The story of Daphnis and Chloe must be the best loved of the Erotici Graeci, the Greek love stories that date from the early centuries of the Common Era. It’s a long, long story featuring sex, pirates, wars, supernatural events and some highly implausible plot elements. Seguir leyendo »

Hats are not merely to keep off the sun and the rain, but to mark a social rite, portray a religious belief, define the status and occupation of the user and to announce the extent of authority. Kings and Heroes wear hats, as do the Gods. Seguir leyendo »

The legendary library of Alexandria is not a myth. Seguir leyendo »

I remember having to learn this sentence at school, it demonstrated a rule in Latin, a very important rule, one which I have completely forgotten. Seguir leyendo »

Children raised in the wild, reared by some savage beast, appear in myths frequently. They appear in modern times as well, usually dealing with autistic or intellectually disabled children and not feral at all. Some of the folklore surrounding these children is based on truth but mainly it’s allegorical and safely in the realm of fiction. Seguir leyendo »

The Christmas carol we know as Good king Wenceslaus is a moral tale, a pious illustration of the virtue of charity. The song describes King Wenceslas braving a fierce storm in order to help feed a poor neighbour but the rather confused narrative of Victorian whimsy owes its popularity not to the lyrics, but to the delightful tune, a Swedish melody to celebrate Spring. Seguir leyendo »

In my Australian childhood, we celebrated Bonfire Night on November 5 with fireworks, bonfires, and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes. Seguir leyendo »

In popular legend Fawkes was an Englishman who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament with barrels of gunpowder. He was caught, tortured, imprisoned, and finally, in a particularly grisly manner, publicly executed. Seguir leyendo »