Since it’s the final day of 2011, I thought I would discuss a work of art that evokes the idea of memory. With this in mind, let’s take a look at a painting called Mnemosyne.
As the title suggests, this painting by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti depicts Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess (or Titan, to be specific) [...]
From the monthly archives:
December 2011
Mega biblion, mega kakon.
- Callimachus
And for those of you who skipped that day in Greek language class, the phrase translates as “a big book is a big pain”.
The Roman poet Virgil may have been inspired by the epics of Homer when he wrote his famous masterpiece called The Aeneid, but he also contributed greatly to Latin literature with his fictionalized version of Roman history. For, although quite mythological in nature, Virgil’s intriguing epic succeeds on its own merits.
The Aeneid is in essence [...]
Homer’s Odyssey is quite possibly one of the most important works of Western literature - and certainly one of the shining examples of Greek literature. It is an epic poem that tells the tale of the Greek hero Odysseus and his long journey home after the fall of Troy.
Along the way, our stalwart hero encounters [...]
Homer’s Iliad is one of the most compelling epics ever composed. The work is filled with tales of individual heroism, hubris (excessive pride), and haunting lyricism. It is both beautiful and tragic, and contains what are perhaps the finest examples of the ideals of the ancient Greeks.
The story depicted in the Iliad is ostensibly about [...]
The tale of Jason and the Argonauts is one of the most familiar and enduring Greek legends. In essence, it is a story about a quest - the search for the magical Golden Fleece. However, there is much more to this tale than a mythic mission to find hidden treasure. One of our most interesting [...]
one of the synonyms of merry
jovial definition - someone who is merry could reasonably be called jovial…
Jove - Jupiter, Roman ruler of the gods and the counterpart to the Greek god Zeus.
influence of the planets on temperament back in the day
And I know how to lead off the sprightly dance of the Lord Dionysos, the dithyramb. I do it thunderstruck with wine.
- Archilochus
I am a big fan of goat’s milk cheese. So imagine my delight when I saw this type of cheese from a dairy with the name Amaltheia. It’s pretty clever if you know anything about Greek mythology. Because in myth, Amaltheia was the legendary nurse to the great god Zeus. And, according to some sources, [...]
Artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s haunting depiction of Proserpine is both beautiful and symbolic. Rossetti was obviously inspired by the story of Proserpine (which is the Roman name for the Greek goddess Persephone), a story which is one of the most memorable of the Classical myths.
In mythology, Proserpine was the daughter of Ceres. The maiden goddess [...]