Greeks and Geeks

The final episode of series 3 looks at Epic the Musical: The Underworld saga. Let's compare it to the original Odyssey and analyse the lyrics of the darkest saga in the musical yet.

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In this episode we'll be comparing the original tale of Orpheus and Eurydice to the musical Hadestown and taking a deep dives into the musical. How has this tale of doomed love been updated for a modern age?

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References:
Greeka
Ovid's Orpheus and Augustan Ideology- Charles Segal
Theoi
Virgil's Orpheus and Eurydice
Genius lyrics (to read the lyrics for Hadestown)
Hadestown- Orginal Broadway Album and the live show I saw in London! :D

In this episode we'll be exploring the Underworld of Percy Jackson in the first book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, as well as the TV show on Disney Plus and yes... I will be joining Rick in giving the first movie a thorough roasting.

How does the Underworld in Percy Jackson compare to the ancient myths? Does it ring true or not?

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Part 3 of of Underworld themed episodes! Hades is one of the best games of the decade so far, but is a game based on Greek Mythology accurate? Did Supergiant really do their homework? Today we're looking at the many layers of the Hades video game!

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References:
The Oresteia on audible

Also available on BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03pd7kv
The episode of In Our Time which discusses the Oresteia: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9fk

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zagreus

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Orphic-religion 

https://www.loebclassics.com/view/aeschylus-attributed_fragments/2009/pb_LCL505.237.xml 

https://poets.org/poem/iliad-book-i-lines-1-15 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpLDi4_dRL8 

The Iliad/ The Odyssey- Emily Wilson translations

Greek Myths That Shape the Way We Think- Richard Buxton

The myth of Hades and Persephone has been fascinating to romance writers and readers alike, but their foundational  Greek myth is more of a tale of kidnap and grief than it is anything romantic. How could Hades and Persphone end up being one of the most frequently retold romantic stories? Today we're going to look at the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Hesiod, and discuss why their story might be a compelling romance.

 

Bibliography

https://fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-our-collection/highlights/context/stories-and-histories/eleusis-myth-and-mysteries#:~:text=The%20temple%20of%20Demeter%20at,made%20to%20Demeter%20at%20Eleusis.

https://www.theoi.com/Cult/DemeterTitles.html

https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20111010143853768#:~:text=Epithets%20which%20euphemistically%20address%20his,Pluton%20('Wealth').

https://chs.harvard.edu/primary-source/homeric-hymn-to-demeter-sb/ 

Mystery Cults in the Ancient World- novel

Girl, Goddess, Queen- Bea Fitzgerald

https://www.theoi.com/image/R14.1Haides.jpg 

To celebrate spooky month, we're going on a tour of the Underworld of Greek mythology! Ancient Greece had a fascinating relationship with the afterlife and the myths about death and Hades are iconic. Today we're going to go on a guided tour of the Underworld and find out, what is the ancient Greek Underworld? Where do souls go? What is the afterlife really like in ancient greek myths? What is Asphodel, Tartarus and Elysium?

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References:
Mystery Cults of the Ancient World
Theoi
The Afterlife of Ancient Greece
The Odyssey and the Iliad- Emily Wilson translations
And of course a bit of ye olde wikipedia!
Pixaby for sound effects

Jorge Rivera-Herrans returns to discuss Epic the Musical: The Ocean Saga! The third saga of Epic: The Musical is dramatic and things take a turn for the worse for our hero as Poseidon comes to take revenge after the events of the Cyclops Saga.

Once again we compare the source material of the Odyssey to Epic: The Musical and see where the similarities and differences are.

Thank you to Jorge for returning for this episode and the other sagas too (also for creating an outstanding musical). Here's a link to his socials:

Listen to Epic the Musical now!
Follow Jorge on Tiktok

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Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter
Instagram: @sabrinasalisburywriter

Sources:
Epic: The Musical by Jorge Rivera-Herrans
The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson
Great Courses Odyssey of Homer- Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.

