Research Files, Writing

Research Files: The Teumessian Fox and Paradoxes

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The legend of the Teumessian Fox and Laelaps the dog is a Greek myth from the time when Creon was regent of Thebes. Displeased with the people of Thebes, a god sent the massive fox to punish the city. Sometimes this act is attributed to Dionysus. The fox wreaked havoc on the city, devouring people in its path. The worst part for the people of Thebes, though, was that the Teumessian Fox was destined to evade its hunter, so despite their best efforts, the fox could be neither captured nor killed.

Research Files, Writing

Research Files: The Gorgons

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Today, we understand the Gorgons as three ugly monsters in Greek mythology who had hair made of snakes. Two of the sisters, Euryale and Stheno, were immortal, while the most well-known Gorgon, Medusa, was not immortal. Perseus killed Medusa by cutting off her head, and her power was so great, that even after her death, anyone who looked in Medusa’s eyes turned to stone.

Research Files

Research Files: The River Lethe

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In Greek mythology, River Lethe was one of the five rivers that flowed through the Underworld. Some Greeks believe that after death, a person would drink from the river in order to forget their past life and clear their soul for rebirth/reincarnation to a new life. The river was often associated with the Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion, also named Lethe.

Research Files

Research Files: Mnemosyne and Memory

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Mnemosyne is the Greek goddess of memory and sometimes denoted a Titaness…She was also the namesake of a river that flowed through the Underworld, parallel to Lethe, the river of forgetfulness. Those who drank from the river of Mnemosyne would not forget their past lives or be reincarnated. Instead, they would spend eternity with their heroes.

Research Files

Research Files: Golem Mythology

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Not to be confused with Gollum, the character from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, a golem is a human-inspired form made from clay or earth and then brought to life through one of a few different methods, usually involving a secret name of God, inscription or recitation of a specific word or words (often the Hebrew word for “truth”), and/or a ritualistic physical movement like walking around the statue.

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