I talked about King Croesus’s encounter with the Oracle at Delphi in class today, and I thought I’d post the bit from Herodotus’s History where he tells the story, with a little more detail than my own hazy recollection. So here it is, translated from the Greek by A. D. Godley. Keep in mind that the voice of Herodotus comes …
Spidora!
Wow. I should have done my homework. (Frankly, it never even occurred to me to search for such a thing. I should have known better. ;-)) Remember our Very Old Man? You know, the one with the Enormous Wings? Behold, his nemesis! (If he cared, that is.) And if you’d like to make a few bucks, you can have someone set one …
[singing] Bayo! Bay-ay-ay‑o!
(Grendel come and me wanna go home? Ok, ok, enough of that. Sorry. :P) Philosophy professor Stephen T. Asma writes an interesting analysis and review of the new Beowulf flick entitled “Never Mind Grendel. Can Beowulf Conquer the 21st-Century Guilt Trip?”, in which he discusses the subtle differences between the Beowulf of the poem, and the Beowulf of the modern …
Shakespeare-san?
If you’re into this kind of thing, you’ve probably run across these already, so forgive me for being behind the curve. 😀 For the rest of us, check this out: UK-based SelfMadeHero publishers is printing a series of Shakespeare plays in manga form. And why not, eh? They look pretty cool…as with many modern productions of Shakespeare, they seem to …
Imaginary Influencers
This is an interesting idea — a new book by Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan, and Jeremy Salter takes a look at the top 101 most influential fictional characters in history. The book’s subtitle, “How characters of myth, legends, television, and movies have shaped our society, changed our behavior, and set the course of history,” is a compelling reminder of the …