What is your favorite tale from Greek Mythology?

Talaria

Member
I have always been a fan of Perseus since high school and I read the Odyssey in 6th grade. I really like Circe and Hekate. I can't choose a favorite either!
 

RLynn

Active Member
I like the various tales in The Odyssey and also the modern retelling in James Joyce's Ulysses. I even got some books on Homeric Greek in order to try to read The Odyssey in the original language, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. (I once could read the Koiné Greek of the early manuscripts of the New Testament, but that skill has sadly evaporated from non-use.)
 

Gavin

New Member
My personal favorite whould ethier be Perseus or Hercules even tho i like them all those are my favorites.
 

indianaj

New Member
I'm partial to the battle of Troy myself and to the birth of the gods, but the howl Greek mythology interests me so it's hard to say that I like one given story more than the rest.
 

Phyllis Le Chat

New Member
PHYLLIS

FULLIS








Phyllis and Demophoon, by Sir Edward Burne-Jones
(1833–1898), English Pre-Raphaelite painter
A daughter of king Sithon, in Thrace, fell in love with Demophon on his return from Troy to Greece. Demophon promised her, by a certain day, to come back from Athens and marry her, and as he was prevented from keeping his word, Phyllis hung herself, but was metamorphosed into an almond-tree, just at the moment when at length Demophon came, and in vain embraced the tree (Lucian, De Saltat. 40 ; Tzetz. ad Lyc. 495; comp. Hygin. Fab. 59; Serv. ad Virg. Eclog. v. 10; Ov. Heroid. 2). In some of these passages we read the name of Acamas instead of Demophon.

I was thrilled to learn that "Phyllis" was a Greek name, meaning "leaf" or "green leaf", and that there was a myth to go with it. My previous favorite Greek Myth, a difficult choice to narrow down, was the story of Persephone. The dark side of love - obsession to the point of kidnapping and rape; the love of mother for daughter; the extreme of being a willing victim, accepting responsibility for our actions; the relationship to the changing of seasons, fruitfulness/barreness; it's all in there.
 

Eulalie

New Member
There are so many that tales I like. I loved Hercules. But, I think the story that intrigues me the most is Medusa. I don't know why, maybe because she was so lovely and then turned so ugly. That was tragic, but she got to turn men to stone, so maybe it balanced out in the end. LOL.
 

CancerLeo

New Member
My favorite greek tale has to be that of Medusa. I always found it interesting how her power to turn those she glances at into stone was because of a curse bestowed upon her. that at one point, Medusa was actually quite beautiful, and now is marred with a hideous face that nobody can look even look at because of her pride in her looks and going as far as saying that she was more beautiful than Athena(Bad move). With her death also spawning one of the most beautiful creatures in greek mythology, Pegasus, I found it be as though her beauty that she once had, finally escaped and became a glorious creature of might and majesty.
 

LegendofJoe

Active Member
The version I'm familiar with is that Medusa was raped by Poseidon in Athena's temple. Because she could not punish her fellow god, Athena retaliated for the defiling of her temple on poor Medusa.

My favorite story from Greek mythology is a little story from Ovid's Metamorphosis. It is the story of Dryope. One day she was walking with her young child and picked a flower from a tree to give to her. The tree housed a dryad that was injured because of this. As punishment, Dryope herself started transforming into a tree. In desparation she called for her relatives. By the time they arrived, only her face was still left. She exclaimed that she did not deserve this level of punishment, but accepting her fate she asked only that her daughter be brought to her frequently so she can play under her mother's shade. With that said, the bark closed over her face and she was gone.
 

Wotan

Member
Theseus is an interesting story, the "Hero of Athens" a man that feeds people to flesh eating turtles and rapes girls. I'm actualy planing to turn it into a holywoodafied comic at some point this year.
 

LegendofJoe

Active Member
Dude! Flesh eating turtles!!! I have to look up that one. What I know of Theseus was that he cleared the roads of bandits and murderers while traveling to Athens to claim his birthright. Then saved his own people from the clutches of the Minotaur: Minos' pet.
Of course he was not perfect; him and his homey Pirithous would get themselves ino trouble sometimes. They once tried to steal Persephone from the Underworld, but got caught when they sat in a chair that would not release them. Heracles managed to rescue Theseus, but Pirithous is still stuck there.
 

Rhonda Tharp

Active Member
My 8th graders enjoyed learning about the "monsters" Theseus encountered going to Athens: Periphetes the Maceman, Sinis the Pinebender, Cercyon the Wrestler King, Sciron the Kicker and Procrustes the Maimer. Anybody that bends two trees and ties a man in the middle to then let go of the trees and rip the guy apart always gets the vote of my kiddos for being the coolest bad guy in the story... I fear for our future, lol...
 

Wotan

Member
My 8th graders enjoyed learning about the "monsters" Theseus encountered going to Athens: Periphetes the Maceman, Sinis the Pinebender, Cercyon the Wrestler King, Sciron the Kicker and Procrustes the Maimer. Anybody that bends two trees and ties a man in the middle to then let go of the trees and rip the guy apart always gets the vote of my kiddos for being the coolest bad guy in the story... I fear for our future, lol...
infact, it was this man's daughter who Theseus decided to rape, you know you've had a bad day when your father has been ripped in half by two palm trees and you are getting raped. As for the meat eating turtle I believe the man was asking people to clean his feet and then kicking the people down to the turtle, Theseus was not a fan of feet so would have none of this. @legendofjoe I love your display picture, that image of Thor is what I have as my desktop background. I also have a Mjolnir pendant which I build for a ancient studies class, unfortunataly it is un-fired clay so I do not think it would survive me wearing it.
 

LegendofJoe

Active Member
Thanks for the info on Theseus.
Yeah, I always liked this pic of Thor. I have a couple of Mjonirs also; one I purchased in Norway and is made of bronze.
 
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