writing inspiration: Greek mythology (part 1)
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© dreaming by dusk
Who loves fairy tales? I know I do. While I think that they’re an amazing source for writing inspiration, I also feel that there are other places that we haven’t yet dared to look.
I was obsessed with Greek mythology in my high school years. And before you ask, no I didn’t read the Percy Jackson books.
What I did do is take a class in Classical Studies in my final year, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to major in it at university.
Most people have only heard of the mythic Trojan War. Either they read the “Iliad” or they watched the movie or BBC tv series. When I made Classical Studies the focus of my education, I learned that there is so much more out there.
Countless myths, and stories and characters. And many of them make an excellent source of inspiration for your writing.
Whether it’s developing the plot of a great adventure or heroic tale, or you want to write an urban inspired version of the myth. You can use them any way you want as long as it sparks creativity.
So, I thought I’d take some time to share some of my favourite stories with you that I’ve learned about over the last 3 years. These myths are unique and inspiring, and sure to boost your creative writing in some way.
Prometheus’s Punishment
Prometheus belongs to the older generation of gods, the ones whom were replaced by the twelve Olympians. In my mind, I’ve always seen him as a bit of a precursor to Hephaestus. Because he is a cultural figure, a creator and educator of mankind.
My favourite retelling of Prometheus’s story is told in “Prometheus Bound”, a play attributed to the Aeschylus, a Greek writer. The story relates that Prometheus stole fire back from the gods to give to mankind and Zeus punished him severely for his defiant actions.
Prometheus is chained against his will to a mountain at the edge of the world.
Yet he is unafraid of his condition. With the gift of foreseeing the future, he believes his imprisonment will not be permanent. Because he knows a prophecy about Zeus and will not share it willingly.
There are many that try to obtain the prophecy from Prometheus, but he will not divulge it. Like the messenger Hermes, whom first tries to persuade him before threatening him with Zeus’s wrathful lightning.
The Labors of Heracles
Heracles is the son of Zeus and Alcmene. As is expected of the queen of the gods, Hera was jealous of Zeus’s countless lovers – and rightfully so. When Heracles grew into a man, Hera sent him into a frenzy of madness, causing him to kill his wife and children.
In a similar fashion to most fairy tales, the original story is much darker than the Disney film.
The Labors of Heracles were tasked to him in the promise of gaining penance for his violent crimes. Over several years, he battled monsters and succeeded in tasks thought to be impossible.
Such as capturing the 3-headed dog Kerberos from the Underworld and persuading the titan Atlas to obtain the apples of the Hesperides.
Paris’s judgement of the goddesses
A lot of people don’t know that this myth is one of many that predates and causes the Trojan War. At a wedding, the goddess of strife casts a golden apple inscribed with the words: “to the fairest”.
Her actions lead to a dispute between three of the Olympian goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. All whom believe that the apple is meant for them.
A Trojan named Paris is selected to judge the beauty of the three goddesses and choose a winner. After the goddesses’ attempts to persuade him, he chooses Aphrodite as the most beautiful among them.
His action is one of many that led to the start of the Trojan War. His especially led to some of the divisions among the gods. It is one of the reasons why Hera hates the Trojans and why Aphrodite loves them.
The creation of Pandora
Everyone knows about Pandora’s box, in one way or another. What we don’t often hear about is the story behind it. As bad as this myth is from a feminist point-of-view, it’s interesting because it has some parallels with the story of Eve in the Bible.
In Hesiod’s “Theogony”, Pandora was a beautiful maiden. She was crafted by the god Hephaestus and clothed by Athena on Zeus’s command. Pandora, beautiful and cunning, is meant to be a perilous gift to mankind. In retribution for Prometheus’s theft of fire from the gods.
As other sources add, Pandora is given a box and told not to open it, but she does and releases untold evils into the world. Being the first woman, she created – what was called – a race of women, whom were all as beautiful and cunning as she was.
Apollo and Cassandra
Another in relation to the events of the Trojan War. This myth has inspired one of my own works-in-progress. I like the kinds of myths that focus on the relationship between gods and mortals.
Cassandra is a princess of Troy. The god Apollo pursues her relentlessly, in the end granting her the gift of prophecy in return for her affection.
When she does not give it, he curses her. She has the gift of prophecy but no one will believe a word that she says. It is his form of punishment.
Later, Cassandra is captured with the rest of the Trojan women and she is gifted to King Agamemnon as his prize. In many versions of the myth, she is gleeful because she has seen the death of Agamemnon whom attacked their city.
