What to Know Before Reading The Odyssey

Who is Homer? 

Homer is a Greek poet born between the 12th and 8th centuries BC. Scholars know very little about Homer other than the fact that he wrote both The Iliad and The Odyssey.

What is an Epic Poem? 

Both The Iliad and The Odyssey are epic poems. This means that the texts are book-length stories in verse form. Epic poems typically retell a person or group’s heroic journey as they complete superhuman deeds and go on adventures. 

Where Does This Story Take Place? 

The Odyssey mostly takes place on and around the Aegean sea. The Trojan war took place in Troy, believed to be a place in modern-day Turkey, and Ithaca is a Greek Island located off the coast of Greece. 

What’s the Trojan War? 

The Trojan War was a conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans. It is not known for sure if this conflict actually happened, but in Greek Mythology the conflict began when Paris, the son of the Trojan King, ran away with Helen, the wife of the Spartan king.

The Iliad takes place 10 years into the Trojan War and follows the Greek hero Achilles, while The Odyssey begins after the Trojan War is over and Odysseus journeys home to Ithaca. 

Which Characters Show up in Circe? 

Odysseus- the main character of The Odyssey who was a favorite of the goddess Athena. This epic poem tells the story of his journey back home to Ithaca after the Trojan War 

Penelope- Odysseus’s wife in Ithaca and the mother of Telemachus known for her loyalty and faithfulness 

Telemachus- the son of Odysseus and Penelope who tries to protect his mother from various suitors in his father’s absence. After his father’s death, he arrives on Circe’s island and marries Circe 

Circe- a nymph and enchantress who turns sailors into pigs when they land on her island. Odysseus landed on her island in The Odyssey and stayed with her for a year before resuming his journey 

Telegonus- the son of Circe and Odysseus who left Aeaea, Circe’s Island, and accidentally killed his father with a poisoned lance. After his father’s death, he married Penelope, Odysseus’s widow

How Does the Odyssey Relate to Circe?

As you probably know, the Big Read’s 2022 book selection is Circe by Madeline Miller. Our program also selected several middle-grade books and a little grade book. One of our big-grade and middle-grade reads is a version of Homer’s The Odyssey. 

You may be wondering why our program selected this book. It is not exactly the kind of book that someone picks up from a library shelf and starts reading. If it had not been for my 11th grade English class, I probably would not have read it. 

One reason we chose this book is because of this very reason. Many high school curriculums use this text in their curriculum and it pairs well with Circe. Miller’s book retells portions of The Odyssey from Circe’s point of view. Circe is a villainous character that is a barrier to Odysseus, the main character of The Odyssey. It is important to take the time to understand different perspectives and pairing these pieces together allows our lakeshore readers to do that. 

Many of our student participants will be reading this in school with a teacher to guide them through the tricky content. Yet, if you are thinking of reading this on your own, then choosing Garth Hinds graphic novel version of The Odyssey may help you understand the story in an accessible way. There is also a version by Gillian Cross that gives illustrations along with the narrative text of The Odyssey. 

Our program aims to inspire lakeshore readers to read texts that push them and help them understand important themes within literature. The Odyssey does this by incorporating the hero’s journey, a better understanding of Greek mythology and culture, themes of pride, loyalty, and vengeance, and many other reasons. 

We hope you will join us now and at our events as we unpack all of these themes and topics! 

Circe – What’s to Know?

This year our Big Read Lakeshore selection is Circe by Madeline Miller. We have a number of middle read and little read books that incorporate the theme of the Hero’s Journey. We believe that it is important to read literature in order to learn about and from the experiences of others – our 2022 chosen books provide ample opportunity for conversation about this! 

About the Author: 

Madeline Miller was born in New York City and then moved to Philadelphia. Throughout her childhood, she recalls loving museums in the city and was drawn to exhibits about the Egyptians, Romans, and Ancient Greeks. 

Later, she attended Brown University, where she earned her BA and MA in Classics. She has taught and tutored Latin, Greek, and Shakespeare to high school students for over fifteen years. Furthermore, Miller has studied at the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought, and in the Dramaturgy department at Yale School of Drama. 

