Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

David Almond

A Song For Ella Grey is a non-linear retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice set in contemporary Newcastle, from the point of view of Claire, Ella’s best friend and lover. Claire disapproves of Ella’s relationship with Orpheus, and is gradually left behind by Ella to witness their love and subsequent deaths. Claire and Ella are seventeen, and Orpheus is described as looking in his early twenties, though it is hinted that he may be much older.Part 1 – Present DayClaire is in love with(...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Eurydice Maenads Orpheus Snakes Underworld

Natalia Kapatsoulia, Filippos Mandilaras

Dionysos, the Merry God [Διόνυσος, ο κεφάτος θεός (Diónysos, o kefátos theós)]

Philippos Mandilaras recounts Dionysos’ life and the god’s contribution to ancient and modern wine and performance culture. Mandilaras’ text is predominantly in rhyming verses, facilitating memorisation by children of pre-school age. Children can repeat after a teacher reads the text. Some text, e.g., Semele’s conversations with Hera and Zeus, appears in speech bubbles. The interactive experience of reading and performing fits Dionysos’ festive ambience that i(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Dionysus / Dionysos Maenads Satyr(s) Silens

Nicolas Duffaut, Hélène Montardre

Little Stories from Mythology [Petites histoires de la mythologie] (Series)

Five of the volumes of the series tell stories connected to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey: The Beautiful Helen, Achilles the Warrior, In the Belly of the Trojan Horse, Odysseus and the Cyclops, The Monsters of the Odyssey; five describe Olympian gods: Zeus, King of the Gods, The Abduction of Persephone, Hephaistos and the Love of Aphrodite, Apollo, the Dolphin God*, and Hermes, the God of a Thousand Gifts; eight volumes feature demi-gods, heroes and their stories: Prometheus, th(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: France

TAGS: Alcmene Amalthea Aphrodite Apollo Argonauts Cerberus Charon Chronos Cyclops / Cyclopes Demeter Eurydice Eurystheus Gaia / Gaea Golden Fleece Hades Hecatoncheires / Hundred-Handed Hera Hercules Hestia Maenads Nymphs Orpheus Persephone Poseidon Rhea Styx Titans Twelve Labours of Heracles Typhon / Typhoeus / Typhaon Zeus

Nicolas Duffaut, Hélène Montardre

Orpheus in Hell [Orphée aux Enfers]

Calliope, one of the nine Muses, sings to her baby boy Orpheus who seems to delight in her voice. He grows up to be a child interested in music and indifferent to usual boyish pursuits causing his father to worry. Apollo offers the boy a magic lyre that is supposed to grow with him. Young Orpheus becomes an exceptional musician who plays the lyre, mesmerizing his audiences. When Jason announces his plans to travel to Colchis looking for the Golden Fleece, Orpheus volunteers, to his father astoni(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: France

TAGS: Apollo Argo Argonauts Calliope Cerberus Charon Colchis Eurydice Golden Fleece Hades Jason Maenads Orpheus Persephone

Naoko Takeuchi

Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon [美少女戦士セーラームーン (Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn)]. Arc 4: Dream Arc

Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon follows 14-year-old Usagi Tsukino, a klutz and crybaby who receives the power to transform into a magical warrior named Sailor Moon, Soldier of Love and Justice. Transforming not only changes her clothes, but grants her access to supernatural powers to fight enemies. The story is set in Tokyo, Japan. There are five primary arcs to the series, plus several short stories that accompany the core narrative. The arcs reflect the primary antagonists and themes the protagonis(...)

literary

YEAR: 1991

COUNTRY: Japan

TAGS: Dionysus / Dionysos Elysian Fields / Elysium Endymion Helios Maenads Pegasus Selene

Pauline Baynes, Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis

Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia, 2)

Prince Caspian is the second book published in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. In this sequel to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the Pevensie children – Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan – sit at a railway station waiting to start their new term at boarding school. Suddenly, they are unexpectedly catapulted to a desert island. After some exploration of the island, they discover that they have in fact returned to Narnia – a magical land that they discover(...)

literary

YEAR: 1951

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Bacchus Centaur(s) Dryades Faun Maenads Metamorphosis

Diana Wynne Jones

The Game

Orphan Hayley Foss lives with her grandparents on the outskirts of London. Homeschooled under the strict control of her grandmother, she lives a lonely and isolated existence. She is not allowed to play with other children, and is only permitted to leave the house to accompany the maid on errands. When he is at home, her grandfather shows her amazing things in his study; from computers and televisions that monitor the daily news, to maps of the world and the solar system. He tells her about the (...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Atlas Harmonia Hermes Jupiter Maenads Merope Pleiades Sisyphus Titans Trojan War Troy

Jeff Goodsill, Brian Sullivan, Randall Wallace

Titan Quest

Titan Quest tells the story of a warrior who travels through Greece, Egypt, and the Orient to re-establish the connection between the Olympian gods and the human race before the Titans destroy humanity. To do this, the hero must fight numerous mythical beasts, help various villages and civilisations, and ultimately destroy the Telchines, who are trying to summon the Titans to take over the Olympian gods. The game’s art style consists of typical Greek scenarios. In the area between tow(...)

electronic

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Alastor Arachne Centaur(s) Chimera / Chimaera Cyclops / Cyclopes Euryale Eurynome Gorgon(s) Harpies Hydra Limos Maenads Medusa Minotaur Orthrus Satyr(s) Stheno Titans Typhon / Typhoeus / Typhaon