Episode 10.4: Exploring the hidden threads of mythology and making

Rochelle Smith is the humanities librarian for the U of I Library. In this episode, she discusses the surprising ways gods, goddesses and other beings across cultures are connected to crafting and making. She also shares why these stories still matter today and what they reveal about human creativity and imagination.

Email us at vandaltheory@uidaho.edu.

Do you have a favorite myth?

Myths often feel like distant stories from the past, but they carry ideas that continue to shape how we think and create today. In this episode of “The Vandal Theory,” Smith explores the surprising connections between mythology and making — from weaving and sewing to blacksmithing and other forms of craft. She explains how gods, goddesses and mythic figures across cultures are tied to the work of human hands, and how these stories reveal what societies value about creativity.

Smith discusses how myths reflect cultural identity and shared human experience. Many of the tales show that making — whether building, crafting or storytelling — is more than a practical act. It’s tied to identity, power and imagination. These myths remind us that creativity is universal and that the drive to shape the world is as old as humanity itself.

Through her research, Smith also highlights how these stories continue to inspire new ways of thinking.

Music

“Young Republicans” by Steve Combs via freemusicarchive.org, not modified. 
“Daybreak Musing” by Christian Richard Lloyd via Amphibious Zoo.  

Chapters

(0:00) Do you have a favorite myth?
(4:50) Getting to know Rochelle Smith
(5:55) Gods and their hobbies
(7:45) What myths say about humanity
(18:37) Smith’s favorite myths
(21:20) Myths more people should know about
(24:13) Engage with the past
(27:23) Final thoughts