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cunning
Cunning is intelligence applied through deception, strategy, and resourcefulness—the use of wit and trickery to achieve goals or survive danger.
🎬3 episodes🔗8 related topics
In the Psycheverse
Psyche engages with cunning as a morally complex force in folklore and mythology, one that can belong to tricksters, spirits, and ordinary humans alike. The show treats cunning not as simple villainy but as a tool of survival and liberation, particularly in narratives where the powerless outwit the dangerous or the deceptive are ultimately undone by cleverness turned against them.
Episodes (3)
How three brothers outsmarted the fox spirit
This episode of the Cult of Psyche podcast features Trix recounting a folk tale about three brothers who outsmart a fox spirit through clever misdirection. The brothers use everyday objects to create the illusion of a fearsome creature, deceiving the fox spirit and causing it to flee.
EP.109
How the Farmer Tricked a Demon (Filipino Folk Tale)
Psyche/Trix narrates a Filipino folk tale about a farmer who makes a bargain with a demon for a magical invisibility stone to save his family from starvation. The farmer outwits the demon, using the stone to escape and eventually defeat the demon.
EP.132
🐇 Rabbit Hole
Topics that frequently appear alongside cunning
folk talesdeceptionDeception is the act of deliberately misleading others through lies, disguise, or manipulation—a fundamental human behavior explored across mythology, psychology, and social dynamics.human natureHuman nature is the set of fundamental characteristics, behaviors, and capacities shared across humanity—including capacity for compassion, judgment, desire, and moral complexity.fearFear is a psychological and emotional response to perceived threat or danger that can shape behavior, decision-making, and social dynamics.teamworkmythologyMythology encompasses the traditional stories, legends, and archetypal narratives that cultures use to explain the world, human nature, and spiritual truths. These stories persist across time through retellings, adaptations, and reinterpretations.
At a Glance
🎬Episodes3