a quick psa to anyone recently getting into greek mythology and is a victim of tumblr and/or tiktok misconceptions:
-there is no shame in being introduced to mytholgy from something like percy jackson, epic the musical or anything like that, but keep in mind that actual myths are going to be VERY different from modern retellings
-the myth of medusa you probably know (her being a victim of poseidon and being cursed by athena) isn't 100% accurate to GREEK mythology (look up ovid)
-there is no version of persephone's abduction in which persephone willingly stays with hades, that's a tumblr invention (look up homeric hymn to demeter)
-as much as i would like it, no, cerberus' name does not mean "spot" (probably a misunderstanding from this wikipedia article)
-zeus isn't the only god who does terrible things to women, your fav male god probably has done the same
-on that note, your fav greek hero has probably done some heinous shit as well
-gods are more complicated than simply being "god of [insert thing]", many titles overlap between gods and some may even change depending on where they were worshipped
-also, apollo and artemis being the gods of the sun and the moon isn't 100% accurate, their main aspects as deities originally were music and the hunt
-titans and gods aren't two wholly different concepts, titan is just the word used to decribe the generation of gods before the olympians
-hector isn't the villain some people make him out to be
-hephaestus WAS married to aphrodite. they divorced. yes, divorce was a thing in ancient greece. hephaestus' wife is aglaia
-ancient greek society didn't have the same concepts of sexuality that we have now, it's incorrect to describe virgin goddesses like artemis and athena as lesbians, BUT it's also not wholly accurate to describe them as aromantic/asexual, it's more complex than that
-you can never fully understand certain myths if you don't understand the societal context in which they were told
-myths have lots and lots of retellings, there isn't one singular "canon", but we can try to distinguish between older and newer versions and bewteen greek and roman versions
-most of what you know about sparta is probably incorrect
-reading/waching retellings is not a substitute to reading the original myths, read the iliad! read the odyssey! i know they may seem intimidating, but they're much more entertaining than you may think
greek mythology is so complex and interesting, don't go into it with preconcieved notions! try to be open to learn!
As someone that did get into Greek mythology through Percy Jackson, then Epic the Musical, and now studies it in an academic setting, this is so correct.
There is a tendency that infuriates me to no end (I am guilty of doing this as well) to look at these myths in an anachronistic way. It is totally fine to view them with modern morals and make jokes, laugh about it, especially in the context of PJO, Epic, Lore Olympus etc.
What annoys me is when people are unable to see beyond this. My friends and I have laughed about myths, we have joked about how ridiculous some heroes' decisions seem to us - as a girl living in Britain in 2026, it is unfathomable for me to even try to put myself in the place of an ancient hero, or an ancient citizen. But try I must, as it is a failed Classicist that cannot acknowledge that our views on a myth do not matter: they cannot be truly appreciated unless you understand its impact on the ancient civilisation itself. Ancient philosophers themselves questioned/debated the myths, and it is crucial to approach it like you are one of them.
Many heroes and gods have suffered from woobification by the fandoms and retellings they are part of. Whilst it can be funny (especially since PJO was written as a children's series), it is an important distinction that Hellenic religion was not so fluffy and child-friendly, and the myths were not there to make the "characters" lovable. A mixture of fear, do ut des and ritualistic value was intrinsic in Ancient Hellenism, and the majority of retellings don't show the true power of the deities.
This is super tangential, but anyone reading this can tell I feel strongly haha
