Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Vashti Farrer, Naomi C. Lewis

Atalanta: the Fastest Runner in the World

Atalanta: The Fastest Runner in the World is a picture book for primary-school children that retells the story of Atalanta. It is published under an educational imprint, through Pearson Education, called Chatterbox, in a series of stories called Traditional Fiction, and thus marketed around the world. Other stories in the series include Rumpelstiltskin, and How Maui Stole Fire from the Gods.This short retelling of the Atalanta myth is written in simple language for young readers. The openin(...)

literary

YEAR: 2004

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Aphrodite Atalanta Delphic Oracle Hippomenes Meleager Prophecy

David Hair, Catherine Mayo

Athena’s Champion (Olympus, 1)

Athena’s Champion begins Hair and Mayo’s Olympus trilogy, which follows the early stages in Odysseus’ story. This novel details his discovery of his true parentage and divine lineage, and awakening to the world of the Gods as Odysseus is selected as Athena’s champion. As her champion, he is required to fight for her on earth alongside – and eventually against – Theseus, another of her celebrated servants. Odysseus begins the story as he attends a coming-of-age(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Afterlife Aphrodite Apollo Ares Artemis Athena Athens Gods Greek History Hades Helen Hera Hittite Empire Homer Iliad Ithaca Odysseus / Ulysses Persephone Prometheus Prophecy Pythia Sisyphus Theseus Zeus

Johnny Capps , Julian Murphy, Howard Overman

Atlantis (Series)

Jason, a twenty-first-century young man in search of his lost father, travels in a submarine through an under-ocean portal and ends up on the shores of the ancient city of Atlantis ruled by King Minos. He befriends a yet unrecognized mathematical genius/geek Pythagoras and a prizefighter past his prime, Hercules. In this version of the Minotaur myth, victims for the monster are picked from among the inhabitants of the city in a lottery. Pythagoras draws a black stone, but his friends try to save(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Admetus Aeson Alcestis Anabasis Ariadne Atalanta Baucis Campe Cassandra Circe Daedalus Destiny Furies Hecate Heracles Hercules Icarus Jason Jocasta Katabasis Laius Medea Medusa Melas Minos Minotaur Oedipus Oracle of Poseidon Oracles Orpheus Pandora’s Box Pasiphae Philemon Prophecy Pythagoras Telamon Thanatos Tiresias Underworld

Ogbeh Peter Ogbeh

Awele and the Stranger

A long time ago, there lived a very powerful lady named Awele. She was an excellent hunter. In one of her hunting expeditions she stumbled across a path which led her to the kingdom of Anye. Upon arrival she came across Prince Azuka who was being attacked by a group of warriors. Awele immediately intervened and helped fight off the prince’s assailants. Prince Azuka was grateful and brought Awele to the palace. King Ezewanyi of Anye immediately offered a part of his kingdom to Awele as a si(...)

african

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: Nigeria

TAGS: African Traditions Anagnorisis Oracles Prophecy

Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Christian Williams

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Series, S02E01–24)

The second season of Hercules: the Legendary Journeys utilizes the same basic structure as the first season (see relevant entry) but builds upon the momentum of the franchises’ popularity to expand the number of episodes to almost double that of the first season (13 and 22, respectively). Each episode is self-contained and depicts Hercules and his companion, Iolaus, embarking upon a quest to defeat a villain/bad-guy and/or to resolve an issue of injustice that plagues a town/village. (...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: New Zealand United States of America

TAGS: Admetus Alcestis Alcmene Aphrodite Barbarians Centaur(s) Demeter Echidna Giants Gods Golden Fleece Hades Hera Heracles Hercules Hero(es) Iolaus Iphicles Jason Judgement of Paris Medea Midas Orestes Persephone Prophecy Salmoneus Sisyphus Sparta Typhon / Typhoeus / Typhaon

Nick Willing

Jason and the Argonauts

Zeus and Hera, looking like a young and handsome couple, peer down at mortals from heaven among the clouds. They are observing Jason’s life from the murder of his father Aeëtes by his uncle Pelias, through his childhood years spent in anonymity away from his home, his return to the King’s court, the forced expedition to seek the Golden Fleece for his uncle, his visit to and escape from the Amazons, the finding of the seer, the arrival in Colchis, Medea’s help in getting th(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2000

