Week of 2 August 2020

2020 Summer Week 5

Summer Camp

Summer Camp on World Anvil is an annual event in which members of the community respond to writing prompts that help to develop the worlds of their writing projects or gaming campaigns. To apply the wide ranging prompts to issues of mythology, I created poetry and essays that ranged from silly to serious in three separate, sometimes overlapping areas:
Informative:
What do we know about the gods, heroes, and stories that have been passed down to us from antiquity? Where do the sources conflict with each other, and why? Where are the gaps that need to be filled with speculation?

Moon-Chariot of Selene

How did ancient peoples explain the moon,
its movements through the sky,
its phases through the month,
and sometimes, its eclipses?

Causes of the Trojan War

Was the war an inevitable result of prophecy?
Was it meant by the gods to end an era?
Or was it just the logical outcome of chaotic events?
How did ancient peoples explain world events,
and how do we explain them in modern times?

Historical:
Real world events may be reflected in myth or may have shaped the development and reception of myth. The technologies used in stories of myth are matters of the historical and archaeological record. Quandaries from philosophy, like Plutarch's contemplation of the Letter E, draw deeply from the philosophers' interaction with mythological themes. And elements of art and architecture are other ways mythology has been received.

The Volcanic Destruction of Thera

Over 3600 years ago,
the Island of Thera
experienced one of the largest volcanic eruptions
in human history.
What was the effect on Greece?
What may have been the effect on China?

The Golden Letter E

It's amazing how much you can learn
by contemplating a single letter
as the philosopher Plutarch once did.

Creative:
In classical studies, the retelling and remixing of traditional stories is called "reception," a process going back thousands of years. In most classical sources, Hecate was not actually the Goddess of Cheesecake. Mysia probably didn't fall to the Achaeans without any resistance. Amazons didn't get birthday tattoos. But what if they did?

The Hecatite Cheesecake Festival

There were witches in Greek mythology.
There were active cults of Hecate in classical times.
Their pagan descendants are still part of modern culture.
Doesn't this topic deserve more exploration?

Mysia

In the Cypria, Early in the Trojan War,
The Greeks accidentally destroyed the wrong city.
It wasn't their greatest moment.

These 33 essays will be refined, and their content merged into new areas of the MiV site.

The Epic Mythoverse

For nine years, Agamemnon's army has besieged Priam's Troy. But as events in the Iliad wind down, a single javelin, blown off its mark, hurls Penthesileia and her Amazon companions against the balance of powers, into the Trojan War, and into Epic history.
And Then, An Amazon is an adaptation, by MiV Author in Residence Greg R. Fishbone, of Book 1 of The Posthomerica by Quintus of Smyrna. This story represents the earliest and most complete version of Epic Cycle events between The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer.
This Week's Verse:

"The Embassy at the Tomb, Part III"

The representatives of Agamemnon
make a final plea to Achilles.

A Preview Exclusive to Patrons and Educators:

"Arrival"

Penthesileia and her Amazons
enter the City of Troy.

The Online Manuscript in Progress:

Amazons!

READ

Story Resources:
Amazon HQ provides a character list and background information.

Looking Forward

The Summer Session will continue through August. Content will be rearranged and presented in a more useful and logical manner, the design will be freshened up, and we will be a fully prepared resource for the start of school in September.
The site's mission statement has been revised to reflect new areas of focus:

"Through mythic poetry, retold tales, and educational resources, Mythology in Verse seeks to foster a deeper understanding of traditional cultures, their impact on each other, and on the modern world."

— MiV Mission Statement

It seems like every week, this site transforms into something a little closer to what it will eventually become. Thanks for sharing that process with me.

--Greg R. Fishbone,
Author In Residence

---

Week 6 of the 2020 Summer Season begins now!

Mythology in Verse:

Twitter

@InMythology

Editorial Staff:

Author In Residence

Greg R. Fishbone

Help Wanted

Your Name Here

Blog Archive