Myth Madness (2024)

12/12/2023

Greek mythology is full of terrible tales, and the story of the brothers Atreus and Thyestes includes murder, adultery, in**st and cannibalism. These two cursed sons of Pelops were exiled from their homeland, and later fought against each other for control of Mycenae. Tragedy and nastiness ensued.

This illustration from a 15th century medieval manuscript shows the feast Atreus held for his brother Thyestes. A servant uncovers a dish revealing the gruesome truth behind the entree's mystery meat. This Greek myth was popular in the Middle Ages. Elements of it inspired parts of William Shakespeare's play Titus Andronicus.

05/12/2023

When the Seven Against Thebes’s were killed, they left behind children. Athena assigned these Sons of the Seven the task of destroying Thebes and avenging their fathers.

Some, like Thersander, Aegialeus, and Diomedes were enthusiastic in building an army. Alcmaeon, the son of the champion Amphiaraus was not. Alcmaeon also blamed his mother Eriphyle for the death of his mother and was at first torn between two conflicting duties.

After the war was over, the Sons of the Seven had more adventures. Some rose to kingship. Alcmaeon struggled with the wrath of the gods.

During ancient times, Diomedes was one of the most revered Greek heroes due to a number of other adventures including fighting in the Trojan War and being the legendary founder of multiple cities. He had an active hero cult and his likeness was a popular subject of Greek statue. This example is a Roman copy of a Greek original from approx. 435 BC.

27/11/2023

The battle between Eteocles and Polynices is over and the sons of Oedipus are dead. The fate of Oedipus’s daughters – Antigone and Ismene – is a less epic more personal tragedy story and is told in a handful of plays by the Greek playwright Sophocles. One of those tells how the willful Antigone felt she was duty-bound to ensure her brother Polynices got a proper burial. This brought her into tragic conflict with Thebes’ new regent, the powerful nobleman Creon.

This episode retells stories from two plays by Sophocles
- Oedipus at Colonus
- Antigone

20/11/2023

Eteocles and Polynices were the sons of Oedipus and like their father they were cursed. In their case, they were doomed to kill each other. Eteocles and Polynices fought over their father’s throne with Polynices eventually being exiled from Thebes. He gained the support of Adrastus, the king of Argos, and a collection of heroic scoundrels. Together, they led a great army against Thebes with the intent of making Polynices king.

14/11/2023

Oedipus is probably the one Greek hero who has broken free from Greek mythology and become something else entirely. That of course is all thanks to psychologist Sigmund Freud. Many people today are familiar with the hero, who is cursed with killing his father and sleeping with his mother. But the wider tradition of Greek myth about Oedipus is much more complex. Stretching at least as far back as the 8th century BC, Oedipus is another famous beast-slayer from Greek mythology. Additionally, the story of Oedipus’s curse actually concerns 4 different generations of the Theban royal family. Taken together, it is called the Theban Cycle. This episode focuses on Oedipus and his father Laius.

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31/10/2023

In Greek mythology, centaurs were dangerous. Numerous heroes got into fights with them and there was even a centaur war. In it, the half-horse creatures fought against an equally fierce human tribe called the Lapiths, lead by a hero named Pirithous. Pirithous is an interesting character in Greek mythology. He is not well known today, but its clear he was important to the ancient Greeks. This episode covers:
• The mythical origins of the centaurs and Lapiths
• How trouble at Pirithous’s wedding led to a war between the two groups
• Pirithous’ ill-fated friendship with Theseus

24/10/2023

Theseus was one of the heroic monster-slayers of ancient Greece. This episode covers his most famous deed – the slaying of the Minotaur. As a punishment for the Athenian king’s involvement in the murder of his son, Minos of Crete demanded a tribute of 7 young men and 7 young women every nine years to feed the Minotaur. Theseus was one of these youths. He went to Crete, and with help from the princess Ariadne, killed the Minotaur. After returning to Athens, Theseus ascended the throne and went on to have other adventures.

17/10/2023

Theseus was one of the heroic monster-slayers of ancient Greece. This episode covers his beginnings. The Athenian king Aegeus was childless and worried about his hold on the throne. The fairly unhelpful advice he got from the Oracle of Delphi brought him to the palace of his friend Pittheus. What followed was the pregnancy of Pittheus’ daughter Aethra, and the birth of Theseus. When Theseus grew up, he set out to meet his father, and met some dangerous characters along the way.

An Attic red-figure kylix vase depicting various adeventures of the hero Theseus. The outer part shows the dangerous characters Theseus met on his way to Athens. The vase was made around 440-430 BCE. (British Museum, London)

11/10/2023

Peleus is a Greek hero who is not well known today but was important during ancient times. He was an Argonaut searching for the Golden Fleece, and a hunter for the Calydonian Boar. Peleus enjoyed a special relationship with the centaur Chiron, and the fondness of the Olympian gods. His most important myth was his marriage to the goddess Thetis.

This Greek pot shows Thetis being wrestled by Peleus. Thetis is bigger than Peleus because she is a goddess and he a mere mortal. This pot was made around 490BC in Athens and exported to Etruria in Italy.

