Mythology – Interesting Literature

A Summary and Analysis of the Myth of Odysseus and the Cyclops

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

When is it a good idea to be nobody? There are some situations where it certainly pays to be Nobody, or rather, to claim to be ‘No One’. And one of the most famous episodes involving wily Odysseus (or Ulysses, as he was known to the Romans) bears this out.

But what exactly happened when Odysseus, the hero of the Trojan War, met Polyphemus, the one-eyed Cyclops? Let’s take a closer look at this myth, and what Homer tells us about it in his great epic poem, the Odyssey.

A Summary and Analysis of the Castor and Pollux Myth

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Who were Castor and Pollux and what are the details of the story involving these two figures from Greek mythology? These two Greek heroes, who are now perhaps most familiar to people because they became immortalised in the constellation Gemini in the night sky, are the subject of a fascinating story, or rather series of stories, from ancient Greek mythology, so let’s take a closer look at the details of the myth.

A Summary and Analysis of the Trojan Horse Myth

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

What was the Trojan Horse? The Trojan Horse the hollow wooden horse in which Greek soldiers concealed themselves so they could enter Troy without arousing suspicion. The Trojan Horse was offered to the city of Troy as a gift, but when the Trojans took the wooden horse inside the city gates, the Greeks who had secreted themselves within the wooden structure came out and were thus able to attack Troy from within.

A Summary and Analysis of the Hyacinth Myth

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

How did hyacinths, the popular flowers, get their name? And what have they to do with homoerotic love, wind, discuses, and Greek mythology? As ever, we’re here to answer these questions, by taking a closer look at the classical myth of Hyacinth and how he came to give his name to the flowers.

Before we offer an analysis of the myth’s meaning and significance, here’s a quick summary of the tragic story.

A Summary and Analysis of the Myth of Centaurs

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Centaurs are surely the most famous human-animal hybrids from classical mythology, along with the Minotaur. But what do centaurs represent? These creatures – part-human, part-horse – turn up in a number of different myths from antiquity, but the meaning of these stories, and what the centaurs symbolise, varies from tale to tale.