Month: April 2016

4. mythological tour of the solar system 1: helios

On By AlisonIn mythological tour of the solar system, podcast episodesLeave a comment

img_6482MythTake Episode 4
Mythological Tour of the Solar System 1: Helios (Sun)

Today we embark on a mythological tour of the solar system! Our first stop is the sun, a.k.a., Helios. We take a look at the Homeric Hymn to Helios and Odyssey 12.340-403 to find out more about this lesser-known Greek god.

https://www.podbean.com/media/player/pvk7h-5ed4da?from=yiiadmin
Download this episode (right click and save)

Passage One: Homeric Hymn to Helios

Begin to sing again, O Muse Kalliope, daughter of Zeus,
about Helios the radiant god, whom cow-eyed Euryphaëssa
bore to the son of Gaia and starry Ouranos.
For Hyperion married the famous Euryphaëessa,
how own sister, who bore him beautiful children,
Eos of the rosy arms and fair-haired Selene,
and tireless Helios like the immortals,
who shines on mortals and immortal gods
as he drives his horses. With his eyes he flashes a piercing look
from his golden helmet, and bright beams shine radiantly
from him, while from his head and over his temples
the bright cheekpieces cover his graceful face
shining from afar. On his skin a beautiful, finely-woven garment
shimmers in the blast of the winds, and his stallions
………………………….
He stays his golden-yoked chariot and horses there
until he sends them wondrously through the heavens to the ocean.
Farewell, lord, kindly grant delightful sustenance.
Having begun from you I will celebrate there ace of mortal men,
the demigods whose deeds the gods have shown to men.

Homeric Hymns. Trans. Susan Shelmerdine. Newburyport MA: Focus Publishing, 1995. Print.

Passage Two: Odyssey 12.374-388

Lampetia of the light robes ran swift with the message
to Hyperion the Sun God, that we had killed his cattle,
and angered at the heart he spoke forth among the immortals:
“Father Zeus, and you other everlasting and blessed
gods, punish the companions of Odysseus, son of Laertes;
for they outrageously killed my cattle, in whom I always
deleted, on my way up into the starry heaven,
or when I turned back again from heaven towards earth. Unless
these are made to give me just recompense of army cattle,
I will go down to Hades’ and give my light to the dead men.”
Then in turn Zeus who gathers the clouds answered him:
“Helios, shine on as you do, among the immortals
and mortal men, all over the grain-giving earth. For my part
I will strike theses men’s fast ship midway on the open
wine-blue sea with a shining bolt and dash it to pieces.”

Homer. Odyssey. Translated Richmond Lattimore. New York: Perennial Classics, 1967.

Sources

Archaic Greek:
Homeric Hymn 31 Helios
Homeric Hymn to Demeter 62-89
Homer Odyssey 1.8, 8.22, 10.191, 12.340-403
Homer Iliad 3.104, 277; 14.344; 18.240

Hellenistic:
Orphic Hymn 8
Proclus Hymn 1
Apollonius Argonautika 3.598

Roman:
Ovid Metamoprhoses 1.730-2.380; 4.170-284

Astronomical Facts:
Nasa.gov https://www.nasa.gov/sun

Join us on Twitter @InnesAlison and @darrinsunstrum

Subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss an episode! https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/mythtake/id1103569489?mt=2

Google Play https://goo.gl/app/playmusic?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/Iaegzaquhc7lfvc24icrzardzmu?t%3DMythTake

Find our RSS on Podbean http://alisoninnes.podbean.com

This week’s theme music: “Super Hero” by King Louie’s Missing Monuments from the album “Live at WFMU” (2011). Used under Creative Commons license. Music used under Creative Commons license and available from Free Music Archive.

3. hector

On By AlisonIn podcast episodes, trojan war3 Comments

img_6482

Welcome to episode 3! In this episode, we meet the great Trojan hero from the Trojan War, Hector, in his moment of decision. Will he choose to fight the Greek hero Achilles? Or does he take the easy route out? We examine his soliloquy in Iliad 22.99-115. It’s not easy being a hero!

http://www.podbean.com/media/player/htjz5-5ea593?from=yiiadmin

Download this episode (right click and save)

This week’s passage is Iliad 22:99-115

What shall I do? If I go back through the gates in the wall
Polydamas will be the first to heap reproaches on me, 100
because he urged me at the start of this last deadly night,
when glorious Achilles rose up, to lead the Trojans into the city.
I would not listen to him—but it would have been much better.
But now, since I have ruined the people by my recklessness,
I feel shame before the Trojan men and the Trojan women with their 105
trailing robes, in case some man of low rank may say of me:
‘Hector trusted in his own might and so refined his people.’
That is what they will say; and then it would be far better
to go and meet Achilles face to face and either kill him and return
or die at his hands, full of glory, in front of the city. 110
And yet, suppose I lay down my bossed shield and
strong helmet and lean my spear against the wall, and
go out by myself to meet blameless Achilles, and
promise to give back Helen and her possessions with her,
every single thing that Alexander brought to Troy…

Homer. Iliad. Trans. Anthony Verity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Join us on Twitter @InnesAlison and @darrinsunstrum

Subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss an episode! https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/mythtake/id1103569489?mt=2

Find our RSS on Podbean http://alisoninnes.podbean.com

This week’s theme music: “Super Hero” by King Louie’s Missing Monuments from the album “Live at WFMU” (2011). Used under Creative Commons license. Music used under Creative Commons license and available from Free Music Archive.

