By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The story of Icarus is one of the most famous tales from Greek myth. The tale is often interpreted as being fundamentally about the dangers of hubris, with Icarus’ flight a metaphor for man’s overreaching of his limits (and coming to a sticky end as a result). But does the story really mean that? In order to determine the true meaning of the Icarus myth, let’s delve into it a little more.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The story of Theseus and the Minotaur is one of the most famous and enduring myths of ancient Greece. Among other things, the tale helped to inspire the central premise of one of the most popular series of dystopian novels and films of the twenty-first century (of which more below).
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The story of Echo and Narcissus is one of the most famous in all of classical mythology. But really, what we’re dealing with is a case of several different myths being put together. Narcissus has become synonymous with self-love, with the adjective ‘narcissistic’ and the noun ‘narcissism’ being coined to describe the sort of behaviour which he himself exhibited.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The story of Prometheus stealing fire from the gods is, like the story of Pandora’s Box, an important ‘origin-story’ from Greek myth.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
From Greek mythology to modern horror and fantasy, literature is full of fantastic beasts and terrifying monsters. What makes a great fictional monster? Terror, unpredictability, and perhaps an unsettling commingling of the familiar with the unfamiliar? These qualities can all help to create a truly scary monster which haunts our dreams, even though we know it doesn’t actually exist. Here are ten of our favourite horrifying monsters from the world of classic fiction, myth, and epic poetry. Thankfully, none of these monsters have ever existed. Phew!