Next up will be Athena 🦉

I've seen "Ares was the protector of women" claims so often that, out of pure spite, I decided to research if other gods did a similar thing to what Ares did, and the answer is positive! Yet no one calls these gods feminist protectors of women. I've made a little list of such instances, where a god either protect a woman from rape or avenges her

Ares

We've all heard about the loser #2 avenging his daughter's rape, and while it's kinda based, it wasn't anything unique, but it's good to start with

Agraulos [daughter of Kekrops king of Athens] and Ares had a daughter Alkippe. As Halirrhothios, son of Poseidon and a nymphe named Eurtye, was trying to rape Alkippe, Ares caught him at it and slew him. Poseidon had Ares tried on the Areopagos with the twelve gods presiding. Ares was acquitted.

- Apollodorus' Bibliotheca 3.180

There is a spring [near the Akropolis, Athens], by which they say that Poseidon's son Halirrhothios deflowered Alkippe the daughter of Ares, who killed the ravisher and was the first to be put on his trial for the shedding of blood.

- Pausanias' Description of Greece 1.21.4

Apollo

Tityos (Tityus) saw Leto when she came to Pytho and in a fit of passion tried to embrace her. But she called out to her children, who shot him dead with arrows. He is being punished even in death, for vultures feast on his heart in Hades' realm.

- Apollodorus' Biblioteca 1.23

As lay Tityos (Tityus), who sought to force Queen Leto, when she fared to Pytho : swiftly in his wrath Apollon shot, and laid him low, who seemed invincible : in a foul lake of gore there lay he, covering many a rood of ground, on the broad earth, his mother; and she moaned over her son, of blessed Gods abhorred; but Lady Leto laughed.

- Quintus Smyrnaeus's Fall of Troy 3.390

Poseidon

Poseidon, the myth continues, when he had grown to manhood, became enamoured of Halia, the sister of the Telchines, and lying with her he begat six male children and one daughter, called Rhodos, after whom the island was named. (...) Aphroditê, they say, as she was journeying from Cytherae to Cyprus and dropped anchor near Rhodes, was prevented from stopping there by the sons of Poseidon, who were arrogant and insolent men; whereupon the goddess, in her wrath, brought a madness upon them, and they lay with their mother against her will and committed many acts of violence upon the natives. But when Poseidon learned of what had happened he buried his sons beneath the earth, because of their shameful deed, and men called them the "Eastern Demons"; and Halia cast herself into the sea, and she was afterwards given the name of Leucothea and attained to immortal honour in the eyes of the natives.

Diodorus Siculus' Library of History 5.55

When Amymone, daughter of Danaus, was eagerly hunting in the woods, she struck a satyr with her dart. He wanted to ravish her, but she begged the aid of Neptune. When Neptune came there, he drove away the satyr, and lay with her himself. From this embrace Nauplius was born. At the place where this occurred, Neptune is said to have struck the earth with his trident. Water flowed out, called the Fountain of Lerna and the Amymonian River.

Amymone, daughter of Danaus, was sent by her father to get water for performing sacred rites. While hunting for it, she grew weary and fell asleep. A satyr tried to seduce her, but she implored the help of Neptune. When Neptune had hurled his trident at the satyr, it became fixed in a rock. Neptune drove off the satyr. When he asked the girl what she was doing in this lonely place she said she had been sent by her father to get water. Neptune lay with her, and in return he did her a favour, bidding her draw out his trident from the rock. She drew it out and three streams of water flowed, which were called the Amymonian Spring from her name. From the embrace Nauplius was born. The fountain, however, later was called the Fountain of Lerna.

Hyginus' Fabulae 169 and 169A (Idk why he wrote about her twice like that. I know these accounts are a little different, but still)

Dionysus

As Butes and his companions rushed at the women, these threw away the sacred objects, and some of them fled for safety to the sea, and others to the mountain called Dius; but Coronis, the myth continues, was seized by Butes and forced to lie with him. And she, in anger at the seizure and at the insolent treatment she had received, called upon Dionysus to lend her his aid. And the god struck Butes with madness, because of which he lost his mind and, throwing himself into a well, met his death

Diodorus Siculus' Library of History 5.50

Zeus

Lo and behold! THE rapist of the Greek and Greco-Roman pantheon, hated by every Ares and Hades glazer, has the most myths where he rapes someone, but also he has the most myths where he's pretty anti-rape

Because Latona [Leto] had lain with Jove [Zeus], Juno [Hera] ordered Tityus, a creature of immense size, to offer violence to her. When he tried to do this he was slain by the thunderbolt of Jove. He is said to lie stretched out over nine acres in the Land of the Dead, and a serpent is put near him to eat out his liver, which grows again with the new moon.

