#ancient Greek myth

[katerinaaqu]

It's hard talking about the disrespect to Greek mythology and religion when every argument people brings to the table is "look at this original novel that is adapted into a movie that is turned into a tv show that didn't follow the original plot" as if the Greek culture is on par with fictional story instead of a tradition and heritage of real life people.

A media that is broadcast to the public and make accessible to everyone that erased the values and lesson of a cultural story still can do harm when it feeds misunderstanding and misinterpretion of the culture it originated from.

Greek people has the right to be upset when their culture keeps getting misrepresented, doesn't matter the good intentions behind it, why must it be at the expense of Greek culture?

You can create arts that is so beautiful and so praises by many, and years from now you could look back and see what an amazing experience and community you have created out of it. But at the same time you also continue feeding the distorted ideas and flawed understanding about a culture as a whole.

All because you took from a culture and want to tell your own story.

Retelling is telling back the story. Any addition or new ideas you bring is when there's part in the original story that is vague or open for interpretations. Even then, when you elaborate, you follows the already presented ideas that the original story already established.

If it so beloved to you and so meaningful to you, why couldn't you be faithful when adapting and retelling with the talents you have?

Shouldn't it be better if you created an original story inspired by it? If you feels that the values and standards are not to your taste, but you so loved the stories and could related to it, isn't it better to create original characters and settings with your own voice and narrative with the story inspiration as the backdrop?

At this point, what is greek mythology and lore to you? That makes you so passionate so inspired, that spark your imagination that encourage you to be creative but it is at the ruin of old age history that is meaningful for the Greek identity. Do you really appreciate the values and moral that you gained from the stories, or did you forget yourself along the way?

I couldn't have said it better! I agree to all that because that is exactly my sentiment as well! On one hand of course I am proud that Greek mythology contnues to inspire and people want to create stuff on them or that even now there are people who think the values of Greek Mythology are universal and they are!

But as you said it pains me to no limits when stories that were literally created from people based on their culture and religion to pass on messages are not only distorted beyond recognition but also to a degree where nowadays most people of Greek mythology liking spectrum know only how terrible villains some men are (in actual mythology they are complicated personas) and how weak women are (there are literlly figures in Greek mythology that are so strong personas that honestly I am shocked. See Helen for example how she is the most projected persona as a pretty face that does nothing when Helen literally taks back to Aphrodite, she is the only one who sees through Odysseus's disguise, she has knowledge of medicine and so much more for once) Mythology loses all its meaning, all its allegory and all its cultural spectrum because as you said people do not use it to retell the story, they use the word "retelling" as their excuse to just tell a story that fits them by using the popularity of greek mythology and yes as you said why cannot they say their original stories while using inspiration from Greek mythology?

Honestly I have nothing to add! You said it all dear Anon!

[sawbeaver]

<Iliad>

the details of the lyre part

[king-nyx]

I just found out that apparently there's an interpretation where Zeus straight up kidnaps Artemis and Apollo from Delos to fight Python. It's not a popular one, but it exists and all I can think of is this:

Apollo: I do care about Zeus although he kidnapped me and Artemis.

Dionysus *chokes on wine*: EXCUSE ME??

Apollo: Not the worst thing he's done.

[marcvscicero]

apollo using the leaves of the laurel tree, of daphne’s tree, daphne who had ran so, so far to get away from him, who had begged her father to do anything to save her, who had even still shrunk away from his embrace after she had turned into the tree, is something so evil + rotten to me.

after her clear “no”, emphasised over and over again, after her desperation to escape him, he then uses her leaves and bark to “honour her” in a way that ensures she can never be free of him, must always be touching him, brought with him wherever he goes, part of his “glory” + “victory”.

even after a kind of “death”, even after trying so hard to outrun him that she gives up her life + dreams + family, by doing the only thing she now can, he doesn’t let her go. and now, not only does he have her, but she can’t refuse:

she can’t say “no”, and she can’t pull away.

she can’t even speak.

[classicstober]

Welcome to ClassicsTober 2023!

✏️🏺🖊️

In 2021 my friend Dr Cora Beth Fraser and I (@greekmythcomix ) accidentally started ‘Classics-tober’ – a list of Ancient Mediterranean Myth and History prompts for each day in October, so that we had an excuse to draw Classics stuff for a month. We did it again last year and even more people joined in, so we’ll be running it again this year – we’re just putting the final touches to the prompt list for this year. And now that there are a LOT of new Social Media platforms, we’re going to be attempting to run it on as many of them as possible!

The idea is to create something - anything - for the prompt. Like other October prompt lists, it can be an illustration, but it can also be text, reference, historical artefact, video, story, translation... pretty much anything you're interested in from the Ancient Med World that fits with the prompt. There's no pressure to do every single one, just the ones you like.

This year we’ve chosen Ancient Greek Myth Characters, some well-known and others less so.

If you'd like to join in, tag this account and use #ClassicsTober and #ClassicsTober23 on your social media posts when you share them (and if on Tumblr tag this account)

NOTE: please make sure if you share the graphic you add the ALT text (below for you to copy and paste)

ALT:

Classics*-Tober3

Ancient Greek Myth Characters

* meaning Ancient Greece and Rome because no one's come up with a better term yet, but if you want to add additional Ancient Med cultures then yes please - especially if you can link them to versions of these myths/ characters!

