Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

David Elliott

Bull is a unique retelling of the Cretan mythic cycle in the form of a verse novel. The story is related through monologues by Poseidon, Minos, Pasiphae, Asterion, Ariadne, Daedalus and Theseus. Poseidon takes control of the narrative, relating how Minos prays to the gods for a sign to justify his right to rule. The god obliges by sending a beautiful milk white bull out of the ocean. But when Minos conceals the creature within his herds and sacrifices an inferior animal in its place, he incurs P(...)

literary

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Androgeos Ariadne Asterion Athens Crete Daedalus Fate Labyrinth Minos Minotaur Pasiphae Poseidon Theseus

Andrey Valentinov

Diomedes The Son of Tydeus. Book 1: I Won’t Return [Диомед, сын Тидея. Книга первая: Я не вернусь]

This is a heroic fantasy fiction based on the myth of Diomedes, aimed at young adults, in novel format. The plot of the novel is reframing and reinterpretation of the myths of Seven against Thebes and Epigones, as well as other events from the life of Diomedes before the Trojan War. Diomedes, the son of Tydeus the Unforgiven, was born in exile. His father owes his unfortunate nickname and his status of exile to kindred killing performed by him in the state of madness. Diomedes himself exper(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: Russia

TAGS: Achilles Aegiale Agamemnon Alcmaeon Amphiaraus Amphitryon Athena/ Athene Capaneus Cronus Diomedes Fate Hades Helen Helen of Troy Hera Heracles / Herakles Hercules Human sacrifices Iolaos Menelaus Odysseus/ Ulysses Palamedes Paris Patroclus Priam Protesilaus Thersander Tydeus

Andrey Valentinov

Diomedes The Son of Tydeus. Book 2: Someone Else Will Return [Диомед, сын Тидея. Книга вторая: Вернусь не я]

This is a heroic fantasy fiction based on the myth of Diomedes, aimed at young adults, in novel format. The plot of the novel is reframing and reinterpretation of Iliad and Odyssey. The second part of Valentinov’s novel on Diomedes is dedicated to the exploits of the hero during the Trojan War and subsequent events.Diomedes has enough knowledge and experience to understand that the beginning of war between the West and the East on Troad plain would be suicidal: if Trojans call for help fro(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: Russia

TAGS: Achilles Aegiale Aeneas Agamemnon Amphilochus Amphitryon Athena/ Athene Cronus Diomedes Fate Hades Helen Helen of Troy Helenus Hera Heracles / Herakles Hercules Human sacrifices Menelaus Odysseus/ Ulysses Palamedes Paris Patroclus Priam Protesilaus Thersander Trojan War Tydeus

Colm Lawton , Simon Spence

Early Greek Myths (Series): Theseus

Theseus is part of a series of storybook myths aimed at very young readers. Each two-page spread combines a full-page illustration and a page of text. The text is presented in an informal style, in a Comic Sans-like font, while the illustrations present the characters as wide-eyed and childlike. The story begins with an introduction to Theseus, including the information that ion that he grew up without his father. We learn that Theseus eventually became strong enough to lift the rock that covere(...)

literary

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Architecture Ariadne Athena/ Athene Athens Cerberus Crete Fate Gods Greek art Greek mythology Hades Heracles / Herakles Hercules Katabasis Labyrinth Laurel wreath Minerva Minos Minotaur Persephone Reception of classical antiquity Theseus Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld

Jane Abbott

Elegy

Set in Kincasey, a small regional town in Victoria (Australia), this unusual novel, which starts with a prologue written as a newspaper article about a road tragedy, tackles the theme of reincarnation through the stories of a group of young people who all know each other. Some of them have known each other more than once. Using Ancient Greek myth as the base, but subverting it as well, the story is told from different points of view, swirling around the figures of Caitlin and Michael, who are th(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Afterlife Fate Heracles / Herakles Hercules Pandora Prometheus Pyramus Thisbe

SIE Santa Monica Studio

God of War III

The story revolves around Kratos, a Spartan warrior, who sets on his quest to defeat the Olympian gods – in revenge for their actions against him in the previous installments. (see the God of War and God of War II entries for more info)The game opens with Kratos’s famous words that ended God of War II: “Zeus! Your son has returned. I bring the destruction of Olympus!” The warrior marches to Olympus atop Gaia, along with her fellow Titans saved with the power of the Fates,(...)

electronic

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aeacus Aphrodite Apollo Athena/ Athene Battle of the Gods Battle of the Titans Boreas Centaur Cerberus Chimera Cyclops / Cyclopes Daedalus Epimetheus Fate Gaia / Gaea Golden Fleece Gorgon Gorgon Eye Hades Harpies Helios Hephaestus Hera Heracles / Herakles Hercules Hermes Hippocampi Hyperion Icarus Icarus Wings Kratos Kronos / Cronus Minos Minotaur Mount Olympus Nemean lion Oceanus Olympians Olympus Pandora Pandora’s Box Persephone Perseus Pirithous / Perithious Poseidon Poseidon's Trident Rhadamanthus Satyr Scorpion Sirens Sisters of Fate The Three Judges Titanomachy Underworld Warfare Zeus