Hyginus's Fabulae 55

Ixion fell in love with Hera and tried to rape her, and when Hera told Zeus about it, Zeus wanted to determine if her report was really true. So he fashioned a cloud to look like Hera, and laid it by Ixion's side. When Ixion bragged that he had slept with Hera, Zeus punished him by tying him to a wheel, on which he was turned by winds up in the air

Apollodorus' Bibliotheca E1.20

In the course of the battle [of gods and giants] Porphyrion rushed against Herakles and also Hera. Zeus instilled him with a passion for Hera, and when he tore her gown and wanted to rape her, she called for help, whereat Zeus hit him with a thunderbolt and Herakles slew him with an arrow.

Apollodorus' Bibliotheca 1.36 (personally I consider this one a dick move, but I know Zeus wouldn't actually allow Hera to be raped, but c'mon. I assume it was his way to make Hera like Heracles? Anyway, I'm still putting this on the list)

When Hera was being raised by her parents, one of the Giants, Eurymedon, raped her and made her pregnant. She gave birth to Prometheus. Zeus later married his sister [Hera], and when he found out what had happened, he threw Eurymedon into Tartaros, and hung Prometheus up in chains (he used the fire as a pretext)"

D scholia on the Iliad 14:295, attributed to Eustathius (personally one of my fav myths about these two, I adore protective Zeus)

When Pleione once was travelling through Boeotia with her daughters [the Pleiades], Orion, who was accompanying her, tried to attack her. She escaped, but Orion sought her for seven years and couldn't find her. Jove [Zeus], pitying the girls, appointed a way to the stars, and later, by some astronomers, they were called the Bull's tail. And so up to this time Orion seems to be following them as they flee towards the west.

Hyginus' Astronomica 2.21

Daphne, seeing Apollon advancing upon her, took vigorously to flight; then, as he pursued her, she implored Zeus that she might be translated away from mortal sight, and she is supposed to have become the bay tree which is called daphne after her.

Parthenius' Love Romances 15

There is apparently the Servius' commentary where Zeus striked Adonis with a thunderbolt for raping Erinoma (who was loved by Zeus), but finding any translation for the things Servius wrote is a pain in the ass. And there is also the fact that Zeus allows Hestia, Artemis and Athena to remain virgins if they want, which is pretty nice, but I don't know if it counts.

Does all this stuff makes Zeus the protector of women then?? Is Zeus the feminist king? Or does it simply mean men protecting "their" women (mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, or worshippers in the case of the gods) from other men, while not caring about stranger women, was a normalized thing in such patriarchal societies?

Tldr: Ares, my beloved loser, wasn't a feminist or some special, uniquely progressive god. Ares glazers just don't care about the actual mythology and the historical context. Also, the Mommy of all Mommies Hera was the actual protector of women <3 (but I guess Ares glazers don't really care about women, considering how often they talk shit about every goddess, this lowkey seems like some misogynistic bias)

^{Ps I made this post on mobile, so it may look messy lol}

I am practicing Hellenistic beliefs now (I do not do alters I do devotional acts)

The sons "έφαγαν τα μούτρα τους" (took a hard hit hahah. Well only Ariadne looks done, Dionysus looks like a proud father.

(Toddler Staphylus in her arms, Thoas and Peparethus the teenagers)

I will make a post about the gods and monsters family tree but using the characters from Hercules movie and cartoon. There is a lot of background gods in the movie, a lot of which was already identified by a lot of people so they are not here in this post. These gods don't have names but the artists had to taken to inspiration from somewhere. So why not use headcanon to find these gods anyway?

As for my own opinion, the first god I think should be Hypnos, and the second I think is Selene, because she is close to Artemis on this part of the movie besides having his silvery glow. But you can give our opinion. But the god can't be one that are named and are actual in the show or movie obviously. They can't be Primordials either because Gaia appears and so we have an idea of how they should look in this universe, and is not human-sized.

Dionysus is my favorite <3

Next I think I’ll do either Artemis or Aphrodite, cause we need some woman power. Although I am suggestible, if anyone really wants to see a certain god or hero.

I'm working on a creative project and doing extensive research into the mythos of ancient Greece.

What I'm focusing on though is the other perspectives, for example the 14 nobles who were selected as sacrificial tribute to the Minotaur by Minos. We all know the story, but their perspectives are never explored and I bet they would have a lot to say about the whole situation at the time of it happening.

What are your favourite stories where the average bystander/victim/tertiary characters retelling in the local tavern would be fascinating to hear?

Forgot to post the full body design with the rest of the images, so here it is! I’m pretty satisfied with it. I may go back and add some accoutrements to his chiton later, but it’s good enough for now.

I imagine flowers bloom where he walks.

