Tales of Bedlam
Welcome to "Tales of Bedlam," where timeless fairy tales come alive with historical context and personal insight! Join our husband-and-wife hosting team as we peel back the layers of your favorite fairy tales to reveal the fascinating historical realities that shaped these enduring stories.
In each episode, we reimagine classic tales with historical accuracy, share our personal connections to these stories, and sprinkle in plenty of humor along the way. From the dark origins of Grimm's fairy tales to the cultural significance of folklore across different societies, "Tales of Bedlam" offers a fresh perspective on stories you thought you knew.
Whether you're a folklore enthusiast, history buff, or enjoy thoughtful storytelling with a dash of whimsy, subscribe to our channel for weekly entertaining and enlightening episodes. Join our growing community where the magic of fairy tales meets the reality of history!
Subscribe now and become part of our storytelling journey through the realms of Bedlam.
Episodes
44 episodes
Sleeping Beauty in the Wood
Join hosts Micah and Andrea as they dive into Charles Perrault's 17th-century version of Sleeping Beauty, a tale far more twisted than the Disney adaptation you know. In this episode, our hosts explore the often-overlooked second half of the cl...
Sun, Moon, and Talia
In this gripping episode of Tales of Bedlam, hosts Micah and Andrea dive into Sun, Moon, and Talia, a haunting 17th-century Italian version of Sleeping Beauty by Giambattista Basile. With dark themes including non-con...
Sleeping Beauty - A 5 Minute History
In this special "5 Minute History" episode of Tales of Bedlam, host Micah takes you on a whirlwind journey through six centuries of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. This episode uncovers how the story transformed over time, ...
Lambikin
In this episode of Tales of Bedlam, your hosts Micah (Knob Twister) and Dustin (Sofa Sitter) dive into Lambikin, a lesser-known Indian folktale collected by Joseph Jacobs in 1910. Don’t let the cute name fool you—this story of...
The Girl Who Pretended to Be a Boy - Part Three
In the grand finale of The Girl Who Pretended to Be a Boy, the Tales of Bedlam crew (Knob Twister, Sofa Sitter, Dr. Know-All, and Mr. Death Hades) return with the conclusion of this fantastical, funny, and fiercely weird folk tale. Ili...
The Girl Who Pretended to Be a Boy - Part Two
Buckle up for the outrageous second part of “The Girl Who Pretended to Be a Boy,” where dragons are fought, flowers are tested, and identity is anything but straightforward.In true Tales of Bedlam fashion, Micah (Knob Twister), ...
The Girl Who Pretended to Be a Boy - Part One
In Part One of The Girl Who Pretended to Be a Boy, Tales of Bedlam dives into a classic Romanian fairy tale filled with royal dilemmas, magical disguises, and a surprisingly dramatic wolf. Adapted from Andrew Lang’s Violet Fairy Bo...
Bremen Town Musicians Part Two
The Tales of Bedlam crew picks up where Part One left off in this laugh-out-loud finale of Bremen Town Musicians. Our unlikely heroes—an aging donkey, a down-on-his-luck dog, a cynical cat, and a paranoid rooster—embark on a b...
Bremen Town Musicians Part One
In this uproarious episode of Tales of Bedlam, Micah and Dustin dive headfirst into the classic Grimm Brothers tale, The Bremen Town Musicians Part One. But this isn’t your average fairy tale reading—expect unpredictable twist...
The Witch Wife's Fate
In this wild and witty episode of Tales of Bedlam, your hosts Sofa Sitter and Knob Twister dissect the strange and magical Native American tale “Witch Wife’s Fate.” Meet White Corn, a witchy wife with owl eyes and suspicious coo...
Bad Little Girl of Acoma
In this episode of Tales of Bedlam, hosts Micah and Dustin unravel the strange and cautionary tale of The Bad Little Girl of Acoma, a Native American folktale transcribed by Elizabeth Willis DeHuff. What begins with a wayward tu...
Struwwelpeter (Shockheaded Peter)
In this Halloween special of Tales of Bedlam, we dive into the disturbingly delightful world of Struwwelpeter (Shockheaded Peter)—the infamous 1845 German children’s book written and illustrated by Heinrich Hoffmann. Host Knob...
The Dead Mother
What happens when a dead mother refuses to stop parenting? In this dark and twisted Russian fairy tale, Tales of Bedlam takes you through the haunting legend of “The Dead Mother”—a tale of love, loss, and… undead lactation? With their ...
The Young Slave
In this Halloween spooktacular episode of Tales of Bedlam, your hosts Knob Twister and Sofa Sitter unravel one of the strangest tales ever penned—"The Young Slave." Collected by Italian poet Giambattista Basile, this fairy tal...
How Some Children Played at Slaughtering
This Halloween, Tales of Bedlam digs up one of the Grimm Brothers’ most disturbing stories—so twisted it was removed from their original 1812 collection. “How Some Children Played at Slaughtering” isn’t your average bedtime st...
The Flayed Old Woman
In this Halloween special from Tales of Bedlam, Micah and Dustin dive into the grotesque and grimly hilarious Italian tale of The Flayed Old Woman. This twisted story kicks off the podcast’s October spooktacular—a month of uns...
The Rusalka Poem
In this haunting episode of Tales of Bedlam, host Knob Twister (Micah) and guest Andrea dive into the eerie world of Slavic folklore through the poem “The Rusalka” by the legendary Alexander Pushkin.Unlike the frie...
Carried Away By the Wind
In this hilariously twisted retelling of the Polish fairy tale Carried Away by the Wind, Tales of Bedlam dives into the darkly magical world of Slavic folklore. When a vengeful magician curses a peasant to be swept through the skies fo...
The Demon's Dance
In this hilariously twisted episode of Tales of Bedlam, your hosts Micah and Dustin dive headfirst into Slavic folklore with The Demon’s Dance, a Polish tale packed with chaos, demons, and questionable life choices. Whe...
The Bad Wife
In this wildly entertaining episode of Tales of Bedlam, hosts Dustin (Sofa Sitter) and Micah (Knob Twister) unravel the twisted and comical Slavic folktale, "The Bad Wife." What starts as a story of a notoriously disobedient and...
Ring Around the Rosie - Debunking Plague Myths
Was Ring Around the Rosie really about the Black Plague—or is that just a morbid myth? In this episode of Tales of Bedlam, hosts Knob Twister and Sofa Sitter dig into the eerie lore, historical guesses, and internet-fueled con...
Quarrelsome Demyan
In this episode of Tales of Bedlam, we kick off a deep dive into Slavic folklore with a bang—literally. Join your hosts as they unravel the hilariously unsettling tale of Quarrelsome Demyan, a peasant with a punchy temper and ...
Humpty Dumpty Decoded
In this inaugural Tales of Bedlam nursery rhyme episode, your hosts Knob Twister and Sofa Sitter dive deep—and hilariously off the rails—into the mysterious origins of Humpty Dumpty. Was he really an egg? Or was he a massive 17t...
