Country: Canada | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Marios Aristopoulos, Jesse McGibney, Maciej Paprocki, Lee Vermeulen

Apotheon features the story of Nikandreos, a warrior from the village of Dion, and his journey to save his village and the Earth from the wrath of Zeus. The story begins with the ransack of Dion by invaders. Nikandreos saves his village alongside surviving soldiers and then heads to the temple, where Hera congratulates him for defeating the invaders and recruits him as her champion to take down Zeus, in revenge for her husband’s affairs with other gods and humans. He agrees to this task an(...)

electronic

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Acheron (River) Aesop’s Fables Aphrodite Apollo Ares Argonauts Artemis Athena Atlantis Bacchus Castor Charon Chimera / Chimaera Cocytus (River) Cyclops / Cyclopes Daphne Demeter Dionysus / Dionysos Greek Music Hades Hephaestus Hera Heracles Heraclitus (of Ephesus) Hermes Homer Hydra Iliad Immortality Labyrinth Lethe (River) Midas Nymphs Odyssey Olympus Persephone Phlegethon (River) Poseidon Pottery / Vases Satyr(s) Sculpture Styx Thetis Underworld Zeus

Normand Cousineau , Priscilla Galloway

Atalanta: The Fastest Runner in the World

Atalanta: The Fastest Runner in the World retells the myth of Atalanta, with a detailed text by Galloway and handsome illustrations by Cousineau. The illustrations are stylized in a way influenced by Greek art, drawn in ink and gouache, and surrounding the text. A prologue (pp. 11–13) explains the early part of the Atalanta myth – her exposure by her father, with a commentary about the reasons for which Greek society might put infants out to die. "However painfully, a paren(...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Aphrodite Artemis Atalanta Iasus Melanion / Milanion

Arcade Fire

Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)

This song loosely narrates the death of Eurydice. Although he is not mentioned by name in the song, the second person perspective and the relative place of the song on the album (as a companion to It’s Never Over (Oh Orpheus) suggests that it is being sung from Orpheus’ perspective. The lyrics do not directly reference ancient versions of the myth but narrates the version of events as told in the 1959 film Orfeu Negro (Eng: Black Orpheus; dir. Marcel Camus), from which the mythic eve(...)

music

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Underworld

William Lau, Walter P. Martishius

Barbie (Series): Mermaidia / Fairytopia. Mermaidia

Being a sequel to Fairytopia (2005, Barbie™), Mermaidia is a story in which Barbie, as the fairy Elina travels to the realm of the mermaids to rescue her merman friend Nalu, who was kidnapped by the evil fairy Laverna. Laverna pressures Nalu to reveal the location of a special berry, by threatening that she would poison the waters of Mermaidia. With the help of Nori, a mermaid in love with Nalu, Elina tries to save Nalu before Laverna’s servants retrieve the magical fruit allowing he(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: Canada United States of America

TAGS: Delphic Oracle Metamorphosis Nereid(s) Nymphs Sea Nymphs Sirens

Patrick Branwell Brontë

Branwell's Blackwood's Magazine. The Glass Town Magazine (with contributions from his sister Charlotte Brontë)

The British authors, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, whose novels included Jane Eyre (1847), Wuthering Heights (1847), and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), began their careers by writing elaborate juvenilia alongside their brother, Branwell. Together the sibling Brontë children created an imaginary society in West Africa – The Glass Town Federation, a union of four kingdoms and a federal capital – the Great Glass Town. They wrote extensively about that society, creati(...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Aeneid Carthage Gods Greek History Latin (Language) Laurel Wreath

Holy Grail Games , Synapses Games , Matthieu Podevin

Caesar’s Empire [L'empire de César]

L’Empire de César is a game for 2–5 players with clear and simple rules, well adjusted to the target audience. “The year is 50 BC. Gaul is entirely occupied by Romans. Well, not entirely... One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium...”The game is set in the universe of Astérix and stylized (...)

electronic

YEAR: 2021

COUNTRY: Canada France

TAGS: Caesar Roman Army Roman Empire Rome

Aimée Carter

Goddess Interrupted (The Goddess Test, 2)

In this second volume of the Goddess Test trilogy Kate and Henry, the god of the underworld, are a couple. During spring and summer she is allowed to live in the upper world. Because of her attempt to kill Kate in the first volume, Hera is punished and banished to Tartarus, the most terrible part of the underworld. After having finished her visit to earth, Kate goes again down to the underworld accompanied by Hermes. Back at the mansion of Hades, the marriage ceremony takes place and Kate is cro(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Canada United States of America

