Curated Video
Chinnamasta: The Headless Goddess of Self-Sacrifice
The Buddhist and Hindu Tantric goddess Chinnamasta is an audacious incarnation of divine feminine energy. She teaches us about giving and receiving, self-preservation and sacrifice, reproduction and death. This video contains mature...
Curated Video
Persephone: Bringer of Life or Destruction?
In Greek mythology, the magnificent mother and daughter duo Demeter and Persephone were the bringers of food and fair weather and were worshiped in lush harvest celebrations. But their story has a darker side – one involving violence,...
Curated Video
How Isis Brought Her True Love Back From the Dead
For the Ancient Egyptians, the cycle of life itself began and ended with Isis and Osiris. Their story is one of the oldest known myths, and it informed spiritual beliefs, power structures, and gender roles in Ancient Egypt and beyond....
Curated Video
The Fates: Greek Mythology's Most Powerful Deities
In this episode, we examine the Fates - three shadowy figures who seem to have a near omnipresent influence in the goings-on throughout the Greek mythical universe - and who show up in stories and religions from cultures whose time and...
Great Big Story
Kerri Cameron, Mastering the Wall of Death
Discover Kerri Cameron's thrilling journey as a female Wall of Death rider in a male-dominated sport.
Curated Video
The Taming of the Shrew 4.2 Interview: Tranio and Merchant
This video provides an engaging analysis of a complex scene from Act 4 of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", where themes of identity, deception, and social politics are explored through the interactions of characters in Padua. The...
PBS
Mari Lwyd: The Skeleton Horse's Deep Past with Christmas
The coastal villages of Wales around the winter holidays have a unique nighttime visitor. A grim skeletal equine monster roams the streets with a rag tag group and demands entry to the homes of the citizenry, demanding food and drink....
PBS
The Hidden Origins of Nixie, the Scariest Little Mermaid
The half-human half-fish Nixie may look very familiar at first. But these shape-shifting monsters with their eerie songs that lure humans to the watery depths are much older, and much scarier, than the mermaids we know from pop-culture.
PBS
Can All Monsters Be Traced Back to Tiamat?
Across multiple mythologies, the term “mother of monsters” is used frequently on the likes of women such as Echidna, Lamia, and Angrboda. But in Mesopotamian mythology, the mother of monsters is Tiamat, who’s less of a woman, and more of...
PBS
What Hellhounds Reveal about Humans' Oldest Companion
Hellhounds, the fearsome canine beasts of the underworld who often serve as guardians to the very gates of hell, pop up in a wide variety of cultural folklore throughout history. They're also fairly commonplace in the stories we tell in...
PBS
The Macabre Origins of the Grim Reaper
There are fewer images of Death personified than the scythe-wielding skeletal form of the Grim Reaper. But where did it come from? You may have heard that this haunting figure emerged as a result of the Black Plague, but that’s only a...
PBS
The Original Urban Legend: Spring-heeled Jack
19th century London and the hunting ground of Spring-Heeled Jack. The fire-breathing, wall-leaping, claw-wielding devil attacked women in their homes and in the streets, terrorizing England for more than 50 years. Learn how Spring-Heeled...
PBS
The Fatal Song of the Sirens
This episode explains how sirens appeared in ancient history, from literature to art, and looks at how the half human half bird creatures became more commonly associated with mermaids. From Ancient Greek legends to Medieval bestiaries,...
PBS
Jinn: The Ancient Arabian Shapeshifters
Jinn is a popular character in fiction and their origins continue to influence Islamic cultures today. From the Qur’an to The Thousand and One Nights, the story of Aladdin to I Dream of Jeannie and everything in between—the jinn are more...
PBS
Banshee: Ireland's Screaming Harbinger of Death
Dr. Zarka shows how this wailing female ghost connects to the very real Irish tradition of keening— a rhythmic wailing and mourning performed by women as part of the death ritual. Tune in to see how fact and fiction combine to create a...
Great Big Story
Tuscany’s Tarot Garden
Discover the extraordinary Tarot park in Tuscany inspired by tarot cards, created by artist Niki de Saint Phalle.
Great Big Story
Chef Catalina: Cooking Against the Odds for a Allergy-Friendly World
Meet Chef Catalina, a culinary maverick on a mission to create delicious food for every allergy and intolerance. Despite severe food allergies herself, Catalina embraces the challenge of reinventing traditional recipes for restricted...
Great Big Story
Claire Wineland's Legacy, Inspiring Life with Cystic Fibrosis
Explore the courageous journey of Claire Wineland as she shared her life with cystic fibrosis, inspiring many.
Curated Video
Romeo and Juliet 3.2 Performance: Juliet, Lines 97-127
This video segment features Juliet's intense monologue from lines 97-127 in Act 3, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Here, Juliet struggles with the conflicting emotions of grief and loyalty, mourning Tybalt's death while...
Curated Video
Romeo and Juliet 3.5 Performance: Romeo and Juliet, Lines 1-37
In this poignant exchange, Romeo and Juliet bid farewell at dawn, struggling to accept the reality of their separation. As daybreak approaches, they debate whether the singing bird is the lark or the nightingale, symbolizing their...
Curated Video
Romeo and Juliet 3.5 Performance: Lady Capulet and Juliet, Lines 68a-106
In this performance, Lady Capulet confronts Juliet about her prolonged mourning for Tybalt's death, urging her to cease her grieving. The dialogue highlights the tension between familial loyalty and romantic allegiance, as Juliet...
Curated Video
Romeo and Juliet 3.5 Interview with Lady Capulet and Juliet
This video delves into a poignant moment in Act 3, Scene 5 of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," where Lady Capulet confronts Juliet in her chamber late at night. The discussion reveals Juliet's deep sorrow for Tybalt’s death and her...
Curated Video
Romeo and Juliet 3.4 Interview with Paris and the Capulets
This video explores Act 3, Scene 4 of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," focusing on the Capulets' decision regarding Juliet's marriage to Paris in the aftermath of Tybalt's death. The narrative dissects the implications of forced...
Curated Video
Romeo and Juliet 3.3 Performance: Romeo, Lines 29-51
This performance from Act 3, Scene 3 of "Romeo and Juliet" captures Romeo's profound despair over his banishment from Verona. It explores his emotional plea, contrasting his forced exile with the freedom of even the lowest creatures in...