Her first novel, The Song of Achilles, was awarded the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction and was a New York Times Bestseller. Her second novel, Circe, was an instant number 1 New York Times bestseller and won several awards including the Indies Choice Best Adult Fiction of the Year Award. 

Background on Circe: 

Madeline Miller’s Website gives some background information on Circe in the introduction to a Photo Essay that explains: 

“Circe, the witch who turns Odysseus’ men to pigs, has proved one of Homer’s most memorable creations. We first meet the goddess in book 10 of the Odyssey, living on her lush, deserted island of Aiaia, surrounded by tame wolves and lions. When Odysseus’ ship lands on her shore, she gives the crew wine mixed with spell-drugs, then transforms them to pigs. When Odysseus comes to rescue them, she attempts to give him the same potion, but he is protected by magical herbs, courtesy of Hermes. Circe and Odysseus become lovers, and Odysseus and his men (returned to their regular shape) dally in luxury on her island for a year.”

“It is no surprise, given such a vivid story, that Circe has proved irresistible to generations of artists. Below is a sample of the many faces our favorite witch has worn over the millennia.” 

Madeline Miller’s Photo Essay at www.madelinemiller.com/circe/circe-photo-essay/

Circe is an infamous Greek figure and this book includes many other Greek figures like Odysseus, Greek gods and goddesses, Prometheus, and Scylla and Charybdis. 

This map shows where Circe’s Island likely would have been in context to the ancient Greek world. 

Where to Find More Information About Circe: 

Are you interested in learning more about Circe? This video features Madeline Miller as she answers questions about her book. You could also check out her website for more information. 

Read Circe with us!

We are so excited to have Lakeshore readers read our 2022 book (Circe by Madeline Miller) and start conversations about its topics and themes. 

This year we will be featuring many different books throughout the level that bring our themes together. Check out more about our various age group selections on our website. We made sure to include something for all ages!

We will be talking a lot about what makes someone a hero, the hero’s journey, resilience, Greek Mythology, different perspectives, and so much more! The variety of themes and topics in this book is what excited our book selection committee this year.

I started reading Circe over Christmas break. After a long semester of having to read lots of things for homework, I was hesitant to start reading yet another book, even though it was for pleasure. This said, I absolutely loved the book and finished reading it a few days after starting it.

Percy Jackson books were always a favorite of mine when I was younger so I enjoyed reading a book linked to Greek Mythology and that gave Circe, a typical “villain,” a redeeming story. 

It isn’t just me that likes this book either! The New York Times reviewed this book in 2018 and said that it was, “A bold and subversive retelling of the goddess’s story that manages to be both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right.” 

Let us know what you think about this year’s selection below in the comments. We are excited to start reading with you! 

2022 Big Read and Little Read Book Announcements!

The community-wide NEA Big Read Lakeshore and Little Read Lakeshore organized by Hope College have received grants from both the nationwide NEA Big Read and the statewide Michigan Humanities in support of this coming fall’s programming, which will explore Greek mythology, the Hero’s Journey and untold hero stories through the lives of characters ranging from an ancient mythological enchantress-goddess to a modern-day child and well-known teen superheroes.

Running throughout the area for the ninth consecutive year, the Big Read Lakeshore will feature Madeline Miller’s “Circe.”  The Little Read Lakeshore for children will feature the picture book “Last Stop on Market Street,” by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson.  For middle readers, the program will be featuring Homer’s “The Odyssey”; and the young-adult novels “Miles Morales: Spider-Man,” by Jason Reynolds; “Superman: Dawnbreaker,” by Matt de la Peña; and “Zita the Spacegirl,” by Ben Hatke.

The NEA Big Read Lakeshore has received $19,000 from the NEA, one of 62 grants announced on Wednesday, June 15. The Little Read Lakeshore has received $15,000 from Michigan Humanities, one of 19 grants announced earlier this summer.  In May, Michigan Humanities named the NEA Big Read Lakeshore and Little Read Lakeshore the Statewide Community Partner of the Year for 2021.

“There’s already a lot of excitement around our book choices this year and our decision to explore Greek mythology and what it means to be a hero in different cultures and time periods,” said Dr. Deb Van Duinen, who is founding director of Hope College’s Big Read and associate professor of English education at Hope.  “I can’t wait for readers of all ages to dig into these topics and themes.”