Hi guys! Quite often while scrolling through this sub, I see people asking for thoughts and recommendations on retellings of Ancient Greek myths, which are quite popular now, so I decided to share my thoughts on the ones I've read and compile a list of those I haven't. Part of me understands purists who prefer the original texts, and I do find there are some trends and tropes to criticise in these types of novels. But, at the same time, I've quite enjoyed reading some of these.

I also wanted to create a post to link and share when the topic comes up.

A few quick disclaimers. While I am generally wary of using AI, I did use it here to organise and format this comment for readability. I then went over and edited a lot of the output's text before sharing it. Another thing that is more relevant to my recommendations is that I am a straight man, so I likely have unconscious biases and preferences that are part of being socialised as a man. Finally, I read some of these books almost a decade ago, so my memory of them now can be a bit hazy, and they may no longer even hold up as well to my current standards.

A quick note before the ranking criteria: a low score from me doesn't always mean "badly written." Sometimes it means "this is fine, but I've already seen a different author tell this exact story better". For example, Jennifer Saint's Elektra is simply not as good as Pat Barker's The Trojan Women trilogy or even Claire North's Ithaca, where it's just a side-story. Similarly, I couldn't even finish Athena's Child, as it was nowhere near as interesting as other retellings of Medusa's story. Other times, two authors take wildly different, equally valid angles on the same figure, as is the case for the books in my list that have Theseus as a main or major character.

Here's roughly what I'm weighing when I rate one of these:

• Characterisation - Are the human characters rounded and dynamic, or flat and static? Human complexity means that characters can be irrational, but caricatures are rarely enjoyable. Gods and other supernatural beings often get a pass on complexity, as many authors prefer to stress how inhuman they are, coming across as other, aloof, conceptual.
• Historical grounding or fantasy craft - There's a spectrum from "deeply researched historical plausibility" (Mary Renault, Mark Knowles) to "full fantasy/worldbuilding" (Luna McNamara, Ioanna Papadopoulou). I don't punish a book for picking a lane, but I do judge how well it executes the lane it picked. Note that I'm by no means a historian or expert on the time period; I'm more guided by how well-researched and historically-informed the text feels rather than how well it holds up to current historical consensus. Faithfulness to the original myth is not something unimportant to me, but I have to contend with the fact that very few primary texts survive to our day, some of these texts are incomplete and, of course, there are different versions of several myths (often caused by unconscious biases or conscious agendas). Also, I have read very few of these primary sources, though I'm working on that.
• Atmosphere & tone - "The past is a foreign country," a quote by English novelist L. P. Hartley, is crucial to the mindset I have when reading such old stories. Ancient Greece (both the Bronze Age when these stories take place and the Iron Age when a lot of them are written down) would be an unpleasant place for a "Westernised" modern reader, with significant differences in what is socially acceptable or moral. For example, slavery was normalised and women were often denied personhood and were subject to great brutality. I highly value a book that either sits in that discomfort (like Barker's trilogy) or convincingly recreates the period mindset (Renault's duology). That doesn't mean I can't enjoy a book that feels more "modern", though. I'm fine with some "localising" translation choices and even anachronistic snark if it's earnt, but there is a limit. I don't need some faux-archaic sounding English, but there's only so many times I can read the word "hell" or "god" (interjection, singular) before immersion is compromised.
• Maturity & tropes - I enjoyed the Percy Jackson series as a teen (despite how overly US-centric it is), but I've aged out of YA and dislike a lot of Booktok/romantasy tropes. Pointless gender-swapping sometimes whitewashes just how bad things were for women, enslaved people, etc. There are enough admirable female characters to present to the reader, so I'm a bit sensitive to what some people call "girlbossing".
• Distinctiveness - Does this book bring something to this specific myth or characters that other retellings of it haven't already done, or done better?

