The Underworld of Ancient Greece: A Guided Tour

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

Circe is a deeply complex and often maligned character, so does Epic the Musical demonise or humanise her? In this episode, the final episode of the series, Jorge Rivera-Herrans returns to discuss Epic: The Circe saga with me.Listen to Epic the Musical now!Follow Jorge on TiktokFollow me!Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriterInstagram: @sabrinasalisburywriterSources:Epic: The Musical by Jorge Rivera-HerransThe Odyssey translated by Emily WilsonGreat Courses Odyssey of Homer- Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.Segal, C. (1968). Circean Temptations: Homer, Vergil, Ovid. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, 99, 419–442. https://doi.org/10.2307/2935855https://www.britannica.com/art/deus-ex-machinahttps://poets.org/poem/circe https://www.livius.org/sources/content/epic-cycle/telegony/  

Jorge Rivera-Herrans returns to discuss Epic the Musical: The Ocean Saga! The third saga of Epic: The Musical is dramatic and things take a turn for the worse for our hero as Poseidon comes to take revenge after the events of the Cyclops Saga.Once again we compare the source material of the Odyssey to Epic: The Musical and see where the similarities and differences are.Thank you to Jorge for returning for this episode and the other sagas too (also for creating an outstanding musical). Here's a link to his socials:Listen to Epic the Musical now!Follow Jorge on TiktokFollow me!Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriterInstagram: @sabrinasalisburywriterSources:Epic: The Musical by Jorge Rivera-HerransThe Odyssey translated by Emily WilsonGreat Courses Odyssey of Homer- Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.

Jorge Rivera-Herrans returns to discuss Epic the Musical: The Cyclops Saga! The second saga of Epic: The Musical is all about the encounter between Odysseus and the cyclops Polyphemus. The consequences of this saga will be far reaching as Odysseus makes some interesting choices that threaten the lives and safety of himself and his crew, and ensure that his journey home is a LONG one. Maybe don't mess with a son of Poseidon eh?Once again we compare the source material of the Odyssey to Epic: The Musical and see where the similarities and differences are.Thank you to Jorge for returning for this episode and the other sagas too (also for creating an outstanding musical). Here's a link to his socials:Listen to Epic the Musical now!Follow Jorge on TiktokFollow me!Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriterInstagram: @sabrinasalisburywriterSources:Epic: The Musical by Jorge Rivera-HerransThe Odyssey translated by Emily WilsonGreat Courses Odyssey of Homer- Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.

Jorge Rivera-Herrans returns to discuss Epic the Musical: The Troy Saga with me! The first saga of Epic: The Musical starts off before the events of The Odyssey, at the crux of the Trojan war, the 10 year long epic struggle between the Greeks and the Trojans. It is a dramatic saga filled with Gods, battles and a choice which will haunt Odysseus throughout the entire musical.But what are the sources which inspired the musical? In this episode we'll discuss the differences in the ancient texts (such as The Odyssey and The Illiad) and Epic. We'll also be analysing the characters, the themes and the music.Thank you to Jorge for returning for this episode and the other sagas too (also for creating an outstanding musical). Here's a link to his socials:Listen to Epic the Musical now!Follow Jorge on TiktokFollow me!Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriterInstagram: @sabrinasalisburywriterSources:Epic: The Musical by Jorge Rivera-HerransThe Iliad translated by Emily WilsonThe Odyssey translated by Emily WilsonTroy by Stephen FryGreat Courses Odyssey of Homer- Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.Great Courses Aeneid of Virgil- Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.The Aeneid- Virgil