Originally Posted by jupiter

I love those old translated stories like Gilgamesh. Even a few of the religious stories are nice and easy to read.

This. I Gilgamesh. Even though every time I read it, it's in the voice of the narrator from Conan the Barbarian. (The original movies, of course. Apparently somebody made a new version that I haven't seen)

@jupiter: Yeah, I've been hearing that about the Grimm's stories. I'd really like to learn more about that.


I love Medusa. I was horrified when I learned that she was an ordinary mortal girl originally, and got cursed by Athena after Poseidon freaking ravished her in Athena's temple. Or at least, that is one of the stories about her. It doesn't really line up with her being one of the Gorgon sisters, but whatever.

I love Greek mythology, but geez, there are some brutal stories. Like poor Philomela.

The Gorgons were her sisters... Athena cursed them, too, for helping her and Poseidon have their little rendezvous.

Oh, there's the connection. It's been a few years since I read any of those stories, so I've forgotten a lot of the details. It may be time for me to re-read Metamorphoses.

Speaking of Disney versions, I was skimming through my copy of Arabian Nights (looking at the illustrations for Desert Winds ideas, lol) and got distracted by the Aladdin story. I haven't gotten very far into it since it's decently long, but it's already quite different from the Disney version.

Well... they couldn't really depict the princess that way in a disney version. She's not very marketable!

The Greeks were...special. And Zeus was a freaking creeper. But I have always loved the myths.

Don't tell me you guys like Beowulf. Because I just could not handle that one. I much preferred the satire Grendel by John Gardner. Although, I just love John Gardner in general. His Jason and Medeia was just fantastic.

Sorry, but I really like Beowulf. My dad got me a copy of Seamus Heaney's translation when I was 17, and it would keep disappearing from my bookshelf and winding up on his, and vice versa. Besides, what's not to love? 'He has done his worst but the wound will end him. He is hasped and hooped and hirpling with pain, limping and looped in it' That is my favorite line from any story. Ever. Except possibly 'I have no particular predilection for tortoises.' That one's pretty darned amazing, too...

---------- Post added 04-06-2014 at 11:49 PM ----------

Also... Ohh, Zeus...

Haha. To me, it's like the Old English version of an action flick. And it just DOESN'T work for me. Satire. Now that works for me.

I love action flicks. I like satire a lot, too, but... now this is reminding me that I still want to see The Expendables...

Haha, yeah. I hate action flicks most of the time.

My biggest problem with Beowulf is that the dude who wrote it down wove in a whole bunch of religious propaganda... I bet it was far more awesome before that.

I still haven't read Beowulf. I think we were going to read it in my early/medieval English lit class, but I dropped out before we go to it. I did read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight though, and loved the crap out of it. It would make a rad movie.

They always do that. Not terribly surprising seeing as most of the people who COULD write at the time were religious scholars.

---------- Post added 04-06-2014 at 11:12 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Chexala

I still haven't read Beowulf. I think we were going to read it in my early/medieval English lit class, but I dropped out before we go to it. I did read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight though, and loved the crap out of it. It would make a rad movie.

Sir Gawain was actually pretty good. A bit unintentionally hilarious.

beowulf would make a great movie... if they'd stick to the plot instead of doing weird crap and slapping the name 'Beowulf' on it. *grumbles at Hollywood*

I know, right? Like since when is Grendel's mother a gold sex kitten? WHAAA?

I guess they were trying to drag it out, or something... but they could have done that just as easily by having him have to hunt for her or something... I dunno. I only saw the movie once, under protest, and I played a little drinking game with myself where I drank whenever it pissed me off, so... I don't remember it very well.

Hahaha. That is a lethal drinking game.
I refused to see it as soon as I saw the Angelina Jolie bit. I didn't even like Beowulf and I thought that ruined the movie.

Yeah, it's what convinced me not to do drinking games anymore.

Good plan. Haha. Ugh I need to go to bed.

I have to stay up for... 6 more minutes. Gotta officially close out the avatar contest!

True! We're gonna do a User's Pick style voting right?

User's Pick style, but you can vote for yourself and there's a mystery prize-- though I guess you've already seen that. Maybe I should check my threads chronologically from now on...

Originally Posted by Wyrmskyld

User's Pick style, but you can vote for yourself and there's a mystery prize-- though I guess you've already seen that. Maybe I should check my threads chronologically from now on...

Haha, no worries, it happens!

Man, I'd forgotten how frustrating it can be to use someone else's computer... *flails* Especially when it has a different operating system and is a stoopid laptop so I don't have my happy number pad off to the right. I don't miss the mouse much, but I do miss that number pad. I almost never use the number row above the keyboard, except to do a special symbol.

Haha, poor Wyrm. I live on my laptop. I hate the 10-key number pad on laptops cause it changes my whole hand set up. But I, too, hate using other people's computers. They always feel weird.