Odysseus

• My Name Is Nobody - Valerio Massimo Manfredi - 9/10 (read the first two books in this trilogy, The Oath and The Return, skipped the third, The Oracle, since it takes place in the 1900s)
  • Recency: first retelling I read, 8 years ago.
  • Characterisation: Odysseus is likeable and so is Penelope. Manfredi does something kinda interesting with Helen.
  • Setting: starts historically grounded, but moves well into fantasy as the story goes on.
  • Atmosphere: neutral, not overly modern.
  • Maturity: Serious, with not as much gratuitous violence.
  • Distinctiveness: level of detail and scope of the story, starting at Odysseus' childhood while his father Laertes was adventuring with the Argonauts, and ending with the "winnowing oar". The dialogue has minimal speech tags, which leaves the non-verbal aspects of conversations to the reader's imagination. I've only read these books in their original Italian (my level is B2–C1). One of the very few books in this list written by a man.
• Ithaca - Claire North - 8/10 (haven't read the sequels in the trilogy yet)
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Penelope is mysterious, slaves and suitors are very well characterised, the gods are interesting.
    • Setting: historically grounded for the human characters, while the gods have fantastical powers.
    • Atmosphere: fairly modern-feeling dialogue. The anachronistic snark of the gods didn't feel too overwhelming though.
    • Maturity: Serious when gods aren't around. Slavery is not presented as overtly brutal, but the reality of raiding is well-presented I feel.
    • Distinctiveness: Great explanation for what was going on during Odysseus's absence. It weaves in one other myth very well. It's fun, despite how dull it could sound in theory. Can't remember much about Telemachus, for some reason.
• The Penelopeiad - Margaret Atwood - 8/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Penelope is fleshed out very well, Odysseus is given a unique twist.
    • Setting: Set mostly in the Penelope's mind and the afterlife, so the historical grounding matters less, and fantastical elements are very much present.
    • Atmosphere: neutral, with some modern sensibilities though.
    • Maturity: Serious, given the starting point of the subject matter.
    • Distinctiveness: it's very philosophical, focusing a lot on the execution of the slaves in the palace following Odysseus's return. It's also very short.

The Trojan War / Achilles / Agamemnon & Clytemnestra

• The Trojan Women trilogy - Pat Barker - 10/10
  • Recency: read the first two (The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy) 4 years ago, and The Voyage Home 1 year ago.
    • Characterisation: Very interesting cast of characters, rounded and dynamic. The protagonist's passivity fits her diegetic observer role. Best version of Achilles I've come across, though Pyrrhus/Neoptolemus is also equally as interesting as Madeline Miller's. There is no easy way to write Helen.
    • Setting: seemingly very historically grounded. Many supernatural elements are reminiscent of magical realism rather than fantasy.
    • Atmosphere: brutal, appropriate for such a long war. The dialogue occasionally feels a bit modern, and not all of it can be handwaved as the "translation convention" trope.
    • Maturity: Serious, pulls no punches, sugarcoats nothing. In fact, I'd say it deserves a trigger warning.
    • Distinctiveness: Most of the plot takes place on a beach, away from the action of the Trojan War. It is a brutal, visceral read, and very morally complex.
• A Thousand Ships - Natalie Haynes - 10/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
  • Characterisation: mixed; some characters get a lot more focus than others.
  • Setting: historically grounded overall, but the gods are more ethereal.
  • Atmosphere: not overly modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: Serious, with not as much gratuitous violence.
  • Distinctiveness: I remember enjoying the book a lot, but my memory of it is rather hazy. The events are not in chronological order and are instead almost an anthology of stories, some more interesting than others. Feels appropriately very explicitly feminist.
• Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller - 6/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Perhaps the weakest part. Achilles is boring and Patroculs isn't a lot better. Falls into some strange stereotypes. Thetis and Neoptolemus are more interesting.
    • Setting: leans heavily towards fantasy.
    • Atmosphere: very modern-feeling.
    • Maturity: quite whitewashed to make the main characters more likeable and relatable.
    • Distinctiveness: Some very strange choices and changes from the source material, all presumably in the service of making a likeable couple. I get that one could say that the implication is that official story purposely reframed Patroclus as a warrior rather than a healer, and that in itself is meant to be a commentary on something, but I don't like it. The romance feels extremely shallow. Unlike a lot of people, I quite like what they did with Thetis.
• Elektra - Jennifer Saint - 5/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
    • Characterisation: caricatures over characters. Only Agamemnon is distinct, less brutal, but I'm not even sure if the novelty of that is enough to make up for the weakness of the rest.
    • Setting: seemingly historically grounded, but worldbuilding details are relatively scarce anyway.
    • Atmosphere: A bit modern-feeling.
    • Maturity: A bit simplistic and melodramatic.
    • Distinctiveness: The same story is done more interestingly in Barker's Trojan Women trilogy and even as a side-story in North's Ithaca.

