Greek Gods and Human Mythtakes

There are few myths in which Athena doesn't appear in-- whether that be a the main divinity, or a smaller role in the myth-- many of which we have already covered in out episode. For this episode, we cover the the curses of Athena instead of the blessings. Because for every Hero that Athena blesses (Odysseus), there's there's another that she curses (Ajax the Lesser.) 

While the The ancient Greeks revered Athena, they had a complex relationship with Ares. They built shrines and made offerings to him, but did not worship him in the same manner they worshipped Other Olympians. To the Greeks he was a necessary evil, not something to worship. 

Dustin continue our retelling of the comedic genius Aristophanes', by retelling the comedy  "The Birds", which centers around an Athenian's hairbrained scheme to use birds to destroy the Olympians. This play was so good it was deemed ILL EAGLE. 

Aristophanes' comedy “The Frogs” is a hilariously, absurd play which follows the ridiculous antics of Dionysus and his slave as they try to revive the greatest Athenian tragedians from the underworld. I guess you could call it a “ribbeting” play. 

Prometheus, the champion of mankind, is bound to a mountain for giving us fire. But exactly WHY he was given this brutal punishment appears to have been an issue many ancient Greeks grappled with. In this episode we cover Aeschylus' playwright “Prometheus Bound”— a completely new take on Prometheus— and how the play shapes our ideas and thoughts on his myth as a whole. 

The Muses, the divine inspiration of the arts, poets, language, bards, and so much more. Since Muses were the embodiment of every key characteristic of what ancient Greeks (and even we today) define as being human; it's only natural that ancient Greeks create myths which create a close bond with them.

In this episode we cover the Nymphs, who, like humans, find themselves at the mercy of the whim of the Olympians. 

What do you get when you combine ancient Greeks, drunken revelries, an unhealthy libido, and the table manners of a goat?    In this episode we discuss how the outrageous, yet hilarious, tales of satyrs won of the Ancient Greek hearts. No other mythical creature is so crude, yet so loved by the Greeks.

Chiron, the teacher of heroes, inventor of medicine, and the probably the only centaur you'd feel comfortable with watching your children. This episode we continue our journey into the rustic deities and go into Chiron's “Hay day”. 

This episode we will discuss some of the Greek deities involving liquid, whether it be water or booze. So join us and drink it all in!

This episode we discuss the origins of the Anemoi (the 4 gods of wind that correspond with North, South, East, and West). Tune in and prepare to be blown away!

Now that we've wrapped up Homer's great works, we return back to the very beginning in the Greek Mythology. In this episode we highlight the creation of the world, the many children of Chaos and Nyx, and give Thanatos his time to shine. 

The moment has finally come to a head. Every slight Odysseus has endured will be repaid, tenfold. In this episode Odysseus strikes back at the suitors and takes back his palace, Penelope is unsure if the man in her presence is really Odysseus and tests his knowledge of their bed, and Ithaca's nobles rise to arms to fight back against Odysseus. 

In this next to last episode of The Odyssey, we will see Odysseus finally talk with his wife Penelope and partake in an archery contest. Tune in to find out how it plays out!

In this episode of "Undercover King", Odysseus maintains his disguise as an old beggar and finally comes face to face with the suitors and is challenged to a wrestling match with the town drunk. However, prior to the match Odysseus shows off his giant thighs and puts him into a world of hurt.

After battling cyclops, fighting off seductive goddesses--Although only after he allowed himself to succumb to their advances for years, listening to Sirens, journeying to the underworld, and surviving Scylla; Odysseus has embarked--or disembarked-- on his greatest challenge yet... His homecoming.The stakes are set, the suitors are in place to kill his son Telemachus and will kill Odysseus if they recognize him. Odysseus decides to go "undercover boss" in this episode, to see how his country has been ruled in his absence.  

How does a hero surpass a feat of blinding a Cyclops? Odysseus' journey continues to become more Epic. In this Episode Odysseus becomes he lover of Circe, journeys to the underworld, survives Charybdis and Scylla, and experiences the lovely sounds of the Sirens.

What happens when the hero violates Xenia and is trapped inside a cave with a Cyclops? In this episode we discuss the most iconic scene of the Odyssey as Odysseus tells his epic journey. 

