By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
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 surrounding Tantalus was.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
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 look at the classical myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, starting with a summary of the story’s plot, followed by an analysis of its meaning.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
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 Egypt). How well do we know the legend of St George and the slaying of the dragon?
Not very well, it turns out. Let’s take a closer look at what the actual legend tells us. Afterwards, we’ll offer an analysis of the story’s meaning and significance, but first let’s recap the plot of the legend.
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.