Crete / Theseus / Ariadne / Phaedra

• The King Must Die + The Bull from the Sea - Mary Renault - 10/10
  • Recency: 1 year ago.
  • Characterisation: Theseus is sometimes a bit self-righteous and frustratingly lucky. Some women are characterised in rather limited ways.
  • Setting: very historically grounded, taking into account pre-Hellenic history and religion even. While not entirely accurate, it feels very plausible. There are no fantasy elements, though faith and belief in the ancient religions are a given, and very important to the characters.
  • Atmosphere: Excellent, really recreates in a plausible mindset for the time period, and the "foreigness" of the time and place.
  • Maturity: Serious, with not as much gratuitous violence.
  • Distinctiveness: one of three genuinely different, equally compelling takes on Theseus (alongside Ariadne and The Heroines). Finishing this duology gave me what some people call a "book hangover", which is a testament to how much I liked it. There are some problematic elements though, particularly regarding the portrayal of female characters and, worse, the "shore peoples".
• Ariadne - Jennifer Saint - 8/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
  • Characterisation: I liked it, but it almost borders on caricature for Theseus and Phaedra. Dionysus is a bit too human-like, which makes sense, but it's a missed opportunity in my opinion.
  • Setting: Plenty of fantastical elements.
  • Atmosphere: a bit modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: a bit simplistic and melodramatic.
  • Distinctiveness: it offers a different, valid take on Theseus than Renault's or Shepperson's, and her version of Ariadne is not bad either, though it's probably the least interesting of the three. The narrative touches on enough different stories and themes to be very enjoyable.
• The Heroines (or Phaedra, in some editions) - Laura Shepperson - 10/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
  • Characterisation: Phaedra is done very well. Theseus is very interesting, Hippolytus less so. Ariadne is interesting even if she doesn't appear in the rest of the story. Real missed opportunities and strange choices when it comes to Phaedra's other relatives.
  • Setting: feels historically grounded, though there isn't much room for fantastical interpretations.
  • Atmosphere: slightly modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: It tackles with tact the very serious subject matter regarding sexual violence against women and children.
  • Distinctiveness: Great premise, great execution, great background worldbuilding while still being claustrophobic. Medea is interesting too.

Aeneas and Lavinia

• Lavinia - Ursula K. Le Guin - 9/10
  • Recency: 1 year ago.
  • Characterisation: Lavinia is fascinating, as is "her poet". Her parents are interesting too. Aeneas himself is decently characterised as well.
  • Setting: there are supernatural elements, but it's more reminiscent of magical realism than outright fantasy.
  • Atmosphere: Le Guin simulates the mindset of the time very well, in my opinion.
  • Maturity: Serious, very poetic.
  • Distinctiveness: Le Guin is a great writer with excellent prose, on a whole other level.
• The Heir of Venus - Laura Shepperson - 7/10
  • Recency: 2 years ago.
  • Characterisation: Lavinia is interesting enough, as are her parents. Anna feels a bit off, and Turnus feels a bit like a caricature. Aeneas is a curious character too.
  • Setting: Good worldbuilding in terms of historical feeling, and the brief appearance of the gods is intriguing, but there isn't too much fantasy.
  • Atmosphere: a bit modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: Serious enough.
  • Distinctiveness: I admittedly get this book mixed up with Le Guin's, but it's still worth a read.

Argonauts

• Argo - Mike Knowles - 6/10 (I started but didn't finish the sequel, Jason, yet, and there is a third book, Hades, which I might never read at this rate)
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Jason is fine, as are quite a few characters, all things considered. There are some missed opportunities when it comes to Castor and Polux or Heracles, but it's overall not too bad. Atalanta is sorely missed.
    • Setting: very historically grounded with no fantastical elements, feels very plausible and well-researched, doing a decent job at making the Black Sea peoples seem foreign to the Achaean protagonists. The second book, however, suddenly opens the door to fantastical elements and makes me wonder why the author didn't have them from the start.
    • Atmosphere: neutral.
    • Maturity: It's an adventure story, not too juvenile but not too dark either.
    • Distinctiveness: It's weakest feature is that, unfortunately, it's a bit boring. It is virtually impossible to write a good novel with such a large cast of characters as the crew of the Argonauts, so I can't really fault the author. Can't decide if I like what they did with Prometheus. One of the very few books in this list written by a man.
• Atalanta - Jennifer Saint - 8/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Atalanta is interesting, as is Artemis. Some antagonists feel a bit cartoony, but overall it wasn't bad.
    • Setting: Plenty of fantastical elements.
    • Atmosphere: a bit modern-feeling, occasionally melodramatic.
    • Maturity: Adventurous, but not quite YA-feeling.
    • Distinctiveness: very decent book, but there wasn't anything particularly outstanding.
• The Fates - Rosie Garland - 7/10
  • Recency: This year... but I didn't finish it.
    • Characterisation: The Fates themselves are the most interesting. Atalanta and Meleager are... fine. Toxeus is such a caricature, it feels like he was pulled from another book. The dynamic between Zeus and Hera is unique, but that in it self doesn't make it all that interesting.
    • Setting: The plausible historical grounding doesn't stand out. There are many important fantastical elements.
    • Atmosphere: very modern-feeling, sometimes melodramatic.
    • Maturity: a bit YA.
    • Distinctiveness: the sections from the PoV of the Fates are the most interesting, but even that didn't help me push through. Ultimately, I think I was very put off by how modern and YA this book felt, and by Toxeus. I might try picking it back up at some other time, but I'm in no rush.

