#UM these myths are Messed Up and hashtag Problematic and I rewrote them so now they’re Morally Okay to Like

[smol-blue-bird]

Greek mythology retellings that I like:

We updated this myth for a modern setting while keeping most of the story and major elements of the mythology intact

We made a story loosely based on or inspired by an old Greek myth, and we’re upfront about that

Greek mythology retellings that I don’t mind:

This is an adaptation for laypeople who have little familiarity with the subject matter, so we simplified some things out of necessity

This is an adaptation for children, so we kept it age-appropriate and handled the sexual/gory material in a non-explicit way

This is a ten-minute YouTube video that can’t possibly explain every tiny detail about this extremely complex topic, so we’re gonna stick to the basics

Greek mythology retellings that I loathe with every fiber of my being:

This is the Secret True Version of the original myth that historians have been hiding out of malice, and if anyone tells you otherwise they’re a liar who’s shilling for Big Archeology

The original myth was Wrong and Problematic and you’re Bad if you enjoyed learning about it, but don’t worry, I rewrote it to make it Good

I hate history, I hate reading, I hate the classics, and I especially hate ancient Greece. I did zero research whatsoever for this project and I have no respect for the source material or the field in general, and I’m very proud of that

#i think this is why i’ve always liked Hadestown but I hate those Hades/Persephone romance books #there’s a difference between making a play loosely based around an old myth #that incorporates existing mythology about Hades being the god of wealth/the ruler of the underworld and uses it to make a point #versus writing a romance novel and going NO ACTUALLY THIS IS TOTALLY WHAT THE ANCIENTS BELIEVED #EVERY HISTORIAN IN THE WORLD IS LYING TO YOU BECAUSE HISTORIANS HATE TRUE LOVE #this is also why I never minded kids’ series like the Percy Jackson books or that weird goddess high school AU #using Greek mythology as a framework to write a fun adventure story is cool! #but sitting there and going #UM these myths are Messed Up and hashtag Problematic and I rewrote them so now they’re Morally Okay to Like #is just obnoxious #basically #making not-necessarily-accurate-but-interesting mythology-inspired fiction is fine #but making stuff that attacks historians and archeologists #or spreads misinformation #or makes people feel bad for ever enjoying or wanting to study the original Problematic mythology #is just irritating. #anyway #classicsblr #greek mythology