It’s not an understatement to say charting the genealogy of Greek Mythology is a Herculean task. You try tracing a family history where the lead character’s wife is also his sister. And that’s just the beginning. Zeus is only one of more than three-thousand gods, goddesses, and mortal characters included in two new books chronicling who’s who on and off Mt. Olympus.
Now this is a mythological universe, so the idea of spending decades mapping historical bloodlines between philandering progenitors, half-horse centaurs and snake haired ladies may seem a bit odd. But the attraction of ordinary humans to the legendary tales of Narcissus, Pandora, and Helen of Troy, remains very much alive. A whole new meaning to family tree, and family affair: The Genealogy of Greek Mythology.
Guests:
Judge Jon Newman, Federal Appellate judge on The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City, and author of “A Genealogical Chart of Greek Mythology”
Vanessa James, Associate Professor of Theater at Mt. Holyoke College and Chair of the Theater Department and Author of “The Genealogy of Greek Mythology.”