Justine Fontes, Ron Fontes, Thomas Yeates

Graphic Myths and Legends (Series): Atalanta. The Race Against Destiny

The myth of Atalanta is retold here to familiarise young people with her myths and with ancient Greek culture more broadly. Atalanta is exposed as an infant, reared by a bear, then taken to live with hunters. She learns from the Delphic oracle that she will 'lose [her]self' if she marries. She takes part in the Calydonian boar hunt, challenges potential suitors to race her for her hand in marriage, and experiences metamorphosis once she finally marries. Chapter Headings:AbandonedFou(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aphrodite Apollo Architecture Argo Argonauts Artemis Atalanta Athena/ Athene Centaurs Demeter Divination Eros Fate Gods Greek mythology Hera Jason Meleager Metamorphosis Minotaur Moirai Mythology Nestor Oracles Ovid Ovid Metamorphoses Poseidon Reception of classical antiquity Theseus Witches Zeus

Carole Hénaff, Hugh Lupton, Daniel Morden

Greek Myths: Three Heroic Tales

Greek Myths: Three Heroic Tales is a highly illustrated retelling of the myths of Demeter and Persephone, Theseus and the Minotaur, and Orpheus and Eurydice. There is at least one illustration on almost every facing pair of pages with the illustrations setting the events in antiquity. Each myth is divided into chapters in the manner of a novel.Demeter and Persephone begins by prompting the reader to imagine a tri-part world, Olympus above, the world of mortals, and the realm of the dead below. P(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Afterlife Architecture Ariadne Athena/ Athene Athens Classical studies Crete Daedalus Demeter Dionysus Eleusinian Mysteries Fate Gods Greek music Greek mythology Hades Hades' Throne Hermes Icarus Immortality Katabasis Labyrinth Maze Minos Minotaur Mythology Nymphs Olympus Orpheus Pasiphae Persephone Pluto Proserpina Reception of classical antiquity Theseus Underworld Zeus Zeus' Throne

Jennifer Adams, Alison Oliver

Little Master Homer. The Odyssey

The Little Master Homer: The Odyssey takes nine episodes from Homer's Odyssey and distils each into a picture/caption/speech-bubble unit. The illustrations cross two pages; they are bold and stylised, designed to capture the attention of very young children. The first character introduced is 'Calypso, the Nymph'. She is saying, I keep Odysseus here with me since I saved him from the wine-dark sea. Next, 'Ino, the Sea Nymph', says, Take my veil and tie it around your(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achilles Afterlife Agamemnon Charybdis Circe Classical studies Cyclops / Cyclopes Divination Fate Greek music Greek mythology Hades Homer Iliad Music Mythology Nymphs Odysseus/ Ulysses Odyssey Polyphemus Reception of classical antiquity Scylla Sirens Underworld Witches

Weng Chen (Jade), Carolyn Hennesy

Mythic Misadventures (Series, Book 1): Pandora Gets Jealous

This is the first installment in a series of books called Mythic Misadventures that takes the classic story of Pandora’s box and gives it a young, adventurous, partly contemporary twist – Pandora is Prometheus’ thirteen-year-old daughter. In Pandora Gets Jealous, she brings the box Zeus had given her father to school for her annual school project. When she accidentally unleashes all the evils inside, she is tasked with recapturing them all before the entire world is ruined(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aphrodite Apollo Ariadne Artemis Athena/ Athene Athens Cadmus Chimaera Delphi Demeter Dionysus Eros Fate Fire Gods Gorgons Greek mythology Harpies Hephaestus Hera Heracles / Herakles Hercules Hermes Immortality Medusa Morpheus Olympians Olympus Pandora Pandora’s Box Pegasus Perseus Poseidon Prometheus Titans Zeus

George O'Connor

Olympians (Series, Book 1): Zeus. King of the Gods

Zeus – King of the Gods is the first instalment of the Olympians series. The series comprises stylish looking graphic-novels created in the superhero comic-book tradition. Each volume is dedicated to retelling myths about individual Greek gods, with the gods appearing in each other's volumes much as superheroes overlap in the DC or Marvel universes. While the title of this volume is Zeus – King of the Gods, the volume also establishes the Olympians universe by retelling Greek cre(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aphrodite Architecture Classical studies Creation myths Crete Cyclops / Cyclopes Demeter Erinyes Fate Gods Greek mythology Greek philosophy Hades Hera Hestia Immortality Katabasis Kronos / Cronus Metis Moirai Mythology Nymphs Olympus Poseidon Prometheus Reception of classical antiquity Titans Underworld Zeus Zeus' Throne