NEA Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest that seeks to broaden understanding of world, community and self through the joy of sharing a good book.  NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery.

Hope College’s NEA Big Read Lakeshore and Little Read Lakeshore bring the community together around a common book for a month each fall, using the shared experience of reading, discussing and exploring the themes of the book as a springboard to listen to and learn from each other.  Presented in collaboration with 50 community partners including lakeshore libraries, non-profits, businesses, school districts and academic institutions, the programs involve thousands of readers along the Lakeshore each year.

“Circe” offers new perspective on the Greek mythological goddess by telling her story in her voice.  As outlined by the NEA, while Circe in the Classic texts serves as a foil or obstacle for male protagonists and is portrayed as weak, or evil and lacking nuance, Madeline Miller reimagines her as complex, empathetic, and determined to evolve and find her own path.  “Circe” was #1 on the Best Seller list of The New York Times, which has described the book as a “bold and subversive retelling of the goddess’s story that manages to be both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the ‘Odyssey’ as a hero in her own right.”

“Last Stop on Market Street” will be read through the lens of “everyday heroes,” with the Little Read exploring what it might look like for readers to be heroes in their own communities and daily lives.  The story follows a child, CJ, and his grandmother as they ride the bus across town from church to the soup kitchen where they volunteer.  As praised by BookPage, “It’s not often that you see class addressed in picture books in ways that are subtle and seamless, but ‘Last Stop on Market Street,’ the affectionate story of a young boy and his grandmother, does just that…  This ode to gratitude is 2015’s first must-read picture book.”  The book — which was adapted as a musical in 2018 — has also been a New York Times #1 Best Seller, with its numerous other honors including the 2016 Newbery Medal.

“The Odyssey” tells of the journey home by Odysseus following his participation in the Trojan War, and includes what is arguably the best-known depiction of Circe.  “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” follows the teen-aged Marvel character from Brooklyn as he wrestles with self-doubt stemming from his father’s and uncle’s criminal past, and contends with a teacher who lectures about the benefits of slavery historically and of the modern-day prison system. “Superman: Dawnbreaker” follows a teen-aged Clark Kent as the DC Comics future superhero teams up with his best friend, Lana Lang, to solve the disappearance of people from the Mexican American and undocumented worker community in Smallville, Kansas. “Zita the Spacegirl” is the first in a trilogy of graphic novels, and centers on the title character as she becomes an intergalactic hero determined to find her way home when she winds up on a planet inhabited by humanoid chickens and neurotic robots after being abducted by an evil cult.

Van Duinen founded the NEA Big Read Lakeshore in 2014 and added the Little Read Lakeshore in 2017.  The programs have engaged an estimated 12,000 people annually, including thousands of students from pre-school through college age in Allegan, Allendale, Fennville, Grand Haven, Hamilton, Holland, Hudsonville, Saugatuck-Douglas, Spring Lake and Zeeland.

The NEA Big Read Lakeshore has received NEA Big Read support during each of the program’s nine years, for a total of $145,500. The Little Read Lakeshore, which began in 2017, has received Michigan Humanities grants throughout the past three years, for a total of $60,000.

More about the NEA Big Read Lakeshore and Little Read Lakeshore is available at bigreadlakeshore.com.  Details regarding the fall programs, which will include events featuring the authors, will be released in August.

The Big Read Lakeshore encourages book clubs interested in reading any of the chosen titles to sign up on the program’s website. Book discussion material and information on how to get involved are also available on the website, bigreadlakeshore.com.

In addition to Hope, the NEA Big Read Lakeshore’s community partners include Allegan District Library, Allendale Township Library, Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony, City of Holland, CultureWorks, Dorr Township Library, Fennville District Library, Freedom Village, Gary Byker Memorial Library of Hudsonville, Georgetown Township Public Library, Herrick District Library, Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, Holland Museum, Hope Academy of Senior Professionals, Howard Miller Public Library, J. C. Wheeler Public Library, Loutit District Library, Muskegon Area District Libraries, Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Otsego Public Library, Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, Outdoor Discovery Center, Patmos Library, Ready for School, Salem Township Library, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, Spring Lake District Library, Western Theological Seminary, The Woman’s Literary Club.