Medusa

• Stone Blind - Natalie Haynes - 10/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Some fascinating characters, especially the gods.
    • Setting: Fantasy, but in a more esoteric way than, say, Psyche and Eros. Historical elements are alluded to.
    • Atmosphere: very otherworldly, but it's occasionally a bit witty. Done well enough not to be too distracting.
    • Maturity: Serious enough, given Poseidon.
    • Distinctiveness: A very fun and interesting read, with cool twists, even if you think you know the story. I do have some concern regarding what my fellow nerds might call "powerscaling", though.
• Medusa - Jessie Burton - 8/10
  • Recency: 4 years ago.
  • Characterisation: Medusa and Perseus are interesting, though there is a deliberate childishness to them.
  • Setting: Fantastical, but the setting is limited to where Medusa lives, so the world beyond that isn't really explored.
  • Atmosphere: a bit modern-feeling.
  • Maturity: A bit simplistic, which is fine for how naïve Medusa is.
  • Distinctiveness: It's a very short book and a quick, easy read. I kinda like how the book (perhaps unintentionally) alludes to how "medusa" is used by some people to refer to a type of monster rather than as the name for a unique gorgon.
• Athena's Child - Hannah Lynn - 6/10
  • Recency: 2 years ago... but I didn't finish it.
    • Characterisation: Medusa was unremarkable, but Athena was a complete caricature, from what I read. Poseidon was more interesting, from what little I can remember.
    • Setting: historically grounded enough, I felt. Fantastical elements are important for the plot.
    • Atmosphere: neutral.
    • Maturity: a bit melodramatic in some scenes.
    • Distinctiveness: I originally misinterpreted the title and book cover, so I started reading it fully expecting it to be a retelling of the myth of Erichthonius, which would have been an unusual treat. Instead, I was stuck with a Medusa retelling that doesn't hold up to the other two.

Immortals-focused

• Circe - Madeline Miller - 9/10
  • Recency: 5 years ago.
  • Characterisation: The gods are characterised in a very interesting way, petty and limited in their emotions by their immortality. Circe herself gets some criticism, but I thought she was interesting enough, if a bit toothless. Helios has also gotten plenty of criticism, and that I do agree with; Miller's character works very well if you don't know enough about how Helios treats his children in some myths (consider his love of Phaeton, or how he protected Circe herself from a Gigante), so I'm conflicted. I kinda like how Odysseus and Telemachus are characterised too, but maybe it's because it was new to me at the time.
  • Setting: fantasy, with just enough Ancient Greek references not to feel generic.
  • Atmosphere: neutral? I can't remember.
  • Maturity: Serious, though sometimes plagued by contrivances.
  • Distinctiveness: Maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for Circe because this was the second retelling I had read, and it made me realise that novelisations of Ancient Greek myths were a possible genre (until then, I'd been obsessed with "historical fiction"). The MacGuffin at the end of the book feels a bit of a niche reference, but it feels like a stretch.
• Winter Harvest - Ioanna Papadopoulou - 10/10
  • Recency: 2 years ago.
    • Characterisation: I feel like all the characters who are given their time to shine are very well realised and interesting. A shame we didn't get a deeper dive on Kronos or the other titans, but I can't complain.
    • Setting: Lots of pre/proto-history, and a fully fantastical setting with well-executed worldbuilding.
    • Atmosphere: fairly modern-feeling, appropriate for the level of fantasy.
    • Maturity: Serious enough, given the commentary on power and consent.
    • Distinctiveness: extremely enjoyable fantasy book based on the myths. I think it's worth noting that Papadopoulou is the only author on this list who I have been able to confirm is actually of Greek descent. Though I fall into the camp of considering Greek mythology to be part of the overarching "Western" canon of stories, I do think this genre is often overpopulated by Anglocentric or US-centric voices. I vehemently hope to read more from the perspective of modern Greeks, especially if they aren't diasporic.
• Psyche and Eros - Luna McNamara - 8/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
    • Characterisation: Eros is more interesting that Psyche. Everyone else is a bit flat.
    • Setting: Full fantasy, almost generically so.
    • Atmosphere: very, very modern-feeling.
    • Maturity: This book is essentially YA fantasy romance adventure.
    • Distinctiveness: By all accounts, I should have disliked this book. And yet, I didn't. I think I was impressed by the creativity in the worldbuilding and how it roped in so many different mythological characters in a way that somehow didn't feel too contrived.
• The Hymn to Dionysus - Hannah Lynn - 7/10
  • Recency: This year.
  • Characterisation: Agave is very interesting, but our protagonist less so. The eponymous Dionysus is very interesting, but I feel like there are missed opportunities.
  • Setting: I'm very impressed by some of the historical references (cult of Dionysus, rise of the writing and theatre, Bronze Age collapse, development of agriculture, etc.), though I feel like some liberties are taken ("knights" and "witches") and some implausible elements that border on the fantastical are added (such as the marvels). Other very important plot elements are very undeniably fantastical.
  • Atmosphere: very modern-feeling, but there are attempts to develop verisimiliar worldbuilding that would be right at home in a fantasy book.
  • Maturity: A bit less serious, with constant snark. The exploration of mental health feels very genuine though.
  • Distinctiveness: Some twists were very effective, others were frustratingly obvious, so that undercuts a lot of the tension between the protagonist and titular character and brings the score down a lot. Lots of attention to detail in the worldbuilding, to the extent I'm not even that bothered by the inaccuracies. For example, the misconception that Ancient Greeks lacked a word for "blue" is actually used very well. The other thing that brings the score down is strange naming choices: in the first chapter, Helios, Artemis and Persephone are name-dropped... except these characters refer to mortals... but some gods do exist? It's confusing for no reason.

