Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Christian Williams

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Series, S00 – Season Zero)

Title of the Works: Hercules: the Legendary Journeys – Hercules and the Amazon WomenHercules: the Legendary Journeys – Hercules and the Lost KingdomHercules: the Legendary Journeys – Hercules and the Circle of FireHercules: the Legendary Journeys – Hercules in the UnderworldHercules: the Legendary Journeys – Hercules in the Maze of the MinotaurThe Hercules: The Legendary Journeys franchise, starring Kevin Sorbo in the titular role, is b(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1994

COUNTRY: New Zealand United States of America

TAGS: Afterlife Alcmene Amazons Ancient Sacrifice Centaur(s) Cerberus Charon Chiron / Cheiron Deianeira Elysian Fields / Elysium Hades Hera Heracles Hercules Hippolyta Hydra Immortality Iolaus Katabasis Labyrinth Lydia Minotaur Nessus Omphale Prometheus Sea Monsters Sea-Serpent Styx Troy Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld Zeus

Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Christian Williams

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Series, S00E02): Hercules and the Lost Kingdom

This film’s narrative finds little direct precedent within ancient mythology but draws upon several identifiable themes/tropes for inspiration. After successfully saving a village from a giant, Hercules is approached by a messenger who asks for the hero’s help: his people have been forced out of their home-town, the “lost kingdom” of Troy. Zeus reveals that Hera caused the disappearance of Troy and, in order to find it, Hercules requires the “true compass”. &n(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1994

COUNTRY: New Zealand United States of America

TAGS: Ancient Sacrifice Deianeira Hera Hercules Lydia Omphale Sea-Serpent Troy Zeus

Shoo Rayner

Olympia. On the Ball (Olympia, 7)

On the Ball is the seventh in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books, which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion. In On the Ball, the athletes are having a break from their training, and playing a Spartan ball game called episkyros, for a bit of fun. Olly watches excitedly as they play, and the rul(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Ancient Sacrifice Episkyros Eurydice Olympia Olympic Games Orpheus

Shoo Rayner

Olympia. Swim for Your Life (Olympia, 5)

Swim for Your Life is the fifth in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books, which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features a boy named Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion. In Swim for Your Life, the athletes are preparing for a swimming race, and making sacrifices to the river god, Alfeios (Alpheus). Olly and Spiro, his rival, have the mo(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Alpheus Ancient Sacrifice Artemis Cerberus Olympia Olympic Games Orion

Terence (Terry) David John Pratchett

Pyramids (Discworld, 7)

Pyramids is set in the fictional Djelibeybi (or the Djel), the tiny, powerless remains of an empire whose only importance is as a strategic block between its neighbours, Tsort and Ephebe. Pteppic/Teppic, the crown prince, has been training at the Assassin’s Guild in Ankh-Morpork. Returning to the kingdom following his father’s death, Teppic discovers that he has no real power, and the real ruler is Dios, the ancient high priest. After an unfortunate series of misunderstandings in whi(...)

literary

YEAR: 1989

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Aesop Ancient Religious Practices Ancient Sacrifice Ancient Warfare Aristophanes Aristotle Athens Cleopatra VII Democracy Egypt Egyptian Mythology Founding Legends Greek Philosophy Homer Plato Ptolemaic Egypt Pythagoras Sparta Sphinx Symposium Thermopylae Trojan Horse Trojan War Zeno of Elea

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