Episode 92: Let's talk about myth retellings

This week, Fable and the Verbivore dive into all things Mythology and the retellings that these narratives inspire.

Myths are a genre of Folklore and are defined as "a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events." They’re also characterized by their cultural significance and staying power.

From Disney movies to Star Wars to Percy Jackson to American Gods, elements of myth can be found in many places within modern novels, cinema and television, and even musicals. We talk about many examples that we personally enjoy, as well as some fascinating and diverse myth retellings that are new or upcoming.

We also discuss how elements of classic myths are used to help tell new stories and to even change the cultural mindsets of the people who interact with them. And how approaching a retelling from a unique lens can help create something new that also connects with and adds to the human experience.

We hope you enjoy listening this episode! Keep reading, writing, and putting your voice out there!

Into the woods,

Fable & The Verbivore

Notes:

Fable references our conversation with author Stephanie Ascough and the mythology that she incorporated into her book “A Land of Light and Shadow: A Tale of Decamonde”. That episode can be found here: https://fableandtheverbivore.com/podcast/episode-50

The Verbivore reads a quote from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King where truth has passed away from common knowledge to old wive’s tales. Here is that quote:

  • “Pay heed to the tales of old wives. It may well be that they alone keep in memory what it was once needful for the wise to know.”

While preparing for this episode, the Verbivore referenced several different series of YouTube videos on the subject of mythology as resources. Here are the links to the most influencial ones:

  • Crash Course Mythology Videos Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRCVcuA6yZQ&list=PLEb6sGT7oD8G8nPbyvObaZUNdfV6kitZQ

  • Ted Ed Mythology Videos Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjj_-CPxjCM&list=PLneOWMcmDufL5I4aIb_c2JEge344bNFIf

The Verbivore mentions that there are articles that talk about Disney movies as modern mythology. Here is a link to one such article:

  • https://creativeenglishteacher.com/blogs/news/ten-reasons-why-disney-movies-are-modern-mythology

The Vebivore mentions Star Wars and it’s reliance on Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and the Hero’s Journey. Here is a short video clip of an interview with Joseph Campbell on this topic:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXjnYL2GncU

And here is a link to an article on the Hero’s Journey:

  • https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/heros-journey/

The Verbivore mentioned that the Illiad and the Odyssey have both been translated many times and that it was recently translated by a women for the first time. Here is the link to an article on this topic:

  • https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/11/20/16651634/odyssey-emily-wilson-translation-first-woman-english

Fable mentions the Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) index or classification system for fairytales. Here are a couple links with further information on this topic:

  • https://retellingthetales.com/a-casual-girls-guide-to-using-the-atu-index/

  • https://sites.ualberta.ca/~urban/Projects/English/Content/ATU_Tales.htm

The Verbivore references Rick Riordan’s response to the question of what his inspirations were for Percy Jackson and was he inspired by Harry Potter. Here is his full response from his website:

  • https://rickriordan.com/2005/11/did-you-get-that-from-harry-potter/

And here is a link to the middle grade mythology books that are being released through the Rick Riordan Presents label:

  • https://rickriordan.com/rick-riordan-presents/

Books Mentioned:

Movies Mentioned:

Musicals Mentioned:

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
’Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Bethany Stedman