1 Cassandra

2 Medusa

3 Asterion

4 Lycaon

5 Chiron

6 Medea

7 Persephone

8 Icarus

9 Achilles

10 Asklepius

11 Pandora

12 Theseus

13 Arachne

14 Helen

15 Prometheus

16 Circe

17 Atalanta

18 Phaedra

19 Sisyphus

20 Odysseus

21 Psyche

22 Midas

23 Orpheus

24 Hephaestus

25 Talos

26 Thetis

27 Pygmalion

28 Nyx

29 Nemesis

30 Tiresias

31 Hecate

#ClassicsTober #ClassicsTober23

Share or create any style of media inspired by the prompt for the day - illustration story, poetry, artefacts, video, translation, anything! Do as many as you like. Share with the hashtags above.

[vint-knight]

Finally finished drawing the Seal Boy!

@dootznbootz

[thepringlesofblood]

me, with a degree in ancient mediterranean studies, who has specifically studied ancient greek language, literature, drama, and epics, knows more ancient greek myths than Rick Riordan (because I’ve read all his works too), reading The Song Of Achilles: ok but maybe they’ll both live this time

[transbutchblues]

why is there more incest in ancient myth retellings that in the actual myths? this is especially about plays because novels tend to just ignore the incest for some reason (i heard of an oedipus retelling without incest…). but it’s the second play i’m reading about the house of atreus today that adds incest in between characters who only have incest undertones (if even that) in the original play. writers really see potential incestuous implications and say ‘i’m gonna make them kiss on stage’

[late-to-the-party-99]

Shattering Ivory Keys: A Masterpost

Hephaestus never wanted to force Aphrodite into marriage with him. But now that he has, he'll make things right and find a way to break it off.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

[neon-elliot]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that was not Artemis you slept with... 🐻🌙

[zen-the-dumb]

accurate.

(Zeus is a dick and no one can deny it-)

[sawbeaver]

What returned and what did not return.

[classicstober]

It’s the last day of #ClassicsTober23 , and I ( @greekmythcomix ) just want to say a massive thank you on behalf of me and Dr Fraser to everyone who has taken part over here on Tumblr, in our third year of running the prompts!

Such. Utterly. Fabulous. Art!

And such creativity in the types of posts!

If you’re on Twitter or Instagram it’s also worth checking out the hashtag - on Twitter particularly we’ve had artefacts: mosaic, pottery, stelae, and sculpture; reception paintings; storytelling; explanatory videos; translation; poetry; memes; cross-cultural mashups; jewellery design; soap, scent and candle creation; musical reception; cross-stitch; sewing patterns; and of course illustration! It has been a FEAST this year and such an amazing celebration of the ancient world!

Thank you all again!

Jenks x

[msbunnat]

🦉 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒓

Here is my Atena design!

I'm thinking of making her a little more muscular, but slender, as if she represented the agility of battles. She rarely smiles, like a strict teacher who wants the best for you and one way or another, she will always be remembered. Also her snakes re a refference to medusa, as they represent each other (as my friend told me and I love to see like that).

And! Apollo and Athena after 'God Games' in EPIC - the musical and she gets this lightning scar.

Zeus beat the crap out of her, but he would never kill Athena!! And I like that it suits him to be so strict with her, at least for me, she is the oldest daughter and the one who suffers the most pressure. What I dont like... its that in Epic, Zeus changed to look worse again!! ;w; really, he was way chill about releasing Odisseus and just wanted to not upset Poseidon in the process....

[thepringlesofblood]

so in the odyssey, the phaeacian king has some divine heritage, right? classic shit, royal justification, etc. but the divine heritage in question is fucking bonkers.

so. let’s start with The Giants. after the Titans, they’re kind of the next “evil more powerful versions of the gods that get defeated by the gods, yay olympus!”

The king of them, Eurymedon, is a huge dickwad. he kills a bunch of people and then dies. only his youngest daughter, Periboea, survives. “Poseidon slept with her. She had a child.” series wrap on Periboea.

The kid is Nausithous, the first king of Phaeacia. He’s just sort of a great king, not a war hero or magic boy or anything, just a good ruler which is WILD considering he is FULLY NOT HUMAN. he’s the son of one of the most powerful Olympian gods and a Giant, and he lives his life out as king of a mortal, human city-state with a mortal family. good for him.

Nausithous has 2 kids, presumably with a mortal human woman (or women) (otherwise they probably would’ve said), Alcinous and Rhexenor. Rhexenor dies young, before he can have a son to inherit all his stuff. He does have a daughter though, Arete.

Alcinous is all set to inherit Nausithous’ title and become king (idk if he steps down or dies? i mean his parents are both immortal its very possible he just sort of retired), but Arete is kind of a loose end in the line of succession. How do they solve this? Pick your answer below.

A. Alcinous adopts Arete, his niece, as his daughter, and becomes king.

B. Arete’s mother (who doesn’t even get a name rip) inherits her husband’s title, Alcinous marries someone else and has a son to inherit his title and thus the crown.

C. Alcinous marries and has a child with Arete, his niece, and they become king and queen of Phaeacia.

Did you guess C? I’m sorry, you were right! Gross!

so let’s do the math here on divine heritage bc it is. WILD.

Nausithous = half Poseidon, half giant. 0% human, 100% divine.

Alcinous & Rhexenor = 1/4 Poseidon, 1/4 giant, half human. 50% human, 50% divine.

Arete = 1/8 Poseidon, 1/8 giant, 3/4 human. 75% human, 25% divine.

Nausicaa (the child of Alcinous and Arete) = 3/16 Poseidon, 3/16 giant, 5/8 human. 62.5% human, 37.5% divine.

this is all extrapolated from the description of Alcinous’ heritage on pg 210 of Dr. Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey.

i been studying classics for over half a decade now, and shit like this still sneaks up on me sometimes.