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eternalsams · 1 year

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The Song of Achilles ⇴ J.Seresin

pairing: jake seresin x fem!reader

summary: you meet a beautiful stranger at the library and give him some book recommendations.

warnings: none.

words count: 928

a/n: english isn't my first language, please take that into consideration

masterlist

Clutching at the handle of your purse, you walk directly to the aisle you preferred. The music is blasting in your headphones and you’re mumbling the lyrics. You can see a man standing where you usually stand in front of the books, he’s flipping through a book but you don’t want to disturb him so you just ignore him. You grab some book from the shelf next to him to occupy your mind but you cannot help yourself and stare at the stranger. He’s rather tall, he’s got dirty blond hair and a single lock falls in his face. He tried multiple times to tuck it behind his ear or on top of his head with the rest of his hair, but the same lock always falls back. You can’t see his eyes but recognize the look on his face, he seems focused on what he’s reading and a smile forms on your lips. Your eyes fall on his lips, his thin but appealing lips that mouth the words he’s reading. You quickly take a look at what he’s wearing and slightly smile to yourself at the sight of cowboy boots. A country boy? Here in California? You go back to your book but the simple presence of this beautiful man next to you tears you from it.

You’re wondering how he still hasn’t noticed the way you’re staring at him. Can’t he feel your eyes on him? You catch a glimpse of what he’s reading when he turns the pages and your interest for this beautiful stranger only increases. “You should read Stephen Fry’s Mythos.” Your words seem to startle him and he turns to you. “Excuse me?” You’re not sure if he’s annoyed or if he’s genuine but you don’t really find the time to wonder because you finally know what color his eyes are. It was like they were made of emerald but you could see a single blue line circling his irises. You almost lose your words but quickly regroup your thoughts. “If you’re interested in Greek mythology, you should read Stephen Fry’s book. It’s really good.” You nod your head as if to convince him to do so and he rapidly looks down at the book he’s holding. “What about this one?” He hands you the book and you take a look at the cover. “It’s a good one too, I’ve read it. Do you know anything about mythology?” You look up at him and see that he took a few steps in your direction.

“Not really, I’m just trying to find a book to pass the time. Thought Greek mythology could be a great distraction.” He slightly shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets. “You’re kidding?” You raise your eyebrows and you can see in his eyes he realizes he’s made a mistake of some kind. “You don’t read a book to distract yourself. You have to give your entire attention to what you’re reading. You have to be genuinely interested.” Even if you pronounce those words with the most serious tone, you cannot suppress the smile on your lips. That’s probably the reason the man before you doesn’t liquefy and only gulps. “I know, I know that. I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I mean that I need something new to read and I don’t really know what I like in literature. I remember reading the Percy Jackson series when I was in high school and loving it. “Percy Jackson, huh?” You ask with a smirk before passing next to him to reach a book on the shelf. You grab it and give it to him. “Here, start with this one. It’s quite easy to understand the whole perverted history of Greek mythology.”

“Perverted? I don’t remember that in Percy Jackson.” He frowns and you can’t help but laugh. The blond only chuckles but what you don’t know is that at this exact moment, he’s wondering whether you’d prefer light green or cream colored paint in your future shared living-room. You pinch the bridge of your nose and nod at the book in his hands. “I’m pretty sure you’re gonna like it. And it’s long enough to distract you for a long time.” You smile at him and he chuckles as he looks down. “Okay, I deserved that.” He absently caresses the front cover before he looks back at you. “I’m Jake.” He holds out his hand for you to shake and you introduce yourself, making him smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Jake.” You put back the book you had in your hands and start to walk away. “Wait!” You stop in your tracks and turn around to see Jake coming to you. “Can I have your number?” You probably look more surprised than you think because Jake chuckles and nervously rubs his neck. “You know, just so I can tell you if I like the book. And you could give me other recommendations too.” You close your mouth you didn’t know was open and slightly smile. “Yeah, of course. Sure. Give me your phone.” You enter your number in his contacts and put your name with a white heart and give him back with a smile. “There you go, text me when you start reading the book.” You give him one last smile and leave the library without looking back. You knew that if you looked back, you’d blush like crazy and would be embarrassed. Jake just watches you leave and looks down at his phone, grinning at the sight of your name with the emoji.

#hangman #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #hangman x reader #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x reader #hangman fanfic #jake seresin fluff #jake seresin fanfic #hangman fluff #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun fanfic #top gun maverick fanfic #jake hangman seresin fluff #glen powell

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a-gnosis · 1 year

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Hi, sorry to bug you! I’m trying to be brave and start a project about Ancient Greek myth. The breadth of scholars, literature, and opinions can be overwhelming and intimidating! If it’s okay, could you explain how you go about determining which sources are reliable? Apologies if this is too personal or involved an ask! Please don’t feel pressured to answer! Thank you for taking time to read this. Be well! (Also, do you know if Noel Robertson is reliable? Np if not, just thought I’d ask lol)

Don't worry, you're not bugging me! Ancient Greece and Greek mythology is a very popular and well-studied subject, so I understand that it can feel quite overwhelming and intimidating to start such a project. I myself have never tried to be 100% accurate about everything (because otherwise I would feel so intimidated that I couldn't draw a single line). My comics are inspired by Greek mythology, they are not supposed to be accurate retellings. I do a lot of research, but in the end it's my own take on it.