George O'Connor

Olympians (Series, Book 2): Athena. Grey-Eyed Goddess

These tales of Athena are narrated by the Moirae, the Fates. They are all-seeing and know what happened in the earliest times, and even what happened inside Zeus' head. They know who Athena is, and here they tell stories of her birth, followed by three stories of Athena establishing her identity: young Pallas, monster Pallas, Perseus and Medusa, and finally a story of fully-established Athena – the myth of Arachne.The Fate Klotho narrates at first. She recaps the myth of the triumph of(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Andromeda Arachne Architecture Ares Athena/ Athene Athens Classical studies Fate Gaia / Gaea Gods Graeae Sisters Greek art Greek mythology Hera Hermes Hermes' winged boots Juno Kronos / Cronus Medusa Mercury Metamorphosis Metis Minerva Moirai Mythology Nymphs Olympus Ovid Ovid Metamorphoses Pegasus Perseus Poseidon Reception of classical antiquity Witches Zeus Zeus' Throne

Laura Paoletti , Ali Smith

Save The Story (Series): The Story of Antigone [La Storia di Antigone]

Ali Smith’s The Story of Antigone follows the familiar plot of the play by Sophocles. Prior to the beginning of the play, Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, are leading the opposing sides in the Theban civil war. The two brothers kill each other at the same time and Creon declares that Eteocles was the rightful king of Thebes and will be honoured and that Polyneices is a rebel and will be denied holy rites of burial. After the death of her brother, Antigone goes against th(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: Italy

TAGS: Antigone Chorus Creon Eteocles Fate Gods Greek mythology Haemon Ismene Polynices Sophocles

Carrie Beck, Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, George Lucas

Star Wars Rebels (Series)

Star Wars Rebels is a 2D animated series that adds to the main Star Wars saga storyline while introducing new characters and plots. The series is set in between Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005) and Star Wars: Rogue One (2016), approximately fifteen years after the foundation of the Galactic Empire (for more background on the Star Wars universe, please see the entry for Star Wars. The Clone Wars). The story follows Ezra Bridger, a "Force sensitive" (i.e. supernaturally talented) te(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Afterlife Architecture Argo Argonauts Fate Gods Immortality Katabasis Laurel wreath Mythology Phoenix Punic Wars Reception of classical antiquity Roman Empire Roman history Roman republic Rome Slavery

Dakota Lane

The Orpheus Obsession

The Orpheus Obsession is the coming-of-age story of sixteen-year-old Annoshka Stargirl. She loves photography, and has a habit of imagining her life as a movie. She lives in upstate New York with her mother, who is depressed and remote, and her beloved budgie Zach. Her father moved out years ago and rarely makes contact. Anooshka’s stylish older sister, Zoetrope Zallulah Moon (known as ZZ Moon), has already left home and rents an apartment in New York City. At the start of the summer holid(...)

literary

YEAR: 2005

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Eurydice Fate Music Odyssey Orpheus Underworld

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 Anteus Atlas Augean Stables Chiron Copreus Deianeira Delphi Dodona Eleusinian Mysteries Eurystheus Fate Geryon Golden Apples Gorgon Hades Hera Heracles / Herakles Hercules Hermes Hestia Hydra Iole Iphicles Jealousy of gods Medusa Megara Meleager Nemean lion Nereus Nessus Omphale Oracles Prophecy Pythoness Thebes Typhon Underworld Zeus

Jean Chalopin, Yoshitake Suzuki, Nina Wolmark

Ulysses 31 [Ulysse 31]

Ulysses 31 was created by a Japanese animation company for a French audience, conceived as a way to use modern Japanese cartoon work to introduce a young audience to the myths of Odysseus within a futuristic sci-fi environment. The series is based on Homer's Odyssey, set in the 31st century. Some additional Greek myths and, to a much lesser extent, myths from further cultures, are woven into the narrative, including Native American. The premise of the programme and of individual episode(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: France Japan

TAGS: Amazons Architecture Ariadne Asclepius / Asklepios Athena/ Athene Charybdis Comedy Cyclops / Cyclopes Demeter Divination Egypt Fate Galatea Gladiator games Greek mythology Greek theatre Hades Hermes Kronos / Cronus Labyrinth Laurel wreath Lernaean Hydra Maze Mercury Minos Minotaur Odysseus/ Ulysses Odyssey Oedipus Rex Oracles Orpheus Ovid Metamorphoses Pegasus Penelope Persephone Poseidon Scylla Sirens Slavery Sophocles Telemachus Theseus Tragedy Trojan War Troy Underworld Zeus