Odysseus and the sirens

Odysseus and the sirens

Circe had told Odysseus about the sirens. No one who heard their song had survived. Through their music the sirens lured passing sailors to their deaths as they passed by. As they sailed, an island appeared on the horizon and the sound of sweet music began to slowly...
Odysseus enters the underworld

Odysseus enters the underworld

Circe gave Odysseus directions to the underworld. He sailed into the northerly wind, following the stream of ocean until he came to Persephone’s grove of trees. From there the gates of the underworld opened before him. In the grove Odysseus dug a trench and filled it...
Odysseus and the magic flower: Help from Hermes

Odysseus and the magic flower: Help from Hermes

They arrived, after barely surviving a ferocious storm at sea, at a wooded island, filled with beeches and oaks. On the shore lions and tigers and wolves prowled but when approached they rolled over and purred. Odysseus sent some men to investigate. The beasts led the...
The heroic myth: Death, rebirth and transformation

The heroic myth: Death, rebirth and transformation

Karen Armstrong, in her book, A short history of myth, writes that in old times the hunter and shaman of the tribe had to turn their backs on the familiar world, enter the unknown and face fearsome trials. Their journey took them out into uncertainty where they would...