First I would recommend you to read the ancient Greek sources, or at least the parts that are relevant for your project, instead of going to retellings by modern authors (like Stephen Fry's Mythos. Don't get me wrong, such books can be a great introduction to Greek mythology, but the authors sometimes add details of their own or have their own spin on things). One site that has helped me a lot is theoi.com. There you can go to a certain god's page and see what the ancient poets and writers said about this god. It also has a collection of translated ancient sources (mostly very old translations, though). Sadly, the site is not complete, so depending on which characters you want to write about, you might not find as much information as you'd like.

As for other books, I always look at who has written it and who has published it. If the author is a professor of Classics, then they will most likely know what they are talking about. Even better if the book is published by a university press, since that means it has been reviewed by scholars in the field. Now, some scholars can of course still have some speculations and interpretations that not everybody agree with (for instance, a few scholars have speculated that Persephone's pomegranate seeds is a contraceptive that keeps her infertile. Even if I don't believe that the seeds have that meaning in the myth, it gave me inspiration to how the chthonic pomegranates work in my comic. I don't mind using speculative stuff as inspiration as long as it makes a good story, but then I usually point out in the comments that it is speculations and not facts). If a book is very old it can also have some outdated theories.

I haven't read anything by Noel Robertson, so I can't really say anything about his works. But he was a professor of Classics and his books are not that old, so he is probably a reliable source?

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dzasterr · 4 months

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Classics bros what do I need to know and do you have any tips before reading the Iliad and the odyssey? Which should I read first. I have a basic knowledge on greek mythology I've read Stephen Fry's great myths series.

#classics #the odyssey #the iliad

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thelivebookproject · 7 months

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July - September 2023 | Reading Wrap Up

[Jan-March] [April-June]

Autumn is here, and with it, my summery wrap up! And speaking of summer... Here is my recap of Forgotten YA Gems' V Summer Bingo Reading Challenge, complete with fancy card. As usual, I loved it. I love a good literary bingo ;)

Note: Our beloved Forgotten YA Gems group, after several years of joyful activity, has closed its door on the Goodreads group, but is still active in Discord, for those of you who might be interested!

And now, onto the wrap up!

Code: books read in English are in black, books read in Spanish are in red and the book I read in French is in blue.

JULY (8)

Los hombres no son islas. Los clásicos nos ayudan a vivir - Nuccio Ordine, translation into Spanish by Jordi Bayod

A Lady by Midnight (Spindle Cove #3) - Tessa Dare -> 3/5

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen -> 5/5

Historias d’antis más de Biscarrues - Ed. Sandra Araguás [Only available in Spanish] -> 3/5

The Magpie Lord (A Charm of Magpies #1) - KJ Charles -> 3.5/5

Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey #1) - Dorothy L. Sayers -> 3/5

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon - Sarah Hawley -> 3/5

Tintin in America (Tintin #3) - Hergé, translation into English by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner -> 2.5/5

July was fun. Nuccio Ordine's philosophical analysis of the importance of classical books for the humanisation of our society was perhaps not fun, but it was surprisingly less dry than I expected it to be. Some good romances came along afterwards, as well as a collection of local myths and stories from Spain, a murder mystery, and my first Tintin! I'd had it aroung for years, it was part of a present from many years ago when my English wasn't yet good enough to read it and then I just never got around to it until this summer... Overall, nothing exceedingly remarkable (except for my dearly beloved P&P), but good vibes in the melting heat.

AUGUST (7)

Flight 714 to Sydney (Tintin #22) - Hergé, translation into English by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner -> 2/5

Cigars of the Pharaoh (Tintin #4) - Hergé, translation into English by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner -> 3/5

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism - Amanda Montell -> 4.5/5

The Blue Lotus (Tintin #5) - Hergé, translation into English by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner -> 3/5

Broderies - Marjane Satrapi -> 3/5

The Near Witch - Victoria Schwab -> 3.5/5

Murder in the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #9) - Agatha Christie -> 4.5/5

August was good! More Tintin (I have now finished all of the comics I had lying around in my parents' house), an amazing non-fiction book on linguistics by Amanda Montell (she also wrote Wordslut, which I loved, so clearly her writing is quite up my alley and I can't wait for her to publish her third book), a very good spooky story by Victoria Schwab, another autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi that I hadn't read yet, and my first time reading Murder in the Orient Express in English (although the book itself I've read like six times). Can't complain.

SEPTEMBER (3)

The Secret Service of Tea and Treason (Dangerous Damsels #3) - India Holton -> 4/5

Prosa completa - Alejandra Pizarnik -> 1/5

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold (Stephen Fry’s Great Mythology #1) - Stephen Fry -> 4/5

Welllllll apparently what I need to sit down and read is horrifying heatwaves because my September reading went down a notch. Alejandra Pizarnik's complete prose was absolute horrific, derailed my entire month, and I'll never get close to her writings ever again, but the other two were very good at least! And I was definitely entertained.

And thus another three months have gone by... I am not particularly close to reaching all of my reading goals, but I am also doing better than I was this time last year so I shall count it as a win. We'll see what the last quarter of the year holds!

