Hello Readers,
Today I thought I would share some of my favourite Greek
myths and if I prefer the orginal myth or the retelling.
I think I prefer the retellings that have allowed Medusa to regain her story. Without going into too much detail the story of Medusa as it is not a nice myth. Medusa was raped by Poseidon in the temple of Athena (Athene). Medusa was never a monster and I think this is one of the mountains I am going to die on. Instead of enacting revenge of the perpetrator Athena turned Medusa into a snake haired gorgon who could turn people into stone. Medusa removed herself from being a problem she moved to a secluded island with her sister’s so she wouldn’t turn anyone to stone, and you know what the Gods sent people after her. Let the woman live in peace. At the risk of angering the Goddess of wisdom and military victory but to add insult to injury Athena gives Perseus her mirrored shield to use so he can look through the shield at Medusa instead of directly upon her so he could chop of her head. So not only did Athena turn Medusa to stone she helped behead her… like didn’t Medusa suffer enough.
I prefer the retellings of this myth where it’s not so kidnappy. In the orginal myth Hades fell in love with Persephone and decided to kidnap her. The myth says that Persephone was very unhappy, but eventually she came to love the cold-blooded Hades and lived happily with him. I am a Hades groupie I adore this man in retellings. A couple of years ago I read the Hades & Persephone Series By: Scarlett St. Clair and I was hooked I have read countless Hades and Persephone retellings some smutty and some regular books that I found on Kindle Unlimited. At one point I was like I need to move past Hades this is a slight obsession. But then I think everyone was down the same rabbit hole I was as more retellings were released from Her Dark Wings by Melinda Salisbury to Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald. It wasn’t long before I found myself back under the thralls of the King of the Underworld.
I don’t think it matters how many retellings of this story I read the original myth will always hold a special place in my heart. Determined to reclaim his throne, Jason agrees to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Jason assembles a team of great heroes for his crew, and they sail aboard the Argo. I have tried to listen to the Argonautica, but I just can’t seem to get into it. I have fond memories of watching the film from 1963 with Mother Goose on bank holidays and I think it’s the nostalgia that would stop me enjoying a retelling.
Orpheus was a musician in ancient Greek mythology. He went to the underworld to fetch his wife, Eurydice, who had died. When Orpheus failed to follow the instructions of Hades, the god of the underworld, he lost Eurydice forever. I have a little understanding about this myth, but I am more familiar with the musical Hadestown. Hadestown is a retelling that takes us to the underworld and back, intertwining two mythic love stories that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and his wife Persephone.
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