Episode 134: There Is Only Zuul | Ghostbusters (1984), Spiritualism & Ancient Near East History

When there's something strange in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call? That’s right, friends, we are talking GHOSTBUSTERS! The original blockbusting comedy is full of supernatural insights, historical tie-in’s, and made-up mythology. We’ll discuss the foundations of Spiritualism in America in the 19th Century, from seances to parapsychology. We’ll visit the Ancient Near East to find out who they were really worshipping in 6,000 BCE. Who are Gozer, Zuul, and Vinz Clortho? What is Slimer made of? What happens when you cross the streams? All this and more feed into the climactic battle between the forces of this world and the next in Battlefield New York. I ain’t afraid of no ghost.

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Episode 133: The Journey Home | 2019 Year-in-Review

We’ve made it to the end of a decade—and what a decade it was! Continuing our tradition, this episode is a Midnight Myth Year-in-Review. We’ll look back at our conversations through the year and identify the common themes, motifs, and memories. Three major franchises came to a kind of close this year, so watch out for ***SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Game of Thrones Season 8, and Avengers: Endgame.***

In our continued search for universal themes in storytelling, this year-end conversation helps us to gain some clarity and understand ourselves better through the stories we choose to tell.

From us here at the Midnight Myth, we wish you a healthy, happy new year!

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Episode 132: You're a Mean One | Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! & the History of Christmas

Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just North of Whoville… did NOT. Welcome, friends, to another Midnight Myth Christmas Special! This is our favorite time of year, in part due to the Winter holidays’ rich historical and folkloric tradition. Each year, we turn our eye to a beloved classic holiday story to identify its connections to universal themes. This year, we’re unpacking Dr. Seuss’s ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ We’ll discuss the inspiration for the story, its roots in earlier Christmas classics like A Christmas Carol and A Visit from Saint Nicholas (’Twas the Night Before Christmas), and how the history of Christmas permeates its meaning. We’ll get in the time machine and explore Christmas in the Roman Empire, then learn more about real-world Grinches, the Puritans. We’ll even carve the roast beast.

Whatever you celebrate this Solstice Season, we wish you a warm, safe, and happy occasion, and a blessed new year.

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(Bonus) The Wheel of Ka: Episode Ten, Song of Susannah pt. 1

Welcome back, fellow travelers on the path of the Beam, and thank you for your patience as Derek and Steve prepared the next episode of the Wheel of Ka, say true? Say thank ya! This week is our first episode on Song of Susannah, and our 10th episode in the series. As we cross the milestone together, like a band of ancient cowboys crossing a magically opened door to another where and when, we sing the commala in unison! Our heroes are scattered in time and space, with Roland and Eddie battling familiar, but younger foes, Eddie and Jake are stranded in the future, watching out for the falling God-bombs, and Susannah fights the mysterious Mia for control over her own body. We are one step closer to the Tower, and will the final Beam fall?

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Episode 131: A Certain Point of View | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Mythology & History

Is C-3PO a god? Did Obi Wan tell the truth from a certain point of view? Can the worst of the worst, like Darth Vader, really be redeemed? In the final installment of our podcast series on the Star Wars Original Trilogy, we’re hopping on our speeder bikes for a joy ride through the Forest Moon of Endor. We’ll compare the teachings of the Jedi to the contradictory nature of real-world knighthood, discuss the basis of Ewok society, and track the formation and formalization of ritual in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

Episode 130: Old Man Yoda | Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Mythology & Eastern Philosophy

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… In the second installment of our series on Star Wars and mythology, we’re unpacking the most powerful symbols in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Considered by most to be the best of the Star Wars movies, Empire has no shortage of philosophy and mythic symbolism to mine. We’ll explore the sacred space of darkness and light that Yoda inhabits on Dagobah, and compare his understanding of the Force—which draws deeply on Buddhist philosophy—to what we learned about it in Episode IV. We’ll meditate on the revelation of Luke Skywalker’s parentage—arguably one of the most important moments in cinema history—and its significance to the hero’s journey.

Episode 129: Let It Go | Frozen, The Snow Queen & Scandinavian Folklore

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen… Come with us to the fairy tale kingdom of Arendelle, the setting of Disney’s 2013 megabit: Frozen. Hot (or cold) on the heels of the release of Frozen’s long-awaited sequel, we’ll unpack the meaning of Anna and Elsa’s journey into the depths of winter. You’ll hear the story Frozen is inspired by—Hans Christian Andersen’s ‘The Snow Queen’—and an analysis of the changes Disney made to the source. We’ll talk trolls and magic in Norse myth and Scandinavian folklore. Together, we’ll try to understand Frozen’s place in the canon of Disney’s creative output—and in the fairy tale continuum.

Subscribe to our friends at the Pop Venture Family on YouTube, and listen to Episode 128: Maclunkey for details on how to enter our joint Star Wars Funko Pop giveaway! Here is the video you’re looking for.

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Episode 128: Maclunkey | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Mythology & Psychoanalysis | ***Giveaway***

In just over a month’s time, we’ll gather, along with millions across the globe, to partake in an ancient ritual: the viewing of Star Wars. The Rise of Skywalker, the conclusion to the epic Skywalker Saga, is just around the corner, so we’re going back to the source. In this discussion of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, we’ll work to decode the symbolic language in this myth for our time. Drawing on the work of Joseph Campbell, Sigmund Freud, C.G. Jung, and others, we’ll attempt to understand the true power and legacy of this beloved story.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Subscribe to our friends at the Pop Venture Family on YouTube, and listen to THIS EPISODE for details on how to enter our joint ***Star Wars Funko Pop giveaway!*** Here is the video you’re looking for.

Support us at www.patreon.com/midnightmyth

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