2. odysseus and circe

On By AlisonIn podcast episodesLeave a comment

img_6482

Welcome to episode 2! In this episode, we are joined by our feline co-host (Muggs) as we discuss Odysseus’ and Circe’s relationship in book 10 of the Odyssey.

Download this episode (right click and save)

This week’s passage is Odyssey 10.467-486:

There for all our days until a year was completed
we sat there feasting on unlimited meat and sweet wine.
But when it was the end of a year, and the months wasted
away, and the seasons changed, and the long days were accomplished,
then my eager companions called me aside and said to me:
“What ails you now? It is time to think about our own country,
if truly it is ordained that you shall survive and come back
to your strong-sounded house and to the land of your fathers.”
So they spoke, and the proud heart in me was persuaded.
So for the whole length of the day until the sun’s setting
we sat there feasting on unlimited meat and sweet wine.
But when the sun went down and the sacred darkness came over,
they lay down to sleep all about the shadowy chambers,
but I, mounting the surpassingly beautiful bed of Circe,
clasped her by the knees and entreated her, and the goddess
listened to me, and I spoke to her and addressed her in winged words:
“O Circe, accomplish now the promise you gave, that you
would see me on my way home. The spirit within me is urgent
now, as also in the rest of my friends, who are wasting
my heart away, lamenting around me, when you are elsewhere.”

Homer. Odyssey. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. New York: HarperCollins, 1967. Print.

 

Join us on Twitter @InnesAlison and @darrinsunstrum

Subscribe on iTunes so you don’t miss an episode! https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/mythtake/id1103569489?mt=2

Find our RSS on Podbean http://alisoninnes.podbean.com

This week’s theme music: “Super Hero” by King Louie’s Missing Monuments from the album “Live at WFMU” (2011). Used under Creative Commons license. Music used under Creative Commons license and available from Free Music Archive.

1. medea

On By AlisonIn podcast episodes1 Comment

 

img_6482Episode 1: Medea (Part 1)

Download this episode (right click and save)

Passage: Euripides Medea 476-492

Music Credits: “Super Hero” by King Louie’s Missing Monuments from the album “Live at WFMU” (2011). Used under Creative Commons license. Available online at Free Music Archive.

Passage: Euripides. Medea. Trans. A. J. Podlecki. Ed. Stephen Esposito. Newburyport, MA: Focus Publishing, 2004. Print.

Brought to you by @darrinsunstrum and @InnesAlison

launching our myth podcast!

On By AlisonIn news6 Comments

This is a test run of a new podcast!

My colleague @darrinsunstrum and I are starting a myth podcast! We’re both academics with close to 20 years experience teaching myth between the two of us (yikes!). We like to talk, so our podcast is the two of us discussing Greek and Roman myths for 40-45 minutes. Each episode we’ll choose a different literary passage from the ancient sources and discuss its mythological and historical contexts as well as explore some of the key themes. Our first run at this is Euripides’ Medea, lines 476-492 (text provided below so you can follow along).

Episode 1: Medea (Part 1) https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BytS8FtLYgBGbzVDWnVma0RjZjA

(I’m still sorting out the tech side a bit; for now it looks like you’ll have to download the file from GoogleDrive before playing it.)

We’re still working on coming up with a name (suggestions welcome!) and some artwork and even a schedule of sorts. We’ll sort these things out eventually, but for now we hope that you enjoy our ramblings! Leave a comment for us to let us know what you think and to make any special requests!

I rescued you, as the Greeks know who were
your shipmates long ago aboard the Argo,
when you were sent to master the monstrous bulls
with yokes and sow the furrow with seeds of death.
The serpent who never slept, his twisted coils                             480
protecting the golden fleece, I was the one
who killed it and held out to you a beacon of safety.
I betrayed both my father and my house
and went with you to Pelias’ land, Iolkos,
showing in that more eagerness than sense.
I murdered Pelias by the most painful of deaths,                        485
at the hands of his own daughters, and I destroyed
his whole house. And in return for this, you foulest of men,
you betrayed us and took a new wife,
even though you have children. Were you childless,                  490
one might forgive your passion for this marriage bed.
But now the trust of oaths is gone.
(Eur. Med. 476-492)

Euripides. Medea. Trans. A. J. Podlecki. Ed. Stephen Esposito. Newburyport, MA: Focus Publishing, 2004. Print.

You can also read Euripides’ Medea (Trans. Kovak) online for free at Perseus.tufts.edu.
Music “Super Hero” by King Louie’s Missing Monuments from the album “Live at WFMU” (2011). Used under Creative Commons license. Available online at Free Music Archive
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/King_Louies_Missing_Monuments/

Intro/exit music from “Holding out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler (1999 version). Go buy it on iTunes. **Update (09/04)–Since it’s not 100% clear that using this song in our podcast isn’t in violation of any copyright, we’ll be changing up the theme to a work licensed under Creative Commons and reposting the episode. We want our listeners and supporters to know that we value and support artists’ creative work. As academics, we appreciate the importance of intellectual property rights and recognize that we need to set a good example for the responsible use of others’ works. (***It’s still an awesome song. Go listen to it in full if you haven’t already!)