A couple of last-minute links:

The Lesbrary is looking for reviewers!

I am asking for Portuguese-written book recs!

How was your summer reading?

#2023 #thelivebookproject #reading wrap up

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kitsurou1 · 10 months

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Tag (9) people you'd like to get to know better!

Tagged by: @jaksaysdisco (and also by @divineprovidence20, @nadiasna7 and @elysiicns) Thank you for the attention you paid to my modest person.

📚Currently reading:

At this moment, I am periodically referring to the new book "The Creative Act" by Rick Rubin. I am following the author's suggestion of randomly opening it up, and I find inspiration whenever I need it.

Additionally, I am eager to finish reading the last book from Stephen Fry's Great Mythology cycle, titled "Troy". The first two books were absolute masterpieces, and I have completely fallen in love with the world of the Greek gods! I hope I can find the time to dive into it soon.

🎥Currently watching:

I’m not a fan of TV shows; I don’t like to stretch things out for a long time. I’m actually very selective about what gets my attention. The last show I watched was "Inside Job," and it was a treasure. I suffocated with laughter due to the abundance of jokes in every episode. It’s a shame the series was canceled.

As for my favorite TV show, it would have to be "Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy." I love Noel Fielding and consider his show a highly underrated gem.

🪩Current Obsession:

Disco Elysium is currently one of the biggest obsessions. I find myself playing this game repeatedly, reading fan fiction, getting to know others in the community, saving numerous art pieces (and admiring them in my gallery). Additionally, I enjoy bringing my crazy fantasies about Kim Kitsuragi to life through my cosplay!

Tagging people I want to get to know better: @nechto-v-nichto @brainrotdotorg @butchdisco @kim-ono

I am very shy about tagging many people I don't know. Every time, I have a fear that they will hate me afterwards.

#ask game #perfect lieutenant on the line #tag game

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notallsandmen · 1 year

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Ten books to know me

Tagged by @academicblorbo , @mathomhouse-e , @beatnikfreakiswriting , @quillingwords — thank you ❤️

Rules: 10 (non-ancient) books for people to get to know you better, or that you just really like.

I will only be doing non-academic books because I’m depressed enough as it is

I will also make a separate mention of my favourite books published before 1914:

Au rebours (Against Nature) (1884) by Joris-Karl Huysmans

Three Men in a Boat (1889), by Jerome K. Jerome — I will still choke-laugh reading this one

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), by Oscar Wilde

The Great God Pan, and other stories (1895), by Arthur Machen

The Purple Cloud (1901) by M. P. Shiel — Peak misanthropic blorbo material here

As for the more modern works, I will be ordering them chronologically, by what year I first read it:

Matilda, by Roahl Dahl (which is really just an attachment dysfunction diagnostic test, isn’t it)

Anything on Greek mythology: As a child, I was obsessed with a Swedish book about Greek mythology, and have read countless of them since then. In English, I enjoyed Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry

Liveship Traders Trilogy, by Robin Hobb — criminally underrated and my bisexual awakening

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt — taught teenage me valuable lessons in anglophilia and that sometimes murdering annoying men IS the answer

Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh (god, @quillingwords , I wish we had known each other in our teens so we could have sobbed over this together)

Lullaby, by Chuck Palahniuk

Kallocain, by Karin Boye

Tipping The Velvet, by Sarah Waters

Anno Dracula, by Kim Newman

The Expanse series, by James S.A. Corey

Tag: @issylra , @duckland , @tickldpnk8, @moorishflower , @orionsangel86 , @so-i-grudgingly-joined-this-site @littledreamling , @virgo-dream

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archive2394934 · 1 year

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Recently, I talked a lot about the Leviathan and its strange similarities with the MF and things surrounding the MF. SO yes, this is yet another insane mindflayer theory post (Crowd booing, screaming, hissing, throwing objects at me) But since I write my own insane little stories I like to gather up a lot of different sources of inspo for the characters in them and the Leviathan is only one for the MF. I’m NOT gonna get on my greek god shit with you guys-- I mean maybe I will but I’m going to try not to-- but another source of inspo for me with the MF is Khaeos or Chaos. Going back to how I already mentioned the Leviathan is also considered a god of chaos and how all that applies, this is another SOMETHING I think about in regards to the MF and how it might have a vague relation as well. So heres some fun stuff I’m copy pasting about this that and the other because I am not about to free write all this I just wanna share some shit.

Chaos was – most Greek cosmologies tell us – the very first of all, the origin of everything, the empty, unfathomable space at the beginning of time. But, it was more than just a gaping void – as its name is usually translated from Ancient Greek. Personified as a female, Chaos was the primal feature of the universe, a shadowy realm of mass and energy from which much of what is powerful (and mostly negative and dark) in the world would stem forth in later genealogies.

With the advent of philosophy, Chaos became more of a concept than a deity, described as “a shapeless heap” and “a rude and undeveloped mass” by the Roman poet Ovid. It was then that it started being associated with notions such as confusion and disorder, out of which the modern English term “chaos” derives. But, by that time, metaphorical imagery succumbed to more rational worldviews, and mythology gave way to religion and science.

