Reading Notes: Ovid's Metamorphoses, Books 1-4 B
Perseus brandishes the head of Medusa, Clash of the Titans (1981)
The stories contained in the B segment of this week's reading have a lot of origin stories (which I love), and Perseus and Andromeda's tale just makes me want to watch Clash of the Titans again - the 1981 version I grew up with on VHS.
Mulberries - white to red, mirroring the blood spilled by the lovers Pyramus and Thisbe
Narcissus - transformed to a dandelion after dying rather than leave his own reflection
Coral - Medusa's head changed plants to coral after the kraken's death at the hands of Perseus
Vulcan's choice to publicly shame the adultery of Mars and Venus reminds me of nothing more strongly than revenge porn, and perhaps that's an origin story too.
A modern parallel with the story of Narcissus could be the development of selfie culture; a phone instead of a stream's reflection, and an Echo app instead of a Siri assistant. In fact, a speedy google search turned up an article relating just this effect: Modern-Day Narcissus - The Selfie Obsession.
Bibleography
Kline, Tony. Ovid's Metamorphoses. Books 1-4
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