Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Emanuele Luzzati , Gianni Rodari

Atalanta. A Maiden in Greece of Gods and Heroes [Atalanta. Una fanciulla nella Grecia degli dei e degli eroi]

Atalanta. A Maiden in Greece of Gods and Heroes is an illustrated children’s novel in which Gianni Rodari recounts the myth of Atalanta by combining a respectful reading of the tradition with a rewriting imbued with his characteristic fervent imagination. The protagonist of this story is Atalanta, daughter of King Iasus of Arcadia, who is repudiated at birth and abandoned on a mountain by order of her father who desired a male heir to the throne. Little Atalanta is saved and suckled b(...)

literary

YEAR: 1982

COUNTRY: Italy

TAGS: Argonauts Atalanta Calydonian Boar Diana Golden Fleece Hercules Jason Medea

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, creating sto(...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: Canada

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

Henryk Sienkiewicz

Fairytales and Legends [Baśnie i legendy]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue (accessed: June 11, 2021), Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp., section by Agata Więcławska and Michał Kucharski, pp. 346-347 and 350-353.The collection is divided into three thematic parts: tales about Hinduism’s origins and the legends of Ancient Egypt, Gre(...)

literary

YEAR: 1967

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Apollo Athena Athens Christianity Dionysus / Dionysos Greek Philosophy Hermes Mark Antony Plato Poseidon Zeus

Justyna Jastrzębska

Greek and Roman Gods. The Most Important Information from Mythology [Bogowie greccy i rzymscy. Najważniejsze wiadomości z mitologii]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp., online: http://omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/omc_catalogue.The author highlights the differences between Greek and Roman myths. According to her, Greek mentality is characterized by abundant fantasy and imagination, able to create a ma(...)

literary

YEAR: 1911

COUNTRY: Austro-Hungarian Empire Congress Poland Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Russian Empire

TAGS: Hesiod Homer Ovid Sibylline Books

Carissa Weiser, Jason Weiser

Myths and Legends

Myths and legends is a podcast series on the “folklore that has shaped our world”. It was awarded the First Top Podcast prize in the Top Mythology Podcasts of 2020 by Feedspot (accessed: April 3, 2020). In Myths and legends legendary and folkloric traditions from all over the world and throughout different times are presented to wide audiences in informative and engaging audio episodes.Classical mythology holds a significant place in this selection. In fact, among the current 177 epi(...)

radio

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Giants Hera Heracles Hercules Theseus Trojan War Troy Zeus

Thor Freudenthal, Marc Guggenheim, Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Series): The Sea of Monsters

The film opens with Percy Jackson providing voiceover to a scene set seven years previously. Four children run through the woods from an unseen threat. Three of the children are revealed to be Luke, Grover and Annabeth. As they approach the boundary to Camp Half-blood the fourth, unnamed, child fights the monsters alone to save the others. She is killed and revealed to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus. In response to her death, Zeus transforms her body into a tree and creates a magical boundary emana(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Argonautica Cronus / Kronos Hero(es) Odyssey Polyphemus

Mo Willems

Sheep in the Big City

A male (thus, referred to as “he” during the whole show) sheep – called Sheep, escaped from his owner, Farmer John, because a certain military organization (The Top-Secret Military Organization) owns a sheep-powered ray gun invented by The Angry Scientist (a scientist persistently called by mistake The Mad Scientist by the other characters, which of course makes him angrier). Sheep is the only sheep that can power the ray gun, because the weapon has a hole exactly his size. Thu(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2000

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Ancient Sacrifice Arcadia Calydonian Boar Centaur(s) Erymanthian Boar Greece Medusa

Amanda McLoughlin, Julia Schifini, Eric Schneider

Spirits

Spirits was named Second Top Podcast in the Top Mythology Podcasts of 2020 by Feedspot (accessed: April 2, 2020). It consists of weekly episodes, brought out every Wednesday, on mythology and urban legends from all over the world. The logo and the title of the podcast allude to the loose format of the episodes, wherein classical myths are “served up over ice”, like a cocktail in a bar, by “two tipsy history geeks”.The tracks are listed according to thematic tags. A sectio(...)

