Fireside Folklore with Hades

Tiffany J. Kim
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Comedy Fiction

Hey there, listeners! Hermes here. Before you ask, no, I won't be writing all of the descriptions, and no, this podcast doesn't feature my uncle in name only.  Fireside Folklore with Hades is a variety show from the Underworld, hosted by my uncle, who has the deepest voice in any known pantheon and has finally learned to use it without my assistance. More on that in a moment. Every episode, we bring you folklore from around the world. Ancient and obscure. Whimsical and dark. From Yemen to Korea, Palestine to Colombia, Australia to Hungary and everywhere the stories live. Sometimes we retell them faithfully. Sometimes we modernize them for a world where women aren’t expected to mind the house and the kids. Have you ever seen Artemis angry? Trust me. You’re lucky if you haven’t. And sometimes, Hades personally takes over a ferry and gets lost on the River Styx while nymphs ask for his autograph. These things happen when you let him improvise. The family shows up too. Persephone brings recipes. Dionysus brings cocktails. Zeus advertises products that do not exist, cannot be purchased, and are not endorsed by anyone in the mortal world. Ares appears when someone needs to say something true and uncomfortable, which, given the state of the mortal world, has been frequently. Hestia once played a self-absorbed golden bird and delivered an aria about her own magnificence. She left the hearth and held that microphone like a star on Broadway. Osiris has set that to his ringtone. Nobody plays the same role twice. Nobody has any business playing most of the roles they've been given. It works anyway. Now. I am the god of commerce. I find it professionally embarrassing that this podcast has never charged a single drachma, has no intention of charging a single drachma, and my uncle has made clear that the fireside belongs to everyone who gathers around it, free of charge, forever, as a matter of principle. I have filed complaints. I have phoned the Furies. I’ve even tried bribing Persephone. All records of my attempts to introduce capitalism into this “enterprise” have mysteriously gone missing. If you want a serious podcast where the gods stay dignified and follow their mythological portrayals to a fault, look elsewhere. If you're curious about world folklore, believe laughter is medically necessary, and want to learn without having to actually do any work, take a seat. The stories are plentiful and absolutely free.

  1. Hollow Peace

    11/21/2025 ·  Bonus

    Hollow Peace

    Send over your dead SMS messages. Greetings, listeners. It's been some time since we've convened on this feed. The production of that Jewish folktale we had intended to produce has been difficult. The anger has been immense, and so has the grief. So, rather than force something, we wrote a song in response to the "ceasefire" that was, at its core, political theater orchestrated by the West. Three versions. Three singers. The same haunting lyrics as interpreted by Ares, Persephone, and myself. We will continue without a plan, tell the stories we feel like telling, and see what unfolds. The wound on humanity still bleeds, thus our continued struggle to tell the Jewish folktale remains. We will not allow it to guilt us into stone cold silence. Whether this means a continuation of this season as it stands, a return to the days of this podcast's beginning when tales were explorations without social conflicts tied to them, or something entirely new, we cannot say. We only know that creativity allows us to endure, and endure we shall. I refuse to allow this podcast to become a tomb because one story, still too raw to be told, could not be told and time slipped away, and apathy calcified into abandonment.  Onward. Feedback may be sent, as ever, to Hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com.  [verse 1] The war is over,  A ceasefire has begun! There will be peace and prosperity,  For everyone! There's no need to cry; the hostages are free.  Now we can celebrate the return of liberty. Raise up the flags, strike up the band, Proclaim the dawn of peace across the land. Banners can't cover the bones buried beneath, And musicians can't mask the cries of grief. [chorus] Do you think we are fools who can just simply forget,  That we watched you shamelessly livestream a genocide?  Oh, you'll try to shove distracting headlines down our throats,  But your crimes aren't the kind you can easily hide.  [Verse 2] You paint the blood with olive oil, You crown the graves with light. But silence cannot sanctify What’s buried out of sight. You call it peace; I call it pause, A treaty sealed with deceit. For truth does not bloom in the ash, Nor justice in the street. [chorus] Do you think we are fools who can just simply forget,  That we watched you shamelessly livestream a genocide?  Oh, you'll try to shove distracting headlines down our throats,  But your crimes aren't the kind you can easily hide.  [Bridge] The cameras dim, the headlines fade, But echoes never die. The River Lethe cannot cleanse A mother’s final cry. [final chorus] Do you think we are fools who can just simply forget, That we watched you shamelessly livestream a genocide? Raise your glass to hollow peace and gilded lies. The living forget ; the dead remember, with open eyes. The living forget ; the dead remember, with open eyes.

