The very first book that I remember actually stirring my curiosity was Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. I remember reading this book in class while I should have been doing other thing (typing, for example, where I ultimately received an F as a reward for my diverted attention).

Since then, I have fallen in love with Greek and Roman mythology. Though I’m no expert on the matter, I read what I can: Bullfinch, Campbell, Aeschylus, Sophocles, etc….

Movies and television shows with mythological themes catch my attention as well. The new Battlestar Galactica, for example. The Iliad (or Troy as it was named for the “big screen”) was a lot of fun too, though (as Tim Virkkala once stated better than I), I missed the Gods.

So, with all that being said, I do have to admit a bit of irritation when these shows get the simplest things, well…just wrong. For example, I caught Jason and the Argonauts on the Sci Fi channel last night (the recent remake). I was irked when they kept referring to Heracles as Hercules. I suppose this wouldn’t be so bad, if the story were told by a Roman point of view. However, every other entity in the movie was referred to by their Greek name. Zeus and Hera, for example.

And, while we are on the subject of Heracles, why do these shows always make him much weaker than is warranted? This was a man who, for his 11th great task, held the world upon his shoulders while the Titan, Atlas gathered apples for him. So, I find it hard to fathom that he would be grunting and straining with all his might to pull out a small sized tree from its roots to use as a weapon against an oncoming enemy.

Ok, perhaps I’m being snobbish, I don’t know. I just don’t think television or the movies would have anything to lose in staying true to the myths. I mean, they’ve lasted this long, right?