Year: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Irena Parandowska

A Tale about Icarus and Daedalus [Opowieść o Ikarze i Dedalu]

A previous version of the entry was published in: 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, 270–272.In ancient times, before the invention of railway and air travel, there lived a man in Athens who may be considered the first aviator in history. His name was Daedalus, and he was th(...)

literary

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Crete Daedalus Helios Hermes Icarus Labyrinth Minos Zeus

Marian Grześczak, Zbigniew Łoskot

About a Boy Whom You Also Are [O chłopcu, którym jesteś i ty]

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.Daedalus and his inquisitive and lively son, Icarus, travel from Athens, from where they were banished, to Crete. Icarus dreams about being able to fly, so he and his father could travel much faster than they do, walking on the g(...)

literary

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Athens Crete Daedalus Icarus Labyrinth Minos

Beverley Cross, Desmond Davis, Ray Harryhausen, Charles H. Schneer

Clash of the Titans

The film loosely follows ancient versions of the myth of Perseus and Medusa. The film opens with king Acrisius of Argos throwing his daughter Danaë and her infant son Perseus into the sea in a casket. After the credits, the scene cuts to the gods on Olympus, where Zeus swears to punish Acrisius and has Poseidon release a monster, a titan called the Kraken to destroy Argos. It is revealed that Perseus is the child of Zeus.Danaë and Perseus drift safely to the island of Seriphos, where P(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Aphrodite Athena Hephaestus Hera Medusa Metamorphosis Pegasus Perseus Poseidon Tethys Underworld Zeus

Victor Ambrus, Rosemary Sutcliff

Eagle’s Egg

The story begins with Quintus recounting to his grandchildren how as young man he was posted to Eburacum (York) as the standard-bearer for the Ninth Legion. There, at a well next to the Temple of Sulis, Quintus had encountered Cordaella, who had come from Lindum (Lincoln) with her brother Vedrix after he had been hired to lay a new mosaic floor in the town council chamber. As time passed, Quintus and Cordaella had fallen in love, but because Quintus was below the rank of centurion they could not(...)

literary

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Agricola Calgacus Eboracum Roman Army Roman Art Roman Britain

Cynthia Voigt

Homecoming (Tillerman Cycle, 1)

Homecoming tells the story of four siblings – Dicey, James, Maybeth and Sammy Tillerman – who are abandoned by their mother (their father had already abandoned the family some years before). Led by the eldest, Dicey, the children make their way mostly on foot down the east coast of the United States. They come across a range of settings and characters with both realist and archetypal features including: runaway teenagers in the woods, students on a university campus, their bland(...)

literary

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aeolus Circe Homer Lotus Eaters / Lotophagoi Odysseus / Ulysses Odyssey Penelope Polyphemus Scylla

Astrid Lindgren

Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter [Ronja rövardotter]

An adventure-fantasy story for young readers reflecting the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren takes place in an imaginary wood in Sweden known as Matt’s Forest where there are harpies, goblinfolk, Unearthly ones and gray dwarves. The protagonist, Ronia, is born in a robber’s stronghold and soon learns how to traverse Matt’s Mountain and avoid the hell-harpies (who would tear up their victims or enslave them). On the night of (...)

literary

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: Sweden

TAGS: Chloe Daphnis Harpies Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Ovid Pyramus Sirens Thisbe

Jean Chalopin, Yoshitake Suzuki, Nina Wolmark

Ulysses 31 [Ulysse 31]

Ulysses 31 was created by a Japanese animation company for a French audience, conceived as a way to use modern Japanese cartoon work to introduce a young audience to the myths of Odysseus within a futuristic sci-fi environment. The series is based on Homer's Odyssey, set in the 31st century. Some additional Greek myths and, to a much lesser extent, myths from further cultures, are woven into the narrative, including Native American. The premise of the programme and of individual episode(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: France Japan

TAGS: Amazons Ancient Slavery Architecture Ariadne Asclepius Athena Charybdis Comedy (Ancient) Cronus / Kronos Cyclops / Cyclopes Demeter Divination Egypt Fate Galatea Gladiator Games Greek Theatre Hades Hermes Hydra Labyrinth Laurel Wreath Maze Mercury Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Minos Minotaur Odysseus / Ulysses Odyssey Oedipus Oracles Orpheus Pegasus Penelope Persephone Poseidon Scylla Sirens Sophocles Telemachus Theseus Tragedy (Ancient) Trojan War Troy Underworld Zeus