Year: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Alison Forbes, Neville Smith

“A Horse with Wings” tells of how a young boy named Charles wants a pony, but when he kicks his football through the window on the back verandah, he saves his parents the trouble of punishing him by putting himself to bed without any supper. As he drifts off to sleep, a winged horse visits him, Pegasus, who assumes the authoritative voice of an adult, advising that “People do not believe the stories about the ancient Greek gods nowadays, which is rather a shame, because many of(...)

literary

YEAR: 1955

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Pegasus

Friz Freleng

Looney Tunes (Series): Roman Legion-Hare

The episode opens with the introduction to Rome of 54 CE and to the Colosseum adorned with an ad: "Coliseum Today Detroit Lions in Season Opener. Undefeated Lions Out For First Taste of Victory". This is evidently a big event; not only the Colosseum is packed with people, it is also joined by the Emperor Nero. He is presented as a dull, obese man with too much power. He demands to let the "victim" out in the arena, however, one of the soldiers informs him that there are no vi(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1955

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Colosseum Nero Rome

Richard Kennedy, Rosemary Sutcliff

Outcast

Outcast is a young adult novel that tells the story of a teenager named Beric, a Roman by birth who is adopted, but subsequently cast out, by a British tribe. Sometime in the mid-second century CE, on the south coast of modern Devon, Cunori of the Dumnonii tribe finds a baby boy washed ashore following a shipwreck. The boy's deceased parents are Romans, but despite the warnings of the local Druid Merddyn, Cunori adopts the boy and convinces his clan, with the help of the blind harpist Rhiada(...)

literary

YEAR: 1955

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Ancient Slavery Pan Roman Britain Roman Empire

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

The Magician's Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia, 6)

Polly and Diggory are neighbours in row houses in London. Diggory lives with his aunt and uncle. His father is away in India and, sadly, his mother is dying. While playing together one day, Polly and Diggory discover a long tunnel running through the roofs of the adjoining houses on their street. They open a door with a latch and enter an attic room, discovering the room that Diggory’s Uncle Andrew has forbidden anyone from entering. Uncle Andrew is in the room, snarling, and is immediatel(...)

literary

YEAR: 1955

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Bible Creation Myths Olympus Pegasus