Today, Simon and Schuster released Colm Toibin's latest novel, House of Names, about Clytemnestra and the murder of Agamemnon.  Anybody who knows me knows I've had this on pre-order since I heard about it months ago.  Because I live on the West Coast, I received my copy at midnight Eastern Daylight Time, and managed to finish it around 3 a.m ( Read more... )

The Agamemneion is a shrine located on the left bank of the Chavos river at Mycenae.  It was first erected in 700 B.C., though it is unclear whether Agamemnon was the original focus of devotion.  The first votives, such as the inscribed pot below, appear much later, after the shrine was refurbished in the fourth century B.C.

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I spent this week thinking about the sad, ignominious ways some of the Greek heroes met their ends. Why such pathetic deaths for these great men? The more I looked into each individual legend, the more the death appeared to be a comeuppance for some sin the hero committed in life.
Let's take a look at the ends of five great and lesser heroes and ( Read more... )

I have been working hard on Danae, but have come to a point where I'm mentally and physically exhausted.  Nothing serious; this happens during all my projects, and usually more than once.  I suspect the heat and humidity, and other pressing concerns have all taken their toll ( Read more... )

Followers of my Orestes Twitter account know that at least half of Orestes' posts center around his hardcore, homicidal sister Elektra.  She's crazier, bloodthirstier, and more formidable than he is.  She collects monogrammed sharp objects, generates mass carnage whenever she shops at Wal*Mart Argos, and considers chasing husband Pylades around the ( Read more... )

In wrapping up 2014, I wanted to comment on this year's release of Knossos and the stories I did not get to tell. While we have the tales of priests and priestesses, kings and conquerors, bull dancers, scribes and architects and sailors/merchants, there were stories of bards, fresco painters, potters, engravers of seals, and female scribes that got ( Read more... )

I've been meaning to post about this find for quite some time, but other things keep getting in the way ( Read more... )

The current Hercules film featuring Dwayne Johnson is that rarity in Hollywood: a genuinely good movie about Greek mythology, even though it debunks the myth it's set around. January's Legend of Hercules was a dud, as was 2011's Immortals and the Clash of the Titans reboot.

Part of the problem is the difference between the ancient Greek hero and ( Read more... )

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Doing an unrelated search, I stumbled across this evocative musical score for a 1990 ballet of Sophocles's Electra.  The composer is John Koetz.  Unfortunately, the page does not have any images or video from the production.

Meanwhile, here is mouse-hog Ru to brighten your day.


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