In our previous episode we left off with Odysseus' son, Telemachus, trying to learn the fate of his father--now missing for over ten years. Telemachus learns his father is not only alive, but is a prisoner to a goddess' every whim and desire. How will Odysseus ever escape his current predicament 

Troy is sacked, Hector and Achilles are dead, Helen is returned, and the Greeks are returning home. The Greeks indulged themselves a little too much with their pillaging, and now they have to fight the elements and the gods on their way home. Where is Odysseus? It's up to his son to discover.

Patroclus is dead, and Hector's doom is sealed. Priam is forced to watch in horror as Achilles unleashes his entire wrath upon Hector and desecrates his dead body. With the help of the gods, Priam risks it all (The war and his life) to try to give his son the proper burial rites.

As we draw near the end of our Iliad adventure, witness our hero Achilles return to the battlefield, wreak havoc on the Trojan forces single handedly, and even fight a river. Yes... A river!

This episode we continue our journey with The Greeks having to defend their ships in epic, seesaw fashion from the persistent Trojans. We will also see Patroclus take to the fight without his friend Achilles. How will this tip the scales of the war? Tune in and find out!

Hector is winning, The Greeks are dying, Achilles is sulking, and the Greek morale is low. The Greeks realize in order to win this war, they will need to honor Achilles and win him back. But will the fabled "Embassy of Achilles" be enough? Can they sway him to come back and fight for the Greek army?

Welcome back to part 3 of our Iliad saga covering books 6-8! This episode we are introduced to a more emotional, and human element of the story when Hector visits his wife and son. Join us and see there is more to war than glory for these men!

Here we go with episode 2 of the Iliad! Join us as we cover the action packed books 3-5 where we'll experience a duel for Helen, the first major battle of the story, and the Greek hero Diomedes going beast mode on the Trojans! 

This is the big one folks, so buckle up as we start The Iliad! In this first episode, we will give you some backstory before diving into books 1 & 2. Join us to see how the war of gods, men, and egos plays out.

What would you do if the man--whom you gave everything up for-- married a princess behind your back? Would you walk away gracefully, or would you make their whole world burn? In our previous episode we learned that Medea is not one to be trifled with, but apparently Jason missed that...

What could the myth of Jason and the Argonauts possibly have in common with the award winning movie and best selling book "The Last of the Mohicans"? .... Well, aside from a great plot, nothing. But we just couldn't resist a good pun! In this episode Jason is given a series of impossible tasks (Shocker!), but with the help of Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, Jason is able to catch the attention of the great sorceress, Medea. Will Medea choose her family, or the beautiful man who just walked into the door? 

In this episode we follow Apollonius' "Argonautica", which retells the story of the hero Jason's impossible task to track down the Golden Fleece to recover the throne of his father. Jason immediately sets out by assembling the greatest heroes in the world--including the mighty Heracles-- to secure his legacy. But Jason quickly discovers that maintaining control over a group of Alpha Warriors is much harder than assembling them. Fortunately, Jason has allies in Olympus as well.

You'd be hard pressed to find someone in today's era who isn't at least familiar with the name Oedipus, from the famous complex pioneered by Freud to Sophocles' hauntingly tragic playwright "Oedipus Rex." In this episode we take you on the journey of Oedipus' life, from the height to the destruction of a man who dared to believe he knew more than the gods. 

When we imagine Greek Heroes our mind typically conjures images of Heracles and his legendary feats and often forget about the legendary feats of Perseus--A young man given the impossible task of slaying the legendary Gorgon, Medusa. Perseus would go on to accomplish many feats, fathering many sons who became kings of their respective cities, and become a staple in the successful "Clash of the Titans" movies. In this episode we will go into detail on what the movie got wrong, and explain why he had such a lasting role in the Greek Myths.

In our last episode we finished off the labors of Heracles. If you thought Heracles would settle down and live happily ever after, you were mistaken! In this episode Heracles finds himself needing to be cleansed for murder--AGAIN-- and has to turn to a very unlikely source... Queen Omphale of Lydia. 

 In our last Episode Heracles had two labors disqualified and had just finished his 6th labor forcing Hera to think harder on his tasks. From this point forward Heracles' journey will be even harder, from the man eating birds to descending into the underworld to capture Cerberus without the use of any weapons. With this episode we will discuss how Heracles was able to shed his "mortal bonds" to become the hero he is known as today.

