This week we finished our reading of 'Pandora's Jar'. I really loved reading through this book again, now that I've read more of the original texts. There are so many interesting (and often overlooked) characters in the mythos, so it was nice to focus in on some of them here. If you are interested in reading more of Haynes' essays on Greek mythology, you should check out 'Divine Might' by her, which looks at the female immortals and goddesses in the myths.

We are taking a break for the coming week. Our next read, Georgics by Virgil, will be starting on September 1st. There are four books (aka chapters) in Georgics. We will be reading one book per week for the month of September. We have posted a translation guide

As usual, the questions will be in the comments.

Summary:

Penelope:

This chapter looked at Penelope’s fame versus her portrayal in the Odyssey. Haynes argued that Penelope, despite being one of the most famous women in the mythos, is known more for being an idolized version of a wife than as a character in her own right. I think this is an interesting point. Haynes examined how Penelope has been portrayed and spoken about in both the myths and in the real world over the centuries.

Conclusion:

Haynes returns to talking about Pandora and what she (and the other women within the Greek mythos) represents – complexity. She states that not every story or character can be put into a single moral category, and that this is a good thing because it reflects real life. She ends the book by reaffirming that modern retellings that focus on the female characters within the Greek mythos are valid and important.

I'm happy to be back this week to discuss two of my favourite tragic Greek women, Phaedra & Medea.

Next week we finish up with Pandora's Jar by discussion Penelope and the conclusion to the book. Questions are in the comments as always.

Phaedra

Phaedra, as part of Aphrodite's plan for revenge against Hippolytus, falls instantly in love with Hippolytus. Phaedra doesn't act on her feelings and suffers silently for two years. Phaedra wishes for death rather than to keep feeling the way she does about Hippolytus. She is granted no mercy from the gods and reminded that her own children will suffer if she dies. Aphrodite is a cruel and uncaring god intent only on the pursuit of vengeance fornher perceived scorn. When Phaedra finally laments and tells her nurse what she has been feeling, the nurse asks how and why Phaedra would resist Aphrodite's will. Does she not risk more by trying to be stronger than a god, than she does by giving in? Phaedra swears the nurse to silence. The nurse immediately tells Hippolytus what she has learned, and as a man who despises even the thought of sex with anyone, Hippolytus reacts with anger. Hippolytus decries the promise he made to keep Phaedra's feelings secret and then rants about how Phaedra and all women are evil. Phaedra decides then that the only way to save her children from Hippolytus's wrath is to take her own life and accuse him of rape. Thesus finds her and the note, exiles Hippolytus who then dies after being crushed while leaving the city.

Medea

Medea uses her magic to help Jason steal the go.den fleece. In doing this, she turns her back on her family and sails with Jason and the Argonauts. Medea uses her bravery and calm defeat Jason's enemies (like Talos and the Hydra). Medea is killed and revived in the battle with the Hydra. Medea's father sows the Hydra's teeth into the ground creating a zombie army that Medea again helps him defeat. Again and again on his quest, Medea aids Jason's defeat of enemies and overcoming each trial.
Eventually, Jason betrays her and their children by abandoning her for Glauce. Faced with banishment, Medea exacts her revenge on Creon, Glauce, and Jason. Medea kills Creon, Glauce and her sons, leaving Jason a broken man.

Eurydice is one of my favourites of all time in mythology, so this week was a treat for me. What I wasn't expecting was how much I got into Clytemnestra at the same time.

Join us next week for the chapters on Phaedra & Medea, and as always discussion questions are in the comments.

Clytemnestra

She's one of the most underrated women in mythology, but I love her. The text focuses on a few things, the idea of the bad wife, how Greek men were perpetually worried about what women would do in their absence, and how there was an expectation that wives would submit and accept. We saw this when Agamemnon killed their daughter and then later brought proof of his infidelity back into the house. Even if it wasn't unusual for the day, it's hardly something that someone like Clytemnestra would accept. Clytemnestra is sure that she's just, but the problem with the sword of vengeance is that it cuts both ways.

Eurydice

We look into the well known myth with new eyes, first getting some historical context and then the admittance that when people talk about this myth they tend to focus on Orpheus. For composers it's a great challenge to focus on someone who makes music so beautiful that they make the rocks weep, but Eurydice gets overshadowed. She is someone to be rescued and little more in some of the retellings. Haynes spends some time talking about the broadway musical Hadestown (which is excellent, you guys) and how it recharacterizes Eurydice simply by giving her a choice to make.

We had some unique characters this week, Medusa being transformed into one of the most feared monsters in mythology and an entire culture rather than a single character.

Join us next week for the chapters on Clytemnestra & Eurydice, and as always discussion questions are in the comments.

Summary

Medusa

This is the first woman we have discussed to actually be turned into a monster. Haynes discusses the various origins of Medusa, concluding that none were her fault. She discusses the use of gorgon heads and origins of their legends before Medusa. 

After a brief recount of Perseus’ story, we are given descriptions of multiple artistic depictions of Medusa, and their differences, and she spends quite a bit of time on modern interpretations. She is compared to Midas in terms of her transformation, how he is pitied and she is demonized. She ends with other thoughts on her depiction as a monster. 

The Amazons

We begin learning about the Greek fascination with barbarians, and the collective nature of the Amazons. Their tribal nature is compared to that of the Greeks, particularly Odysseus and his soldiers/crew. She goes into their duality of nobility, and contrast to Greek norms. 

Haynes goes into their origins, being warriors on the Black Sea, and their portrayal in the myth of Heracles. They are depicted as very powerful and capable, but easily foiled by male heroes. She dives into modern tellings of them as well, and how our perception of Greek women is changed by them.

This week we read about two of the most notorious mortal women in Greek myth – Jocasta and Helen. Jocasta is probably better known to modern audiences as the mother/wife of Oedipus. Helen is, of course, Helen of Troy, the woman who many believe was the cause of the famous war between Greece and Troy.

Next week we will be reading the chapters titled �?Medusa’ and �?The Amazons’.

As usual, the questions for this week’s reading will be in the comments.

We’ve met both characters over the course of the last two years. Helen has been in most of the texts we have read, in one way or another. Notably, she was in our first read, �?The Odyssey’ and the another of our early reads �?The Iliad’. This year we branched out a bit more and that is where we met Jocasta, in Sophocles trilogy of Theban plays.

*Please note that the below summaries are based on my personal reading of both chapters.

Summary:

Jocasta:

This was an excellent essay about Jocasta and her role in the story of Oedipus. Haynes argued that Jocasta is a character that is often overlooked, even though she is a pivotal character within any text featuring Oedipus. Haynes goes into an in-depth analysis of Sophocles’ Theban Plays, which is the main extant text we have that features her story. Haynes notes that the origins of Jocasta and Oedipus’ myth goes back to the time of Homer, when Odysseus meets an earlier version of Jocasta during his trip to the underworld. Haynes also notes that there are also many different versions of Jocasta’s story that either survive to today or are mentioned in other texts from the ancient world. Particularly, Euripides in �?The Phoenician Women’ provides us with a very different variation of Jocasta – an intelligent woman who steps up to rule Thebes after the events of Oedipus the King, who defends herself and tries to bring peace to her kingdom by attempting to get her sons to reconcile.

Haynes uses Jocasta and her experiences within the Oedipus story to discuss gender roles and relations from ancient Greece to the (relatively) modern day. The essay ends with Haynes discussing non-ancient depictions of Jocasta and how ageism may be the reason why Jocasta has largely been overlooked throughout history.

Sidenote – Haynes has written a fantastic retelling of Oedipus and Jocasta’s story. It is called �?The Children of Jocasta’ and is largely told from the perspective of Jocasta’s daughters. I read it a couple of years ago and loved it. Haynes works in some of the different variations of the myth to the story, some in interesting ways.

Helen:

 Haynes started this chapter with a catchy tagline: �?Helen of Troy, Helen of Sparta, Helen of joy, Helen of slaughter.’ Helen is a huge character throughout the Greek/Roman mythos. However, Haynes argues in this essay that we never really get to know Helen as an individual character: she is usually obscured by the legend of her own beauty and/or the actions of the men that surround her.

Haynes provided us here with an insightful look into Helen’s origins, of which there are many variants and yet usually Zeus is disguised as a swan in them. Helen’s status as a demigod is up for debate in many of the myths, but one thing about her is consistent: she is the most beautiful woman to ever exist. Haynes looked at how Helen’s beauty shaped her earliest stories – she was abducted as a child, perhaps as young as seven, by the hero Theseus. This abduction caused a war and possibly led to Helen giving birth to her first child at about ten years old. This earlier tale works as a stark contrast to the later, adult takes on Helen where she is portrayed as an active participant in her abduction by Paris.

Haynes looked at a few of the variant stories about Helen. In particular, she mentions how Euripides wrote a couple of (conflicting but brilliant) plays about Helen – �?The Women of Troy’ and �?Helen’, both of which we will be reading later this year. Euripides showed Helen as an intelligent and spirited woman who was able to defend herself in a semi-legal battle against Hecuba and Menelaus. Haynes questioned why this version of Helen is not better known. She then examined how Helen has been portrayed in media throughout history, all the way into the twentieth century with Star Trek.

The essay ends with a return to Haynes original question/premise – we don’t really know Helen, because the myths and history have not let us know her.

Welcome to the first week of Pandora's Jar!

We're off to the races and I'm already stoked because this is one of my fav myths.