Visual similarities:

An a quote from Stephen Fry because its hot.

“Was Chaos a god — a divine being — or simply a state of nothingness? Or was Chaos, just as we would use the word today, a kind of terrible mess, like a teenager’s bedroom only worse? Think of Chaos perhaps as a kind of grand cosmic yawn. As in a yawning chasm or a yawning void. Whether Chaos brought life and substance out of nothing or whether Chaos yawned life up or dreamed it up, or conjured it up in some other way, I don’t know. I wasn’t there. Nor were you. And yet in a way we were, because all the bits that make us were there. It is enough to say that the Greeks thought it was Chaos who, with a massive heave, or a great shrug, or hiccup, vomit, or cough, began the long chain of creation that has ended with pelicans and penicillin and toadstools and toads, sea lions, seals, lions, human beings, and daffodils and murder and art and love and confusion and death and madness and biscuits.

Whatever the truth, science today agrees that everything is destined to return to Chaos. It calls this inevitable fate entropy: part of the great cycle from Chaos to order and back again to Chaos. Your trousers began as chaotic atoms that somehow coalesced into matter that ordered itself over eons into a living substance that slowly evolved into a cotton plant that was woven into the handsome stuff that sheathes your lovely legs. In time you will abandon your trousers — not now, I hope — and they will rot down in a landfill or be burned. In either case their matter will at length be set free to become part of the atmosphere of the planet. And when the sun explodes and takes every particle of this world with it, including the ingredients of your trousers, all the constituent atoms will return to cold Chaos. And what is true for your trousers is of course true for you. So the Chaos that began everything is also the Chaos that will end everything.”

Another “entity” I’ve mentioned before that I take heavy inspo from that I feel like relates heavily to the MF is Azathoth from H.P Lovecraft’s works, which we know the Duffer brothers took reference from so it could be likely that the MF does take inspo from this same place in canon.

Azathoth is a powerful “outer god” (meaning it exists between dimensions) said to have created the multiverse, the nameless mist, and darkness. Azathoth is so powerful that the “Great Old Ones” can't destroy him, instead they can only put him in a sleep like state. Also due to Azathoth’s constant “dream-like” state, Azathoth mostly interacts with things in a semi-subconscious, psychic manner. Because of this, it tends to have a “demon servant/messenger”, its own “son”, a fellow ‘outer-god’ who sometimes ALSO manipulates Azathoth in return:

“August Derleth portrayed Azathoth as being similar to Lucifer from Christian theology, warring against the Elder Gods and being rendered blind and witless by them before being banished from creation by their magic. At some point in the future after the second coming of Nyarlathotep, Azathoth and his armies will return and all of the entire creation will be destroyed. Despite being mindless, Azathoth does have a will of his own and commands his messenger and avatar, Nyarlathotep.

PLUS “Nyarlathotep is an evil Outer God who is seen as a shapeshifting agent of madness, chaos and ruin who serves the other Outer Gods, specifically his father, Azathoth, the Blind Idiot God, to whom he is subservient, fulfilling his wishes without question as his messenger and emissary, though he sometimes enjoys manipulating his master.”

Some assert that the Daemon Sultan was not always an Idiot Chaos; instead, he lost his intellect and body in a great intercosmic battle, in which he may have been thrust entirely outside this dimension. This interpretation is only found within a few works, though. Lovecraft referred to Azathoth in “The Whisperer in Darkness” (1931), where the narrator relates that he “started with loathing when told of the monstrous nuclear chaos beyond angled space which the Necronomicon had mercifully cloaked under the name of Azathoth”.

How this relates to Vecna and the MF to me? The MF is suggested to have psychically communed with Henry in his childhood and is suggested to be the source of his power and could have possibly subconsciously coached him given Henry suddenly seemed to know things it feels odd for the little boy in the 50s from a seemingly ‘upstanding’ middle-upper class white Christian house hold to be knowing. And I think there could be a parallel here to when Will is possessed by the mindflayer in season 2 and he talks about how he suddenly knows things, things that he didn't know before but he doesn't know how he knows them. I imagine henry encountered a similar phenomenon when he was linked to the mindflayer entity in his childhood, which may have even came with similar visions of it to what Will had.

Henry is also shown to “shape” the formless chaos of the MF into a more comprehensible and pleasing form, although whether or not this was Henry’s idea exclusively or possibly more subconscious suggestion from the MF isn’t entirely clear given Henry’s weirdly accurate childhood drawing. None the less, Vecna could certainly be seen as the MF’s ‘avatar,’ its right hand, its will, its messenger, its general, the once human intermediary.

On the flip side, the MF being the source of Henry’s power and the “MEANS” for his transformation from human to lich-demi-god and a vehicle for his revenge against the world that wronged him. So in this way their relationship appears as if it could be very much symbiotic and not one sided at all, nor the behavior of a single intelligent consciousness.

I also think the descriptions of “nuclear” relate to the MF in the sense that its probably likely we can consider the MF as the “center” of the Upside Down and the “hub” of the hive-mind, the central MOST IMPORTANT part of “the group”, forming the basis for its activity and growth, just like an actual nucleus. And IF Henry is the “brain” then I think it can be inferred that the MF is, in this way, “the heart” and both are playing near ‘equal’ roles in the body of the UD and its invasion into Hawkins. Though I think its also worth taking note of the canon suggestion found in Will’s drawing that the big bad the party are facing off against is a beast with MORE THAN ONE HEAD. The multiple headed hydra dragon.