Jorge Rivera-Herrans returns to discuss Epic the Musical: The Cyclops Saga! The second saga of Epic: The Musical is all about the encounter between Odysseus and the cyclops Polyphemus. The consequences of this saga will be far reaching as Odysseus makes some interesting choices that threaten the lives and safety of himself and his crew, and ensure that his journey home is a LONG one. Maybe don't mess with a son of Poseidon eh?

Once again we compare the source material of the Odyssey to Epic: The Musical and see where the similarities and differences are.

Thank you to Jorge for returning for this episode and the other sagas too (also for creating an outstanding musical). Here's a link to his socials:

Listen to Epic the Musical now!
Follow Jorge on Tiktok

Follow me!
Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter
Instagram: @sabrinasalisburywriter

Sources:
Epic: The Musical by Jorge Rivera-Herrans
The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson
Great Courses Odyssey of Homer- Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.

Jorge Rivera-Herrans returns to discuss Epic the Musical: The Troy Saga with me! The first saga of Epic: The Musical starts off before the events of The Odyssey, at the crux of the Trojan war, the 10 year long epic struggle between the Greeks and the Trojans. It is a dramatic saga filled with Gods, battles and a choice which will haunt Odysseus throughout the entire musical.

But what are the sources which inspired the musical? In this episode we'll discuss the differences in the ancient texts (such as The Odyssey and The Illiad) and Epic. We'll also be analysing the characters, the themes and the music.

Thank you to Jorge for returning for this episode and the other sagas too (also for creating an outstanding musical). Here's a link to his socials:

Listen to Epic the Musical now!
Follow Jorge on Tiktok

Follow me!
Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter
Instagram: @sabrinasalisburywriter

Sources:
Epic: The Musical by Jorge Rivera-Herrans
The Iliad translated by Emily Wilson
The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson
Troy by Stephen Fry
Great Courses Odyssey of Homer- Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.
Great Courses Aeneid of Virgil- Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D.
The Aeneid- Virgil

In this episode of Greeks and Geeks, I'll be introducing you to the original sources behind Epic: The Musical and discussing the central character. What is The Odyssey? Who was Odysseus? How does it compare to Epic: The Musical?

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Twitter/X: @GreeksGeeksPod
Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter
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Listen to Epic the Musical now!
Follow Jorge on Tiktok

Epic the Musical is a Greek Mythology inspired concept musical written by Jorge Rivera-Herrans. It is loosely based on the Odyssey and other Greek stories which revolve around the central character- Odysseus, the King of Ithica. In this episode, Jorge Rivera-Herrans geeks out with me over Epic: The Musical. What does it take to create a modern, hugely successful musical based on such a dense, ancient story?

Listen to Epic the Musical now!
Follow Jorge on Tiktok

Follow me!
Twitter/X: @GreeksGeeksPod
Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter
Instagram: @sabrinasalisburywriter

"Hero" has a different meaning in modern times compared to Ancient Greece. Most heroes in Greek Mythology actually commit some pretty terrible acts. Today we're looking at one of the famous Greek Heroes of the Trojan War, King Agamemnon. Why do I dislike him so much? Mainly because it's fun to do so and I'm a silly billy but he makes it so easy! But I do go into a bit more detail...and get about as angry as my shy British self can get.

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Twitter/X: @GreeksGeeksPod
Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter

Sources:
The Odyssey
The Iliad
The Orestia
My own blind hatred

High stakes vs low stakes stories, LGBT+ and an extreme case of the warm, fuzzy feelings. What makes a cozy fantasy book and why have these books exploded in popularity over the past few years (especially on booktok )? In this episode, Sabrina talks about all the criteria of a cozy fantasy book along with some of her favourites in the genre...though some may be a bit controversial!

Grab a cuppa/hot chocolate and a warm blanket and lets get snuggly!

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Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter

Sources:
Legends and Lattes
The Hobbit
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Good Omens

Prometheus- the Titan who created humans. Frankenstein- the human who created a monster. What are the similarities and differences between these two iconic figures of myth and sci-fi?