TAGS: Aphrodite Cronus / Kronos Hades Hera Persephone Tartarus Titans Underworld

Blair Drawson, Sheldon Oberman

Island of the Minotaur. Greek Myths of Ancient Crete

This is an interesting take on the myth of the Minotaur which places it within a wide context by telling a selection of myths that build up to the Minotaur's demise. This creates a multi-generational story which arcs from the days of Cronos until Phaedra's departure from Crete as the last queen of Knossos. The myths of Medea and Ariadne are told in contrast to each other. The work begins and ends with historicising interpretations of the myths, relating the myths' connections to Mino(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: Canada United Kingdom

TAGS: Afterlife Apollo Architecture Argo Argonauts Ariadne Athens Atlantis Centaur(s) Cerberus Crete Cronus / Kronos Cyclops / Cyclopes Daedalus Dionysus / Dionysos Europa Fate Gods Golden Fleece Greek Art Greek History Heracles Hercules Jason Katabasis Labyrinth Maze Medea Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metis Minos Minotaur Pan Pasiphae Poseidon Theseus Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld Zeus

Arcade Fire

It’s Never Over (Hey Orpheus)

The song narrates the story of Orpheus’ attempt to rescue his dead wife Eurydice from the underworld, mostly from the point of view of Eurydice who urges Orpheus not to turn around. The rest of the song appears to be narrated by Orpheus who reassures Eurydice. The song begins at the point in the story where Orpheus is in the process of rescuing Eurydice, with her walking out of the Underworld behind him, and ends with an indirect reference to Orpheus’ failure and Eurydice’s ret(...)

music

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Orpheus Underworld

Eboni Bynum, Baba Wagué Diakité, Roland Jackson

Jamari's Drum

There once lived an old man in the village of Okpa called Baba Mdogo. He usually sat under a shade near the market square to play the djembe*. He was very much admired by Jamari, a young boy. Sometimes, Jamari would spend whole days with Baba Mdogo, watching him play. Then one day, Jamari asked Baba Mdogo why he played the drum everyday. Baba told him that the drum is the peace keeper of the village and if he did not play it, “the sky would turn black and the ground would grow hot and begi(...)

african

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: African Storytelling African Traditions

Liv Albert

Let’s Talk about Myths, Baby! (podcast)

Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! is a weekly podcast on ancient Greek mythology which has been awarded the prize of the Third Top Podcast within the Top Mythology Podcasts of 2020 by Feedspot (accessed: April 2, 2020). Many ancient Greek and Roman myths, along with a series on Homer’s epics and on Greek drama, are broadcast in a casual yet comprehensive enough manner by Liv, “a 30-something Millennial with a penchant for cursing and a feminist attitude”.Episodes have various(...)

Radio & Podcast

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Hero(es) Heroine(s) Homer Monsters Olympians Theogony

Shari Green

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess

In this Canadian verse novel for older children, Macy McMillan is eleven years old and profoundly deaf. She lives with her single mother, and has recently changed schools. Her mother is remarrying, to a man with twin six-year old daughters, and they will all move in together after the wedding. Macy is unhappy about being uprooted, and struggling with feelings of being misunderstood by her mother, and isolated at school. Macy’s mother sends her next door to help their frail elderly nei(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Hera Iris Olympians Zeus

Nick Willing

Olympus

In a strange world where gods have been banished and jailed in the Underworld and their gigantic statues lie shattered on the ground in the realm of the living, a young man tries to find his destiny with the help of, or in spite of hindrance, deception and manipulation by, people he meets who try to use him for their own purposes. Against all odds he manages to conquer even the inexorable Time and unexpectedly frees Zeus from captivity in the depths of Hades: Zeus who has the young man’s f(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Canada United Kingdom

TAGS: Aegeus Anagnorisis Ariadne Chronos Circe Cyclops / Cyclopes Daedalus Dionysus / Dionysos Gaia / Gaea Hades Hero(es) Medea Minos Nymphs Olympians Oracle of Gaia Oracles Pandora Zeus

Richard Clark, Rich Murray

Pandora’s Lunch Box: Don’t Open!