And here are some visual similarities between the MF and depictions of Azathoth which, IMO, are very striking.

Ronald Shea enters a temple after visiting the forest near Goatswood and discovers a twenty-foot idol that "represented the god Azathoth--Azathoth as he had been before his exile. Outside, It consisted of a bivalvular shell supported on many pairs of flexible legs. From the half-open shell rose several jointed cylinders, tipped with polypous appendages; and in the darkness inside the shell I thought I saw a horrible bestial, mouthless face, with deep-sunk eyes and covered with glistening black hair."

Later Shae sees "something ooze into the corridor--a pale grey shape, expanding and crinkling, which glistened and shook gelatinously as still-moving particles dropped free; but it was only a glimpse"

Some fun trivia about that I think is interesting is this also: Mythos editor Robert M. Price argues that Lovecraft could have combined the biblical names Anathoth (Jeremiah's home town) and Azazel (a desert demon to which the scapegoat was sacrificed - mentioned by Lovecraft in "The Dunwich Horror"). Price also points to the alchemical term "Azoth", which was used in the title of a book by Arthur Edward Waite, the model for the wizard Ephraim Waite in Lovecraft's "The Thing on the Doorstep". Other possible inspirations include the name Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom.

More visual similarities FT the “gates” :

Finally, cool pic of Azathoth devouring the world:

#henry creel #vecna #001 #william byers #billy hargrove #the mindflayer #byler #stranger things analysis #stranger things theory

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bonniebird · 7 months

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I'm going book shopping, do you have any recommendations? Could be old books or new I don't mind 📚🍂

Sure :D

The Inheritance Cycle (There's a new ne coming out in Nov v excited for it) The books are good. The movie is... ok for a dragon movie of it's time and the audio book is enjoyable as long as you overlook the weird girly voices for the female characters and that all the dragons are doing Batman impressions for some bizarre reason.

The first four TVD books (The other vampire diaries books are ghost written and there are also a bunch written to go with the show that don't fit with the OG books. They're all pretty good but the first fur are my fav)

The Hobbit and LOTR (obvs lol)

Dracula

Frankenstein

The complete wizard of OZ collection (I just finished this and it's SO long. It look like over 90 hours to finish.)

The game of thrones books are good

The Adrian Mole collection is good but it's a bit weird if you're not British it's a lot of British humour?

War of the worlds, The first men on the moon, The time machine, the invisible man, the island of dr moreau all by HG Wells. They're all good.

Homer Illiad & Odyssey are god if you're into mythology

Lovecraft's monsters (Specifically the one put together by Neil Gaiman (Or features him? I'm not 100% clear on that but is SO SO good. It's my go to audiobook. 100% recommend if you're into spooky horror/syfy) I can't find a picture that Tumblr will let me load in of the cover but there's a link to it on amazon here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lovecrafts-Monsters-Neil-Gaiman/dp/161696121X

The once and future king is ok but the modern version of it has had science and historical events added into it which is majorly jarring

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

Sherlock Holmes, any of the books (the collection is like a billion pounds tho)

Anne of Green Gables. I just finished this and it was really great I heard there was more books after it which i'm going to look into so I would recommend the first one for sure.

Good Omens was a good read. (I say read but I listened to the audiobook on a trek across my town to get to the dr office lol. Kept me distracted.)

Neil Gaiman's Norse mythology collection was good too I liked the way that they were compiled the book was very easy to read.

The Narnia books are good. I like the one about the chair, to be honest I did find them a bit boring last time I read them but the chair one was good. The one about the nephew was really confusing as far as I remember.

Grimm brother Fairytale collections. there are a few different ones But the ones that say they're by the brother's have loads of different versions of the tales which is so fascinating to me and some of the copies of the book break down and explain the differences which I like because I'm a fairytale nerd.

The Jeeves collection is pretty enjoyable though I would recommend the Stephen Fry audiobook more than the book because he makes it a lot less boring.

the Witcher is good (Do not get the audio book of amazon the man does accents for all the characters and by the end of the book they all have the exact same accent and you can't tell whose who.)

There are for sure more I could recommend but I've started packing to move house and also for some reason I've forgotten all the other books i've ever read.

#book rec

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sleepngwriter · 1 year

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Mythological books that deserve more hype

Hello writers! If you write you almost certainly also read a lot (you should), and lately modern mythological books are super trendy so, these are my personal favourites:

(this one is Italian and has never been translated, so if you’re a foreigner move on to the second point). Il Giudizio di Persefone di Giulia Calligola. Autopubblicato su amazon, poco conosciuto, geniale. É il primo, stupendo libro della serie Dei della nuova era. Non ho ancora letto gli altri due ma penso che lo farò presto. Tra tutti i retellings del mito delle stagioni che conosco questo è a mani basse il mio preferito. Ne ho apprezzato soprattutto l’autenticità, Persefone non è la tipica protagonista del tipico romance, normalmente li disprezzo, è una persona reale in cui ci si può davvero rispecchiare, così come tutti gli altri personaggi. Non è noioso ne tantomeno banale, un vero chef kiss.

Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann. This book is the story of a dysfunctional family, made up of humanized Olympians, set in a small rural town in Texas. It’s one of the most catching books I’ve ever read, it didn’t take me more than a couple of days to finish it.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. If you know me you must know how much I love Neil Gaiman, he’s one of my favorite authors, and out of all of his books, this is one of those that I enjoyed the most. It’s so interesting, I’ve been literally obsessed with it for a very long time. And you will be too, trust me.

Mythos by Stephen Fry. This book is hilarious. It’s perfect if you’re searching for a light read but that still conveys something. It’s modern, adapted to our era, and it interprets the Greek Myths under an ironic, intelligent and meaningful key. I loved it.

The Kane Chronicles & Magnus Chase by Rick Riordan. I must admit, I haven’t read all of those books, but everyone knows Rick Riordan only for Percy Jackson (which is also great, I wanted to include it but it definitely has enough hype) but he has proved his talent in many other books! Including these, the first series is about Egyptian Mythology, the other one is about Norse Mythology. I’ve read and adored the first book of both of them!

Do you have any other recommendation? <3

#mythology #greek pantheon #greek mitology #norse mythology #egyptian mythology #myth #books #books recommendations #modern mythology #writing #writers on tumblr #readers on tumblr #bookstagram

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subtlesolitude-tailoredtaste · 10 months

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youtube

The ENTIRE Story of Greek Mythology Explained | Best Greek Mythology Documentary

The Life Guide

84K

Likes

5,681,886

Views

Apr 2

2023

Greek Mythology and the Greek Gods have had a profound impact on the world, with the tales of Zeus, Pandora’s Box, Prometheus, Icarus, Medusa, Orpheus, King Midas, Sisyphus, Narcissus, Perseus, The 12 Labours of Hercules, Jason and the Argonauts, Theseus, The Trojan War, The Odyssey, and many more having spread to every corner of the globe.

From the very beginnings of Chaos to the adventures of Odysseus, this video takes you through, in chronological order, the entire story of Greek Mythology. No stone is left unturned, with every Greek God from Zeus to Hades and every Hero from Hercules to Achilles having their share of the limelight.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy everything you've ever wanted to know about the Greek Myths.

🧿 ➼ Go to https://nordvpn.com/thelifeguide to get an Exclusive Discount on NordVPN’s Ultimate Security Package. It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee!

📽 Timestamps:

Intro: 0:00

CHAPTER 1:

Out of Chaos 1:28

Prometheus 5:45

Pandora's Box 8:15

The Great Flood 10:22

CHAPTER 2:

The Gods 15:37

- ZEUS 15:58

Europa 19:09

- HERA 21:05

Io 21:40

Leto 23:56

Niobe 25:18

- APOLLO 26:45

The Oracle of Delphi 27:18

Daphne 27:43

Asclepius 29:57

- ARTEMIS 30:41

- POSEIDON 31:30

- ATHENA 32:47

Arachne 34:10

- APHRODITE 35:38

Narcissus 36:15

Pygmalion’s Statue 38:12

Eros and Psyche 40:28

- HEPHAESTUS 44:43

- ARES 46:12

Eos and Tithonus 47:06

- HERMES 49:36

Pan 50:11

- DIONYSUS 52:12

King Midas 53:01

- DEMETER 54:52

Persephone 55:11

- HADES 56:55

The Three Places of Souls 58:31

Sisyphus 1:01:21

Places of the Underworld 1:01:47

Orpheus 1:03:47

CHAPTER 3:

The Age of Heroes 1:05:53

- THE HOUSE OF CADMUS 1:06:26

Oedipus 1:11:35

- PERSEUS 1:16:47

Medusa 1:18:55

The Gorgon's Head 1:20:45

Andromeda 1:22:17

The Prophecy Fulfilled 1:23:22

- THE 12 LABOURS OF HERCULES 1:26:26

Youth & the Madness of Hercules 1:28:47

Labour 1: The Nemean Lion 1:32:19

Labour 2: The Lernaean Hydra 1:35:04

Labour 3: The Cerynean Hind 1:37:32

Labour 4: The Erymanthian Boar 1:38:17

Labour 5: The Augean Stables 1:41:48

Labour 6: The Stymphalian birds 1:44:06

Labour 7: The Cretan Bull 1:45:07

Labour 8: The Mares of Diomedes 1:47:06

Labour 9: The Girdle of Hippolyta 1:48:48

Labour 10: The Cattle of Geryon 1:50:50

Labour 11: The Apples of the Hesperides 1:52:15

Labour 12: The Capture of Cerberus 1:55:40

The Death of Hercules 1:57:18

Bellerophon 2:01:44

- JASON AND THE ARGONAUTES 2:03:17

The Argonautes 2:05:41

The Voyage Begins 2:07:48

The Golden Fleece 2:10:30

The Journey Home 2:12:06

The Sirens 2:13:28

The Fate of King Pelias 2:15:54

Medea 2:17:32

- THESEUS 2:20:10

Icarus 2:27:32

- THE CALYDONIAN BOAR HUNT 2:29:16

Atalanta 2:32:10

The Footrace of Atalanta 2:36:12

- THE TROJAN WAR 2:38:48

The Suitors of Helen 2:40:57

The Judgment of Paris 2:42:52

The Greeks Assemble 2:4610

Achilles 2:47:35

Trojan Allies 2:49:35

The War Begins (Start of the Iliad) 2:51:14

The Tenth Year of War 2:53:37

The Death of Hector 2:55:20

The Trojan Horse 2:57:53

The Fall of Troy 3:01:02

- ORESTES 3:02:42

- THE ODYSSEY 3:04:50

The Cyclops 3:05:50

Aeolus 3:09:07

The Laestrygonians 3:10:39

Circe 3:11:19

The Underworld 3:13:31

The Sirens 3:14:20

Scylla and Charybdis 3:15:47

The Cattle of the Sun 3:16:57

Calypso 3:18:33

The Phaeacians 3:20:04

The Suitors 3:22:52

- THE AGE OF IRON 3:27:48

📚 Sources:

Classical Mythology, by Mark Morford, Robert Lenardon and Michael Sham

Greek Mythology, by Katerina Servi

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, by Edith Hamilton

Apollodorus - The Library of Greek Mythology, translated by Robin Hard

The Greek Myths Vol 1&2, By Robert Graves

Heroes, by Stephen Fry

The Argonautica, by Apollonius of Rhodes, translated by Richard Hunter

The Iliad, translated by Martin Hammond

Troy, by Stephen Fry

The Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson

The Aeneid, translated by David West

🍿 Other Videos:

Greek Gods Explained In 12 Minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri-Ao...

Egyptian Gods Explained In 13 Minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bURNg...

Norse Mythology Explained In 15 Minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oxzm...

Nikola Tesla Explained In 16 Minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok8JD...

Music Sourced From:

https://artlist.io/

The Life Guide is a channel dedicated to providing interesting and educational content about a range of political, philosophical, economic and historical topics. Whether you are interested in a simplified explanation of complicated modern ideas or detailed information on ancient civilizations and philosophical schools of thought, The Life Guide is the channel for you.

#Youtube #greek mythology #history #storytelling #research #academic research #documentary #imagination

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iolitegrimoire · 1 year

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Hellenist Pagan Asks... That I'm doing just for myself... Cause why not? ;)

Original questions done by @hellenicrisis (Link to it here)

1. Which deities do you worship?

Athena, Nyx and Hestia mainly. I do try to give every main gods and goddesses of Olympus and the House of Hades their due respect, but I only have enough room on my altar for so few, so I choose to worship those I find the most often in my main aspects of my life: My constant pursuit of knowledge, my love for creating (be it art, writing or witchcraft), my night-owl lifestyle, and my yearning to make my home my sacred safe space.

2. How long have you been practicing Hellenism Hellenic Paganism?

Uuuuhhhh..... 3 years now?? Not too long, I'll admit, but long enough now to at least understand the basics and not need to constantly rely on seeking guidance from multiple sources, like a newbie would these days.

3. What's your favourite myth?

I honestly don't have one. I've read plenty of them, from both the original sources and Stephen Fry's retelling from his Mythos trilogy, but.... Nope. I just can't seem to find one I actually enjoy. They always seem to portray the gods as... well... assholes. And as much as I know by now that the gods are capable of making mistakes and being grumpy and rude like any of us mortals do, I just... Don't enjoy the portrayal of them in any piece of literature I find. The gods always seem to be viewed as these self-centered pricks who do more bad than good, and I've been worshipping them long enough to know that they're not all assholes.... Not even Zeus. For why else would I still remain loyal to them to this day?

I just find it hard to enjoy the myths without them being constantly portrayed as some childish and selfish asshole in some way.

4. Have you had a liking in Greek mythology since you were a kid? If so, does it influence your practice?

At first, no. It was Norse and Egyptian that got me first. XD Especially Norse for.... obvious reasons. But somehow I finally became curious about Ancient Greek culture and their mythology a bit later on in life, and that definitely stuck when I grew more curious about exploring my religious side. And now, thanks to my history nerd boyfriend and fellow pagan, I'm learning more about their culture and how they would have honored the gods, and use that to fit into my lifestyle wherever I can, mainly through altar designs and veiling!

5. Do you have an altar?

I do! It's on my bookshelf at the moment, just until I can move out and get a bigger one for all 12 gods. They deserve their own space individually with statuettes and candles and all that. One day....

6. What drew you to Hellenism? What made you choose it over anything else?

Tik Tok..... Definitely the pagan and witchy side of the app. It's how I learned about paganism and how to practice it in a certain modern and closeted lifestyle, as well as what witchcraft was and how to best start it. At first, I was a mixed pagan, due to me wanting to worship the gods of my Irish culture. I worshipped mainly the Norse goddess Hel and the Celtic god Cernunnos... Then it was all the Norse gods, then the Celtic... Then finally the Greek.

7. Do you believe in past lives?

I part of me wants to... But I find it hard to believe due to my belief that I have no ancestors. Not in the countrywide sense of belonging to my culture as a whole, but rather individual people who formed the roots to my family tree, type of ancestors. I have no family beyond my single parent, due to me being rejected by them for simply being born, so I highly doubt my spirit belonged to something greater than this, let alone bearing the blood of some great ancestor.

