Greek Legend of The Day: The Opening of Pandora’s Box

“Pandora’s Box.” It’s an expression we’ve all heard before. When it comes to the idiom, it usually means starting something that’ll cause trouble. For example: “The parents were afraid of opening Pandora’s Box by buying their daughter a car.” The phrase is used a lot, and it was even the title of a box-set music collection from my dad’s favorite band, Aerosmith, that I fondly remember from my childhood.

But what about the actual Greek myth? Much of it reads very similarly to the Judeo-Christian story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. Another thing to note is how misogynistic both of these myths are, which explains why feminist re-tellings of Greek myths are so popular right now. Pandora, the world’s first woman, gets blamed for causing all the evil and suffering in the world, just like Eve is blamed for this in the Judeo-Christian myth.

Let’s dig a little deeper into the myth of Pandora’s Box and find out what the story was, where it came from, and some other interesting factoids!

Why Nashville, Tennessee, is Known as ‘The Athens of the South’

Of all the places in the world, would you really expect Nashville to be considered the “Athens of the South”? Whenever I mention this to people who didn’t grow up here, I always get a “Really? Not Athens, Georgia?” 

When most people think of Nashville, they think of Music City U.S.A. – with our honky tonks and Music Row. While this is a massive part of this beautiful city, there’s so much more than you’d realize.

The original Athens was known as a mecca for education, dance, and music in ancient Greece. Being named after the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, makes complete sense.

New Books About Greek Myth: July 2023 Roundup

Confession: Rachel and I have more books than we know what to do with. We’ve moved a few times in the past year, and every time we move, the boxes upon boxes of books usually take up the most space in the U-Haul.

Yes, it’s somewhat of an addiction, but a relatively mild one, I’d say. Despite having a vast library, we continue to buy new books faster than we can read ‘em. I think I speak for many nerds that we’re not the only ones.

Alas, here’s a monthly series we’d like to do that highlights a few of the coolest upcoming books about Greek mythology. In this version, we’ll talk about all fiction books that are due for release in July 2023. Feel free to drop us a line with anything we may have missed. This first version only features three books, and I imagine we’ll get better at tracking down more. Enjoy!

Greek Legend of the Day: Prometheus, The Thief, and Fire-Starter

As Rachel and I embark on our journey to learn more about Greek mythology, we plan to dig deeper into some of the best myths and legends. And what better tale to start with than Prometheus and the theft of fire from Zeus? If not for Prometheus, where would humankind be?

I admit: Rachel knows much more about this stuff than me. Our idea in starting the blog was to have something we could build and work on together. She’s much more schooled on great mythology while I waste my time on other pursuits like my psychedelic rock music blog. Alas, I am taking the journey into Greek myth, so join us for the ride!

Mythological Greek Baby Names are Surging in Popularity

Are you expecting a little one soon? Why not name him/her Ophelia, Atlas, or something else from Greek myth? That’s what all the cool parents are doing nowadays. 

Greek-origin names are currently gaining popularity, and many have mythological origins, according to the baby name website Namebery. The website says Daphne, Ophelia, Nico, and Theodore are a few of the fastest-rising baby names in popularity. (Nico is the name of our dog, by the way, and his full name is Nicodemus). There’s also an increasing trend of hip parents looking for lesser-known names from Greek myths such as Persephone.