This book tells the story of 12 year old Pandora Little. Pandora is a curious girl who “always wanted to know everything about everything”. In this modern twist of the myth, Pandora is curious to know for example what is inside a big sandwich which was brought by one of her classmates, Randy. She sneakily replaces his sandwich with her own and takes the boy’s sandwich to the lab, to check its content. Afterwards, she finds out a mysterious old lunch box in the woods. When she o(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: Canada United States of America

TAGS: Pandora

Don Gillmor , Pierre Pratt

The Boy Who Ate the World (and the Girl Who Saved It)

This is picture book (illustrations composed in Acrylic) in which Herman Oof, a baby giant, eats all the available food, then turns his attention to cities, lands, and the entire world. ‘Scientists examined Herman and said, "If this keeps up, soon there won’t be anything left to eat in the whole world." (p. 6). Having eaten all the food, and lost any companions, Herman is lonely. "He was too tall to talk to anyone. He stared up at the sky and imagined that he was the m(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Erysichthon

Aimée Carter

The Goddess Inheritance (The Goddess Test, 3)

After Aphrodite betrayed her in the second volume of the Goddess Test series, Kate has to remain captive held by Cronus and Hera and gives birth to her son Milo in the fortress of Tartarus. Cronus offers her several times to rule the Underworld at his side, because he considers this solution as the only one allowing Kate to keep the baby with her. Kate is very much against this proposal, but she wants to prevent Cronus from attacking the Pantheon. Shortly afterwards Kate is rescued by the Olympi(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: Canada United States of America

TAGS: Aphrodite Cronus / Kronos Hades Hera Olympus Persephone Rhea Tartarus Titans Underworld

Aimée Carter

The Goddess Test (The Goddess Test, 1)

In this fantasy-romance novel for young readers, on her eighteenth birthday Kate moves to a small town in Michigan with her mother Diana, who is suffering from cancer, and wishes to be buried at home. Diana is in fact the goddess Demeter. At her new high school Kate gets to know the very popular and attractive Aphrodite and her friend Ares. Aphrodite lures Kate into a big old house called Eden Manor to introduce her to the powerful owner, an attractive and brooding man, Henry. Later it turns out(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Aphrodite Ares Demeter Hades Hermes Persephone Underworld

Philippe Béha, Glen Huser

The Golden Touch. A Retelling of the Legend of King Midas

The Golden Touch. A Retelling of the Legend of King Midas is a book and CD version of an opera staged in Canada in which over 200 school children performed alongside a Chroma Musika cast accompanied by The Orchestre Symphonique Pop Montréal, with narration from UK comedian Terry Jones. The opera was composed by Greek national Giannis Georgantelis, and was run as a community project under the auspices of the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, and the city of Laval. This w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Canada United Kingdom

TAGS: Apollo Architecture Bible Charybdis Cyclops / Cyclopes Dionysus / Dionysos Faun Gods Greek Music Helen Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Midas Ovid Pan

Philippe Béha, Glen Huser

Time for Flowers, Time for Snow. A Retelling of the Legend of Demeter and Persephone

Time for Flowers, Time for Snow is a book and CD version of an opera staged in Canada in which 180+ school children performed accompanied by The Orchestre Symphonique Pop Montréal with narration from UK comedian Terry Jones. The opera was composed by Greek national Giannis Georgantelis, and was run as a community project under the auspices of the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, the cities of Montreal and Laval, the Embassy of Greece to Canada, and the Embassy of Canada to (...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: Canada United Kingdom

TAGS: Afterlife Architecture Cerberus Charon Crete Daedalus Demeter Eleusinian Mysteries Gods Greek Music Hades Hermes Immortality Katabasis Olympus Persephone Pluto / Plouton Proserpina Underworld Zeus

Erika White

Unicorns and Friends

Unicorns and Friends is a combination of board book and toy, featuring the adventures of a group of colourful unicorns named Rosy, Blue, Clementine, Razzle-Berry, River, and Sherbet. Though they are a group, they each have distinctive characteristics: some are adventurous (Rosy and Razzle-Berry); Clementine likes sunshine while Blue enjoys evening walks… All love the “very special, magical creatures that are their friends and neighbours.” (p. 1). These creatures include Pol Pe(...)

literary

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: Canada

TAGS: Dragons Griffins / Gryphons Hippocampi Pegasus Unicorn (hippos monokeras)