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Twitter/X: @GreeksGeeksPod
Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter

Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkv1pDmN7JY&ab_channel=WeirdHistory

https://www.history.com/news/frankenstein-true-story-mary-shelley

Greek Myths that Shape the Way We Think Richard Buxton
 Pandoras Jar- Nathalie Haynes
 Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus- Mary Shelley
 https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/frankenstein/summary/
https://www.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/the-hidden-history-of-greco-roman-vegetarianism

https://mythologysource.com/how-are-prometheus-and-frankenstein-alike/ 

How did the cultural landscape of the late 20th Century pave the way for Kiki's Delivery Service to become a hit around the world despite the backlash to the occult in the 1980s?

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Twitter/X: @GreeksGeeksPod
Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter

Sources:
https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1990/09/Art1full.pdf 

https://www.thoughtco.com/us-economy-in-the-1980s-1148148 

https://www.japannakama.co.uk/a-taste-of-life-in-1980s-japan/#Commercialized

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_witchcraft

https://www.cbr.com/history-of-magical-girls-genre-popular/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-43615481

http://www.arcane-alchemy.com/blog/2021/5/13/witchcraft-through-the-ages-the-80s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic0hq7UWOiM&t=1133s&ab_channel=ModernGurlz

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/us/satanic-panic.html

https://www.vox.com/culture/22358153/satanic-panic-ritual-abuse-history-conspiracy-theories-explained

https://psmag.com/social-justice/make-a-cross-with-your-fingers-its-the-satanic-panic#.61dzb5vo3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_witchcraft 

https://www.cbr.com/history-of-magical-girls-genre-popular/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-43615481

https://www.tor.com/2020/08/06/the-magic-of-translation-interviewing-kikis-delivery-service-author-eiko-kadono-and-translator-emily-balistrieri/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R21tWs-qCw&ab_channel=TheNewYorkTimes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATUpSPj0x-c&ab_channel=TheNewYorkTimes

Kiki’s Delivery Service (novel) Eiko Kadono
 

The famous witch of The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Percy Jackson and...Assassins Creed? Circe is a character who's story has been interpreted many times over the centuries. Who is she really? And do the feminist retellings of her do her justice?

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Twitter/X: @GreeksGeeksPod
Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter

Sources:

• The Odyssey- Emily Wilson Translation
• The Aeneid- Virgil
• Greek Myths That Shape the Way We Think- Richard Buxton
• The Return of Ulysses: A Cultural History of Homer's Odyssey- Edith Hall
• The Hidden Seduction: Circe and the Sirens in the Aeneid- Laura Aresi
• (Youtube video)Translating the Odyssey: How and Why- Emily Wilson
• John William Waterhouse paintings of Circe.

How do you make the end of the world funny, comforting and downright delightful? This episode we look at the world of Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens book and TV show adaptation and its view of humanity as a whole.

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Twitter/X: @GreeksGeeksPod
Tiktok: @SabrinaSalisburyWriter

Sources:
Good Omens- Neil Gailman and Terry Pratchett
Adapting Revelation: Good Omens as Comic Corrective- Amy Lea Clemons
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/148125942
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-omen-1976
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/8
https://www.nytimes.com/1976/06/26/archives/the-screen-omen-is-nobodys-baby.html
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Revelation-to-John 

Rick Riordan introduces Greek Mythology to a young audience, but how does it compare to the old stories? Can you really make Greek Mythology child friendly, or do things get lost in translation?

Sources:
https://www.rep.routledge.com/articles/thematic/tragedy/v-1/sections/from-aristotle-to-rome
https://www.thecollector.com/greek-heroes-hubris/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26809403 
https://journals.co.za/doi/epdf/10.10520/EJC166207
The Odyssey- Emily Wilson translation
Mythos- Stephen Fry
Percy Jackson and the Olypians series- Rick Riordan

Sally Jackson named Percy after the original hero from Greek mythology, Perseus. But are there more comparisons to be made? Welcome to the second episode of our two-part opener.

The next episode will be up next Tuesday! See you then!

Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Perseus-Greek-mythology

https://www.theoi.com/Text/Apollodorus2.html#4

https://www.jstor.org/stable/9d45c8c2-bcb3-349b-83ff-45092414814b?read-now=1&seq=9

Mythos- Stephen Fry
Heroes- Stephen Fry
Percy Jackson and the Olympians- Rick Riordan
https://www.theoi.com/