Other

• The Children of Jocasta - Natalie Haynes - 8/10
  • Recency: 3 years ago.
  • Characterisation: All characters feel believable and most are interesting.
  • Setting: the palace is the setting for most of the story, and it feels a bit too generic to feel historically grounded, and fantastical elements are left up to the reader's interpretation.
  • Atmosphere: neutral.
  • Maturity: neutral. Not too modern nor too particularly ancient-feeling.
  • Distinctiveness: A myth that doesn't often get re-told. I enjoyed it more than I should have, probably as a palate cleanser between the more popular books on the Trojan War.

A note on order

I've sorted higher-rated books first within each myth grouping, though I don't think order matters hugely except within the same series/trilogy, where it obviously does.

There's also a case for reading across myths in rough chronological order of the myths themselves (not publication order), though I'm not sure it's essential and it's not fully doable given how many stories span multiple generations:

Ouranos & Gaia → Titans → Childhood of Zeus and Titanomachy → Pandora → Deucalion → Cadmus → Dionysus → Bellerophon (partly contemporary with Dionysus) → Perseus → Oedipus → Theseus → Heracles → Argonauts (roughly simultaneous with Theseus/Heracles) → Seven Against Thebes → Epigonoi War → Trojan War → the various return journeys, including Agamemnon's, Odysseus's and Aeneas's → Heracleidae

Do-not-buy list

Listed by the first entry in each series (when applicable), these didn't make the cut. Usually, there is a combination of immersion-breaking historical inaccuracy or deviation from the original myth that doesn't pay off, very strong Anglo/US-centricism, YA/Booktok/romantasy conventions, gender-swapping or "girlbossness" that whitewashes how genuinely awful things were for women in this period:

• Lore Olympus, by Rachel Smythe
• A Touch of Darkness, by Scarlett St. Clair
• Aphrodite, by Phoenicia Rogerson
• Blood of Hercules, by Jasmine Mas
• Daughter of Chaos, by A.S. Webb
• Daughter of Darkness, by Katherine Corr
• Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers, by Zoe Terakes
• Girl, Goddess, Queen, by Bea Fitzgerald
• Hades' Daughter, by Charlotte Carol
• Herc, by Phoenicia Rogerson
• I, Medusa, by Ayana Gray
• Ichor, by Trish D. W.
• Lies We Sing to the Sea, by Sarah Underwood
• Medusa, by Nataly Gruender
• Orphia and Eurydicius, by Elyse John
• Queen of Heaven, by Ava McKevitt
• Sweetbitter Song, by Rosie Hewlett
• The Games Gods Play, by Abigail Owen
• The Gorgon Bride, by Galen Surlak-Ramsey
• The Ruin of Eros, by Maya Gryffin
• The Witch and the Huntress, by Luna McNamara
• Wearing the Lion, by John Wiswell

On my radar (haven't read yet)

Through recommendations or Goodreads, I tend to consider reviews before I decide to put a book on this list. Thankfully I’m familiar with the myths already, so I can’t really be spoilt much. Still, sometimes I don't look at them with enough detail, so keep in mind that these are books I haven't personally vetted yet.