Hope and the other participating organizations will match the NEA grant with additional financial and in-kind support, but committee members will also be contacting businesses and individuals in the area for sponsorships of book discussions and main events.

Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,600 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $22 million to organizations nationwide. Over the past 13 years, grantees have leveraged more than $50 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 5.7 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, approximately 91,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and 39,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. More information about the NEA Big Read, including book and author information, podcasts, and videos, is available at arts.gov/neabigread.

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. More information is available at arts.gov.

Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Arts Midwest is one of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, and its history spans more than 35 years. More information is available at artsmidwest.org.

As one of 56 state (and territories) humanities councils in the country, Michigan Humanities was founded in 1974 as a result of federal legislation. An affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Michigan Humanities also actively seeks grants, sponsorships and individual donations to further support cultural programming for Michigan communities. More information is available at michiganhumanities.org.

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. More information is available at neh.gov.

Announce Books and Receive Grants for Fall Program

HOLLAND – The community-wide NEA Big Read Lakeshore and Little Read Lakeshore organized by Hope College have received grants from both the nationwide NEA Big Read and the statewide Michigan Humanities in support of this coming fall’s programming, which will explore Greek mythology, the Hero’s Journey and untold hero stories through the lives of characters ranging from an ancient mythological enchantress-goddess to a modern-day child and well-known teen superheroes.

Running throughout the area for the ninth consecutive year, the Big Read Lakeshore will feature Madeline Miller’s “Circe.”  The Little Read Lakeshore for children will feature the picture book “Last Stop on Market Street,” by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson.  For middle readers, the program will be featuring Homer’s “The Odyssey”; and the young-adult novels “Miles Morales: Spider-Man,” by Jason Reynolds; “Superman: Dawnbreaker,” by Matt de la Peña; and “Zita the Spacegirl,” by Ben Hatke.

The NEA Big Read Lakeshore has received $19,000 from the NEA, one of 62 grants announced on Wednesday, June 15. The Little Read Lakeshore has received $15,000 from Michigan Humanities, one of 19 grants announced earlier this summer.  In May, Michigan Humanities named the NEA Big Read Lakeshore and Little Read Lakeshore the Statewide Community Partner of the Year for 2021.

“There’s already a lot of excitement around our book choices this year and our decision to explore Greek mythology and what it means to be a hero in different cultures and time periods,” said Dr. Deb Van Duinen, who is founding director of Hope College’s Big Read and associate professor of English education at Hope.  “I can’t wait for readers of all ages to dig into these topics and themes.”

NEA Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest that seeks to broaden understanding of world, community and self through the joy of sharing a good book.  NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery.

Hope College’s NEA Big Read Lakeshore and Little Read Lakeshore bring the community together around a common book for a month each fall, using the shared experience of reading, discussing and exploring the themes of the book as a springboard to listen to and learn from each other.  Presented in collaboration with 50 community partners including lakeshore libraries, non-profits, businesses, school districts and academic institutions, the programs involve thousands of readers along the Lakeshore each year.

“Circe” offers new perspective on the Greek mythological goddess by telling her story in her voice.  As outlined by the NEA, while Circe in the Classic texts serves as a foil or obstacle for male protagonists and is portrayed as weak, or evil and lacking nuance, Madeline Miller reimagines her as complex, empathetic, and determined to evolve and find her own path.  “Circe” was #1 on the Best Seller list of The New York Times, which has described the book as a “bold and subversive retelling of the goddess’s story that manages to be both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the ‘Odyssey’ as a hero in her own right.”

“Last Stop on Market Street” will be read through the lens of “everyday heroes,” with the Little Read exploring what it might look like for readers to be heroes in their own communities and daily lives.  The story follows a child, CJ, and his grandmother as they ride the bus across town from church to the soup kitchen where they volunteer.  As praised by BookPage, “It’s not often that you see class addressed in picture books in ways that are subtle and seamless, but ‘Last Stop on Market Street,’ the affectionate story of a young boy and his grandmother, does just that…  This ode to gratitude is 2015’s first must-read picture book.”  The book — which was adapted as a musical in 2018 — has also been a New York Times #1 Best Seller, with its numerous other honors including the 2016 Newbery Medal.

