Ancient Egyptians feared Apophis--the snake demon of destruction--with a depth we can hardly even imagine. The dreadful snake-beast represented the utter obliteration of everything everywhere--all light, all life, all hope. They expressed this fear of the snake monster with stories: Every night, Apophis tried to devour the sun during it's journey through the dark lands. … [Read more...] about Apophis Lives! Coming Face-to-Face with the Egyptian God of Destruction
Mythology
The Darker Side of Greek Myths
When I tour school children through our museum's classical galleries, I tread carefully around some of the uglier aspects of Greek mythology. I might say something like, "Zeus fell in love with Europa and took her to Crete." Or, "Zeus loved Leda and came to her as a swan, etc., etc."In other words, I tiptoe around the fact that the head god of the ancient Greeks was … [Read more...] about The Darker Side of Greek Myths
Shedding Light on Dark of the Moon
I like to keep it simple, so here's my review of Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett: I loved it. This re-imagining of the Theseus myth is fresh, fascinating and--most importantly--plausible!I love books that force me to rethink stories and myths and Dark of the Moon does exactly that. Plus, it looks at this ancient myth from Ariadne's point of view, tying her story to the slow … [Read more...] about Shedding Light on Dark of the Moon
Note to Disney: These Ancient Stories Came First!
Mithradates, the subject of Adrienne Mayor's excellent book, THE POISON KING, became legendary for not only taking Rome down a peg or two, but for surviving countless assassination-via-poisoning attempts throughout his lifetime. How’d he do it? By imbibing just a little bit of poison every day until his body got used to it. In modern terms, he built up a tolerance, which … [Read more...] about Note to Disney: These Ancient Stories Came First!
Classics And The Hunger Games Trilogy
Plutarch, Cato, Octavia, Fulvia, Brutus, Castor & Pollux. You'd expect to see these names in history books, but as character names in the hottest young adult (YA) blockbuster? Not so much. And yet, Suzanne Collins, the author of the HUNGER GAMES trilogy, seems bent on making us think about the ancient world.The most obvious classical connection in the trilogy, of course, is … [Read more...] about Classics And The Hunger Games Trilogy