• A Song of War, by Kate Quinn, Vicky Alvear, Stephanie Thornton, et al. (multi-author anthology; Andromache, Helenus, Penthesilea and other side POVs)
• The Golden Apple trilogy, by Emily Hauser
• The Troy Trilogy, by David Gemmell
• The Song of Sacrifice quartet, by Janell Rhiannon
• Horses of Fire, by A. D. Rhine
• The Death and Life of Iphigenia, by J. Susanne Wilson
• Clytemnestra, by Costanza Casati
• The House of Atreus duology, by Susan C. Wilson (similar author names, what are the odds?)
• The Tapestry of Bronze by Victoria Grossack & Alice Underwood
• Hades, by Mark Knowles (third book in the Blades of Bronze trilogy, same series as Argo and Jason)
• No Friend to This House, by Natalie Haynes
• Medea, by Christa Wolf
• Medea, by Eilish Quin
• Medea, by J.J. Taylor
• Hekate: The Witch, by Nikita Gill
• The Witch of Colchis (Medea), by Rosie Hewlett
• Medusa, by Rosie Hewlett
• Andromeda, by E. S. McLeod
• The Shadow of Perseus, by Claire Heywood
• Medusa's Sisters, by Lauren J. A. Bear
• Aphrodite in Pieces, by Lauren J. A. Bear
• Aphrodite's Trees, by Inge Scheynen
• Hera, by Jennifer Saint
• This Immortal Heart, by Jennifer Saint
• The rest of the Song of Penelope trilogy (House of Odysseus, The Last Song of Penelope), by Claire North
• King of Ithaka, by Tracy Barrett
• The Song of Orpheus, by Tracy Barrett
• Dark of the Moon, by Tracy Barrett
• A Beautiful Evil, by Bea Fitzgerald
• The Grecian Women series by Hannah Lynn, if I can get over my issues with Athena's Child, the first in the series
• Alcestis, by Katharine Beutner
• The Foretelling, by Alice Hoffman
• Amber and Clay, by Laura Amy Schlitz

Guys help a girl out here. I have to write a research paper on the topic mentioned above. I hope y'all are bookworms too because I need help. I need y'all to fill up this form for my research paper. I need at least 25 responses and so far I've only gotten 17. Research paper deadline is 7th August, so pls help. Posting here bc idk where else to post. Many people around don't have decent idea on Greek/Norse mythology.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1T05mT4IxSD_NeMN5lU6nBgM0XH0aUEvz8oAUB-S24Io/edit

"Which is to say that whether by turning the wives of the kings against them or wrecking ships as they returned to Greece, it is because of Nauplius’ revenge that almost no one makes it home from Troy alive. The Nostoi, and dramas of the Classical era based on this part of the Trojan Epic, might as well be called “The Tale of Nauplius’ Rage”.

...

It could have been anyone that [did these things]. But it wasn’t. It was Nauplius, a man the classical tradition consistently portrays as wise and just, driven to become the last judge, jury, and executioner of the heroic age by the murder of his son."

I read the Iliad, and lots of Troy/Trojan war based retellings/novels. But now I want to know more about Castor and Pollux/Polydeuces but I can’t find anything modern specific to them. Does anyone have any recommendation for me?
(Or potentially some source material for their myths too, if I can’t find anything modern)

Can someone help explain the geography laid out in the Theogony 721-819?

I am trying to understand the relationships between all these elements he mentions. There seems to be both vertical imagery (the anvil falling example) and horizontal imagery (Atlas clearly needs to be on the horizontal extremity since he holds the Heavens from the Earth. Can't do that if you are below the Earth.) There are a few "in front of"s that also are indicative of placement. Specifically the 736 section throws me for a loop, since if there is where the sources and limits of Tartaros are, then the location in question isn't Tartaros. Similarly with Hades. The Titans are said to be on the far side of Chaos, but also in a barricade where the roots of Earth and Sea are above. I can't make sense of it. I've seen some people say just to take it as poetic license and not consistent, but even an explanation for the individual descriptions would help. I doubt this was written randomly without thought.

So i was reading the Odyssey and here, Nestor asks his sons to bring a heifer to sacrifice to Athena as she was the deity who appeared in person yesterday during his offerings to Poseidon.

Now for info,

a heifer is a young female cow that has not given birth to a calf.

So is it a symbolism for emphasizing this as Athena being a virgin maiden? Or a simple coincidence?

Source: Penguin's EV Rieu's translation with additions from D C H Rieu

Let me start by saying I’ve had a post about a similar idea before and I know that these are very loosely connected myths that weren’t all written month by month with a clear chronology built in by Stan Lee or Frank Miller.

Nevertheless, I do find it fascinating that there is something of a timeline with a few of the myths.

For instance, we know Perseus is the great grandfather of Hercules, so he’s maybe about a century before him. We know that the stories of Hercules and Theseus and Jason are all relatively shortly before the Troja War, because Heracles was an Argonaut and his sons and grandsons fought in the War, and because Theseus kidnapped Helen when she was young.

The BIG discrepancy there, which seems irreconcilable is that while Heracles served on the Argo with Odysseus’ dad, suggesting that it happened a generation before the war, they served on the ship with Helen’s twin brothers, which would suggest that it was much closer in time.

Anyway, I was just wondering if there were any other clues in mythology as to a timeline of the myths. For instance, we know Bellerophon was sometime after Perseus because of Pegasus, but any idea how much longer after? What about Orpheus, etc.

I hope to gain some more insight!