Greek mythology
The Twelve Labors of Heracles: the cycle of impossible trials
The Twelve Labors of Heracles: the origin of the cycle, the twelve impossible tasks imposed by Eurystheus, and the meaning of this founding heroic journey.
Journeys & quests
The mythological journey is as much a trial of return as of departure: Odysseus takes ten years to get home from a ten-year war, the Argonauts sail to the far end of the Black Sea for a fleece, Ra's barque crosses the whole of night to be reborn. These stories follow the routes, the thresholds crossed and the ordeals imposed, noting how the Odyssey, Apollonius of Rhodes and the Egyptian funerary guides arrange them differently.
Greek mythology
Jason and the Golden Fleece: the quest of the Argonauts in Greek mythology
Jason assembles the Argonauts to seize the Golden Fleece from Colchis: the Clashing Rocks, Medea's magic, fire-breathing bulls, and the sleepless dragon.
Greek mythology
The Odyssey: Odysseus's journey home in Greek mythology
Homer's Odyssey: Odysseus's ten-year journey home from Troy to Ithaca — Cyclops, Circe, the Underworld, and the final revenge against the suitors.
Greek mythology
Theseus and the Minotaur: the labyrinth, Ariadne's thread, and the founding of Athens
The Theseus and Minotaur myth: the labyrinth built by Daedalus, Ariadne's thread, the hero's victory over the monster, and its role in the founding myth of Athenian democracy.