Episode 92: Let's talk about myth retellings
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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:
A Land of Light and Shadow: A Tale of Decamonde by Stephanie Ascough
The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Harry Potter: Books 1-7 by J. K. Rowling
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C. S. Lewis
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus by Margaret Atwood
The Illiad by Homer, Translated by Caroline Alexander
The Odyssey by Homer, Translated by Emily Wilson
Beowulf, A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley
The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Books 1-5) by Rick Riordan
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Movies Mentioned:
Moana - Direct by Ron Clements and John Musker
Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - Created by George Lucas
O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Directed by Joel Coen
La Belle et La Bete - Directed by Christophe Gans
Musicals Mentioned:
Hadestown - Written by Anais Mitchell
Music from: https://filmmusic.io
’Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)