Myths, Games & Meaning
What do Greek gods, video games, and popular culture have in common? More than you’d think.
I’m Dr Dani Shalet, and in Myths, Games & Meaning, I sit down with scholars, performers, storytellers, and creatives to explore how ancient myth is continually reimagined in modern culture. We look at how stories move from antiquity into video games, films, books, and the imaginative worlds we build through play.
From Medusa to Middle‑earth, from the Hero’s Journey to Tomb Raider and Baldur’s Gate, we dig into the myths that influence contemporary culture — and the ways we express our hopes, fears, and identities through storytelling, creativity, and games.
If you’re drawn to mythology, folklore, narrative design, or the stories that run through popular culture, you’ll feel right at home here.
New episodes are released monthly.
More at: https://www.mythsgamesmeaning.com
Join the conversation: https://www.instagram.com/mythsgamesmeaning/
Myths, Games & Meaning
Hamunaptra & Other Places We Probably Shouldn’t Explore: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Lara Croft & The Mummy
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After a short hiatus, Dani returns to the mic and is joined by special guest and friend Nanci Santos for a conversation about ancient adventures, fandom joy, and the role video games played in keeping people connected to the ancient world during lockdown.
When Covid shut everything down, exploration didn’t stop. It just changed shape. Dani and Nanci talk about how games became a practical and imaginative way to engage with the ancient world through play, research, and storytelling.
From early gaming memories like Woody Woodpecker, to discovering myth and history through Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Apotheon, the conversation explores why ancient settings work so well in games, and when they don’t.
And of course, there is time to celebrate an unsung hero. We return to The Mummy (1999) the best of the Mummy films, and make the case once again for Evelyn Carnahan as the real protagonist.
Join us for fandom, fieldwork, and folklore.
Find us at: https://mythsgamespod.wixsite.com/myths
Music: Intro and outro — Spirits of the Woods by Rotem Moav.
www.mythsgamesmeaning.com