03/10/2023

A few special events in Greek mythology have multiple heroes from different parts of Greece come together to get a job done. One of these was the Hunt for the Calydonian Boar. The boar was sent by an angry Artemis and terrorized the woods of Calydon. The hero Meleager organized a party of heroes to stop the beast’s rampage through his homeland. A key figure was the female hunter Atalanta. This episode covers her role in the Hunt and what she did afterwards.

26/09/2023

Orpheus was a hero from the Greek region of Thrace. The the ancient Greeks considered Thrace a wild and barbarous place full of warring tribes. Surprisingly though, Orpheus was not warlike. He was a talented musician and a keeper of strange sacred knowledge. The best-known myth about Orpheus involves his wife Eurydice and his descent to the underworld to rescue her. This episode also explores the Orphic Argonautica, which tells the story of the Golden Fleece from Orpheus’ perspective.

This Roman mosaic from a Palermo villa shows Orpheus charming animals with his music. Photo by Giovanni Dall'Orto.

19/09/2023

In the last four episodes, I covered the story of Jason and the Argonauts. In the poem the Argonautika, which was the basis of my retelling, the success of their adventure mostly revolved around the actions of the young woman Medea. This episode continues on from last time and tells what happened to Medea after she returned with Jason to Greece. I also go into more detail on the figure of Medea herself. She had a very well-developed body of mythic material going back to the earliest days of ancient Greece.

In this scene from a 400BC krater vase, Medea leaves death in her wake as she flees Corinth on a chariot pulled by flying serpents. Her dead children lie on an altar below, while a nursemaid tears her own hair in despair. Jason arrives from the bottom left to witness what Medea has done.

05/09/2023

The Golden Fleece was possessed by Aeetes, king of the faraway land of Colchis. This episode will cover Jason and the Argonaut’s arrival in Colchis, what happened there with Aeetes, and their departure. Find out if the actions of goddesses and a love-struck daughter would be enough to ensure Jason’s success.

This 1907 painting by John William Waterhouse shows Medea preparing a magic potion for Jason.

30/08/2023

The Argonauts assemble on this krater vase made around 460–450 BC. (Louvre)

Check out this week's episode on Part 2 of Jason and the Argonauts' adventure for the Golden Fleece!

22/08/2023

The next few episodes will cover the myths surrounding not just one hero but a whole crew of them. This group – called the Argonauts – are led by a man named Jason. They all go on a quest to retrieve a fabulous treasure called the Golden Fleece. This is a very special adventure. It is one of a few events in Greek myth where a large group of heroes from the same generation come together for a specific reason. This episode details what the Golden Fleece is, why Jason needed to retrieve it, and who were the heroes who joined him on the adventure.

This terracotta plaque from around 450 BC depicts the youth Phrixos riding the Golden Ram to safety.

14/08/2023

Chiron is a hero not like other Greek heroes. First, he isn’t human. He’s a centaur. But unlike, most Greek centaurs who are wild, unpredictable, and dangerous; Chiron is wise and patient. Second, Chiron doesn’t go on his own adventures. Instead, he trains other heroes and makes them ready for their own. Many of Greek mythology’s most famous heroes were Chiron’s students. This episode covers Chiron, some of his less well-known students, and what he taught them.

07/08/2023

Over the last three episodes I’ve covered the myths of the Greek hero Heracles. I’ve talked about his parents, his youth, and his famous 12 Labours. But that isn’t the end of Heracles’s heroic career. He went on plenty of other exploits afterwards.

The event that triggered the Labours was when Heracles went into an insane rage and killed his young family. The Labours allowed him to gain forgiveness in the eyes of gods and men. With his tasks complete, you might think Heracles had learned a lesson, matured, changed for the better. Well, HE DID NOT. Heracles continued to make many of the same mistakes. He completed many more glorious quests, but his flaws and mistakes eventually lead to his demise.

Roles are reversed in this Roman mosaic from Llíria, Spain. Heracles is shown dressed as a woman while Queen Omphale wears his clothes. (3rd century AD)

31/07/2023

Continuing on with the Labours of Heracles, Eurystheus was determined to ensure the hero failed. Previous Labours occurred in the regions of Greece near Mycenae, but it was time to send Heracles further away and hope he never returned. These next Labours took Heracles to places on the fringes of the ancient Greek civilization, to the ends of the earth, and even beyond. The hero would face off against fabulous creatures and powerful enemies.
This episode covers the last 6 of the Labours of Heracles.
- Capturing the Cretan Bull
- Seizing the man-eating Mares of Diomedes
- Acquiring the Belt of the Amazonian Queen Hippolyta
- Cattle-rustling the herds of the giant Geryon
- Going on a treasure hunt for the Golden Apples of the Hesperides
- Fetching Cerberos, the guard dog of the underworld

Heracles sails the sea in the bowl of Helios on this drinking-cup painted by Douris, around 480 BC. (Museo Vaticano, Rome)

Myth Madness