“The Odyssey” tells of the journey home by Odysseus following his participation in the Trojan War, and includes what is arguably the best-known depiction of Circe.  “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” follows the teen-aged Marvel character from Brooklyn as he wrestles with self-doubt stemming from his father’s and uncle’s criminal past, and contends with a teacher who lectures about the benefits of slavery historically and of the modern-day prison system. “Superman: Dawnbreaker” follows a teen-aged Clark Kent as the DC Comics future superhero teams up with his best friend, Lana Lang, to solve the disappearance of people from the Mexican American and undocumented worker community in Smallville, Kansas. “Zita the Spacegirl” is the first in a trilogy of graphic novels, and centers on the title character as she becomes an intergalactic hero determined to find her way home when she winds up on a planet inhabited by humanoid chickens and neurotic robots after being abducted by an evil cult.

Van Duinen founded the NEA Big Read Lakeshore in 2014 and added the Little Read Lakeshore in 2017.  The programs have engaged an estimated 12,000 people annually, including thousands of students from pre-school through college age in Allegan, Allendale, Fennville, Grand Haven, Hamilton, Holland, Hudsonville, Saugatuck-Douglas, Spring Lake and Zeeland.

The NEA Big Read Lakeshore has received NEA Big Read support during each of the program’s nine years, for a total of $145,500. The Little Read Lakeshore, which began in 2017, has received Michigan Humanities grants throughout the past three years, for a total of $60,000.

More about the NEA Big Read Lakeshore and Little Read Lakeshore is available at bigreadlakeshore.com.  Details regarding the fall programs, which will include events featuring the authors, will be released in August.

The Big Read Lakeshore encourages book clubs interested in reading any of the chosen titles to sign up on the program’s website. Book discussion material and information on how to get involved are also available on the website, bigreadlakeshore.com.

In addition to Hope, the NEA Big Read Lakeshore’s community partners include Allegan District Library, Allendale Township Library, Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony, City of Holland, CultureWorks, Dorr Township Library, Fennville District Library, Freedom Village, Gary Byker Memorial Library of Hudsonville, Georgetown Township Public Library, Herrick District Library, Holland-Hope College Sustainability Institute, Holland Museum, Hope Academy of Senior Professionals, Howard Miller Public Library, J. C. Wheeler Public Library, Loutit District Library, Muskegon Area District Libraries, Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Otsego Public Library, Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, Outdoor Discovery Center, Patmos Library, Ready for School, Salem Township Library, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Saugatuck-Douglas District Library, Spring Lake District Library, Western Theological Seminary, The Woman’s Literary Club.

Hope and the other participating organizations will match the NEA grant with additional financial and in-kind support, but committee members will also be contacting businesses and individuals in the area for sponsorships of book discussions and main events.

Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,600 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $22 million to organizations nationwide. Over the past 13 years, grantees have leveraged more than $50 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 5.7 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, approximately 91,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and 39,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. More information about the NEA Big Read, including book and author information, podcasts, and videos, is available at arts.gov/neabigread.

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. More information is available at arts.gov.

Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Arts Midwest is one of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, and its history spans more than 35 years. More information is available at artsmidwest.org.

As one of 56 state (and territories) humanities councils in the country, Michigan Humanities was founded in 1974 as a result of federal legislation. An affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Michigan Humanities also actively seeks grants, sponsorships and individual donations to further support cultural programming for Michigan communities. More information is available at michiganhumanities.org.

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. More information is available at neh.gov.

Two More Days until our Book Announcement!

This year’s book selection and details about our upcoming programming will be announced in just two days. We are excited to share our chosen book and begin our conversations around this year’s themes. 

It will be the Big Read and Little Read’s ninth year headed by our director Dr. Deb Van Duinen and we’re honored to have been awarded the Community Impact Partner of the Year by Michigan Humanities. You can read more about this honor in this Hope College press release. Our program’s success is made possible by all of our many community partners and Lakeshore readers and we look forward to another exciting program this November. 

We often get questions about how we choose the books we do. Our first response is that because we apply for an NEA Big Read grant each year, we have to choose from one of the books on their list. If you’re interested, you can see their book list here.