radio

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Circe Cupid Eros Hades Heracles Hercules Persephone Psyche Zeus

Alexandra Hetmerova

Swimming Pool

This short animation has an interesting take on reception of antiquity because we see it just in the end. It all starts with a man looking at the local swimming pool from his apartment block. He sees people playing and having great time but it seems to irritate him. He desperately looks at his watch, looking for something to happen. As the day ends, the public swimming pool is being closed. Suddenly, the happiness shows up on a strange man’s face. He grabs a towel and leaves his house in t(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: Czech Republic

TAGS: Centaur(s)

Eric Freeberg, Kathleen Olmstead

The Iliad

This retelling of Homer's epic tale begins with a prologue that describes the judgement of Paris and how that led to the generals of ancient Greece marching on Troy. We are introduced to each of the gods of Olympus and told that we will learn of a great warrior Achilles, and his rage. The prologue ends with a picture page depicting the key characters in the narrative. The narrative begins with a clash between Achilles and Agamemnon which leads to Achilles withdrawing from battle and seeking (...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achilles Agamemnon Ajax / Aias Aphrodite Apollo Athena Diomedes (Son of Tydeus) Hector Hephaestus Hera Hermes Nestor Odysseus / Ulysses Odyssey Patroclus Poseidon Thetis Trojan War Zeus

Eric Freeberg, Tania Zamorsky

The Odyssey

This book begins with a brief prologue that touches on the judgement of Paris, Odysseus winning the war with the Trojan horse and the Greeks having to endure a tough journey home due to interference from the Gods. The narrative follows that of Homer's The Odyssey fairly closely, beginning with Odysseus longing for home on Calypso's island only for the Gods to decide to help Odysseus get home. Athena helps Odysseus reach Phaeacia where he tells king Alcinous of his troublesome journey hom(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Athena Charybdis Circe Cyclops / Cyclopes Hermes Magic Odysseus / Ulysses Penelope Poseidon Scylla Trojan War Zeus

Michael Eagle, Emily Little

The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War

This book is part of a series named Step into Reading which consists of five steps for children to build up their reading skills. The series spans from step one which is aimed at preschool and kindergarten children to step five which is aimed at children aged between 7 and 9. This book falls under the "Step 5" bracket. The book consists of 6 small sections and a pronunciation guide. Section 1 titled "The Wall" introduces the kingdom of Troy and describes the Trojan wall (...)

literary

YEAR: 1992

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Agamemnon Athena Helen Menelaus Odysseus / Ulysses Priam Trojan Horse Trojan War

Gerd Scherm

The Wanderers [Die Irrfahrer]

The prophet and scribe Seshmosis, who saved his nation, the Tajarim, from Egyptian bondage thanks to the support of the goddess GON, god without a name, leaves Byblos with his friends in order to travel to Crete. He intends to analyse a mysterious locket there, whose origins are Cretan, and which is inscribed in a secret language. Once arrived in Crete, the adventurers meet not only Minos, the king of Crete, but also his obliging daughter Ariadne and her lover Theseus who is eager to become hims(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: Germany

TAGS: Achilles Bible Crete Egypt Labyrinth Minos Minotaur Odysseus / Ulysses Theseus Trojan War

Andrew Dettmann, Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Daniel Truly

Young Hercules

The Young Hercules franchise (cf. the 1998 serial of the same name, starring Ryan Gosling) is a spin-off/prequel to the Hercules: the Legendary Journeys franchise. The Young Hercules film also serves as a prequel to the Young Hercules serial (see here) and thus seeks to establish the main characters who appear in this latter production (i.e. Hercules, Iolaus, Jason, Ares, Discord and Cheiron). The narrative of the Young Hercules film is a re-telling of Jason and the Argonauts’ voyage to ob(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: New Zealand United States of America

TAGS: Ares Argo Argonauts Chiron / Cheiron Gods Golden Fleece Heracles Hercules Iolaus Jason