Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean

Liv speaks with classicist, author, and veteran, Joshua Cannon about the Iliad, warfare in the ancient Mediterranean, and how War is Bad, Actually. This episode was recorded in October 2025. Learn more about Joshua and his book Fatal Second Helen here. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv speaks with classicist Curtis Dozier about the troubling (and tragically unsurprising) connections between the world's worst people (white supremacists) and ancient Greece and Rome. Learn more about the White Pedestal book and the Classical Controversies book mentioned. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv dives into a New Year Q&A, tackling intriguing questions about Helen's choice in marriage, and the primordial figure Themis. She explores late antiquity myths, the connections of Dionysus to India, and the nuances in adapting the Odyssey for children. Enyo, the goddess of bloodshed, is contrasted with Eris and linked to the Roman Bellona. Liv also critiques film interpretations of myths and uncovers meanings behind names like Lucifer. Plus, she tantalizes with a Hecate cocktail idea that plays on pomegranate symbolism.

This episode originally aired in January 2023. Not at all a children's author... We're talking ancient Aesop and his oh so famous fables.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.Sources: Aesop, the Complete Fables, translated by Olivia and Robert Temple; Aesop's Fables, translated by George Fyler Townsend.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Hauser, a distinguished Classics scholar and author, shares her insights on women in Greek literature and gender history. She discusses her book, How Women Became Poets, highlighting the absence of a feminine term for 'poet' and the cultural silencing of figures like Sappho. Emily explores how male poetic identity has overshadowed women's voices and the strategies women employed to embed their perspectives in ancient texts. She critiques misogyny in poetry and provides a sneak peek into her upcoming work, Mythica/Penelope's Bones, focusing on Bronze Age women.

Liv and Michaela come together for the third (?) annual Battle of the Bas--no wait that's actually the Battle of the Bad B*tches. Helen and Clytemnestra come together and we chat about everything that those two wonderful women were up to in the ancient sources. It's beautiful, it's amazing, and we support all their wonderful ways.Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liv reads the final book of Statius' Thebaid, translated by JH Mozley. The brothers of Thebes, Eteocles and Polynices, are dead. Their wives and sisters want to bury them, but (unfortunately!) they need the king of Athens, Theseus, to make it happen. Submit to the Q&A at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.This is not a standard narrative story episode, it's a reading of an ancient source, audiobook style. For regular episodes look for any that don't have "Liv Reads..." in the title! For a list of Roman/Latin names and who they generally refer to in the Greek, visit: mythsbaby.com/names Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Friday we looked at Cleopatra Selene (aka Cleopatra Jr, Cleopatra VIII), so it's only fitting to revisit an old (and very fun!) episode with the amazing Partial Historians about Cleopatra Selene's far more famous mother, Cleopatra VII (aka THAT Cleopatra... Find more from the Partial Historians here. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at patreon.com/mythsbabyCW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. I try to provide direct warnings when there is reference to anything with overtly traumatic themes but be aware that Greek mythology regularly features assault, death, and many other potentially triggering events.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane Draycott, a historian and author specializing in Roman-era women, discusses Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra VII. She highlights how scholarship often overlooks Selene despite her compelling story. The conversation explores Selene's life as a Roman prisoner, her strategic marriage to Juba II, and her influence on Mauritania's culture. Draycott also reflects on the politics of her time, the dynamics of power in Augustus' household, and the tendency for women's quiet successes to be forgotten in history.

Dive into the chaotic aftermath of Alexander's reign! Discover the power struggles of the Diadochi as Ptolemy rises in Egypt. Witness shocking betrayals, failed marriages, and a friendship that shatters among former companions. Experience Eumenes' strategic challenges and the drama of mutinies leading to Perdiccas's downfall. This tumultuous period reveals a bizarre mix of ambition, betrayal, and the tragic fate of some legendary figures in ancient history!