Entirely Unofficial Rest is History Catalogue and Interrogator

Mythic & Legendary

32 Episodes 11 Series 111 Figures 12 Events 132 Books 1 Authors

The Mythic & Legendary era treats stories from the mythic past through classical antiquity and medieval legend, examining origins, transmission, and cultural afterlives. Content includes a multi-episode Atlantis series situating the myth in Plato’s dialogues and later geopolitics; a October–November 2025 bonus interview series with Mary Beard on figures like Julius Caesar, Alexander and Spartacus; multi-episode Greek myths and Helen of Troy series exploring Zeus, the Theogony, Homeric traditions, Schliemann’s archaeology and Helen’s portrayals; and a playful World Cup of Gods tournament of defunct deities. Episodes cover Troy, Robin Hood, ancient monsters, Roman conspiracies and Q&A material. Discussed figures and events include Gawain, Rama, Clytemnestra, King David, the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Founding of Carthage (814 BC), Cleisthenes’ reforms, the Resurrection of Jesus, Philistine capture of the Ark, the Massacre of the Innocents, and the Battle of Badon. Recommended texts referenced include Plato’s Critias, T. H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus, Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda and Andersen’s The Nightingale.

Timeline Subway

Episodes Series Figures Events Books Authors

Episodes by year

Showing 8 of 32

2022

1 episode

Robin Hood

Jun 06, 2022

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the origins, evolution and cultural afterlife of the Robin Hood legend.…

2021

7 episodes

28 Dec: Massacre of the Innocents and the Tay Bridge disaster

Dec 25, 2021

12 (or 13) Days of Christmas · Part 5

This episode of The Rest Is History (day four of the hosts' 12 Days of Christmas marathon) examines two anniversaries f…

Neanderthals

Dec 02, 2021

In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook interview Professor Chris Stringer (Natural History Museum) about Nea…

The World Cup of Gods - Part 1

Nov 27, 2021

World Cup of Gods · Part 1

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook present a light-hearted themed episode built around a Twitter-run "World Cup of…

The World Cup of Gods - Preview

Nov 27, 2021

World Cup of Gods

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook launch a playful "World Cup of Gods" tournament, explaining the rules (no curre…

This episode (part two of the "World Cup of Gods" coverage) features Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook taking listeners…

Page 3 of 3 (page size 12)

← Previous Show all

Series in this era

11 series

Historical figures

111 tagged

Historical events

12 tagged

Books

132 tagged

Authors

1 tagged

Homer

10 episodes

Mythic & Legendary

Episodes by year

2022

Robin Hood

2021

28 Dec: Massacre of the Innocents and the Tay Bridge disaster

Neanderthals

The World Cup of Gods - Part 1

The World Cup of Gods - Preview

Stephen Fry and Troy

Troy

The World Cup of Gods - Part 2

Series in this era

Greek Myths

King Arthur

World Cup of Gods

Helen of Troy

The Odyssey

12 (or 13) Days of Christmas

Atlantis

Bonus Interviews with Mary Beard

Dawn of the Samurai

Great World Cup Saga

Indiana Jones double bill

Historical figures

Athena

Zeus

Homer

Achilles

Odysseus

Agamemnon (King of Mycenae)

Helen of Troy

Apollo

Hera

Poseidon

Geoffrey of Monmouth

King Arthur

Menelaus of Sparta

Paris of Troy

Aphrodite

Demeter

Hector

Penelope

Persephone

Priam (king of Troy)

Cadmus

Clytemnestra

Cronus (Kronos)

Dionysus

Heracles

Hermes

Hesiod

Lancelot

Loki

Moloch

Mordred

Nestor

Odin

Oedipus

Pentheus

Telemachus

Abraham (biblical patriarch)

Aeneas (Trojan legendary prince)

Ambrosius Aurelianus

Anubis

Ares

Artemis

Cassandra (daughter of Priam)

Circe

Diomedes

Guinevere

Hades

Hengist

Horsa

Jason

Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus Christ)

Mary (mother of Jesus)

Merlin

Mithras

Patroclus