Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Laura Ruby

Bone Gap is set in the small American town of the same name in the 21st Century and follows two protagonists: Finn, a teenage boy who does not know that he has prosopagnosia (more colloquially known as “face-blindness”, a disability that prevents him from recognising faces), and Roza, a beautiful young Polish woman who mysteriously turns up in Finn’s barn. Finn is the only witness of her subsequent abduction, but nobody believes him. As Roza fights to escape from her captor, Fi(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Arion (Poet) Cerberus Cupid Demeter Elysian Fields / Elysium Eurydice Hades Hera Orpheus Persephone Psyche Styx Underworld Zeus

Joan Holub, Craig Phillips, Suzanne Williams

Hades and the Helm of Darkness (Heroes in Training, 3)

This is the third book in the Heroes in Training series (see entry about Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom (Heroes in Training, 1)). The saved Olympians continue their journey following the Oracle’s directions. They now head to the underworld where they encounter the Titans Oceanus, Mnemosyne and the Furies. They are even almost captured by Thanatos. In the process they will discover who the real lord of the underworld is and Zeus gets another step close to understanding his own i(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Cerberus Charon Chronos Delphi Demeter Elysian Fields / Elysium Furies Hades Hera Mnemosyne Oceanus / Okeanos Oracles Poseidon Styx Thanatos Zeus

Rocco Negri, Ian Serraillier

Heracles the Strong

Heracles, the son of a mortal woman and the god, Zeus, was hated by Hera. She inflicted him with madness and he committed a terrible crime. As penance, he served King Eurystheus and was set twelve difficult and dangerous labours to perform.(...)

literary

YEAR: 1970

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achelous Admetus Alcestis Alcmene Alpheus Amazons Amphitryon Apollo Ares Argonauts Artemis' Hind Athena Athens Atlas Augean Stables Centaur(s) Cerberus Charon Chiron / Cheiron Cithaeron (Mount) Creon Deianeira Delphic Oracle Elysian Fields / Elysium Erymanthus Eurystheus Eurytos Garden of Hesperides Geryon Golden Fleece Hades Hera Heracles Hercules Hippolyta's Belt Hydra Hyllus Iolaus Iole Iphicles Ladon Lerna Megara Minos Minyans Mycenae Nemean Lion Nereus Nessus Nymphs Orthrus Persephone Pholus Phyleus Pillars of Hercules Poseidon Prometheus Pygmies Stymphalian Birds Stymphalian Lake Styx Tantalus Thebes Theseus Tiresias Titans Twelve Labours of Heracles Zeus

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, S00E04): Hercules in the Underworld

This narrative is based loosely on a combination of several known mythological tales: the rape of Deianeira by Nessus, the labour of Hercules capturing Cerberus in the underworld, the death of Hercules and Orpheus’ catabasis. The film begins in an undisclosed village where the ground opens up to create an eerie fissure from out of which a strange green light and mist emerge, destroying all who come into contact with it. Meanwhile, in Hercules’ own village, the hero is forced out of &(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1994

COUNTRY: New Zealand United States of America

TAGS: Afterlife Centaur(s) Cerberus Charon Deianeira Elysian Fields / Elysium Hades Hera Hercules Immortality Katabasis Nessus Styx Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld Zeus

Weng Chen (Jade), Carolyn Hennesy

Pandora Gets Heart (Mythic Misadventures, 4)

This is the fourth instalment in a series of books called Mythic Misadventures that takes the classic story of Pandora's box and gives it a young, adventurous, partly contemporary twist – Pandora is Prometheus' thirteen-year-old daughter. In this book, the group must travel to the past in order to find Lust, hidden in a golden apple. But they must be careful not to change history since this apple is the one that starts the story of Paris, Troy, and Helen of Sparta. Since they (...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achilles Aphrodite Athena Centaur(s) Charon Chiron / Cheiron Elysian Fields / Elysium Eris Hades Helen Hephaestus Hera Hermes Ida (Mount) Olympians Olympus Pandora Paris (Trojan Prince) Peleus Prometheus Sparta Styx Thetis Titans Troy Zeus

Yuyi Chen, Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams

Persephone & the Giant Flowers (Little Goddess Girls, 2)

In the second book of the Little Goddess Girls series, Athena and Persephone continue to travel along the Hello Brick Road to Sparkle City, where they hope the mighty Zeus might grant their wishes. Athena wishes to return the home, from which she was mysteriously carried away by a storm and brought to this magical mount Olympus land. Persephone hopes that Zeus will help her overcome her bad luck. While traveling, after the girls eat a few pomegranates a mysterious chariot appears and the gr(...)

literary

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aphrodite Athena Cerberus Elysian Fields / Elysium Hades Hestia Medusa Olympus Persephone Tartarus Zeus

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

Eric Freeberg, Diane Namm

Roman Myths

Retelling of classic Roman myths meant for ages 7–9 with one illustration per story. Following the stories, the author includes questions for discussion about each story. The stories in the book:The Oak and the Linden TreePrometheus and IoAtlas and the Eleventh Labor of HerculesRomulus and RemusEscape from TroyThe Golden BoughCupid and PsycheMinerva and ArachneOedipus and the SphinxOtus and Ephialtes(...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aeneas Aeolus Amulius Apollo Arachne Atlas Baucis Carthage Cerberus Ceres Charon Crete Cupid Diana Dido Dii Consentes Elysian Fields / Elysium Ephialtes Faustulus Garden of Hesperides Golden Bough Greeks Harpies Heracles Hercules Io Italia Janus Juno Jupiter Lares Lemures Manes Mars Mercury Minerva Neptune Numina Numitor (King) Nymphs Oedipus Otus (Giant) Ovid Penates Philemon Prometheus Psyche Remus Rhea Rome Romulus Saturn Sibyl Sphinx Styx Temple of Vesta (Forum Romanum) Thebes Titans Trojan Horse Troy Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld Venus Vesta Vulcan

Kornel Makuszyński , Zbigniew Piotrowski

Satan from the Seventh Grade [Szatan z siódmej klasy]

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.Professor Gąsowski is shocked when he discovers that his students have known for a long time his scheme for questioning them during class. It turns out that it was deciphered by Adam Cisowski – a brilliant student with a sp(...)

literary

YEAR: 1937

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Achilles Aeneid Aesop Aesop’s Fables Agamemnon Ajax / Aias Alcibiades Alexander the Great Amalthea Apelles Atlas Brutus Caesar Charon Elysian Fields / Elysium Hannibal Hecatomb Iris Jupiter Latin (Language) Mercury Pericles Pythagoras Socrates Tacitus Virgil

Sarah Diemer

The Dark Wife

The Dark Wife is the first full length novel by Sarah Diemer who had previously self-published short stories under this name. It retells the myth of Hades and Persephone with a few twists; in Diemer’s version Hades is a woman and the story follows the development of a consensual romantic relationship between her and Persephone.The book itself focuses on Persephone who has lived her entire life thus far on earth with her mother Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Persephone’s life thus f(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Athena Cerberus Charon Demeter Elysian Fields / Elysium Hades Hermes Persephone Underworld Zeus