One need only say his name and their mind conjures up a valiant hero overcoming outstanding adversary. Few people know the sad origins of his quest of redemption, join us as we explain why Heracles starts his Labors, and discuss what makes this myth so great. 

The story of Theseus is truly unique. Unlike most heroes, his character actually grows and matures as the myths unfold. It is this truly unique trait which has caused his life to become an influence in our stories today--Ranging from the inspiration for Campbell's "the Heroes Journey" to "The Hunger Games." Join us as we explain how Theseus' battle with the behemoth became such an important aspect for symbolism, while discussing Athens' motives for making their myth truly stand out.

The goddess of love seems to appear in many myths causing troubles for anyone who slights her. In this myth we discuss the origins of Aphrodite and go into deeper detail of how her emotions typically get in the way of her reason. Then the episode is finished off with the story of Psyche and Eros

As the god of fire and Metallurgy, it's only natural that Hephaestus' life would be hard. His Father and mother cast him out of Olympus, his wife has an affair in his marital bed, and his crippled look is often the brunt of all the immortal jokes. In this episode we go through his most famous tales, including the trap which ensnares Ares and Aphrodite in their lovers' embrace. We finish this episode with the in depth story of Aeschylus' play Oresteia.

Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia, was born in a cave of Mt. Cyllene. His mother hoped she and he could live out their lives peacefully and avoid the attention--or wrath-- of Hera. However, even at a day old, Maia had to come to terms with the fact that this was no ordinary child of Zeus; for the babe broke out of his crib, stole his brother's cattle and hid all evidence simply to prove that he belonged with the other Olympians. The smooth talking trickster wins the day, and still becomes best friends with his brother. We follow this story with his love life, and his children (Pan included) and cap the episode off with a little Father-Son Moment between the two.

 An explanation of our brief hiatus from the episodes, and then I explain to our listeners--And co host--what our goals are for the podcast's future.   

 We go through a the Roman holiday, Saturnalia--We know, this is a Greek podcast, but we just couldn't resist. This episode also picks up where we left off with Dionysus on our Halloween special, discussing his many funny epithets and hilarious stories like His war with India in the name of Wine!

In Ancient Greece Apollo was one of the most widely worshiped of the Olympians. His oracles were traveled to from all corners of the world for spiritual guidance and healing. Apollo continues our trend of complex gods, follow along in this episode was we try to make sense of his many contradictions. 

Artemis is a complicated deity, full of contradictions. She is the embodiment of the hunt, yet protects and nurtures young beasts. She is the protetor of women, yet her arrows were the cause of death and disease among women. We discuss he more famous myths in this episode: Actaeon, Leto, and Orion

In movies Hades is portrayed as a sinister villain. In Greek Mythology it's a bit more complicated. In this podcast we go through his most famous myth of Persephone, then we analyze his myths that show the more vulnerable side of Hades. Listen along as we make the case that Hades is actually the most even headed out of all the Olympians.

Being the wife of Zeus the Zbag couldn't have been easy. In this episode we highlight the myths in which Zeus' buffoonery REALLY tried her patience. Unfortunately for Hera--and the women Zeus was infatuated with-- She didn't have the power to punish Zeus... So she took her wrath out upon the poor human who participated in the love of Zeus.

For the Greeks the seafaring was a terrifying occupation. They could embark with clear skies and calm seas only to watch in horror as a powerful storm appears to have been conjured out of thin air; making it only natural for the Greeks to depict their god of the seas as a deity with a quick temper. In this episode we highlight the Wrath of Poseidon with the myth of the Minotaur, Medusa, and his fight with Athena over Athens.

We go through the Ancient Greek's festival of the living dead and also discuss some of the spookier stories of Ancient Myths. 

Zeus, the god of the Sky and Supreme ruler of Olympus. Dustin and I pick back up where we left off and discuss how the Olympians divided the world up after defeating the Titans. In this episode we discuss the myths that focus on the earlier years of his rein with Hera's Coup to overthrow him, the war with Typhon, and the punishment of Prometheus.We also establish the theme to our show in this episode.

In the beginning, there was only Chaos. Join us as we discuss the beginnings of the Greek Mythology, finishing the episode with the Titanomachy. We follow along Hesiod's Theogony, and discuss the deeper meaning to these myths and how they resonate with our every day lives.