New Myths

Today I read the myth of Meleager and Atalanta. I thought it was very interesting how Meleager's mother decided to ally with her brothers and not her son. I say it is interesting because normally it would be the other way around, where the mother has a deeper love for her infants than for anyone else. I also found a detail at the end that I have mentioned before several times. I speak about the part where Diana turns Meleager's weeping sisters into birds. It catches my eyes how often transformation occur. Besides, it is almost always into an element from nature, plants or animals, but never into a bed or a column or such. I believe this helps us realize just how much respect the ancient civilizations had towards nature, while we concentrate on using it only to please our self-centered so-called-needs.

The next myth I read was that of Atalanta, which i related to the story of the Turtle and the Hare. In both stories, 2 characters compete against each other in a race, where one is obviously better at the sport. However, the better one gets tempted by something, in one case it being a nap and in the other a golden apple, and in the end they lose. I thought it was curious how this myth connects to the famous fable, and how with each passing moment I come to realize that our lives are very Grrek-based. On Hebe and Ganymede I have no feedback or comments.