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?
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?
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.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Surely the most famous horse in all of classical myth is Pegasus, the flying horse. But who was Pegasus and how did he come about? And what is the significance of this myth? Let’s take a closer look at the story of Pegasus and what it means – from the significance of the flying horse motif to the links to poetic creativity and inspiration which Pegasus has.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Have you heard the one about the goddess and the Syrian? Perhaps it sounds unfamiliar when phrased like that, but we’re talking about the myth of Venus and Adonis, one of the great tragic love stories from classical mythology.
But what exactly is the story of Venus and Adonis? Let’s take a closer look at the myth and its meaning. But before we come to the analysis, it might be worth summarising the plot of the myth.