What is your fav myth?

[aliengirl]

Hi everyone!
Mythological stories have always attracted me. They fulfill the two basic purposes of literature "to teach and to delight". One of my favorite myths is the story of Prometheus.
What is your favorite myth?

[jadrianne]

Eros and Psyche and Philemon and Baucis

[dfloyd]

Mother Goose

[BienvenuJDC]

I love the story about Jason and the Argonauts. I have an unwritten story in my head explaining the story...with a new and different twist...

[kelby_lake]

Echo and Narcissus
Orpheus and Eurydice

[jadrianne]

I love the story about Jason and the Argonauts. I have an unwritten story in my head explaining the story...with a new and different twist...

you share your story with us?Sounds very interesting.....

[BienvenuJDC]

you share your story with us?Sounds very interesting.....

Maybe I will start writing it....

[Dark Muse]

I have to say I have always been a huge fan of Arthurian Lore as well as the Legend of Robin Hood.

[aliengirl]

Maybe I will start writing it....

Go ahead Bien. :thumbsup: Waiting for your story.

[janesmith]

As a fan of "Frankenstein" I would have to agree that the Prometheus myth interests me too.

[blp]

Sisyphus is the one I keep coming back to. That wasn't supposed to be a joke.

Also 'In the beginning was the Word...'

[Wilde woman]

The one I can never get out of my head is:

Daedalus and Icarus

Also:

Pyramus and Thisbe
Pygmalion
Apollo and Daphne
Philomela and Procne

And as a medievalist, I too should mention the Arthurian legends. I'm particularly interested in the Celtic origins of Avalon.

[Drkshadow03]

Echo and Narcissus

Ditto Echo and Narcissus!

[Niamh]

Mider and Etain. Beautiful story.
Baile and Ailinn- Irish Myths Romeo and Juliet. :(

[prendrelemick]

I love the Cassandra scenario, cursed to see the future, but never to be believed. Those Greeks eh!

[Hurricane]

I always liked the Native American story about the raven bringing the sun to the world.

[hack]

three crows dancing in a sacred manner
two crows crowd a road-kill rabbit
one crow wonders how his ancestors ate
before the night hunting BMW's came

[Three Sparrows]

Perseus
Odysseus
Daphne and Phoebus
Myhrra
Cassandra
Theseus
I find mythology very interesting, I'm thinking about reading some Norse myths sometime.

[Abras]

I like the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, from Arthurian mythology (or maybe they are legends -- I am not sure of the differences). I highly suggest reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight), a long poem from the 14th century that tells the story. It was written in Middle English of course, but it has been translated into the modern idiom by (among others) J.R.R. Tolkien and Simon Armitage. I've heard, though, that the Tolkien translation is rather scholarly and stuffy, perhaps difficult to understand for the average reader. I read Armitage's rendition and loved it: lovely alliterations; plus, the translation sits side-by-side with the original. Besides, what's good for Seamus Heaney is good for me -- and everyone!

[snowdrop17]

12 labours of Hercules
King Arthur and His Knights
I am also planning to read some Hindu myths.

[aliengirl]

I like the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, from Arthurian mythology (or maybe they are legends -- I am not sure of the differences). .... I read Armitage's rendition and loved it: lovely alliterations; plus, the translation sits side-by-side with the original. Besides, what's good for Seamus Heaney is good for me -- and everyone!

I have read the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and liked it. In fact Arthurian mythology is no less interesting than others. I'll read the rendition you are referring to.

I have not read any Norse myth yet but will try t do so. As for Hindu myth, these are my favorites.
1. Nala and Damayanti
2. Satyavan and Savitri
They beautifully depict feminine nature, their wit and wisdom. You may go for them.

[JuniperWoolf]

Artemis' sweet, sweet vengence has always made me smile (I like it when she turns that guy into a deer, and then his dogs rip him apart). I also like Medea... but my ABSOLUTE favorite is when Procne and Philomela get revenge on that rapist jackass.
"Itys is already inside... INSIDE YOU!"
...faaantastic.
Hmm... I think I can see a theme in my preferences. I promise I'm not a man hater; I just love vengence stories. They're so... fulfilling.

Haha, I think it's funny that Apollo can never get a date, and the one person who actually DID love him back was a little boy who he ended up smoking in the head with a diskus and killing.

As for native mythology, I like the story about the raven that steals the sun and gives it to the people. It's a lot like the Prometheus myth, except that the raven is more clever about the whole thing and doesn't end up straped to a rock with eagles pecking out his liver.

[Paulclem]

Prometheus - as it has so many applications to the modern world as a poetic idea.

Also the myth of my infallibility.

[Helga]

Narcissus is always good and so many others but I of course grew up with many from Iceland so they will probably be my favourite...

[Scheherazade]

The myth that hardwork always pays off... That's my favorite one.

Oh, the one about good deed being rewarded and all...

[Nax]

Old school myths rock my world. I love Homers Odysseus, but its a bit long. Having trouble thinkin of my absolute favorite, so I am going to go with the one about the Minotaur.

