By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The myth of Ariadne is inextricably bound up, like her delicate thread she gives to him, with the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. But what’s the full story with Ariadne in Greek mythology? Let’s take a closer look, beginning with a summary of Ariadne’s story, followed by an analysis of its possible meanings.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Better-known as Hercules (the Latin version of his Greek name), Heracles was the all-round action hero of Greek mythology. He was ordered to carry out his famous ‘Twelve Labours’ as penance for the murder of his own wife and children, while he was in the service of King Eurystheus, Hercules’ cousin. A few of them are quite famous – Hercules killing the Nemean lion, or stealing the golden apples of the Hesperides – but others, such as slaying the Stymphalian birds, are more obscure.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The story of Jason and Medea is among the most famous doomed love affairs in classical mythology, and the Greek myths are known for having their fair share of doomed love affairs. But what is the meaning and significance of the Jason and Medea myth? What did Jason do to Medea, and what drastic action did she take in response to his actions?
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The story of Pygmalion and Galatea is well-known: it’s a myth about art, about love, and about the relationship between the artist and his ‘muse’, in some respects. But there are also, as so often with classical myths, a few things we assume we know about this story but, it turns out, don’t really know. Or at any rate, we don’t know the full story.
In this week’s Dispatches from The Secret Library, Dr Oliver Tearle explores the symbolism of that perennially popular flower, the rose
Roses are sometimes known as the queen of flowers, and they are perhaps the richest in symbolism, whether in Christianity, classical myth, or modern (especially romantic) literature. But the symbolism of roses is a curious topic, because red and white roses have attracted such starkly different connotations.