In terms of choosing a book from the given list, we have a Title Selection committee who reads through all the books on the list (the NEA Big Read list changes every year) and then chooses a book based on: topic, theme, genre, setting, author availability, programming possibilities, cost of book, Little Read book connections, and so on.  

We’re so excited about our 2022 book choices and can’t wait to share them with you! On June 15, keep an eye on your email, our website and social media for our big announcement! 

Why we should all read the Percy Jackson series

The Hero’s Journey is one of the most popular ways to structure a story. There are oftentimes slight variations to the stories, but they have similar trends. Heroes and their feats have been used in storytelling since The Epic of Gilgamesh in the 12th century. Many of these older pieces of literature inspired popular books or movies today. 

Greek mythology includes all of these qualities that help literature endure across large amounts of time. It incorporates the hero’s journey, has heroic feats, and inspired things like the modern-day marathon, the sports company Nike after a goddess, movie and book characters, and much more. 

When I think of adaptations of Greek mythology, my mind quickly thinks of the Percy Jackson books and movies. This series by Rick Riordan incorporates characters and places from several of the myths with a modern twist. They are the reason that I could name several of the Greek gods, goddesses, and heroes with the myth associated with them. I encourage you to give them a read if you have never read them or if it has been a while since you last experienced the stories. 

I like the way that Riordan uses a humorous and easily-understood voice in the story. The storyline incorporates characters that do not seem to be likely heroes. Percy Jackson, the main character, struggled in school and even was kicked out of several schools for various incidents. Also, Riodan incorporates the themes and storylines from Greek mythology like the Greek parentage of the characters of the monsters that present challenges in the plot.

Percy Jackson does not always completely follow the Greek myths but it is a nod to this previous culture. It illustrates one of the important reasons to continue reading and learning about the past since it has and will continue to inspire future generations. 

Literature is Interdisciplinary

The Big Read is a literacy program, so one would assume that our program only works within the English discipline. I learned in one of my classes this spring that was taught by Deb Van Duinen, our program’s director, that literacy is important in all of our disciplines. It means something different to be literate in English versus math or science. People can also be literate in things outside of school like a sport or art or a variety of things. 

This means that we try to incorporate the other disciplines into our programming and events around our chosen book. For example, last year’s book An American Sunrise allowed us to talk about United States history through topics like the Indian Removal Act, reservations, boarding schools, etc. 

We can also see this in Greek Mythology and the fact that Greek myths tell us something about Greek civilization. These myths incorporate the geography of Italy and the surrounding islands. Additionally, they capture their religious beliefs in the gods of Olympus and tell us about their history. As we mentioned last week, literature is important because of the cultural and historical connections made through reading older stories. 

History and English sometimes pair together more clearly than other disciplines. Yet, they are still present since the Greeks had sporting events they created myths about, admired Hephaestus who was the god of craftsmanship, and the Greeks made advances in mathematics and science. 

On the surface, a difficult text may seem like outdated English, but these texts can combine several of the disciplines since it is a study of a culture that endured many years ago. 

The Legend of Hercules

Gaining knowledge is one important reason why people read literature. Students (and some teachers and parents) often ask why school curriculum requires them to read things like Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare or epic poems like Beowulf.

While this could lead to a much larger discussion, one reason for reading “classic” literature is that books can act as a window and mirror into the experiences of others, especially people and cultures from different time periods. Reading Shakespeare can give us knowledge about people from the past but it can also shed insight into who we are today.

This is exactly what we try to do with our Big Read and Little Read programs. Each year, we chose books for our community to read and through the reading and discussing of these books, we hope to highlight the power of literature to bring about this kind of understanding. 

This past year, our programming focused on Native American culture and the work of Joy Harjo to give readers a better understanding of the Native American experience. While we haven’t yet announced our 2022 book titles (stay tuned!), our recent blog posts have explored storytelling, mythology, revisionist history, and heroes through the lens of Greek Mythology. All of these provide examples of windows and mirror knowledge – insight into cultures and time periods different than our own. 

One way we see these stories as a reflection of culture can be viewed through the differences between the Greek Mythology version of Hercules and the newer Disney version of Hercules. The Greek myth reflects the values of Greek society and the Disney movie reflects values that connect with the viewer. 

