 Your men grudgingly agree to stay. You settle down to wait, lighting a fire and helping yourself to some of the cheeses. It's not ideal, taking and eating another's goods without their express permission. But you did bring a guest gift that far outweighs this in exchange. And any reasonable host, when they see what you have in return for the cheeses that they would have fed you had they been there, will surely accept this presumption of hospitality. Shh. At last, your host appears, but he is not what you expected.
11:27 Speaker 04 The fading light of day in the entrance of the cave is suddenly blocked by the approaching shadow of a huge figure. It enters, throwing down a pile of kindling tree trunks to you with a great crash.
11:43 Speaker 04 It gives you such a fright that you and your twelve men withdraw to a dark corner of the cave, stamping out your little fire as you dash to safety. From the shadows, you watch as the enormous creature herds a flock of fat sheep and goats into the cave and pens them. Then it rolls an enormous boulder in front of the cave entrance. It is a huge slab of stone. You estimate that you'd need twenty-two four-wheeled carts to drag it from that position. You are trapped.
12:17 Speaker 04 The massive man-creature continues about his business, milking his sheep and goats. Do you stride forward and announce yourself as Odysseus of Ithaca? Or do you keep quiet and watch, taking in everything about the situation?
12:39 Speaker 04 You watch as the massive man-creature milks his ewes and goats, methodically putting each with their young after he has finished with them, and then begins to curdle half of the milk. He collects the whey, putting it into woven wicker baskets. The rest of the milk he leaves, presumably to drink at dinnertime. He is certainly efficient. Then he relights the fire. The dancing firelight grows and illuminates the cave, and he spots you.
13:09 Speaker 05 Strangers?
13:10 Speaker 04 He cries in surprise, his voice booming through the cave and setting your men into a panic.
13:16 Speaker 05 Who are you? Where do you come from? Are you traitors or pirates here to ruin near others?
13:24 Speaker 04 Your heart sinks to the pit of your stomach. This isn't the greeting you were hoping for. Any man or creature following Xenia would never accuse you of piracy or even ask your name and business before welcoming you. Quickly, you find the words with which to answer him. What will you say?
13:45 Speaker 04 I am Odysseus. Show off to him. He's bound to be impressed. Or... We are Achaeans, driven off course by a storm. Stay anonymous and play the pity card until you know more.
14:03 Speaker 04 You step forward and greet him, stammering slightly to add to your awed and intimidated appearance. We are Achaeans, driven off course by a storm on our way back from Troy. We took the wrong route. Zeus intended we should be lost. We are proud to say we are part of King Agamemnon's forces, Atreus's son, who is the most famous man in the world today after sacking and destroying the great city of Troy. We find ourselves supplicant at your knees, hoping for your hospitality. We bring guest gifts, as is tradition of hosts and guests. Zeus is the god of guests. Guests are sacred to Zeus.
14:48 Speaker 04 A little desperate, maybe, but you've hopefully made your point. You were on the winning side of the war, so you are a force to be reckoned with. And if he fails to welcome you properly, then Zeus is likely to punish him.
15:02 Speaker 04 The monstrous man-creature answers you with a sneer.
15:06 Speaker 05 Stranger, you must be a fool to think that we cyclops fear the gods. We care nothing for them, for we are stronger than they. Fear of Zeus will not stop me from harming your men if I feel like it.
15:23 Speaker 04 Ah, having not expected the cave owner to be an actual monster, a creature of legend, you had not accounted for a total lack of xenia in your plans. You will have to think fast.
15:36 Speaker 05 Yet.
15:37 Speaker 04 He continued before you can reply.
15:39 Speaker 05 Where did you moor your ship? Nearby or down the coast? Do tell me.
15:50 Speaker 04 Tell him. Maybe he'll allow you to go to them if you tell the truth. Or, don't tell him. He's obviously trying to trap you further.