Chick digs getting it on with bulls, has a freak baby, ends up in the labrynth. Gold.

[Lokasenna]

I like the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, from Arthurian mythology (or maybe they are legends -- I am not sure of the differences). I highly suggest reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight), a long poem from the 14th century that tells the story. It was written in Middle English of course, but it has been translated into the modern idiom by (among others) J.R.R. Tolkien and Simon Armitage. I've heard, though, that the Tolkien translation is rather scholarly and stuffy, perhaps difficult to understand for the average reader. I read Armitage's rendition and loved it: lovely alliterations; plus, the translation sits side-by-side with the original. Besides, what's good for Seamus Heaney is good for me -- and everyone!

I'm rather fond of the Tolkein translation, but then I suppose I would be. That said, a translation isn't massively necessary - though tricky, the language is still highly comprehendable, and most editions come with a very supportive gloss.

And why is there no love for Norse mythology? My favourite story is that of Þrymskviða, wherein the macho god Thór is forced to disguise himself as a woman and offer to marry a giant in order to retrieve his lost hammer - great fun!

[applepie]

Oh, the one about good deed being rewarded and all...

What's that one? I know the "no good deed goes unpunished", which is alive and well so not a myth at all :lol:

As for me, my favorites are always the creation stories. I love to compare them to one another, and I'm always a bit surprised by the similarities within them. My personal favorite is the creation story of Mayans as told in the Popol Vul. Now I feel the need to go buy a copy again. My old one is long gone :)

[Three Sparrows]

I'm rather fond of the Tolkein translation, but then I suppose I would be. That said, a translation isn't massively necessary - though tricky, the language is still highly comprehendable, and most editions come with a very supportive gloss.

And why is there no love for Norse mythology? My favourite story is that of Þrymskviða, wherein the macho god Thór is forced to disguise himself as a woman and offer to marry a giant in order to retrieve his lost hammer - great fun!

Hmm...would you know of a good translation of that? I have been looking at Norse myth books, but I have no idea which ones would be best.

[Lokasenna]

Hmm...would you know of a good translation of that? I have been looking at Norse myth books, but I have no idea which ones would be best.

They're all a bit ropey, if truth be told. Carolyne Larrington's translation of the Poetic Edda is the standard text for undergraduate students, or failing that you can try Lee Hollander's translation which is slightly mad, but rather entertaining.

[WuWei]

Philomela and Procne
I should also mention the Argonautica, which I adore

[JuniperWoolf]

Philomela and Procne
I should also mention the Argonautica, which I adore

Haha, I love the redonkulous way that Jason ends up dying. After all the danger that the talentless joke went through, all of the ways that he could have died, he winds up getting bonked on the head by a piece of wood that rotted off his ship.

[WuWei]

Don't you just love how he is so incredibly anti-heroic? The guy basically didn't want to set off on the journey to begin with, and all he really wants throughout the story is to be done with it and go home.

He is so modern and uncommonly inept, it's mind boggling to think how long ago the poem was written.

[JuniperWoolf]

Oh I know, and short of tying his shoes and chewing his food Medea basically does everything for him. It's pretty modern in that regard too; usually the weak little woman would be rescued from her overbearing father by the dashing hero, but in this situation it's the wimpy dork being rescued again and again by the badass sorceress.

[Katy North]

I love the myth of Hades and Persephone, though I have kind of mentally "altered" it and have my own version.

It's hard to pick any one myth that's my favorite... I would have to say that Greek mythology speaks to me the most in it's humanity, sometimes humor, and passion.

[jadrianne]

I love the myth of Hades and Persephone, though I have kind of mentally "altered" it and have my own version.

It's hard to pick any one myth that's my favorite... I would have to say that Greek mythology speaks to me the most in it's humanity, sometimes humor, and passion.

I agree.

[Wilde woman]

I like the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, from Arthurian mythology (or maybe they are legends -- I am not sure of the differences). I highly suggest reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight), a long poem from the 14th century that tells the story. It was written in Middle English of course, but it has been translated into the modern idiom by (among others) J.R.R. Tolkien and Simon Armitage. I've heard, though, that the Tolkien translation is rather scholarly and stuffy, perhaps difficult to understand for the average reader. I read Armitage's rendition and loved it: lovely alliterations; plus, the translation sits side-by-side with the original. Besides, what's good for Seamus Heaney is good for me -- and everyone!

I concur! The figure of the Green Knight has some interesting Celtic prototypes, which was particularly interesting for me.

I haven't read the Armitage translation, though I've heard rave reviews about it; in class, we read the original Middle English before diving into the Borroff, which also does an admirable job of keeping the alliterative lines.

[WuWei]

While we are at it, I do enjoy the perhaps lesser known (at least outside Wales) Mabinogion.

[Wilde woman]

While we are at it, I do enjoy the perhaps lesser known (at least outside Wales) Mabinogion.

Brilliant stuff! I actually wrote my senior thesis on one of the tales in the Mabinogion.