Next week, we'll be reading Jocasta & Helen~

The Introduction starts us with challenging how we view Greek myths. So many of them are told through the lens of not only the person who was writing them at the time, but the cultural feelings of the people who translated them and the times that they live in. This is about rediscovering the stories inside the story. Ready for the ride?

For Pandora we realize that the very basis of the story is wrong. Popular culture says that Pandora had a box, but in truth she had a jar. She was created fully formed by the gods and given gifts beyond what mankind had. She might even be one of the reasons that we're able to enjoy our gifts the way that we do. Then she was given a jar with the evils of the world inside of it. She has been villainized and beautified by art throughout the ages, but there's no denying that she had very little choice in what happened for her origins.

She was meant to be a punishment and created to be so, but she gets the blame instead of other people who could have done things to avoid disaster. Haynes helps us explore the different artistic interpretations of Pandora, finally asking if we cannot see her as a neutral force rather than a destructive one?

What an ending, Ovid really took it from mythology to political commentary at the end.

Join us next week for the start of Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes where we will go over the Introduction and "Pandora."

As always discussion questions are in the comments.

Summary

Book 15

Rome chooses a new ruler, Numa, who is exploratory. Traveling to Cruton, a city founded by Hercules. An elder tells the story of Myscelus, who was instructed to leave Argos and settle Cruton at the command (or threats) of Hercules. 

Pythagoras was a refugee who made his way to Cruton, and liked to contemplate nature’s laws. He tries to convince the city not to eat meat. He speaks of the golden age when man had no need to kill and eat meat, mortality, and the constant changes time brings. Mostly he speaks about transformation. 

Numa hears these teachings and returns to Rome to steer it towards peace, not war. After his death, his wife Egeria hides in the woods crying, and the nymphs beg her to stop. Theseus’ song Hippolytus finds her and comforts her with his own story. His step mother tried to seduce him, and when he refused she convinced Theseus to banish him. On his way to another city a bull riding a tidal wave appeared, making him crash, and he was killed by wild horses. 

In Hades, Hippolytus is healed by Apollo’s son, but he is so scarred that Diana hid him behind clouds and transformed him so he could be seen without frightening the public. This story fails to comfort Egeria, and Diana turns her into a spring. 

Cipus, a Roman, is surprised one day when he sees his reflection and has horns. Unsure if they are a good or bad omen, he prays. Told by a prophet he will be king when he walks through the gates of Rome, he hides his horns and calls for the citizens of Rome. He tells them the man with two horns on his head is a Tyrant who must be exiled or killed. He reveals his horns, and is banished but given land, and his horns are engraved on Rome’s gatepost. 

Meanwhile in Rome there is a terrible plague with no cure. They ask Apollo for help, and he tells them to find Aesculapius, his son. Romans sail to Epidaurus, and ask the senate if they can take Aesculapius back to Rome. After delaying their decision until the next day, Aesculapius goes to the Romans in the night and says he will go with them, and he will be disguised as a serpent. The next day the senate is still undecided, and go to the temple to ask for a sign. Aesculapius appears as a giant serpent and says he will go to Rome. He makes his home on a nearby island and ends the plague. 

The end is about Julius Ceaser, who was born in Rome and a genius in matters of war and peace. Before having a son, Augusts, Julius became a god. 

Venus foresaw Julius Ceaser’s murder by government traitors, and pleads for help from the other gods. They cannot alter fate, and will not help her. Rome experiences signs of the coming tragedy. Venus hides Julius in clouds from two traitors in the senate hall. Jupiter asks Venus why she is fighting Fate, and Venus intends to make him a god, and Augustus will go on to greatness before also becoming a god. 

Taking his soul from his lifeless body, Venus carries him toward heaven, but he escapes and becomes a star. Ovid calls on the gods who fathered great men, praying when Augustus becomes a god he will remember the prayers of his people.

Welcome back everyone. Today (14/07/24) marks the start of our next reading, �?Pandora’s Jar’ by Natalie Haynes. This book is a collection of non-fiction essays centred around some of the best-known female characters from the Greco/Roman mythos. We will be reading two essays per week for the next six weeks. Our reading will end with the last discussion post on 24/08/24. We will then take a week-long break before starting our next read: �?Georgics’ by Virgil.

Our reading for the coming week will be the first two essays in the collection: �?Introduction’ and �?Pandora’. Most of the essays in this book are named after the individual they focus on.

I’m excited to get into this reading, because I have read this book before and want to revisit it. Historical non-fiction has a bit of a reputation for being difficult to read, which is unfortunate. However, �?Pandora’s Jar’ is a nice read and is very accessible, so I think it will suit us well. From what I recall, each essay does a good job with explaining the background of each of the central characters, so I’m not going to go into details here.  The book is available in physical, eBook and audio formats too, which is great.

 Over the coming weeks we will be reading about several characters that we’ve already met in the book club so far. I can’t wait to talk about the essays and the characters in the weekly discussion posts and to see what everyone thinks about them!

 The Author:

Natalie Haynes is a well-known broadcaster from the UK. She has a background in the classics and has written about them in several formats. She has a long-running radio show called �?Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics’, and has written for several different newspapers about the classics and even appeared on tv. She has written several books, both fiction and non-fiction, that focus on Greco/Roman mythology. I’ve read most of her fiction and can heartily recommend it. She is probably best known for her books: �?A Thousand Ships’ which is a retelling of the fall of Troy from the perspective of the famous women involved, and �?The Children of Jocasta’ which is wonderful retelling of the tragedy of Oedipus from the perspective of his daughters.

Reading/Discussion Schedule:

• Start Date: 14/07/24

• Week One: 'Introduction' & 'Pandora' - 20/07/24

• Week Two: 'Jocasta' & 'Helen' - 27/07/24

• Week Three: 'Medusa' & 'The Amazons' - 03/08/24

• Week Four: 'Clytemnestra' & 'Eurydice' - 10/08/24

• Week Five: 'Phaedra' & 'Medea' - 17/08/24

• Week Six: 'Penelope' & 'Conclusion' - 24/08/24

The characters that I am most looking forward to about reading about are Helen, Medea, Clytemnestra and Penelope. Who are you looking forward to reading about?

I always love reading about Aeneas, and I am very excited to revisit Virgil in September. This was an exciting week.

Content warning this week for suicide. Feel free to skip the first story about Ulysses and Ajax.

As always the discussion questions are in the comments, and we will be finishing up this book next week!

Summary

Book 13

We open in the aftermath of the Trojan war, with Ajax and Ulysses (Latinization of Odysseus) fighting over Achilles’ armor. Ajax argues his feats on the battlefield earned him the armor, while Ulysses maintains it was his plan of the trojan horse that won the war. Ulysses wins, and Ajax takes his own life, a hyacinth sprouting from his blood. 

We then get the perspective of the women of Troy. Hecuba, former queen, is mourning for her daughter Polyxena, who was sacrificed on Achilles’ tomb. Her day gets worse when she learns her son, Polydorus, who was sent to Thrace for safety, has been murdered by the King Polymestor for riches. She hatches a plan, luring Polymestor into a trap and gouging out his eyes. She then turns into a dog. 

The story moves to Aeneas, leading a group of refugee trojans away from the destroyed city. They meet Helenus, a prophet who foretells their trials and eventual settlement in Italy. Aeneas meets his father, Anchises, in the underworld, who tells more of the future of his people, the glory of Rome. Now certain his quest is worthwhile, he continues with his people.

Book 14

Aeneas goes through multiple challenges on his journey including saving one of Ulysses’ crew, who recounts the ventures of Ulysses to Aeneas.

We then read the story of Diomedes, a Greek hero from the Trojan War. His companions were transformed into birds by Venus as revenge for wounding her during the war, but Diomedes is spared.

Another story is of Glaucus, a fisherman who falls in love with the nymph Scylla. She rejects him because of his looks, and he goes to Circe for help. Circe falls for him, and jealousy causes her to poison Scylla’s waters, turning her into a monster with a dog’s head. 

Then the story of Picus, a king known for being very very handsome and a great horseman. Circe falls for him too, but he is married to another nymph, Canens, and remains loyal. Circe is enraged and transforms Picus into a woodpecker. Canens wanders the woods singing songs of sorrow for the rest of her days, leaving only her voice behind. 

These are sprinkled throughout the story of Aeneas, ending with his ascension to godhood at the request of Venus and some stories of his descendants.

This week we read some famous stories – like the story of Midas and the death of Orpheus. We also got quite a bit of lead up to the Trojan War itself, as well as some smaller stories set during that period. I really liked learning more about Achilles and the other characters from the Iliad.

Next week we will be reading books 13 and 14.

I also just want to remind everyone that, once we finish the Metamorphoses on July 13 we will be starting Natalie Haynes non-fiction book of essays �?Pandora’s Jar during the week of July 14.

The questions will be in the comments.

Summary:

Book 11:

Orpheus is attacked by a group of Thracian women who are followers of Bacchus. He tries to protect himself by charming the nearby rocks but this fails, and the women end up tearing him apart. He dies and goes to the underworld, reuniting with Eurydice in the afterlife. Bacchus is not happy with the women and ends up turning them into trees.