    12 min
  2. Selling the Underworld, Part 3.1 - Riding to the Styx, Little Red Riding Hood

    09/20/2025 ·  Bonus

    Selling the Underworld, Part 3.1 - Riding to the Styx, Little Red Riding Hood

    Send over your dead SMS messages. Greetings, listeners! Just when I thought we'd be getting back to the serious business of telling some real folklore, Mr. President made it very clear he wouldn't be waiting on Pennsylvania Avenue when there was an Underworld to tour. Thus, I asked Thanatos to make sure the man was brought safely to the Underworld. Safely doesn't mean quickly, however, my friends. Oh no. It just means he won't get waylaid by any shades ... yet.  Of course, Mr. President being who he was, he just couldn't enjoy the ride like a normal human being. So instead, we got to hear his promises about how he'd make Little Red Riding Hood great again. And, though it pains me to admit this, he does have a point. Several of them, actually, but don't take my word for it.  As ever, if you have any feedback, please send your dead letters to me, Hades, at hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com.  Disclaimer From the Lord of the Dead This episode is a work of satire, deliberate as ritual, and grim as prophecy. No events depicted herein are factual—though truth often chooses to wear a mask when it walks among the living. It is forged in the long and hallowed tradition of folklore: that ancient mortal craft of cloaking truths in tales, mocking kings through riddles, and laughing at monsters to rob them of power. Just as mortals once whispered of tyrants as toads and foxes in the safety of hearth-lit tales, so too do we now cloak modern hubris in mythic absurdity. The Underworld is not for sale, nor would I entrust its keys to a man who cannot distinguish a coin for Charon from a coin for Musk. This performance is an exercise of protected speech, under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution—a right mortals too often squander until the silence is all that remains. To fear satire is to fear reflection, and the dead do not flinch from mirrors. “Ἐν τοῖς σκιώδεσι, ἡ ἀλήθεια ψιθυρίζει.” “In the shadows, truth whispers.” Listen well. Laugh deeply. And remember: not all jokes are harmless… but the ones that bite are often the ones you needed to hear. — Hades, King of the Dead, Keeper of Oaths, and Guardian of Folklore’s Flame

    4 min

  3. Season 2 Trailer

    Letter of Atonement

    Send over your dead SMS messages. Greetings listeners, this podcast has been quiet in the last few months, and I finally have understood why. Quiet doesn't mean death; quiet is a time of reflection and understanding. Our writer has been wrestling with a personal quandary which has prevented her from working on this podcast, and she's finally decided to bring it into the light. As such, we'll be changing our next full-length episode, listeners, and share a story from her childhood. It's been lost to time, known apparently only to her and the few lucky enough to have read Cricket one holiday season, more than twenty years ago. This is her atonement ... for swiping left. As ever, if there is any feedback, I'm at hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com.

