Finished: Metamorphoses (Ovid). 313 pages of myths, all run together! I'm so glad to finally be done. Don't get me wrong...I appreciate a good myth or two, but this book was a tedious read. I know it is supposed to be one of the greatest books on mythology, and I'll give it to Ovid that he was able to write in such a way so, so long ago. I'm sure the work was considered brilliant by many back in the day. I just found it to be one myth right after the other, with not much sense in how they were ordered. Sometimes a myth would take up a few pages, and then other times, one I was more familiar with might be handled with just a few sentences. I had to have Wikipedia open the entire time...checking out who was who. And, Ovid couldn't stick with just one name for each god or goddess. Noooooooooo, that would be way too easy. So, everyone had their name like Jupiter (Zeus in the Greek myths), then their nickname, "Jove" for Jupiter, and finally...their familial relation name, "son of Saturn" for Jupiter. These names were all used interchangeably...some even having "daughter of" names AND "son of" names. Acck!

Anyway...I did enjoy some of the myths. Like, the age old story of Apollo pursuing Daphne until she could run no more and turned into a laurel tree, per her prayer request to the gods for some kind of help. Or...like the tragic love story of Pyramus and Thisbe, from whence Romeo and Juliet derived. Or...the story of Apollo's son stupidly being allowed to drive his father's chariot. And, so on and so on. I saw very quickly why this book was called Metamorphoses...no one ever stayed in their original form! Basically, the book was page after page of gods or goddesses falling in love with mortals, either chasing them down or changing themselves into something innocent and unsuspecting, then raping them, having children by them, or poutingly turning them into trees, birds or other animals if they didn't get exactly what they wanted. And let's not forget the jealous god/goddess spouses who also turned the poor pursued mortals into trees, birds or other animals out of spite. I can't tell you how many different species of birds and types of trees are out there in our yards right now that are really some poor old unlucky mortal! :-)

I did learn a few things I'd never heard. For instance...the fair maiden Arachne was turned into a spider because she could weave with her loom better than the goddess Minvera, i.e., Greek Athena, i.e., Pallas, i.e., Daughter of Jupiter. And, when Perseus cut off the head of Medusa, Pegasus the winged horse sprung from her neck! I probably knew that in high school, but didn't remember it.

I liked this one line from Phoebus, also better known as Apollo, son of  Latona and Jupiter. When Latona was insulted by the maiden Niobe who put herself above the goddess and refused to worship her, Latona lamented to her children to punish Niobe. Phoebus, tired of the long diatribe, said, "Have done! A long complaint is but a delay of punishment."  I liked that. :-)

So....not to be unfair to Ovid, here is a sample of his writing that I enjoyed.

A description of how rumors get started in the dwelling place of the goddess, Rumour, who I couldn't help picturing looking like Adele for some reason. :-)

   There is a place in the middle of the world, between land and sea and sky, the meeting-point of the three-fold universe. From this place, whatever is, however far away, is seen, and every word penetrates to these hollow ears. Rumour dwells here, having chosen her house upon a high mountain-top; and she gave the house countless entrances, a thousand apertures, but with no doors to close them. Night and day the house stands open. It is built all of echoing brass. The whole place resounds with confused noises, repeats all words and doubles what it hears. There is no quiet, no silence anywhere within. And yet there is no loud clamour, but only the subdued murmur of voices, like the murmur of the waves of the sea if you listen afar off, or like the last rumbling of thunder when Jove has made the dark clouds crash together. Crowds fill the hall, shifting throngs come and go, and everywhere wander thousands of rumours, falsehoods mingled with the truth, and confused reports flit about. Some of these fill their idle ears with talk, and others go and tell elsewhere what they have heard; while the story grows in size, and each new teller makes contribution to what he has heard. Here is Credulity, here is heedless Error, unfounded Joy and panic Fear; here sudden Sedition and unauthentic Whisperings. Rumour herself beholds all that is done in heaven, on sea and land, and searches throughout the world for news.

That was a nice piece of writing. I wish the entire book had been quite so eloquent.