How I Got These Scars

About this episode

The episode retells the story of Thelyphron from Apuleius’ Metamorphoses with a darker tone and discusses related themes.

As a young student, Thelyphron took on what sounded like an easy job to make some money, but it turned out to be a lot more dangerous than he thought… Adapted from the comedic story of Thelyphron in Apuleius’ novel Metamorphoses (also known as The Golden Ass ), this re-telling gives the story a slightly darker tone, leaning into the horror just a little more. It’s followed by a chat about ancient mourning rituals, gender and Roman witchcraft, and Apuleius’ own defence on charges of magic. Website: www.julietteharrisson.co.uk Buy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome: https://books2read.com/u/b6XGkM Buy Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Greece: https://books2read.com/u/mK5oaL Creepy Classics music written and composed by Ed Harrisson © This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit julietteharrisson.substack.com

Topics covered

• ancient mourning rituals
• gender
• Roman witchcraft
• Apuleius
• Metamorphoses
• horror

Keywords

• Thelyphron
• Apuleius
• magic
• comedic story
• dangerous job

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome, Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Greece

Books & works: Metamorphoses, The Golden Ass, Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Rome, Creepy Classics: Ghost Stories from Ancient Greece, Creepy Classics

More episodes of Creepy Classics

• The Desertion of Drakelow · June 5, 2026 · 36 min
• The Tale of Thorstein Shiver · May 11, 2026 · 30 min
• The Wife of Laxárdala's Tale · April 2, 2026 · 38 min
• The Poet and the King · February 27, 2026 · 37 min
• The Root of all Kinds of Evil · January 30, 2026 · 42 min
• The Hound's Voice · December 20, 2025 · 41 min