Good-Natured Comedy about Animal Folklore, Biblical Silliness, and the Artificial Primate Habitat I call Home. What can ancient Animal Myths and Fables tell us about how to be Human in modern life? SNODGRASS is a college teacher, public speaker, and the author of Shakespeare’s Goddess, Genesis and the Rise of Civilization, and Chaos Chaos. More info at j-snodgrass.com
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Tjsnodgrass5 Podcasts

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The Trojan War and Euripides' Helen (Sample Chapters of WELCOME TO TRAGEDY)
17:39
17:39
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17:39I wrote a little book, Welcome to Tragedy: A Beginner's Guide to Greek Drama, with brief introductions to all of the surviving scripts by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides (plus three comedies by Aristophanes). I was fascinated by the variety of Greek drama, ranging beyond familiar definitions of "Tragedy." One script that really sticks out is Eur…
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Fire is like this pet we've been trying to adopt and domesticate for half a million years. But at heart, all fire is wildfire. In this episode, we'll be looking at some classic fire stories from Indigenous Americans, Ancient Greeks, and the Lethal Weapon film series.By j. SNODGRASS
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One of the great mysteries of all Biblical Scripture is God's great battle with a sea-monster called Leviathan. Why did God have to mud-wrestle this beast? Was it killed and left out for the ravens, or is it still at large? And how might the grudge-match live on in modern courtrooms and classrooms?By j. SNODGRASS
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MayDay and the Mysterious Robin GoodFellow Hood
16:47
16:47
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16:47Was Robin Hood really a Medieval Knight, or was he some kind of Goat-legged trickster? And what did he have to do with Pagan Pole-dancing? [Note: This live recording has some microphone buzz, but it basically came out alright]By j. SNODGRASS
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In a candid moment, the Easter Bunny shares some personal recollections and ponders the... Well, you'll see. Or, in this case, hear.By j. SNODGRASS
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For some, the word "Labyrinth" conjures ancient visions of David Bowie with tight pants and puppets. The ancient Labyrinth was the lair of the man-eating Minotaur. We'll explore the myth of this monster, and the princess who masterminded its demise.By j. SNODGRASS
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Adopting a new dog (a dingo-corgi) raises fascinating questions about the long history of human-canine cooperation. And there's this Gospel story where Jesus calls someone's daughter a dog - what's up with that?By j. SNODGRASS
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Abraham is remembered as a "good shepherd" - but did his sheep feel this way? In this episode, we'll explore how livestock herding has helped to shape human history. Alert: this episode does contain references to Biblical animal cruelty.By j. SNODGRASS
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The Carolina-dog (A Free Sample Chapter of "Chaos Chaos")
13:41
13:41
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13:41Piling chili and coleslaw onto a hotdog sure is food for thought, inspiring questions like "what is 'food'?" And "if you are what you eat - what am I?" This is a sample chapter of the book "Chaos Chaos," a collection of comical personal recollections, silly bits of history, and some idiotic ponderings about what it means to be human.…
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How did a donkey become the only animal prophet in the Bible? And how did horses change the lives of Indigenous Americans of the Great Plains?By j. SNODGRASS
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A bear visits our campsite at Allegany State Park. Michael nearly learns a valuable lesson. A Biblical prophet's baldness summons the ursine species into existence. And we learn what happens when a bear refuses to dance like a chicken.By j. SNODGRASS
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What's the Lifespan of your Average Magical Groundhog? Why is his February message so important? And how does Groundhog Day relate to Ancient Systems of Spring Predictions?By j. SNODGRASS
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A Comical Glance at the Talking Serpent of Eden, Snake-Handling Churches, and some of the Silliest Snake-stories of the Bible. Plus: Before the Garden of Eden story got so famous (and poisonous) - what did the locals of Israel actually like about Women, Snakes and Trees?By j. SNODGRASS
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Watching the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings with my Kids I wonder - What's Humanity's great Fascination with Dragons? Where does the word come from, and what kind of Dragon-lore (good, bad, and ugly) might we find in Greek, Mayan and Chinese Mythology? And what might our long Multicultural Love-Hate Relationship with Scary Reptiles have to tell us ab…
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How did the Human Species Survive in the Chaos of the Jungle?By j. SNODGRASS
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How did a Native American Raven bring light to the world? What happened to the Cratchit family goose in A Christmas Carol? And why did two Turtledoves have to die when Jesus was born?By tjsnodgrass5
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In this very special episode, the featured creature is James Taylor (or, more specifically, his eyebrows).By tjsnodgrass5
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What's the first thing Noah did when the Ark landed? Can elephant sounds be translated into English? And why do I have to live in an artificial primate habitat?By tjsnodgrass5
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Why does James Bond look so silly under water? Was Jonah swallowed by a fish or a whale? And how big can a fish story get?By tjsnodgrass5
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If you and I buy milk from the same grocery story, and it comes from the same cow - does that make us siblings? What's the difference between a Sacred Cow and a Golden Calf? And how could a cow have resolved the cosmic conflicts in Viking Mythology?By tjsnodgrass5
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Why is the Easter Bunny male? And how does he lay eggs? The ancient Aztecs and Chinese agree there's a rabbit on the moon. How did it get there? And how do all these rabbits survive on the streets of Buffalo?By tjsnodgrass5
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