Ariadne: The Mesmerising Sunday Times Bestselling Retelling of Ancient Greek Myth

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Ariadne was the daughter of Minos, the King of Crete [9] and son of Zeus, and of Pasiphaë, Minos' queen and daughter of Helios. [10] Others denominated her mother " Crete", daughter of Asterius, the husband and King of Europa. Ariadne was the sister of Acacallis, Androgeus, Deucalion, Phaedra, Glaucus, Xenodice, and Catreus. [11] Through her mother, Pasiphaë, she was also the half-sister of the Minotaur (who was known in Crete as Asterion). [12] For example on the mirror engraving reproduced in Larissa Bonfante and Judith Swaddling, Etruscan Myths, The Legendary Past series, University of Texas/British Museum, 2006, fig. 25, p. 41. Ariadne realizes that there is a darker side to the stories of gods and men. Discuss some examples from the novel that bear this out. Is there still a tendency in our culture to valorize men while ignoring women's pain? Some of the Naxians also have a story of their own, that there were two Minoses and two Ariadnes, one of whom, they say, was married to Dionysos in Naxos and bore him Staphylos and his brother, and the other, of a later time, having been carried off by Theseus and then abandoned by him, came to Naxos, accompanied by a nurse named Korkyne, whose tomb they show; and that this Ariadne also died there. [32]

But everything changes when she leaves with Theseus and he betrays her by abandoning her on an island to die. But Ariadne’s story does not end here. Another issue I had: with the timeline of other heroes, speaking of Heracles in Theseus’ past because he was Theseus’ mentor, and then later introducing Perseus, who was not described as old as far as I can remember, knowing Perseus is actually Heracles’ GREAT GRANDFATHER doesn’t make any sense. It’s Ancient Greece so I’m going to assume that Perseus should be dead if Heracles was in his prime before Theseus even met Ariadne (so probably like 15+ years in the past at that point) I think my favorite part of reading anything based off of greek mythology is that you really get to see how interpretation works. By so many different authors. So many different minds. One line of something can be taken differently because of the way it's read and the person it's read by. It's so interesting, and chaotic, and in this case, inspiring. I love the line I quoted above because it's so true. That we only see one side of a story so often that it's cool to look at the others around them to see what else was truly going on. A story can be spun from so many different things. I'm so glad I got to know Ariadne a bit better. The struggle for females to break free from the influence and punishment of men is a familiar tale, and the infusion of Greek mythology makes it that much more exciting. I'm always thrilled to come across such a compelling debut, and I cannot wait to see what else Jennifer Saint comes up with.Stories told that, at the moment of her drowning, Scylla was transformed into a seabird. Far from giving her escape from her cruel fate, she was immediately set upon in an endless chase by the crimson-streaked eagle bent upon eternal vengeance. I could well believe the truth of it, for the gods did enjoy a prolonged spectacle of pain. As if we hadn't learned from our shattered mother and her monstrous spawn that all a woman can do in this world is take what she wants from it and crush those who would stand in her way before they squash her down to nothing." the writing in this is also lovely. not quite on the level of madeline miller (an impossibly high standard, tbh), but still has moments of beauty. there are quite a few moments of characters recounting tales, which reminded me so much of traditional greek oral storytelling, so that was nice to see. i also think this story offers a great commentary on the role women play in the world of men and gods and gives ariadne (as well as her sister) a much deserved voice. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Volume I, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek. Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2010. p. 130. ISBN 978-90-04-17420-7.

This critically acclaimed novel is a retelling of Homer’s Iliad, told from the perspective of Briseis, a Trojan queen who is captured and forced to become the concubine of Achilles. It is a brave, powerful story about survival and resilience, which in no way shies away from the horrors of war and the cruelty women suffered at the hands of their enslavers. There are harrowing scenes including child murder, gang rape and suicide making it a ruthless story, but one that should not be ignored.There’s something really timeless and universal about those familiar stories that is quite comforting in uncertain times. And the trends for authors revisiting those stories for a contemporary audience has been incredibly popular recently,” said Carvalho.

I am next in line! Honestly I’ve been waiting so long I really I hope it lives up to the hype I’ve made up in my head 😂😂 No longer was my world one of brave heroes; I was learning all too swiftly the women's pain that throbbed unspoken through the tales of their feats.”

Minos put Ariadne in charge of the labyrinth where sacrifices were made as part of reparations either to Poseidon or Athena, depending on the version of the myth; later, she helped Theseus conquer the Minotaur and save the children from sacrifice. In other narrations she was the bride of Dionysus, her status as mortal or divine varying in those accounts. [16] [17] Minos and Theseus [ edit ]