Hades and Persephone: Romance or Horror?

Today we're not just comparing the differences between the book and the film of Howl's Moving Castle, but the psychological differences and the childhood influences of both creators (Diana Wynne Jones and Hayao Miyazaki) to see how that impacts the ideas both stories contain. How can a story with an identical premise and create two vastly different outcomes?Socials:Follow me on tiktokFollow me on BlueskyReferences:https://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/miyazakis-quiet-protest-15318.html Rudd, D. (2010). Building Castles in the Air: (De)Construction in “Howl’s Moving Castle.” Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, 21(2 (79)), 257–270. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24352209https://www.newsweek.com/positive-pessimist-119801 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BbhWrjIImghttp://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/interviews/m_speech.htmlhttp://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/interviews/m_speech.html Diana Wynne Jones' autobiography

Clytemnestra often gets a bad rep for being the "bad wife" of Greek Mythology. It's pretty tricky to excuse husband killing but when you're married to Agamemnon, it's a bit more understandable.Today we're sitting down to chat with the wonderful Hannah Lynn, winner of the Kindle Storyteller Award, to discuss her book "A Spartan's Sorrow."Follow Hannah Lynn/Buy her books here:InstagramLinktreeBuy a Spartan's SorrowMy Socials:Follow me on tiktokFollow me on Bluesky

Why do we love magical communication devices? This episode will look and fantasy stories such as Percy Jackson, Dungeons and Dragons, Divine Rivals and Avatar the Last Airbender to find out when magical communication is necessary, when it's cliche and why we especially like magic in romance.Socials:Follow me on tiktokFollow me on Bluesky

In the final days of 2024, Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey was announced to released in Summer of 2026. We had an immediate list of cast members but no roles attached to their names as of that point. People. Went. Nuts. Christopher Nolan is such a well loved director and The Odyssey is a timeless epic. In this episode, let's discuss predictions for the movie, hopes and some worries too. We'll also discuss the controversies and inaccuracies that are already coming out from the production images.Socials:Follow me on tiktokFollow me on BlueskyGreeks and Geeks Discord server (21+ years old only please!):https://discord.gg/p4RtC7BA Promo images:https://www.polygon.com/news/525433/christopher-nolan-odyssey-matt-damon-historical-accuracy-still-good 

The final episode of series 3 looks at Epic the Musical: The Underworld saga. Let's compare it to the original Odyssey and analyse the lyrics of the darkest saga in the musical yet.Socials:Follow me on tiktokFollow me on Bluesky

In this episode we'll be comparing the original tale of Orpheus and Eurydice to the musical Hadestown and taking a deep dives into the musical. How has this tale of doomed love been updated for a modern age?Socials:Follow me on tiktokFollow me on BlueskyReferences:GreekaOvid's Orpheus and Augustan Ideology- Charles SegalTheoiVirgil's Orpheus and EurydiceGenius lyrics (to read the lyrics for Hadestown)Hadestown- Orginal Broadway Album and the live show I saw in London! :D

In this episode we'll be exploring the Underworld of Percy Jackson in the first book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, as well as the TV show on Disney Plus and yes... I will be joining Rick in giving the first movie a thorough roasting.How does the Underworld in Percy Jackson compare to the ancient myths? Does it ring true or not?Socials:Follow me on tiktokFollow me on Bluesky

Part 3 of of Underworld themed episodes! Hades is one of the best games of the decade so far, but is a game based on Greek Mythology accurate? Did Supergiant really do their homework? Today we're looking at the many layers of the Hades video game! Socials:Follow me on tiktokFollow me on BlueskyReferences:The Oresteia on audibleAlso available on BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03pd7kvThe episode of In Our Time which discusses the Oresteia: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9fkhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Zagreushttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Orphic-religion https://www.loebclassics.com/view/aeschylus-attributed_fragments/2009/pb_LCL505.237.xml https://poets.org/poem/iliad-book-i-lines-1-15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpLDi4_dRL8 The Iliad/ The Odyssey- Emily Wilson translationsGreek Myths That Shape the Way We Think- Richard Buxton

The myth of Hades and Persephone has been fascinating to romance writers and readers alike, but their foundational  Greek myth is more of a tale of kidnap and grief than it is anything romantic. How could Hades and Persphone end up being one of the most frequently retold romantic stories? Today we're going to look at the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hesiod, and discuss why their story might be a compelling romance. Bibliographyhttps://fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-our-collection/highlights/context/stories-and-histories/eleusis-myth-and-mysteries#:~:text=The%20temple%20of%20Demeter%20at,made%20to%20Demeter%20at%20Eleusis.https://www.theoi.com/Cult/DemeterTitles.htmlhttps://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20111010143853768#:~:text=Epithets%20which%20euphemistically%20address%20his,Pluton%20('Wealth').https://chs.harvard.edu/primary-source/homeric-hymn-to-demeter-sb/ Mystery Cults in the Ancient World- novelGirl, Goddess, Queen- Bea Fitzgeraldhttps://www.theoi.com/image/R14.1Haides.jpg 

To celebrate spooky month, we're going on a tour of the Underworld of Greek mythology! Ancient Greece had a fascinating relationship with the afterlife and the myths about death and Hades are iconic. Today we're going to go on a guided tour of the Underworld and find out, what is the ancient Greek Underworld? Where do souls go? What is the afterlife really like in ancient greek myths? What is Asphodel, Tartarus and Elysium? Follow me!Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriterInstagram: @sabrinasalisburywriterReferences:Mystery Cults of the Ancient WorldTheoiThe Afterlife of Ancient GreeceThe Odyssey and the Iliad- Emily Wilson translationsAnd of course a bit of ye olde wikipedia!Pixaby for sound effects