Similarities: 

How to Plan the Ultimate 'Hercules' Watch Party | TodayTix Insider
  1. In both versions, Hercules is the son of Zeus, who is the head of the gods. This similarity reflects aspects that bond Greek and American society. Both cultures enjoy stories, especially ones that talk about supernatural events or powers.
  2. Hercules underwent the hero’s journey to complete his quest. They also both tell tales where a hero must change and grow through their quest. Greeks used this plot arc in their stories and it is still how most stories are told today. 
  3. The gods act as guides to Hercules throughout the film and the Greek Myth. Both versions of Hercules use the gods and other people to guide Hercules, which shows that both societies felt heroes should not have to undergo their quests alone. 

Differences: 

How Did Hercules Die?
  1.  Hera is Hercules’ mother in the Disney movie, but his mother is Alcmena, a princess, in the myth. In the Disney movie, Hades is the antagonist, but in the myth, Hera attempts to kill Hercules as a baby because she was angry Zeus was not faithful to her. This may show a difference in culture between the Greek society and today since Hera is the goddess of marriage but she was angry and drove Hercules to madness in the myth. Our culture depicted Hera as a motherly figure, which may indicate that our culture has different ideas about marriage than the Greeks. 
  2. Another difference between the myth and the movie is the character of Magara, or Meg in the movie. In the movie, Hercules and Meg fall in love and live happily ever after once Hercules saved Meg from Hades. However, Hera drives Hercules to insanity in the myths and as a result, he kills Magara and his children. Our culture today enjoys a happy ending and a hero that chooses love over a sense of adventure or power since Hercules gives up immortality to be with Meg. The Greek myth shows that they may have valued a sense of adventure and did not expect the happily ever after. 
  3. The characters in the Disney movie Hercules are more clear-cut good versus evil. Hades is the bad guy and Hercules is the hero. This is not the same in the Hercules myth since Hades is more complex with good and bad qualities and so is Hercules. Most of the characters have their flaws and their redeeming traits. In our media, it is easier to tell a story with very clear sides, but the Greek myths better show that there is more than one side to every story. 

This is just one example of how ancient literature can inspire an adaptation of something that has similarities but reflects the culture of its day more than the original text. Writers know their audience so these differences tell us something about the people that the pieces were meant for, which is just one of the many reasons to read literature. 

Popular Greek Myths

The Greek gods and goddesses from our past few blog posts are important since they are characters in various Greek myths. These myths explain how the world came to be or explain natural phenomena. 

Here are some popular stories related to Greek mythology that you may wish to explore in more depth. 

Scylla and Charybdis: 

A Brief History of the Mediterranean Sea - Ulysses

These two Greek monsters inhabited the Straits of Messina between Sicily and the Italian peninsula and were responsible for the deaths of seamen. Scylla is a sea monster said to have six heads with rows of teeth to attack the seaman. There are several stories about Scylla’s creation since it is believed she was once a beautiful nymph until she was transformed by either the sorceress Circe or the sea nymph Amphitrite out of jealousy. 

Opposite Scylla was the monster Charybdis, a dangerous whirlpool and the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia. Scylla and Charybdis inspired the popular idiom “between a rock and a hard place” since ships had to choose between the lesser of two evils to pass through the strait. 

Prometheus:  

The myth of Prometheus explains how humans discovered fire. Prometheus was a Titan and the god of fire. He tricked Zeus into accepting bones and fat as a sacrifice instead of meat. In return, Zeus hid fire from humanity until Prometheus returned it to Earth against Zeus’s wishes. As punishment, Zeus nailed Prometheus to a rock and had an eagle eat Prometheus’s liver after it regrew each day. 

Medusa: 

Medusa originally was a beautiful mortal until Athena transformed her either because of her boastfulness or because of an affair with Poseidon. Medusa became a monster with snakes for hair and a look from her could turn a man into stone. 

Eventually, the King of Seriphos sent the hero Perseus on a quest to kill Medusa. Medusa was pregnant when she died. When Perseus killed her, her two children Chrysaor and Pegasus sprang from her neck. 

These are just a few of numerous Greek myths that have endured over time. The myths preserve what Greeks believed and have inspired sayings and writing by various authors today. 

Do you have a favorite Greek myth? Which one do you find the most interesting? We’d love to hear from you!