Praise mighty Zeus, it’s time to talk about Greek mythology and its place in speculative fiction. For this task we bring on special guest Jim, who is perhaps the Iliad’s biggest fan. We discuss how accurately modern stories portray Greek mythology,* how the mythology has been adapted, the common heritage of Western-storytelling traditions, and how Hector was not a cool dude. Seriously, he just wasn’t that cool. Stop saying he’s cool.
Download Episode 125 Subscription Feed
Have a question or comment for our hosts? Send it to [email protected]
Opening and closing theme: The Princess Who Saved Herself by Jonathan Coulton. Used with permission.
Show Notes:
We were totally wrong about Wonder Woman’s backstory. She was always an Amazon.
Hmm. Maybe they were later additions or reinterpretations but I’ve definitely read stories where the Amazons were akin to a barbaric tribe. Sacking settlements & raping men. I always thought of it as horror story of “what if women were like men?” or “women are just as bad as men.”
The Trojan Horse doesn’t appear in the Iliad. Its throughline is Achilles’ inhuman wrath, as it lays out in the first paragraph. The poem explores its impact on other combatants, the way war makes people monstrous, and the circumstances in which it can be compassionate and noble for people to fight.