Once Upon a Podcast

About Once Upon a Podcast

Once Upon a Podcast is the ultimate destination for anyone who loves fairy tales, myths, and folklore (or just a good story!). In each episode, we take a deep dive into classic tales, explore their often twisted origins, and uncover the dark, macabre themes lurking beneath the surface. Joe and Matthew explore why these stories were written the way they were, what they reveal about the time they came from, and how they continue to shape our world today. It's a perfect blend of casual conversation, humor, and a dash of history that’ll leave you with new insights (and probably a few laughs) every week. New episodes are released every other Tuesday at 7 am ET :)

Publisher

Joe Nay, Matthew Christensen, and Emma Porter

Category

arts · history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 May 2025

Latest episode

30 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

25 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Dec 2025

   Episode 23: Hans Christian Andersen

   Hans Christian Andersen didn’t just write fairy tales — he became one. In this episode, we step away from individual stories to talk about the strange, brilliant, deeply complicated man behind The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. From poverty and relentless ambition to self-mythologizing autobiographies, impossible romances, and a life that reads like one of his own tragedies, Andersen may be the most fascinating figure in fairy-tale history. This is not a tidy hero’s journey. It’s a story about obsession, creativity, loneliness, and the kind of determination that refuses to be told “no.”

2. 

   3 Dec 2025

   Episode 22: Tom Tit Tot

   This week Joe, Matthew, and Emma dive into Tom Tit Tot: Joseph Jacobs’ delightfully unhinged English version of Rumpelstiltskin. We talk pies (too many), imps (also too many), flax (never enough), and kings who really need to chill out about domestic textile production. We compare it to Grimm’s Rumpelstiltskin, break down its 19th-century dialect, explain why kobolds ruined the mining industry, and debate the morality of eating five hand pies in one sitting. If you enjoy a good “guess my name or I steal you” story, this one’s a classic.

3. 

   11 Nov 2025

   Episode 21: Straw, Coal, and Bean

   This week, Joe and Matthew dig into one of the Grimms’ smallest, but strangest, tales: The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean. From the chaos of a kitchen fire to an exploding bean and a tailor with great aim, it’s a story that’s equal parts absurd and oddly insightful. We explore its fable roots, the lost 1548 source text, and even how the Grimms’ students kept its spark alive centuries later. Also: bean breath, Cartoon Network songs, and survivorship bias.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 24 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

35

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Once Upon a Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.