    9 min
  4. Selling the Underworld, Part II: Hades's Musical Counterpoint

    06/09/2025 ·  Bonus

    Selling the Underworld, Part II: Hades's Musical Counterpoint

    Send over your dead SMS messages. Greetings, listeners! In this musical counterpoint, I sing a song that Mr. President will never hear. You see, my singing might scare him off, and I can't do that. Not yet. After all, I'm trying to sell my realm, and if there's no leader to buy it, then I can't take my much-needed retirement. So, within the confines of my chariot, I belt this out while Thanatos laughs. Thanks, Reaper. As ever, any feedback may be sent to me at Hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com.  Disclaimer From the Lord of the Dead This episode is a work of satire, deliberate as ritual, and grim as prophecy. No events depicted herein are factual—though truth often chooses to wear a mask when it walks among the living. It is forged in the long and hallowed tradition of folklore: that ancient mortal craft of cloaking truths in tales, mocking kings through riddles, and laughing at monsters to rob them of power. Just as mortals once whispered of tyrants as toads and foxes in the safety of hearth-lit tales, so too do we now cloak modern hubris in mythic absurdity. The Underworld is not for sale, nor would I entrust its keys to a man who cannot distinguish a coin for Charon from a coin for Musk. This performance is an exercise of protected speech, under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution—a right mortals too often squander until the silence is all that remains. To fear satire is to fear reflection, and the dead do not flinch from mirrors. “Ἐν τοῖς σκιώδεσι, ἡ ἀλήθεια ψιθυρίζει.” “In the shadows, truth whispers.” Listen well. Laugh deeply. And remember: not all jokes are harmless… but the ones that bite are often the ones you needed to hear. — Hades, King of the Dead, Keeper of Oaths, and Guardian of Folklore’s Flame

    3 min
  5. Selling the Underworld, Part II

    06/06/2025 ·  Bonus

    Selling the Underworld, Part II

    Send over your dead SMS messages. Greetings, listeners! In this installment of our satirical skit, Mr. President stands outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, waiting for Aidoneus to pick him up in that promised chariot. Of course, Mr. President isn't thrilled about the prospect of having to dine on a platter of pomegranates, but buying a ready-made realm with a multitude of subjects eager to bow to him makes it all the more worth it. As ever, any feedback may be sent to me at Hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com.  If you'd like to download the song, "I'm Such a Genius", you may do so here. https://www.jammable.com/conversion/jam-yLS7R1Od Disclaimer From the Lord of the Dead This episode is a work of satire, deliberate as ritual, and grim as prophecy. No events depicted herein are factual—though truth often chooses to wear a mask when it walks among the living. It is forged in the long and hallowed tradition of folklore: that ancient mortal craft of cloaking truths in tales, mocking kings through riddles, and laughing at monsters to rob them of power. Just as mortals once whispered of tyrants as toads and foxes in the safety of hearth-lit tales, so too do we now cloak modern hubris in mythic absurdity. The Underworld is not for sale, nor would I entrust its keys to a man who cannot distinguish a coin for Charon from a coin for Musk. This performance is an exercise of protected speech, under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution—a right mortals too often squander until the silence is all that remains. To fear satire is to fear reflection, and the dead do not flinch from mirrors. “Ἐν τοῖς σκιώδεσι, ἡ ἀλήθεια ψιθυρίζει.” “In the shadows, truth whispers.” Listen well. Laugh deeply. And remember: not all jokes are harmless… but the ones that bite are often the ones you needed to hear. — Hades, King of the Dead, Keeper of Oaths, and Guardian of Folklore’s Flame

    4 min
  6. Selling the Underworld, Part I

    05/16/2025 ·  Bonus

    Selling the Underworld, Part I

    Send over your dead SMS messages. Greetings listeners, after silently watching the world burn for the past month, mustering up enough resolve to write has been ... difficult. Indeed, one wonders if ruling the Underworld is worth the trouble. Thus, I decided I needed to shake things up. Perhaps, cede the throne to one who has more vigor in him, not to mention the ambition to rule. Therefore, I took my trusted rotary phone to reach out to someone in the Upperworld who has clearly shown the world he means business. Hopefully, I'll have more to report after he comes to visit and enjoys our legendary hospitality.  As ever, any feedback can be routed to me at hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com. Disclaimer From the Lord of the Dead This episode is a work of satire, deliberate as ritual, and grim as prophecy. No events depicted herein are factual—though truth often chooses to wear a mask when it walks among the living. It is forged in the long and hallowed tradition of folklore: that ancient mortal craft of cloaking truths in tales, mocking kings through riddles, and laughing at monsters to rob them of power. Just as mortals once whispered of tyrants as toads and foxes in the safety of hearth-lit tales, so too do we now cloak modern hubris in mythic absurdity. The Underworld is not for sale, nor would I entrust its keys to a man who cannot distinguish a coin for Charon from a coin for Musk. This performance is an exercise of protected speech, under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution—a right mortals too often squander until the silence is all that remains. To fear satire is to fear reflection, and the dead do not flinch from mirrors. “Ἐν τοῖς σκιώδεσι, ἡ ἀλήθεια ψιθυρίζει.” “In the shadows, truth whispers.” Listen well. Laugh deeply. And remember: not all jokes are harmless… but the ones that bite are often the ones you needed to hear. — Hades, King of the Dead, Keeper of Oaths, and Guardian of Folklore’s Flame

