Greek Myths Explained
The major myths, gods and heroes retold plainly, with what the ancient sources actually say.
The Olympian Gods Explained: Family, Roles and the Twelve
Who the Olympian gods were, how Hesiod and Homer say they came to power, why ancient lists of the twelve differ, and how to match Greek and Roman names.
Read · 6 min read →Greek Myths ExplainedPrometheus and the Gift of Fire: Hesiod's Story and Later Twists
How Hesiod tells the trick at Mecone, the stolen fire and Pandora's jar, and how later writers turned Prometheus into a teacher of the arts and even a maker of humans.
Read · 6 min read →Greek Myths ExplainedDemeter and Persephone: The Homeric Hymn and Its Rival Versions
A walk through the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, from the narcissus in the meadow to the rites at Eleusis, with the places where Ovid and Apollodorus tell it differently.
Read · 6 min read →Greek Myths ExplainedOrpheus and Eurydice: What Virgil, Ovid and Plato Each Tell Us
The story of Orpheus and Eurydice as Virgil, Ovid, Apollodorus and Plato tell it, side by side, including where they disagree on her death, the rule and the ending.
Read · 5 min read →Greek Myths ExplainedThe Trojan War in Brief: The Iliad and the Lost Epic Cycle
The whole Trojan War in order, from the Judgment of Paris to the homecomings, showing what the Iliad covers, what came from the lost Epic Cycle and where sources differ.
Read · 6 min read →Greek Myths ExplainedOdysseus's Journey Home: The Odyssey's Route and Return
A guide to the Odyssey's structure, Odysseus's route from the Cicons to Calypso, his return to Ithaca in disguise, and the rival ancient accounts of his death.
Read · 6 min read →