I am a huge fan of fairy tales, folklore, and myth, so when I recently learned of the Myths and Monsters series on Netflix, I decided I had to take a look. I’m sharing what I found here, in honor of Jenelle Schmidt’s February is Fantasy Month blog tour. For more information about this celebration of all things fantasy, click here.

Myths and Monsters is a documentary series first released by Netflix in 2017. Each show features two or three well known myths, legends, and/or folk tales from various European cultures and analyzes similar form or content features found in all of them. The identification of the features common to each of the featured stories then serves as the basis for an analysis of the roles each story played in its original era as well as its influence on contemporary storytelling in all of its various forms. Narrated by Nicholas Day, this series features interviews of literary experts who specialize in the form and/or content areas being discussed. Although the first season focused on the folklore of various European cultures, the producers intended to focus on the literary traditions of other cultures in future seasons.

So far, I’ve been able to view the first three episodes: Heroes and Villains, The Wild Unknown, and War. I was completely drawn into the Heroes and Villains episode, which focuses on an analysis of Star Wars as a basis for discussion of Joseph Campbell’s concept of the Heroes’ Journey (detailed in The Hero with a Thousand Faces) and how that concept arose from and applies to the basic mythic structure. As an author of fantasy literature, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.

Episode two: The Wild Unknown discusses the wilderness, in general, but specifically the forest and its function in literature as a place of darkness, danger, mystery, and the forbidden. Episode three turns to the epic and takes a look at war and its representation and function in literature.

I thought all three of the episodes I watched were very well done. Each show combines the narration of a core myth with beautifully drawn artwork and expert literary analysis. I am a fan of literature and the folklore form, so I very much enjoyed the episodes of this series that I have seen, and look forward to watching the rest. Even though season one only has a total of six episodes, there’s an entire season two to explore. If you’re at all interested in the way myth and fairy tales influence today’s literature, or if you appreciate the artistry aspect of storytelling, then you will enjoy watching this series.