Mythology – Page 2 – Interesting Literature

A Summary and Analysis of the Eros and Psyche Myth

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The myth of Eros and Psyche has exercised writers’ and artists’ imaginations for several millennia, but what are the details of the myth? Below, we summarise the story of these unlucky lovers, and provide an analysis of the myth’s meaning and symbolism.

Surprisingly, although the myth is usually referred to as ‘Eros and Psyche’, with the Greek god Eros being namechecked in the title, the first detailed narrative from antiquity involving these lovers was not written until the second century AD, and it was a Roman rather than a Greek author who was responsible for the story.

10 of the Most Important and Interesting Facts about the Narcissus Myth

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The story of Narcissus is one of the most enduringly popular, and instantly recognisable, from classical myth. The very name of Narcissus has become a kind of shorthand for self-love and self-regard.

But the actual facts of the Narcissus story are a little more complex than they first appear. Who fell in love with Narcissus, and what was her name? Or was it even a ‘she’? How did Narcissus give his name to the flower known as the ‘narcissus’ – and did he, in fact, give his name to it at all?

A Summary and Analysis of the Valkyries Myth

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

The Valkyries are a key part of Norse myth. But who are the Valkyries, and what role do they play in the stories of northern Europe? Many of us are familiar with the piece of music by the German composer Richard Wagner, ‘Ride of the Valkyries’, which has been used countless times in films (most famously in Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam war film, Apocalypse Now). But where did the Valkyries ‘ride’, and why?

A Summary and Analysis of the Fisher King Myth

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Although it was a last-minute addition, the myth of the Fisher King plays an important part in one of the greatest poems of the twentieth century: T. S. Eliot’s modernist poem The Waste Land (1922). But what is the story of the Fisher King, and what is its meaning and significance? Who was the Fisher King, and where did the myth originate?

A Summary and Analysis of the Myth of Atlas and the Heavens

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

How did Atlas, the figure from Greek mythology, come to give his name to a book of maps? And how did he give his name to one of the most famous geographical features in the world? Let’s take a closer look at the Atlas myth. Atlas was a Titan who was punished by being made to carry the heavens on his shoulders; but what does this story mean? First, a brief outline and summary of the myth, followed by an analysis of its meaning.