We got to read the story of Midas this week too. Midas was a king who found and sheltered one of Bacchus’ favourite mortals, Silenus. Bacchus gave Midas the opportunity to ask for anything he wanted, a single wish. Midas asked that everything he touched would become gold. Unfortunately, Midas worded it badly. Bacchus saw the trouble coming but granted the wish anyways. Eventually, after a fair bit of suffering, Midas is freed from his curse and becomes a nature lover. He lived somewhat happily, until he became a witness to a music competition between the gods Apollo and Pan. Apollo officially won the competition, but Midas disagreed with that decision. This upset Apollo, who then cursed Midas to have the ears of an ass (a knock off donkey).

The next story was about the founding of Troy by Laomedon. Laomedon was a very clever mortal, who tricked both Apollo and Neptune into building the walls around the city. He promised that he would pay them, but then never did. The gods punished him with a flood and with the ultimatum that he sacrifice his daughter, Hesione. Laomedon didn’t want to go through with the human sacrifice, so he sought the help of the renowned hero Hercules. In exchange for Hercules’ help, Laomedon offered to give him some prize horses. However, old habits die hard. Hercules helped Laomedon, but Laomedon refused to pay him the horses. As a result, Hercules sacked Troy and stole away Hesione. He gave Hesione to one of his men, Telamon and they pair were possibly happy together.

The next story followed Telamon’s brother, Peleus and works as Achilles origin story. A prophecy is made about the future son of the goddess Thetis.  It is foretold that one day, her son would be greater than whoever sired him. This freaks Zeus out, because he has a huge crush on Thetis (who had been a great ally to him in the past). Due to a prophecy of his own, that one day his son will overthrow him, Zeus decides that he has to remove the temptation of Thetis from his presence. He decides that it is safest to have a mortal sire her son.  Peleus was Zeus’ choice, due to being descended from him but also a mortal. Thetis was not happy and tried to refuse the courtship. This didn’t suit Zeus or Peleus. The gods advised Peleus on how to capture Thetis, which he did and then he raped her, securing her hand in marriage. Poor Thetis. This union then led to the birth of Achilles.

We also read some shorter stories about people being turned into birds – Ceyx and Alcyone. Aesacus and Hesperia – another tragic couple, this time from Troy. Aesacus is a son of Priam, the King of Troy, so this story ends with Priam grieving his son, just before the Trojan War kicks off.  

Book 12

Book 12 starts off at the beginning of the Trojan War, with the Greeks stranded on the island of Aulis. They have, inadvertently, angered Diana and must sacrifice a virgin to appease her. Agamemnon decides to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia. Ovid kind of skips some of the gorier details here and actually gives Iphigenia a somewhat happy ending: Diana, seeing the girl being sacrificed, transforms (or switches her out) with a deer.

The Greeks reach Troy and go crazy with the killing. Achilles pisses of Neptune by murdering Neptune’s son, Cycnus. I think it is important to point out here that Cycnus was a really great warrior with impenetrable skin, who had managed to slay a thousand Greeks in one battle, so Achilles was probably driven by pride or jealousy. The death of Cycnus sets up Neptune’s vendetta against Achilles.

Next, during a short break in the fighting during the early years of the Trojan War, Nestor tells some stories from his youth. Firstly, he tells the story of Caeneus/ Caenis – a renowned and seemingly invulnerable male warrior, who started off life as a girl.  Caenis, as a young woman, was raped by Neputne. After the rape, Neptune decided to show some mercy and offered to grant her a favour. She asked to never be raped again and so Neputne turned her into a man and, as a bonus, made him invulnerable to any weapons. This worked out just fine, until poor Caeneus was invited to the wedding of Pirithous and Hippodame. For some reason, a lot of centaurs were invited to the wedding. During the afterparty, a drunken centaur called Eurytus, stole Hippodame and tried to rape her.  Some other centaurs followed his lead, each taking a woman. In response, the hero Theseus killed Eurytus by smashing a huge bowl over his head. The centaurs went on a massacre, killing several people both human and centaur alike. Nestor barely made it out alive. Caeneus joined the brawl, and was having a lot of success, when the centaurs took offence to that and smothered him with a bunch of trees. However, Nestor claims a bird was seen flying away from where Caeneus’ body was supposed to have been, so there is hope that Caeneus lived on in another form.

Tlepolemus, a son of Hercules, cuts in on Nestor’s story here – because he knew that Hercules attended the same wedding and did a lot of heroic deeds during the fight. He is offended that Nestor didn’t mention Herc at all. Nestor claps back – reminding everyone that, even though Herc was a hero, he also wronged Nestor’s family during his lifetime. Nestor lost his whole family to an invasion by Hercules hand. As such, Nestor claims the right to omit Hercules from his stories. Tlepolemus and Nestor agree to leave it at that, and they remain friendly allies.

Lastly this week, we covered the story of Achilles death. This wasn’t in the Iliad, so I think it’s cool that we are reading it here. This story is set after the events of the Iliad. Importantly, Hector is dead and Achilles (due to his rage and grief over Patroclus dying) is on a constant rampage. In this version of the tale, Neptune decides to take revenge for Achilles near fatal assault of his son, Cycnus. Neptune can’t directly kill Achilles himself, so he gets his favourite nephew – Apollo (who in the Greek mythos had his own vendetta against Achilles here too) to use a mortal, Paris, to shoot him. The plan works out and Achilles dies. The war goes on pause, because the Greeks must give Achilles the proper funeral rights. As we’ve seen before, this takes serval days. Book 12 ends at the start of the next story – the fight between Ulysses and Ajax for Achilles armour/weapons.

Hello, hello. We're back again and one of my favourite stories is in this week along with a lot of ... incest. I've put those behind spoiler tags, so just be aware if you're clicking on it. Of course, there are no explicit details though.

Next week, we'll be reading Books 11 and 12! Hope to see you there!

Book 9:

Achelous tells Theseus about fighting with Hercules over Deianira’s hand in marriage. Achelous’s attempts at persuasive speech are ineffective, and Hercules breaks off Achelous’s horn. The narrator jumps to the story of a centaur, Nessus, who attempts to rape Deianira. Hercules prevents the rape by shooting Nessus with an arrow. Just before he dies, Nessus gives Deianira a poisonous cloak, telling her it is a love charm. Later, worried that her husband Hercules no longer loves her, Deianira gives him the cloak. He puts it on and dies a protracted, painful death. Jupiter, with the assent of the gods, deifies Hercules.

Hercules’ mother, Alcmene, and Iole, Alcmene’s daughter-in-law, relate tales of sorrow. Alcmene says that Juno and Lucina, the goddess of childbearing, kept her in labor for seven days and nights until her servant girl, Galanthis, found a way to help her. Iole says her half-sister, Dryope, plucked a lotus plant to give to her baby. The plant, which was once a nymph, began to bleed. Dryope was slowly transformed into a tree as punishment.

The narrator offers two unusual stories of love. Byblis is in love with her twin brother, Caunus. When she realizes this love is unnatural and socially unacceptable, she tries to rationalize it by thinking of gods who have sex with their sisters. Her brother rejects her overtures and flees. Byblis tries to find him, and when she fails her weeping turns her into a spring. The second story concerns Iphis. Ligdus, an honest Cretan man, tells his wife, Telethusa, that if their infant is a girl she must be left outside to die. Telethusa cannot bear to do this, so she makes Ligdus believe that Iphis is a boy. When Iphis is thirteen, a marriage is arranged between her and a girl named Ianthe. The two girls fall in love. Telethusa prays to Isis for a miracle. Isis answers her prayer and, to the delight of Telethusa and Iphis, transforms Iphis into a young man.

Book 10:

As Eurydice is walking through the grass, a viper bites her foot, killing her. Orpheus travels to the underworld to ask Proserpina and Pluto to give back his wife. Orpheus’s song causes the harsh Fates to shed their first tears. Proserpina and Pluto agree to grant Orpheus’s request on the condition that he does not look back at his wife as they leave the underworld. Orpheus starts his ascent but, worried about Eurydice, looks back at her. This time, she is lost for good. Orpheus grieves and begins to sing. He sings of the love of boys. Jupiter transforms himself into a bird and snatches the boy Ganymede into heaven. Apollo loves the boy Hyacinthus, with whom he competes in throwing discs. Apollo accidentally strikes Hyacinthus in the face, killing him.

Orpheus sings of the lusts of women. The Propoetides are the first to prostitute themselves, for which Venus punishes them by turning them to stone. Pygmalion witnesses these actions and is repulsed by women’s immorality. He fashions his own perfect women from ivory. The statue is so lifelike that he falls in love with it. He dresses it, kisses it, and prays to the gods for a woman like the ivory statue. The gods hear his prayer, and to Pygmalion’s surprise, the statue comes alive. She bears Pygmalion a daughter, Paphos, who in turn bears a son, Cinyras.

Cinyras has a beautiful daughter named Myrrha, who is courted by princes from all over the world. However, Myrrha is in love with her father. Although she is agonized over her feelings, Myrrha tricks her father into sleeping with her for several nights. Cinyras discovers the deception and seeks to kill Myrrha. Now pregnant, Myrrha escapes and turns into a tree. Eventually she bears a beautiful son, Adonis.

Cupid accidentally pricks his mother, Venus, with one of his arrows, and she falls in love with Adonis. She prefers him even to heaven. She tells a story of Atalanta, a speedy woman whom an oracle has advised to avoid marriage. Hippomenes wants to marry Atalanta. She challenges him to a race. If he wins, she will marry him. If he loses, he will die. Before the start of the race, Venus gives Hippomenes three golden apples with which to distract Atalanta during the race. Hippomenes defeats Atalanta but fails to thank Venus for her help, so she turns him and Hippomenes into lions. After the story ends, Adonis goes hunting, and a boar gouges him to death. Venus mourns.

We got some of my favorite myths in todays reading, though some of the tellings are not ones I have heard before.

Join us next week for books 9-10. I would also like to mention a content warning for incest and suicide in Book 9 during the story of Byblis. Feel free to skip that section if you are sensitive to those subjects, we will still have some great discussion on the other stories in those books.

As always discussion questions are in the comments.

Summary

Book 7

We begin with Jason and the Argonauts landing on Colchis in search of the golden fleece. King Aeetes agrees to give it to him if he completes feats for him. His daughter Madea falls in love with him. She agrees to help him if he will marry her. She gives him magic herbs to protect from the first feat, fire breathing bulls. The herbs work and Jason uses them to plow a field. He sprinkles the teeth of a Theban dragon in the soil and they grow into soldiers which he bests by making them fight each other. He puts the dragon to sleep and wins the fleece and returns home with Madea. 

Upon returning home the Argonauts are celebrated, but Jason’s father Aeson is too old and frail to participate. Jason begs Madea to give his father extra life, and she is moved. On the next full moon she prays to the gods asking for extra life for Aeson, and the gods give her a serpent drawn chariot to take her to the mountains for herbs. She returns and builds an altar to Hecate and replaces Aeson’s blood with her potion, making him youthful again. Bacchus thinks she did so good he gets her to restore the youth of some of his companions. 

Madea goes to the house of Pelias, who is also very old. She pretends her and Jason are separated, and offers to restore Pelias’ youth and proves her ability with a sheep. She tricks Pelias’ daughters into cutting their father with swords, and Madea cuts his throat and throws him into a non magical cauldron. She flees in her chariot and flies over the sites of many other transformations before returning home, killing her own children, and fleeing again to Athens. 

Madea marries King Aegeus in Athens. His son Theseus returns home but Aegeus does not recognize him. Madea plots to murder him and brews a potion. She convinces Aegeus he is an enemy and must be given the poison. Just as he is about to drink, Aegeus notices his family crest on Theseus’ sword and saves him. Athens celebrates the return of Theseus. 

War between Athens and Crete brews, with King Minos seeking revenge for the death of his son. He attempts to recruit king Aecus of Aegina, but he refuses and Minos threatens revenge. Just as Minos leaves the aged hero Cephalus arrives, asking for Aecus to join Athens. He agrees to help, and the two talk about the plague that Jun recently brought upon Aegina due to it being named after one of Jupiter’s mistresses. Jupiter eventually decides to help, transforming a bunch of ants into new people, the Myrmidons. 

Cephalus is delayed due to a storm, and shows Aecus’ sons his magic spear and tells them its story. He had married Procris, and was very happy. The goddess Aurora attempts to seduce him but he resists and she gets upset and warns that Procris will be unloyal. He decides to test her by getting Aurora to disguise himself as another man and seducing her. She ends up falling for him and calls her a harlot. Procris joins Diana’s clan of chaste women, but Cephalus wins her back, and Diana gives him the fastest hunting dog ever and the magic spear. 

Book 8

The war continues, with Aecus giving troops to Athens and Minos attacking the coast. Minos arrives in Alcathoe ruled by King Nisus. Nisus’ daughter Scylla watches the enemy from a tower and she falls in love with Minos from afar. She secretly leaves the city and surrenders it to Minos in exchange for marrying her. Minos is disgusted by her betrayal and after taking the city returns to Crete. 

While he was away his wife gave birth to the Minotaur from an affair with a bull. Minor hires craftsman Daedalus to build a labyrinth to hide the minotaur in, and feeds him Athenian boys. Minos’ daughter Ariadne helps Theseus escape the labyrinth by using string to find his path. Theseus kidnaps and abandons her, and Bacchus turns her into a constellation. 

Daedalus wants to leave Crete for Athens, but Minos has blocked passage. Daedalus builds a set of wings from feathers and wax, and attempts to escape with his son Icarus. He wants Icarus not to fly too high or low, but he gets carried away and the sun melts the wax and Icarus falls into the sea. While burying his son, Daedalus meets Perdix, one of his pupils who had tried to kill out of jealousy but who had been saved by turning him into a partridge. 

Diana is left out of a celebration and unleashes a vicious boar in Calydon. Meleager gathers a group of fighters including Telamon, Peleus, Atalanta, and Theseus. The group eventually prevails. Meleager gives the hide and tusks to Atalanta, who shared the kill, but his uncles take her prize because they will not share glory with a woman, and Meleager kills them both. 

On his return to Athens Theseus is invited into the home of river god Achelous to wait out a flood. Achelous tells of the islands who used to be naiads, who were transformed for neglecting to honor Achelous. One specific island used to be Perimele, who was pushed into the sea by her father after Acheous raped her. 

He tells another story of Philemon and Baicus, who were a humble couple who were the only ones to not turn away Jupiter and Mercury in disguise. They host them despite being poor and are granted a wish and are also not killed in a flood. They wish to die on the same day to never be separated, and they live out their days serving in the temple. 

Alchelous tells another story about Erysichthon, who tried to chop down an oak sacred to Ceres. He ordered a slave to chop it down, but blood spurted from the tree. The slave stopped chopping and Erysichithon killed him. Ceres warns of vengeance but he keeps chopping. Ceres enlists Hunger to cures him, and he is always hungry no matter how much he eats. He spends all his money on food and sells his daughter into slavery.

There were a lot of stories to take in this week. So far, I’m loving the Metamorphoses. I like the elements of horror to the stories even if some of the content is more graphic than I would personally like. I also like how the stories kind of move from one to the other – like a conversation moving to different subject. Not to sound too nerdy but it reminds me of another famous work – �?The Thousand and One Nights’. I read through that story years ago and loved it, so it’s nice to see a similar format here.

Books 5 and 6 covered a lot of the better-known stories, so this week’s summary is going to be as fast paced as I can make it, while hitting most of the main story points. As usual, the questions will be in the comments.

Next week we will be reading Books 7 and 8.

Summary:

Book 5:

This book continued where 4 left off, with the story of Perseus in Libya just after his wedding to Andromeda.  It turns out that his newly won bride was originally betrothed to her uncle, Phineus, and her hand in marriage kind of came with the right to rule the kingdom. The uncle was not happy when Andromeda was saved by Perseus and starts a bit of a war between the men loyal to him and the men loyal to Perseus/Andromeda. Things do not go well. Perseus ends up using the head of Medusa a couple of times, to win and punish Phineus. After justice is done, they live happily ever after.

Minerva, who was kind of helping Perseus behind the scenes in the last story, now becomes our focus. She meets up with the Muses, who tell her about a bunch of sisters (the Pierides) who tried to challenge them for the rights to be seen as the best singers in an area and failed. The Muses used this opportunity to tell the story of Proserpine’s (aka Persephone) abduction by Pluto (Hades). This was extra interesting for me, because we covered a Greek version of this tale earlier this year, so I was able to compare the two versions. The story follows a similar outline, with Pluto abducting Proserpine and holding her down in the underworld while her mother Ceres (Demeter) looked for her. In this telling, Venus and Cupid deliberately set the pair up, to win more influence with the big gods. We don’t see much of Proserpine in the underworld, but Ceres is told by a witness that, even though Pluto has made Proserpine queen, she is still fearful looking and sad. Ceres goes to Jupiter and demands that her daughter be returned to her, like in the other version. This time, Jupiter doesn’t seem to have been in on the abduction. He says that Ceres can have her daughter back (honouring the bonds between them) as long as she has not eaten anything down in the underworld. Unfortunately, Proserpine did have a tiny snack ONE TIME and there is a witness who can attest to it. This means that a compromise is made, where the year is divided in two for Proserpine– she spends half with Pluto and half win her mom. Interestingly, the witness is turned into a bird by Proserpine, and we end this tale with the mention that Proserpine lights up when she reunites every year with her mother.

The Muses move on to how they bet their challengers with this story and punished them by turning them into magpies.

Book 6

This book was perhaps the most graphic we’ve experienced thus far, to say the least. It began with Minerva telling her story about a challenger of her own – Arachne. Arachne was a famous weaver who boasted that she was better at weaving than Minerva. Minerva couldn’t allow that to stand, so she ended up challenging her to a weaving contest. Minerva wove a tapestry depicting the might of the gods, while Arachne wove one that depicted the major �?sins’ (mostly instances of rape) of the main gods. Arachne’s tapestry must have been pretty good, if not better than Athena’s, because Minerva claims the win but also punishes Arachne by turning her into a spider. Which does not smack of jealousy at all.  

 We got some other well-known stories here – the tale of Niobe – the lady who insulted Latonia (Leto) and ended up having all her kids murdered by Dianna and Apollo. Niobe ends the story by turning into a river of tears.

We also got to read the extremely disturbing story of Teresus, Procne and Philomela. Tereus liberated Athens from barbarians and married Procne, the daughter of the king of Athens, Pandion. The marriage was ill-fated. Juno, Hymenaeus, and the Graces refused to attend the wedding. After five years of marriage, Procne asked Tereus for permission to see her sister, Philomela. Tereus, obliged her and then travelled to Athens to fetch Philomela. However, as soon as Tereus saw Philomela, lust griped him. He took her hostage once they returned to Trace, keeping her locked up and he went on to repeatedly rape her. To ensure her silence he hacked off her tongue. After some time of this torture, Philomela weaved a portrait of Tereus’s crime onto cloth and sent it to Procne. Procne is shocked but believes her sister and immediately rescues her. To get revenge, Procne killed Itys, her only child with Tereus, and served him to Tereus as a meal. Procne and Philomela tell Tereus that he has eaten his son, and Tereus goes mad. He tried to kill the sisters, but they escaped by turning into birds. Tereus, too, then became a bird.

I'm loving these stories. Ovid has been my favourite this year for sure. Although it is taking me a little bit to get used to the different names.

Next week we'll be covering books 5-6. Questions are in the comments!

In Book 3, Cadmus is exiled for failing to find Europa. He prays to Apollo who says that he finds a heifer will lead him to a place where he will establish a city. Cadmus's men run into a giant snake which kills them. Cadmus kills the serpent and buries its teeth in the ground. From this, angry men grow like a crop and after they kill each other for awhile, the remaining five help Cadmus to found Thebes.

His family is troubled from the start. His grandson Actaeon stumbles upon Diana while she's bathing. Diana turns him into a deer and he is torn apart by his own hunting dogs. Cadmus' daughter is impregnated by Jupiter and Juno is jealous as all get out. She convinces the daughter to ask Jupiter to use all his strength while having sex with her and since she can't withstand the force of a god, she dies. Bacchus is taken from her body and Jupiter keeps him in his thigh until he's ready to be born.

The scene changes. Jupiter and Juno banter about which gender enjoys sex more. Jupiter says women do, and Juno says men do. They decide to ask Tiresias, who reportedly has experienced life as both a man and woman. Tiresias agrees with Jupiter. In her anger, Juno strikes Tiresias blind. Jupiter compensates Tiresias by giving him supernatural foresight. Ovid records Tiresias’s first prediction: that Narcissus will live a long life as long as he does not know himself. These cryptic words were born out when Narcissus, who had rejected all would-be lovers, fell in love with his own reflection.

Ovid returns to the story of Cadmus’s family. Pentheus tries to persuade his family and others not to worship Bacchus. He goes to spy on the rites of Bacchus and his aunt/family members mistake him for an intruder and tear him apart. Cadmus and his family are just not having a very good time.

In Book 4, Rather than worship Bacchus, the three daughters of Minyas weave, telling stories to pass the time. The first (unnamed) daughter tells a tale of forbidden love. Pyramus and Thisbe fall in love. Their fathers oppose the match, so they decide to run away together. Thisbe arrives first at their meeting place, but she flees when she sees a lioness approaching. Pyramus finds the tracks of a lioness and Thisbe’s shawl. Believing that Thisbe is dead, Pyramus thrusts his sword into his belly, killing himself. Thisbe returns, sees what has happened, and kills herself.

Leuconoe, the second daughter, tells another love story. After being tipped off by the Sun, Vulcan catches his wife, Venus, having an affair with Mars. Furious at the Sun for gossiping to Vulcan, Venus makes him fall in love with Leucothoe. Leucothoe and the Sun have an affair. The Sun’s wife, Clytie, finds out and tells Leucothoe’s father what is going on. Leucothoe is buried alive and dies. The Sun turns her into frankincense, a plant.

Alcithoe, the third daughter, tells the final love story. The sexually adventurous Salmacis desires Hermaphroditus, but he spurns her. She grabs him when he jumps into her pool, and she prays to the gods to make them one. The gods answer her prayer by making Hermaphroditus become soft and feminine. Salmacis’s nature becomes part of him. At the end of these stories, the devotees of Bacchus draw near, and Bacchus turns the three sisters into bats for their impiety.

The narrative returns to the house of Cadmus. Juno hates Cadmus’s daughter, Ino, for her devotion to Bacchus. Juno enlists the help of the Furies, who make Athamas, Ino’s husband, insane. Believing his wife to be a lioness and his children to be cubs, Athamas bashes the head of one of his children against a rock. Ino jumps off a cliff with her other child. At Venus’s request, Neptune transforms Ino and her child into sea deities. When Cadmus learns of this new tragedy, he leaves his city and prays to the gods to transform him into a serpent. He gets his wish. His wife is also changed. They slither away.

We now meet Perseus. Instead of flying during the night, he stops in Atlas’s kingdom. Atlas reacts with hostility, because an ancient prophecy has him worried that Perseus will plunder his riches. Perseus’s strength is no match for Atlas’s, so he turns Atlas to stone using Medusa’s head. Perseus takes to the air again. He sees Andromeda chained to a rock as an offering to a sea monster. Perseus descends, strikes a deal with Andromeda’s parents, and uses Medusa’s head to petrify the monster. Perseus marries Andromeda.

This is maybe the most purely entertaining reading we have done so far, those 100 pages flew by.

Next week we will go over books 3-4, as always discussion questions are in the comments.

Summary

Book I

After Ovid invokes the gods we begin with creation. A creator separates heaven from earth, land from sea, and light and heavy air. The creator also fills these spaces with things to inhabit them, with gods and stars in the heavens, fish in the seas, beasts on the land, birds in the air, and man to rule over it.

The four ages follow, the age of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, with things generally deteriorating as time goes on. After a bad experience in the house of Lycaon, Jupiter decides to destroy humanity with a flood. The only survivors are Deucalion and Pyrrha. They repopulate the earth by casting their mother’s bones behind them (throwing rocks), which morph into people.

Apollo and Cupid get into a spat, and Cupid shoots two arrows, one to make Apollo love Daphne and one to make Daphne hate Apollo. She gets turned into a tree.

Jupiter has some non consensual fun with the nymph Io, and gets turned into a cow so Juno doesn’t find out. Juno gives the cow to Argus, but then Argus is killed by Mercury, and Io turns back into a nymph and has Jupiter’s baby, Epaphus.

Book II

We begin with a father son reunion between Phaeton and the Sun. Phaeton wants to drive his father’s chariot across the sky, and after much convincing the Sun agrees. Phaeton is not great at driving the sun, and he scorches a good portion of it causing things like forests and mountains to burn, rivers evaporating trapping Neptune in the sea, and the earth to be silenced with smoke. Jupiter saves the day with a thunderbolt, killing Phaeton. His sisters get turned into amber trees and his mother wanders the earth looking for his remains.

While helping Arcadia recover, Jupiter gets horny again and does some bad things to Callisto, a follower of Diana. After 9 months Diana discovers Callisto is pregnant and exiles her. Juno gets mad and turns her into a bear. Years later bear Callisto comes across her son. She tries to hug him, but she is a bear so he gets scared and kills her. Jupiter turns her into a constellation. Juno gets mad again.

A crow, who used to be a princess, tells Apollo about the infidelity of his lover Coronis. Apollo kills Coronis and turns the crow from black to white. Coronis’ unborn baby is saved and given to Chiron. Chiron’s daughter Ocyrhoe speaks a prophecy that the child will bring healing to Rome, and then transforms from a centaur into a regular horse.

Mercury saw his opportunity in all this and stole Apollo’s flock. While doing so he also falls in love with an Athenian, Herse. He enlists Herse’s sister Aglauros to give him a makeover for his date. Minerva gets angry (I’m still not quite sure why) and fills Aglauros with such great envy that she turns to stone.

Today (May 18) marks the beginning of our reading of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. We will be reading it over the course of the next eight weeks and will be reading two “books” aka chapters per week until the final week, where we will be reading the final book. Below is our reading and discussion schedule:

• Start Date: 18/05/24

• Week 1 - Books 1 & 2 - 25/05/24

• Week 2 - Books 3 & 4 - 01/06/24

• Week 3 - Books 5 & 6 - 08/06/24

• Week 4 - Books 7 & 8 - 15/06/24

• Week 5 - Books 9 & 10 - 22/06/24

• Week 6 - Books 11 & 12 - 29/06/24

• Week 7 - Books 13 & 14 - 06/07/24

• Week 8 - Book 15 - 13/07/24

To see our full schedule for 2024, click .

It is important to note, that many of the stories within the Metamorphoses are extremely violent and, depending on your translation, graphic in nature. There are many instances of on-page sexual violence and rape, so please be aware of this before reading.  Unfortunately, I haven’t read this text before, so I can’t provide you guys with a more detailed list of warnings or of when said things happen within the text. I wish I could. If anyone has read this text before and would like to help me with adding content warnings, please leave a comment below or DM me.

Aside from this, the Metamorphoses is seen as accessible for modern readers. I have a translation guide available , which provides some info on which translations are more graphic than others. Please note that every translation will contain some references to the violence in the original text. This is a good thing, in terms of preserving history but may not be comfortable for some readers, which is understandable.

Ovid:

was born in 43 BCE and lived until 17CE. This means that he was born during the final years of the Roman Republic and lived most of his life during the early years of the Roman Empire. He was born to an old and wealthy family. He began writing quite young and was a celebrated poet for most of his adult life. He started out writing romantic poetry and then moved into more ambitious (and subversive) styles. He was famous during his lifetime, which was kind of his downfall – the Emperor, Augustus, exiled him in 8CE. We don’t know what he did to anger Augustus specifically, but it was enough to get Ovid exiled to a place called Tomis for the rest of his life. There are some theories that Ovid was associated with someone who helped Augustus’ granddaughter in her adultery, but we will never know for sure. It appears that Ovid spent his last few years writing in Tomis, with some hope that the publication of more of his work could lead to Augustus forgiving him. That didn’t happen, but Ovid did complete the entire Metamorphoses, which has gone on to be a major source of what we know about the Greco/Roman mythos for generations. It also appears that, unlike with Virgil's Aeneid, Augustus had little to no chance at interfering with the work (as it was complete upon Ovid's death). Which is a major plus, in terms of us getting to read what the author intended us to read.

ETA this interesting bit of context made about Ovid and his personal influences on his writing:

“One thing I would say to keep in mind is that this is not a straightforward retelling/collection of past myths. Ovid is very deliberately selecting and changing stories as he sees fit to suit his purpose.

He is also not representative of some wider "Roman" world view. Some very strong impulses on the importance of art, the nature of authority, and his own irreverence will come through.”

The Metamorphoses:

The Metamorphoses is a long narrative poem that is split over fifteen books. The poem is extremely ambitious in its scope: from the creation of the world to Ovid’s lifetime. The main thing that links all the stories together is the theme (and title) of the text: transformation (Metamorphoses). As mentioned in the last section, Ovid was an acclaimed poet and a master in his craft. In the Metamorphoses, Ovid plays around and even deconstructs the myths and the poetic styles that have come before. So, even though the overall text is very pro-Rome, I think it is fair to say that, from a technical and story standpoint, the overall work is subversive. It has had a huge influence on other writers and artists since the time it was published.

A lot of myths are included within these books so it would be hard for me to list them all here. However, some of the best-known versions of the myths come from the Metamorphoses such as the tragic story of Medusa, the birth and early life of the god Bacchus (aka Dionysus) and tales like the story of Atalanta. The poem also covers some myths we are familiar with here on the sub, such as the story of Jason and the Argonauts and the Trojan War. It will be interesting to read Ovid’s more Roman-centric perspective of this older myths.

Due to this text being written by a Roman poet, the names of the gods and many of the heroes are different here than in the other (Greek era) texts we have read. Here’s a to a breakdown of the major name changes.

After we finish the Metamorphoses, we will be reading Natalie Haynes book Pandora's Jar, which is a modern collection of essays that focus on the portrayal of women within the Greek mythos.

I think this set of plays has been a highlight for me, so far, this year. We’ve read quite a few translations of different writers over the past year or so, but I don’t think any of the writers we have read have shone through in the way Sophocles has, for me at least. He truly was an amazing writer, and I can only really compare him to Shakespeare when it comes to the sheer quality of his works.

This week we finished our reading of �?Oedipus at Colonus’ and with it the entire trilogy of Oedipus plays by Sophocles.

Next week we are taking a break, and the week after that we will be starting our next read, Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
As usual, the questions will be in the comments.

Summary:

Creon refuses to return Oedipus’ daughters and says some horrible things about them and their father. Oedipus flies into a rage and defends himself (verbally) from Creon and his nasty words. In a way Oedipus clears his name here. He points out that he had no knowledge of his bio relations with either Laius or Jocasta – it was fate that made him sin the way he did, and so he can’t be blamed in the way Creon is suggesting.  This seems to reaffirm the Athenians chorus’ support for him and the girls.  The chorus then sings an imagined fight scene where Antigone and Ismene are rescued heroically.

Theseus rescues Antigone and Ismene from Creon’s men. The sisters have an emotional reunion with Oedipus. Theseus gives them some space but returns soon after with news that another supplicant has come to him and wishes to speak to Oedipus. Oedipus is reluctant to talk to anyone but when Theseus mentions that this person, a man who is a relative and who came to Athens from Argos, Oedipus relents.

Polynices, Oedipus oldest son, then comes to see him. Both Oedipus and Antigone suspected that he was the petitioner. Polynices makes a big show out of seeing Oedipus in such a ragged state. Oedipus doesn’t believe this show of sympathy. We learn that it was Polynices who properly exiled Oedipus from Thebes, some time after the events of the last play �?Oedipus the King’. Oedipus reiterates that he has been let down by his sons, so he has cursed them both. Polynices asks for forgiveness, and for Oedipus to give his blessing for his next military attack on Thebes (where he hopes to regain the crown from Creon and his brother, Eteocles). Oedipus refuses to do so and then curses Polynices further: warning that he and his men will die if they go to war again with Thebes. Oedipus predicts that Polynices will kill Eteocles, and Eteocles will kill Polynices in the process.

Antigone and Ismene try to get Polynices to change his mind about pursuing the war. Polynices refuses to back down (or to tell the men fighting for him about Oedipus’ predictions) but asks his sisters to make sure that he is given the proper respects in death, should Oedipus curse come true. Antigone and Ismene promise and Polynices leaves.

A storm begins. Oedipus senses that he is going to die soon and asks the chorus to bring Theseus to him, one last time. Theseus returns and Oedipus tells him what is about to happen. He explains that his death, and more specifically, where he is going to die, will become a place of power for Theseus and his lineage. As such, only Theseus can witness his death. Oedipus leads Theseus, Antigone, and Ismene off page, to prepare him for his death. The chorus stays in place and prays that Oedipus receives a tranquil death.

A messenger returns to the stage and proclaims that Oedipus is dead. Theseus soon emerges and gives us a run down of what happened. Oedipus was cleaned up before his death and spent some time saying goodbye to his daughters. He then made Theseus promise to protect them after Oedipus is gone. Oedipus then led Theseus off and died in a strange manner – not hit by lightening but embraced by the Underworld. Theseus struggles to put the experience into words.

The play ends with Antigone and Ismene returning to the stage and deciding to return to Thebes in order to fulfil their promise to Polynices.

This play has been a slower burn than the other two, but I have faith it will end just as horrifically.

This week we read lines 1 - 1000 (or 1013 to reach the end of Oedipus' monologue). Join us next week for the rest of this play, and pick up a copy of Ovid's Metamorphosis for our next read. There is a translation guide posted in case you need some help!

Summary

We begin with Antigone leading blind and ragged Oedipus, weary from his wanderings in his exile after the events in Oedipus the King. They find a place to rest and a stranger tells them they must leave, they are in a holy place. They discover they are in a grove dedicated to the furies. They are in a place called Colonus, named after a master horseman revered by the gods. Colonus is near Athens, ruled by Theseus, and Oedipus wishes to speak with him. The stranger goes off to tell the people of Colonus. While he waits Oedipus laments on how weary he is and his imminent demise.

The pair hide from a group of approaching elders and eavesdrop, hearing how displeased they are to have strangers in their grove. Once revealed, they are taken out of the grove and Oedipus is questioned. It is revealed that he is Oedipus, and the elders want him gone. Antigone and Oedipus plead with them, saying Oedipus is guided by the gods, and he will help Athens by staying.

Mid argument, Oedipus’ other daughter Ismene, rides up. She rode from Thebes to tell him his sons, Polynices and Eteocles, are fighting over King Creon’s throne (Oedipus’ successor). There is a prophecy that the victor will be whichever side houses Oedipus’ grave. Creon is on his way to kill Oedipus and bury him outside Thebes, so nobody will win and he can keep the throne. Ismene goes to ask forgiveness for disturbing the grove and the Chorus gets all the incestuous details from Oedipus.

Theseus arrives, and he already knows all about Oedipus and his history. Oedipus explains the prophecy to him, and offers to be buried in Colonus to ensure Athens will be victorious over Thebes should war ever come. Theseus agrees to protect Oedipus and Antigone.

Creon arrives, and tries to convince Oedipus Thebes misses him and Antigone deserves a home. Oedipus knows he only wants to kill him to secure his crown. Oedipus calls him out, saying he warned him war was inevitable and he knows Creon’s plan.

Creon is angered, and he tells Oedipus he has already taken Ismene prisoner, and he takes Antigone away as well. As Creon tries to do the same to Oedipus the Chorus defends him, and Theseus arrives. He is very grumpy, and states that Creon will not leave until he returns Oedupus’ daughters.

Welcome back everyone.

Our next read, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, will be starting on May 18. The text is an anthology style bunch of stories that focus on the theme of transformation within the Greek mythos. We will be posting more about the actual text at the beginning of our reading, so keep an eye out for that.

For the next eight weeks will be reading two �?books’ aka chapters per week, for most of the weeks. The only change to this schedule will be for our final week where we will be focusing on Book 15, aka the final chapter of the text. We will be finishing the reading on July 13, and then we will be continuing on to our next read: 'Pandora's Jar' by Natalie Haynes. If you are interested in seeing our full schedule for 2024, please click .

Reading/Discussion Schedule:

• Start Date: 18/05/24

• Week 1: Books 1 & 2 - 25/05/24

• Week 2: Books 3 & 4 - 01/06/24

• Week 3: Books 5 & 6 - 08/06/24

• Week 4: Books 7 & 8 - 15/06/24

• Week 5: Books 9 & 10 - 22/06/24

• Week 6: Books 11 & 12 - 29/06/24

• Week 7: Books 13 & 14 - 06/07/24

• Week 8: Book 15 - 13/07/24

I’m a bit caught for time at the moment, so the below lists are not as detailed or polished as I would normally like. However, if any of you know of any other translations that I may have missed or have a recommendation/review for any of the ones that I have listed, please share it in the comments. I will try to add them to the main post as soon as I can.

Free Versions:

Project Gutenberg:

LibriVox:

Modern Translations:

• David Raeburn, Penguin Classics, 2004. This translation is written in hexameter verse, in order to capture the essence of the original Greek verse more clearly. Reviews for this edition are good, saying the translation is readable and the book comes with a comprehensive introduction, a map and good footnotes. Each 'book' starts with a modern summary of what happens in the following pages, which may annoy some readers, but it is skippable. This translation comes in physical, eBook and audio format.

• A.D. Melville, Oxford World Classics, 2008. Verse. This translation has some good reviews. It is written in beautiful language that at times may be a bit less accessible than other translations but is seen as enjoyable. It comes with a solid introduction and helpful notes. Available in physical and eBook formats (though there could be some formatting issues with the eBook)

• Mary M. Innes, Penguin Classics, 1955. This translation was done in the 1950s, and is seen as readable but dry in places. This was the version that people read in school for several decades. Currently only comes in physical format, from what I can see online.

• Stephanie McCarter, Penguin Classis, 2022, Verse - iambic pentameter. McCarter's translation is a little different from most of the others on this list. Some reviewers have said that it should come with a content warning, for things like sexual violence. McCarter chose to make this translation extremely accurate to the original material, deciding against using euphemisms or vague language to obscure the more violent parts of Ovid's stories (which many translators have done in the past). This translation has a lot of great reviews and it is seen as accessible, but it may not be the easiest read for many people. It comes with a good intro that explains McCarter's reasoning and contains a lot of helpful notes and other materials. It comes in physical and eBook formats. I am considering reading this version.

• Rolfe Humphries, Indiana University Press, 2018, Blank Verse. The original translation for this was done in the 1950s, but this newer edition is annotated by Joseph D. Reed and comes with a lot of supplementary materials that make this version clear and accessible to beginners. Humphries was a respected translator in his time and Reed's edits and annotations to the text are seen as good, providing the reader with a lively and readable take on Ovid's stories.

• Allen Mandelbaum, Everyman's Library Classics, 2013, Prose. Mandelbaum was a respected translator during his lifetime. This translation is seen as accessible for beginners, with concise modern language that is easy to read. The text comes with a decent introduction that gives some context behind the poem and an extensive set of endnotes. It currently comes in only physical format.

• Charles Martin, W W Norton & Company, 2005,Blank Verse. Martin's translation has a lot of stellar reviews, including some from other well-known translators like Emily Wilson and Robert Fagles. It won several big awards when it came out and is now seen as the new 'standard' translation for a lot of scholars. Reviews say that Martin's translation is lively, fresh, readable and that it captures a lot of the humour and energy of Ovid's original work. This edition comes with an introduction by Bernard Knox, a glossary and endnotes. This is one of the translations that I am considering reading. It comes in physical and eBook formats.

• C. Luke Soucy, University of California Press, 2023, Epic Verse. This is a recently published translation, so normal reader reviews are still a bit scarce. However, media reviews say that this is a very lyrical translation that captures a lot of the energy of the original. It is reasonably accurate, and like McCarter's translation above, it doesn't shy away from the more violent parts of the poem. It also provides commentary from a modern perspective, with a focus on gender, politics and violence. It comes with a commentary, appendix, illustrations and notes. It is seen as a decent translation for beginner readers to go with, as party of the commentary highlight the links between the stories and provide extra context which some other translations don’t'. It comes in physical and eBook formats.

• Horace Gregory, Signet Classics, 2009,Verse. This is seen as a solid modern translation. Gregory's translation poetic and an enjoyable read, according to reviews. It is accurate to the original Latin text in many ways and does acknowledge the violence of the original stories, without being as graphic as McCarter's or Soucy's versions. Unlike some other translations, the introduction here focuses on the analysing the themes and material of the coming stories.

• Stanley Lombardo, Hackett Classics, 2010, Verse. Lombardo is a well-known name here on the subreddit and is a giant within the Greco/Roman translating world. He's pretty much translated everything His translation is seen as lively, readable and vivid, bringing to life Ovid's original tales. I have read a couple of his other translations and can attest that his prose is fun to read and the opposite of boring. This translation comes with a lot of supplementary materials - an extensive introduction, an analytical table of contents, a glossary and adds a catalogue (I'm assuming an index style) of the transformations within the stories. However, this translation and the notes assume that the reader is either a student or well-versed in Greco/Roman mythology, so it may not be the ideal choice for beginners - it's more 'novice' level. It comes in physical and eBook formats and is yet another translation that I'm considering buying.

TDLR: There are a lot of great translations available for this text. We are pretty much spoiled for choice.

I've been reading the Shakespeare play, King Lear, this month so I really found myself getting struck by the theme of a king being brought low by his own pride. Oedipus is an interesting case because it's hard to tell what's destiny and what's just him falling into the trap that the fates have laid.

Next week we'll be reading lines 1 - 1000 of Oedipus at Colonus.

Oedipus is freaking out because the death of Laius coincided with his arrival and he asks Jocasta for more details of what Laius looked like and what happened to him. Wanting to clear his name and ease his conscience, Oedipus sends for the one man who survived the attack. The chorus announces that the world is ruled by destiny and that it's misplaced pride which has people trying to go against the gods. But then... if someone like Oedipus can succeed, then many the gods aren't the rulers that we thought they were.

Jocasta is alone when a messenger comes and looks for Oedipus. He has news that Oedipus' father, Polybus, is dead. He died from natural causes. Jocasta is estatic because this means that the prophecy has been proved false. Oedipus comes in and celebrates with his wife, but also worries that since his mother is still alive, but the messenger tells him he doesn't have to worry! Oedipus was adopted.

Wait... what? The messenger admits that he used to be a shepherd and he found a baby near Thebes. That baby was Oedipus. His ankles were pinned together which is an injury that Oedipus has to this day. The shepherd continues that he was given the baby by a servant of Laius and Jocasta feels ill at ease, as if she can sense what's happening.

Oedipus wants to find the original shepherd and Jocasta tries to get him to abandon the search. When he refuses, she flees into the palace and Oedipus is sure that Jocasta is just overreacting.

The shepherd who gave baby Oedipus to the messenger just so happens to also be the one man who survived the attack on Laius. He's sullen and refuses to talk, only beginning to speak after he's threatened with torture. Baby Oedipus came from the house of Laius and was given to the shepherd to kill because of a prophecy that he would kill his parents. However, by keeping him alive, all the prophecies are coming true.

Things go bad very quickly. Jocasta dies off stage, hanging herself from the bedroom. Oedipus tried to break down the door to save her, but he's too late. He takes the pins that she used to hold her robes together and stabs out his eyes. The messenger finishes his story and Oedipus appears with bloody eyes. Oedipus asks Creon to banish him. Creon forgives Oedipus for his accusations and agrees to exile Oedipus from the city if the gods approve. His children are left to the whims of fate. The sons will fend for themselves, but the daughters, Antigone and Ismene, are under Creon's care.

Oedipus has fallen from the greatest of heights and death is the only way now he'll find peace.

Well, well, well, what a cliffhanger! We ended this week’s reading during an incredibly interesting conversation between Oedipus and Jocasta. Things are not looking good for either of them. I think this play, so far, has been even more dramatic than Antigone. I know a lot of the general spoilers for this play but somehow it's still very gripping. I hope you are all enjoying the play as much as I am.

As usual, the questions will be in the comments.

Next week we will be reading from line 800 to the end of the play.

Summary:

The play opens with a bunch of children (and a priest) seeking help from Oedipus. A plague has been spreading through Thebes and they are worried that it will never end. Oedipus assures them that he is working of ending the plague and that he has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to an oracle to find answers. As he speaks, Creon shows up and reveals that the plague has been sent down by Apollo as punishment for Thebes harbouring the murderer of the former king, Laius.

We learn that the initial investigation was stalled due to a Sphinx terrorizing the kingdom. We also learn that some time after Laius died, Oedipus defeated the Sphinx and became the king of Thebes. In the present, Oedipus gets the investigation going again and calls for the local (and very famous) prophet, Teiresias, to be brought to him. Creon says that he’s already requested the prophet’s presence at the palace and that he should arrive shortly.

Teiresias arrives and Oedipus goes straight in to questioning him. However, Teiresias is reluctant to tell Oedipus what he knows. An argument breaks out between the pair, until Teiresias all but says that Oedipus is the murderer. Oedipus gets angry and accuses Teiresias of lying and of being in cahoots with Creon (who suddenly, Oedipus decides, wants to steal the kingdom). Oedipus also accuses Teiresias of being useless and of having let Thebes be subjected to the Sphinx when a good seer would have figured out its riddles quickly. They part ways under bad terms.

Creon comes back, angry that Oedipus has publicly accused him of trying to steal the crown. They get into an argument. We learn that Oedipus, Jocasta, and Creon pretty much rule the kingdom equally. Creon claims that he likes it that way because he gets to govern and rule things without the title of king or having to do everything himself. Interestingly, Creon claims that he wouldn't be suited to being a sole ruler.

Jocasta arrives to break up the argument and Creon leaves. Oedipus, having processed his conversations with both Teiresias and Creon, begins to have doubts about his past. He wonders if Teiresias’ claims (of Oedipus being the murderer) are possible. Jocasta tries to reassure him that not all prophecies are true and gives the example of Laius and her having a son who was supposed to kill him. The child was left out to die at birth, so it never came to pass. Oedipus asks more about Laius and finally we learn that Laius only died shortly before Oedipus came to Thebes, at a crossroads in a neighboring country, having been to see an oracle.

This freaks Oedipus out. He asks how Jocasta knows this and she tells him that a servant survived and told her. The servant then chose to become a shepherd after Oedipus became king. He begins putting the pieces of his past together. He lived in the far away kingdom of Corinth, the son of the king and queen there. When he was a young man, someone called him illegitimate and, after a few more incidences of this, he went to see an oracle himself. The same oracle as it appears Laius went to see. The oracle gave him no answers about his state of legitimacy but predicted some disturbing things for Oedipus – that he would sleep with his mother and that he was doomed to murder his father. Oedipus chose to not return to Corinth to avoid this fate… Oedipus gets more worried (and sure about something). Jocasta asks him what is wrong and that is where we left off, with Oedipus telling Jocasta that he will tell her the full truth.

This week really put the "tragedy" in "Greek tragedy," my word.

If you're hoping for something more lighthearted, too bad, we will be back next week with lines 1-800 of Oedipus the King.

Summary

We begin in the middle of Creon and Haemon arguing over the decision to execute Antigone. Tensions only rise and Haemon warns that Antigone’s death will bring another.

Not wanting to be responsible for his son's death as well, Creon decides to trap Antigone in a cave and slowly starve her instead of outright executing her to try and remain blameless in her death.

Antigone sings on her way to the cave. She is angry, but somehow accepting of it at the same time. This is a beautiful passage.

The prophet Teiresias speaks with Creon, warning him again that he made the wrong decision and the city is against him. He also warns that his son’s life rests on Antigone’s.

The chorus then begs Creon to change his mind, and he does. He decides to go himself to Antigone’s cave to free her.

A messenger brings word to the chorus that Haemon is dead by his own hand. Eurydice, Creon’s wife, enters and tells the whole story. Creon went to the cave to find his son holding onto the hanging body of Antigone. Blaming his father, Haemon drew his sword and took his own life.

Creon returns, already blaming himself for the death of his son, only to be told that his wife Eurydice has also killed herself.

Welcome back readers.

This week we started the Oedipus Trilogy of plays by Sophocles, with Antigone. After a bit of trouble with the eBook formatting on my first choice of translators, I'm now reading a translation by Elizabeth Wyckoff, which so far has been really good. I don't know if it's just the particular translation that I'm reading but one thing that has stood out to me about Antigone is how modern the play feels. The drama so far has been great and I loved the speech we got from Antigone herself this week.

Next week we will be reading to the end of the play.

As usual, the questions will be in the comments.

Summary:

The play opens with the chorus giving us a short introduction to Antigone and her family. Then we turn to Antigone telling her sister, Ismene that she intends to bury their brother, Polynices. It turns out that this has been outlawed by the new King of Thebes (and their uncle) Creon, after Polynices killed their other brother Eteocles, in a war for the throne. Ismene tries to stop Antigone from breaking the law but fails.

In the next scene we meet Creon. Creon has a lot of opinions on what is right and what is wrong. It turns out that Creon has given Eteocles a proper religious burial, but not Polynices. Creon tells the chorus that he is sticking to his rules, because in his mind, Polynices turned against Thebes when he challenged his brother to the throne and brought in foreign troops to fight in his war. A guard appears and tells Creon that someone has attempted to cover Polynices’ body in soil. The guards are terrified that they will be blamed and executed, so they have removed the soil. There is some back and forth between Creon and the guard, who doesn’t want to be blamed for the burial.

Antigone is found soon after, trying to give her brother the proper burial rites (prayers and anointing him with oils before re-covering his body). Antigone is brought before the chorus (who are acting as a council) and Creon. She openly admits to her crime and boldly says that she would do it again. Creon decides to have no mercy; he declares that Antigone will be executed, alongside her sister (because Creon thinks that there can be no secrets between sisters).

There is some sympathy from the chorus, but Creon won’t listen. Antigone gives a stirring speech, before Ismene is brought out. Despite wanting nothing to do with the illegal burial earlier, Ismene claims to have been fully involved. She wants to be executed with her sister. Antigone tries to stop this but eventually seems to let Ismene make her own decision. The women are taken away.

The final scene is Creon speaking with his son (and Antigone’s betrothed), Haemon. Haemon claims that he is on his father’s side but warns Creon that there are rumours spreading around the city about his harshness.

Today (April 1, 2024) marks the start of our reading of the Oedipus Trilogy of plays by Sophocles. These plays are also known as �?The Theban Plays’ so I will be referring to them using both titles in this post. Despite the date, this reading is real.

This week we will be reading Antigone lines 1 to 700. The discussion post will go up at some point over the weekend.

Oedipus is one of the most famous names in mythology. His story has inspired a lot of other stories by later writers, even Tolkien. His name is still part of a regular phrase in the modern world, the Oedipus Complex, due to Sigmund Freud’s theory on sons and mothers. Oedipus has been mentioned in all types of media, from poems to books to even tv shows like HBO’s Succession. I think it is fair to say that most of us have probably heard of Oedipus and the general outline of his story. However, I feel like there is a lot about Oedipus that is perhaps misunderstood in the modern era. Reading through Sophocles’ version of the myth may help us to understand the story better. If you are wondering which translation to read, please check out my translation guide .

The plays we are about to read were not written as a trilogy. Instead, they were written over the course of Sophocles lifetime, sometimes with decades between them. We are reading them in the order that Sophocles wrote them – Antigone, Oedipus the King and then Oedipus at Colonus. There are a few different orders that these plays can be read in but this is the one we are going with. This means that there will be spoilers mentioned for the later plays in Antigone. Due to how well-known some of the spoilers are for Oedipus’ story, I don’t think that it will be too big of a problem.

I also want to add a trigger warning for all the plays: there are some very disturbing moments in each of them. Think grimdark/Game of Thrones levels here. For those of you who may be worried about this, I'm going to put the bigger TW in the spoiler text: suicide, incest (between a mother and son), rape (not on page but mentioned), murder/execution, self-harming, violence and trauma.

If any of the above triggers upsets you, we understand. If you are part of our regular group of readers and want to skip this reading, that's totally okay. We hope you will join us for our next read, Ovid's Metamorphoses, when the time comes for that reading to begin.

Reading/Discussion Post Schedule:

Antigone:

Start Date: 01/04/24

Week One: Lines 1 to 700 - 06/04/24

Week Two: Lines 700 to End - 13/04/24

Oedipus the King:

Start Date: 14/04/24

Week One: Lines 1 to 800 - 20/04/24

Week Two: Lines 800 to End - 27/04/24

Oedipus at Colonus:

Start Date: 28/04/24

Week One: Lines 1 to 1000 - 04/04/24

Week Two: Lines 1000 to End - 11/05/24

Following the end of Oedipus at Colonus we will be taking a week long break, before we begin our next read; Ovid's Metamorphoses

Cultural Context:

As mentioned, for this read along we will be reading Sophocles’ version of the myth. Sophocles was a very well-known playwright/soldier/politician in Athens in the fifth century BCE. He was born in 496 BCE and lived through most of the century, until 406 BCE. The fifth century BCE in Athens is what we would now class as the Greek golden age – the period that we usually refer to, consciously or subconsciously, when we talk about the �?Ancient Greeks’. His writings provide us with a wonderful insight into the culture from that time.

There are a few things to note before we read the plays. Firstly, Sophocles plays are not the only version of Oedipus’ story from this period. Oedipus was a myth long before Sophocles was born and was the subject of several different plays throughout this period. Many other famous Greek playwrights wrote about him, but Sophocles’ version is the one that has come down to us intact.

Sophocles was an acclaimed writer during his lifetime. Which brings me to my second point: Sophocles plays were originally written to be performed as part of a big religious festival called the Great Dionysia. This festival was held every spring. It inspired a lot of what became known as theatre but originally it was very much a religious ceremony. Many writers took part every year and the plays were performed to celebrate the god Dionysus. The amphitheater would have been built around a temple to Dionysus. The religion of the time was a core part to these writings. This is one of the reasons why so many plays that we have from this era are based on mythology, because the writers wanted to celebrate their gods. Lastly, it is also of note that Oedipus’ story is set in Thebes – which was an enemy state to Athens, and later a reluctant ally, during Sophocles lifetime.

Antigone:

This play is set after Oedipus and Jocasta’s biological relationship has been revealed. In the fallout of this, their four children are left to rule Thebes. The two sons, Polyneices and Eteocles (alongside Jocasta’s brother Creon) go to war over the Theban throne. Once a victor has been established, Antigone defies their wishes and tries to bury one of her brothers. It does not end well for her.

Oedipus the King:

This is probably the best known of the plays and is probably the version of the story we think of when we think about Oedipus. Most of the trigger warnings above cover most of the story, so I won’t go into too much detail here.

Oedipus at Colonus:

This play was the last play Sophocles wrote. It was published posthumously, by his grandson. This play tells the story of the years following the events of the other plays. This play mainly follows Oedipus in his final days.

Main Characters:

• Oedipus (King of Thebes)

• Jocasta (Queen of Thebes)

• Laius (Jocasta's first husband and the former King of Thebes [his bloodline rules])

• Creon (Jocasta's brother)

• Antigone (daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta)

• Ismene (daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta)

• Polynices (son of Oedipus and Jocasta)

• Eteocles (son of Oedipus and Jocasta)

• Tiresias (a prophet)

• Haemon (Creon's son, betrothed to Antigone)