8. Do you believe in the Underworld? If so, do you think about it literally or as a concept?

..... Both? I mean, I know my body will just become compost or bones forgotten in a box one day, and I know nothing will happen after you die physically. But I guess knowing that because I've lived my whole life pursuing writing and creative arts and constantly learning philosophy to better myself with, I'll somehow end up going to Elysium instead of Asphodel.... It feels really nice to think I actually can go somewhere nice when I die by just being myself rather than constantly working to earn a good death (stupid Christian mentality there, really). But even if I end up in Asphodel, it feels good to know that my aunt definitely did go to Elysium due to her own life of creativity and actually giving to the community. She deserves it from the shit she went through.... And I secretly hope I deserve that too, to be seen as someone worthy of such an amazing place for simply enjoying what I do as a passion.

9. Do you listen to devotional music?

I try to every time I pray or perform a ritual, but there's not a lot I enjoy. Like... you ever feel creeped out by the way a song sounds, but not because it's actually horror themed but because it just sounds off to you? A lot of Orphic or Greek pagan devotional music sounds like that to me, mainly when they have vocal chants. I dunno, it's a weird thing I have when it comes to certain music, probably due to my autism. Luckily, I can always rely on lyre music and my own playlist of instrumental songs to help.

10. Which deity do you turn to most in times of trouble?

Mainly Hermes, cause I'm always nearly missing my bus. X'D But also Athena in general.... I feel like she's my go to matron, but I don't really know why.

11. Do you wear any devotional jewellery?

YES!!! I fucking LOVE THEM!! I have two necklaces that I wear every single day without fail, and either one during the night, until I get ready to go to sleep.

The longest chain bears a cut out pentacle of sterling silver, which I wear for protection and to represent my witchy side in my day-to-day life.

The shortest chain has a sterling silver Aegis of Athena pendant that I wear to represent my religious faith. This one is my pride and joy and I always put it on for every prayer and ritual I do out of pure habit.

12. Do you have any food or drink recipe that is spirituality important?

Uh..... No?? I feel like I should though, but I just often drink a tea that suits my needs for something important. Most days it's earl grey or a standard black (or in Ireland a Barry's or Lyon's... if you know, you know), but sometimes I do ginger and lemon for both the magical AND the digestive bonus. Kitchen witchcraft is handy like that~

13. Who was the first deity you started worshipping?

Like I said in question 6, I started off with Hel and Cernunnos. Then I switched them out over and over again as I struggled to find the pantheon that felt right to me, until I settled on Greek to this day.

14. Who is the most recent deity you started worshipping?

With Hecate's Night this week, I'm thinking of adding Lady Hecate to my altar to help with my witchcraft and life in general. Only problem is..... I have no clue if you pronounce her name as Heck-Ah-Tea or Heh-Kah-Tay.... Gotta say it right if I'm to properly respect her. ^^;

15. Is there a deity you tried worshipping and working with, but it didn't work out?

Avoiding the ones I already answered, Hecate/Hekate was actually a deity I tried to work with but didn't really feel that vibe. Also because witchcraft is hard for me to practice regularly, at the very least more than only once or twice a month. So, since I wish to honour her in the upcoming Athenian festival of Hecate's Night, and with my desire to do more minor forms of witchcraft more often in order to keep doing it and building my energy up to be able to do more.... I'll hopefully be able to finally work with a god/goddess for the first time and do it right this time around.

16. Is there another deity you are considering worshipping?

I would like to try adding Hades to my altar, but ever since I last worked with and worshipped Hel, death has become a subject I don't feel comfortable interacting with. It's not something I feel comfortable talking about or working with like most Hades followers or death witches do... But he is supposedly the patron of the depressed. And I seriously would love someone I can talk to about this, since I will never be able to afford or be on a waiting list that's less than a year long to see a therapist. And he was there to help me through the grief of losing my aunt, so.... I'd like to grow closer to him, if possible.

17. When people ask you what religion you belong to, what do you say?

Hellenic paganism, mostly. A know a lot of people seem offended by the word "pagan", especially those who are actual polytheists, but being called a pagan is a word that's been reclaimed to mean something good again, and I'm all for it. Heathen, however, still feels a little offensive to me, but whatever floats your boat, as long as we're all being civil and understanding about everyone having different beliefs than others. I also learned only recently that unless you're an actual person born and raised from Greece, you shouldn't call yourself a Hellenic. It's Hellenic PAGAN or POLYTHEIST only.

18. Has Christianity/Catholicism affected your practice or your views about your practice at all?

GODS yes!!! I still have this feeling that my gods don't care about me like the Christian god did, merely due to me being unable to hear or have conversations with them like so many people can, somehow. And yeah... it hurts, especially when I'm at my lowest mentally and emotionally, when my loneliness hits me hard. In those moments, I'm reminded of my younger years, when I tried to call out to the Christian god to help me not feel so alone..... Only to be met with the same cold silence.

I just wish I knew how to actually communicate with them and know what a true response is from them. To know that I'm finally not alone and have someone I can rely on in my darkest hour.

Sorry about this being so dark. ^^; Just felt like opening up a bit there.

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