What does the word tantalise have to do with the chemical element tantalum? And what is the connection of both of these to the figure of Tantalus from Greek mythology? To answer these questions, we first need to know who Tantalus was, and what the precise details of the myth […]
Although the plot details of the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe may not be familiar to most readers, many theatregoers will have encountered the myth: it plays an important part in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But what happens in the story of these two lovers? Let’s take a closer […]
The tale of St George and the Dragon, or ‘St George of Merrie England’ as it’s also known in some versions, is a classic English fairy tale. And yet its origins aren’t English, and St George accomplished this feat not in England but in another land (usually either Libya or […]
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 […]
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 […]