16:03 Speaker 04 You won't be fooled by this obvious trap. You lie. Our ship was wrecked by Poseidon himself. The wind carried us onto the rocks. We here were lucky to escape with our lives. The cyclops sits back, clearly disappointed. He turns his one huge cold eye to view each of you in turn. Without making any reply, he suddenly jumps up and seizes two of your men in his massive hands. Before they can even scream, he dashes their heads against the floor, as if they are no more than tiny helpless puppies. Then, right in front of you, he pulls off their limbs, devouring them like a mountain lion.
16:47 Speaker 04 Every piece of your unfortunate companions, he swallows down, leaving nothing behind. While you and your remaining crew shriek for help from Zeus with your hands raised in vain.
17:03 Speaker 04 Finally, the horror show is over. The cyclops reaches for one of the pails of unwatered milk and drinks it down. He then stretches himself out on the floor among his flocks, completely ignoring you. You're watching confusion as he just goes to sleep. Soon he is snoring. His snores are softer than you expected. Quick, kill him while he's sleeping. Or, no, don't kill him yet. Let's assess the situation. If you were to kill him now, how would you escape the cave?
17:46 Speaker 04 No, you won't kill him in his sleep, and the brute knows it. Curse him, he's not as stupid as you thought. With sighs and groans, you and your ten remaining men await the day and whatever further horrors it may bring. Listen to the full episode at UR Odysseus, the interactive audiobook podcast, now.
18:27 Speaker 02 Hey, we're Nick and Jack, hosts of The Best One Yet. Behind every episode, there's research, emails, spreadsheets, and our shared Google Doc, the headline hammer.
18:35 Speaker 01 With Google Workspace with Gemini, Google's AI is built right into the premium versions of tools we already use, like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets. No new tools or extra logins, just personalized AI for the way we work.
18:46 Speaker 02 That means less time on the work around the work and more time finding the stories worth talking about.
18:50 Speaker 01 Get AI tools for work. Upgrade to Google Workspace with Gemini at goo.gle/workspacewithGemini.
18:57 Speaker 02 That's goo.gle/workspacewithGemini.
19:00 Speaker 03 Hi everyone, it's Katie Couric. And on my podcast, Next Question, we love stories about how women are taking control of their lives. They are increasingly leading financial decisions in their households. Yet, many say they don't feel fully prepared for the long-term financial choices ahead. Real confidence comes from knowing your financial future is protected, whatever happens. Pacific Life has helped generations protect what matters today and prepare for tomorrow with life insurance and lifetime income solutions. It's a promise Pacific Life has kept for nearly 160 years, so its customers can keep
19:41 Speaker 03 theirs. Ask a financial professional about how Pacific Life can help you create a more confident financial future. Pacific Life Insurance Company, Omaha, Nebraska, and in New York, Pacific Life and Annuity, Phoenix, Arizona.
20:00 Speaker 06 Enemy of My Dreams by Jenny Williamson is a historical romance novel set in the time of the late Roman Empire, where Alaric, a brutal Gothic warlord, and Julia, a Roman princess, with a love of good wine, team up to take down Rome.
20:18 Speaker 07 The much-awaited sequel, Game of Thieves, comes out December 8. In this sequel, Julia and Alaric must overcome centuries of conflict to work together, or the turbulent riptides of rebellion and the demons of their past will tear them apart.
20:31 Speaker 06 And now, for a limited time, when you preorder Game of Thieves through Burning Pages Bookstore, you'll get a signed book plate and a free art print of one of Jenny's favorite spicy scenes from across the series.
20:45 Speaker 07 Get this amazing artwork only from Burning Pages at burningpagesnc.com/game-of-thieves. Don't wait. Order your copy from Burning Pages today at burningpagesnc.com/game-of-thieves.
Previous RE-AIR: Euripides Has No Business Making Us Feel for Agamemnon! (Iphigenia at Aulis, Part 1) Next Liv Reads Homer: The Odyssey (A Modern Translation!) Book 5 Page updated October 30, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated