Tag Archives: odyssey

These Judges Are Such Cretans

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Nathan

When the world of the dead is presented as a place of reward or punishment, as has become pretty standard, that generally means that someone has to decide who goes where. The Underworld of Greek mythology came to have three … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Greek Mythology, Monsters, Mythology, Poetry, Roman, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Secret Mountain Sex Parties

Posted on April 2, 2023 by Nathan

One of the stories mentioned in Sabine Baring-Gould’s Curious Myths of the Middle Ages is that of Tannhäuser and the Venusberg, which is probably best known through Wagner’s opera. I wasn’t that familiar with it, so I looked into it … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthurian Legend, British, Catholicism, Celtic, Christianity, Fairy Tales, German, Greek Mythology, Japanese, Magic, Monsters, Music, Mythology, Norse, Poetry, Religion, Roman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Put a Zork in It

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Nathan

I remember seeing magazine ads for Zork and other text-based adventure games when I was a kid, and thought they seemed pretty fascinating. I never actually got to play any of them at the time, though. I don’t think they … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Douglas Adams, Games, Greek Mythology, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Magic, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Video Games, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Crazy Celtic Cruises

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Nathan

A common theme in mythology and related fiction is that of the sea voyage that includes a visit to a bunch of weird islands with bizarre people and creatures. This sort of thing can also happen in stories of overland … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, C.S. Lewis, Catholicism, Celtic, Christianity, Chronicles of Narnia, Conspiracy Theories, Final Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Poetry, Religion, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Men Are Pigs

Posted on October 13, 2018 by Nathan

Circe, by Madeline Miller – When I heard about this book, I knew I should probably read it, but it took me a while to get a digital copy from the library. It’s a reinterpretation of the story of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Feminism, Greek Mythology, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Two (or More) Become One

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Nathan

One of the main complaints that fans of the Oz books seem to have about the MGM movie, aside from making Oz a dream, is that they combined two Good Witches into one character. Now, it makes a certain amount … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Cartoons, Comics, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Oz, Oz Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Crew of Dunces

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Nathan

Speaking of ships of fools, I can’t help but think of a sort of example from Greek literature that predated Plato by some time. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus’ crew seems to be made up of a bunch of idiots. When … Continue reading →

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How Shunka Sapa Saved the World

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Nathan

Picture by Stacy Becker I believe it was in my sophomore year of high school that we had to do some research into Native American mythology, and one story that particularly stuck with me was from Lakota lore. The tale … Continue reading →

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All These Things Really Happened

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Nathan

What is it that separates the literary tall tale from straight-up fantasy? I think a lot of it is in the intention and presentation of the author. Tall tales are stories that are supposed to be ridiculous, yet the teller … Continue reading →

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Promoting Proteus

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Nathan

It’s Saturday, and that means mythology here at VoVatia. Today’s subject is Proteus, the Old Man of the Sea, who famously showed up in the Odyssey. This son of Poseidon is a shepherd, a prophet, and a shape-shifter. He is … Continue reading →

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