    4 min
  7. Lore By the Lethe; Hypnos's Reluctant Sleep Stories - Visiting The Mythological Aquarium

    04/09/2025 ·  Bonus

    Lore By the Lethe; Hypnos's Reluctant Sleep Stories - Visiting The Mythological Aquarium

    Send over your dead SMS messages. Greetings, listeners! After a long hiatus as we figured out our priorities and reconnected with our creativity, we decided to energize this feed with something lighthearted and fun. Our podcast has been classified by Spotify as being very much like those offering sleep stories. So, we thought it might be fun to lean into that a bit. Of course, as you should know by now, we can never seem to do anything ... right. Tonight is no exception. Hypnos, the god of sleep, is none too happy about having to get off of his cloud to tell a sleep story. Nonetheless, I managed to convince him after promising a few favors.  Join him as he visits an aquarium where you'll find creatures like Hippocampi, merpeople, and Grindylows. Oh, and don't get left behind! If you have any feedback, feel free to reach out at Hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com.

    12 min
  8. Forging Ahead: Changes To The Podcast's Tech and a Thank-You

    04/06/2025 ·  Bonus

    Forging Ahead: Changes To The Podcast's Tech and a Thank-You

    Send over your dead SMS messages. Greetings, listeners. This is just a quick update regarding the podcast's direction. I'll be moving away from ElevenLabs due to some decisions they've made that go against my ethos as a creator. The new tech will mean a learning curve and a change to some of the voices. However, it is a small price to pay for my creative soul intact. Thank you to those who have been with me on this journey so far. I hope we'll be able to continue exploring the world of folklore together.

    14 min
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About

Hey there, listeners! Hermes here. Before you ask, no, I won't be writing all of the descriptions, and no, this podcast doesn't feature my uncle in name only.  Fireside Folklore with Hades is a variety show from the Underworld, hosted by my uncle, who has the deepest voice in any known pantheon and has finally learned to use it without my assistance. More on that in a moment. Every episode, we bring you folklore from around the world. Ancient and obscure. Whimsical and dark. From Yemen to Korea, Palestine to Colombia, Australia to Hungary and everywhere the stories live. Sometimes we retell them faithfully. Sometimes we modernize them for a world where women aren’t expected to mind the house and the kids. Have you ever seen Artemis angry? Trust me. You’re lucky if you haven’t. And sometimes, Hades personally takes over a ferry and gets lost on the River Styx while nymphs ask for his autograph. These things happen when you let him improvise. The family shows up too. Persephone brings recipes. Dionysus brings cocktails. Zeus advertises products that do not exist, cannot be purchased, and are not endorsed by anyone in the mortal world. Ares appears when someone needs to say something true and uncomfortable, which, given the state of the mortal world, has been frequently. Hestia once played a self-absorbed golden bird and delivered an aria about her own magnificence. She left the hearth and held that microphone like a star on Broadway. Osiris has set that to his ringtone. Nobody plays the same role twice. Nobody has any business playing most of the roles they've been given. It works anyway. Now. I am the god of commerce. I find it professionally embarrassing that this podcast has never charged a single drachma, has no intention of charging a single drachma, and my uncle has made clear that the fireside belongs to everyone who gathers around it, free of charge, forever, as a matter of principle. I have filed complaints. I have phoned the Furies. I’ve even tried bribing Persephone. All records of my attempts to introduce capitalism into this “enterprise” have mysteriously gone missing. If you want a serious podcast where the gods stay dignified and follow their mythological portrayals to a fault, look elsewhere. If you're curious about world folklore, believe laughter is medically necessary, and want to learn without having to actually do any work, take a seat. The stories are plentiful and absolutely free.

Information

  • Creator
    Tiffany J. Kim
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    103
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Fireside Folklore with Hades
  • Show Website
    Fireside Folklore with Hades