nord

At her call.

there’s no right age to learn something by. there’s no right age to be settled down, to move out of home, or to start your own family. there’s no right age to start working, if you work at all. there’s no right age to graduate.

‘the souls on the banks of the acheron’- adolf hirémy-hirschl (1898)

for those of you that are familiar with greek mythology, you might recognise that ‘acheron’ was one of the five rivers of the greek underworld, specifically known as the “river of woe” - its undebatable to say that this emotion is captured in the painting, possibly the only exception being the tragically resigned child towards the bottom right of the photo.

hey everyone!

i might’ve become an ✨amazon affiliate✨ (i am still very much anti jeff bezos though)

ANYWAYS this means that if you click on these links and buy it, i’ll get some money! isn’t that sick?

well, i bring this up because i figure it’s an excellent time to make a master list of greek mythology stuff that i adore, since i get asks on it a lot.

D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths -  a GREAT starter. i read this when i was 3-4 years old (with assistance, of course) and it’s one of the first books that hooked me on mythology. you can’t go wrong with giving this book a go. 

Bulfinch’s Mythology - i love this book. it makes you feel like an academic. my parents bought it for me for my twelfth birthday, and it’s become one of my favorites since then. very detailed, very technical- the best part? it’s not just greek mythology! this book has greek and roman myths to tales of the time of charlemagne. 

Mythos - i would recommend this to you if you’ve already read a greek myth or two, but believe me when i say this book had me in STITCHES. it’s hilarious and as accurate as you could hope for. 

Heroes -  the sequel to mythos, done on ancient greek mythological heroes. in the same comedic style as the first, this one is *chef’s kiss* BRILLIANT.

Circe - i’ve been a circe advocate for the LONGEST TIME, and well. this book only supported that. the writing and story telling is beautiful, and it intertwines perfectly with the original tale. i’d call this an odyssey chaser.

Odyssey - speak of the devil! i’ve read the odyssey time and time again- it’s a classic (haha get it?? please laugh) and an undeniably important piece when you’re into greek mythology. i also really enjoy reading different translations/versions to compare. 

Iliad - one of you’s gonna call me out for following an order, but i don’t care. i actually prefer the iliad to the odyssey (anything with less odysseus please), mostly for the story interests me more and i’m more familiar with it as a whole. again, necessary for greek mythology fans.

The Song of Achilles - hey, do you like greek mythology? do you like emotions? because wow, is this the book for you! i still haven’t recovered! in all seriousness though, this book is amazing. if you’re an achilles fan (or a patroclus one like myself) i can’t recommend this enough.

Percy Jackson - this one’s a bit separate from my other recommendations, because it’s entirely a work of modern fiction based off of greek mythology, but i grew up with percy jackson and while it didn’t spark my interest in mythology, it certainly helped me grow. if you’re looking for a good read (that you acknowledge isn’t very accurate) i highly suggest this one.

Mythology - again, another essential piece for your mythology collection. an oldie but VERY goodie, this one dips into greek, roman, and norse mythology! 

- my uni library; an old building protected by greek statues

- my seminar room; exposed brick with huge Georgian sash windows and a view of the surrounding hills. such a vibe when it’s raining

- working until 4am and still having more work to do

- completely defacing my copy of the iliad with too many annotations

- the many trees around campus slowly turning orange as it gets colder

- watching the deer gallop round the quad from my window

- discussing literature with my english lit friend

- discussing classical composers with my music friend

- 3am philosophical debates over vodka and card games

- keeping an anthology of sylvia plath on my desk (for the soul)

- going to the local coffee shop to write poetry

- and bumping into a friend there because this town is so small

- sitting under the maple trees looking at the old castle wall, laughing and eating sushi

- buying a suit from a charity shop because it was a fiver

- coffee shakes and eye bags

- completely slagging off plato during a seminar, getting a bit too into it

- writing homer quotes i like on my hand

- being in a constant state of entrancement by the ancient and classical world