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Absyrtus / Apsyrtos Aeëtes Amazons Argo Argonauts Argos / Argus (Constructor of "Argo") Atalanta Castor Clashing Rocks / Symplegades / Cyanean Rocks Colchian Bronze Fire-Breathing Bull Colchian Dragon Colchis Eros Harpies Heracles Hercules Hypsipyle Iolcus Jason Lemnos Magic Medea Olympians Orpheus Pelias Phineus Pollux Prophecy Teeth of the Dragon

Hector Nembo Fomba

Myth of the Origin of the Mbafung Chiefdom

The Mbafung community of the West Region of Cameroon was founded by hunters from the Adamawa Region. Their hunting expedition took them to an unknown place where they saw a very big hole in the ground. Suddenly, the hole started emitting fire. They tried to run away but a voice spoke to them, “Don’t run away! I am your ancestor; I want you to listen to me very carefully. When this fire stops, I will send my son who will become the head of this village. This village will be named LaaM(...)

oral

COUNTRY: Cameroon

TAGS: African Mythologies African Storytelling African Traditions Prophecy

Jessica Townsend

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Nevermoor is a novel set in an elaborate magical world, filled with people with super-natural abilities and magical creatures. These elements and the fact that the protagonist has to fulfil a series of quests, remind the reader of stories from Classical myth, and several figures have Classical names (Jupiter, Fenestra). The novel is a fantasy pastiche drawing on many inspirations, ancient and modern (e.g. C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, L. Frank Baum, P. Pullman). Morrigan Crow is a cursed child and d(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: New Zealand

TAGS: Prophecy

Kester Onuigbo

The Deity of Umudike Kingdom

The story is about the King of Umudike, a man who preferred female children and was destined to attract evil visitors to his land. One evening, the King was musing over the fate of his kingdom when his son, the Prince, entered and offered him palm wine. That same night, many different sources, including the Deity (Merima), would prophesize the visit of evil strangers to the village who intended to destroy the King and the villagers. When the villagers learned about this, they were gripped with f(...)

african

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: Nigeria

TAGS: African Traditions Prophecy

Robert Newman

The Twelve Labors of Hercules

This is a retelling of the myth of Hercules, aimed at teenage children, in novel format. At the end of the book there is an alphabetic list of characters of humans/non-humans and a short explanation of each.The story begins with Hercules’ birth and Hera tricking Zeus to bless Eurystheus instead of Hercules with the reign over Mycenae. Having realized that he was trapped, Zeus promises that nevertheless “Hercules will perform deeds so glorious that his name will be remembered forever.(...)

literary

YEAR: 1972

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Alcmene Amphitryon Antaeus / Antaios Atlas Augean Stables Chiron / Cheiron Copreus Deianeira Delphi Dodona Eleusinian Mysteries Eurystheus Fate Geryon Gorgon(s) Hades Hera Heracles Hercules Hermes Hestia Hydra Iole Iphicles Medusa Megara Meleager Nemean Lion Nereus Nessus Omphale Oracles Prophecy Pythia Thebes Typhon / Typhoeus / Typhaon Underworld Zeus

Jennifer Estep

Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy 1)

This is the first volume of the Mythos Academy series of paranormal fantasy novels for young readers. After the untimely death of her parents, seventeen year old Gwen(dolyn) Frost attends the so called Mythos Academy, a boarding school for teenagers who descend from mythical nations, gods, and warrior races. There she is trained as a future powerful fighter against Loki, the Nordic god of chaos, and his thugs called the Cutter, who help him to get control over the world. Gwen owns a powerful gif(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Nike Prophecy Sparta

Salvatore (Sal) Murdocca, Mary Pope Osborne

Vacation Under the Volcano (Magic Tree House,13)

In the Magic Tree House books, American siblings Jack and Annie (from Pennsylvania) are sent on missions in different times and places from a magic tree house by Morgan le Fay, a benevolent fairy who is a mother figure to the children. Their task is to recover a lost story in Latin, entitled: Vir Fortissimus in Mundo. This story used to be in a library in ancient Pompeii. Morgan le Fay also provides the siblings with a book called Life in Roman Times, which, throughout their adventure, they(...)

literary

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Eruption of Vesuvius Herculaneum Hercules Pompeii Prophecy Vulcan