printing this out and hanging it near my desk to look at next time I need to follow word counts

🚨 New publication alert (OA!) 🚨 I argue that unruly Apollo—far from ⚡ Zeus' ⚡ loyal son—was a potential challenger to his father’s throne. In Prometheus Bound (907–12), the curse of Kronos looms… and Apollo could've avenged Granddad and deposed Zeus! #Classics #GreekMyth doi.org/10.14746/spp...

🎧 Marvel +mitologia = coś więcej niż tylko Thor i Loki. Dr @maciejpaprocki.bsky.social tłumaczy, dlaczego świat MCU przypomina nowoczesny Olimp. Od Wakandy po Asgard, od Kapitana Ameryki po Bastet–Marvel jest dziś nie tylko fabryką hitów,ale i współczesnym mitotwórcą www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFnL...

I was honoured to be interviewed for this excellent and thought-provoking piece: a must-read for all game studies/reception scholars interested in mythology! ⚡⚡⚡📜

That's the highest praise one can get 😀 Thank you so much for your thoughts and presence, and to all of our wonderful participants! #mythgames2025 @alexvandewalle.bsky.social

Reminder for the online Mythological Game Studies Conference (#MythGames2025, organized w/ @maciejpaprocki.bsky.social), NEXT WEEK 22-24 May! In addition to 30+ papers, we'll also have a livestream by @valuefnd.bsky.social & a dev roundtable! Schedule and registration at mythgamescon.wordpress.com

@mythsbaby.bsky.social and I talk about Thetis, a fascinating and ambiguous ancient Greek goddess, foretold to bear a son stronger than his father. What's her story with Zeus/Poseidon/Hera/Hephaistos/Dionysos? Why was she raped by Peleus? Did she kill some of her children? youtu.be/BEgyl2_pgyg?...

Avengers assemble! Our paper on gods and multicultural representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is out! ⚡⚡⚡ Huge thanks to my incredibly talented co-authors: @baladria.bsky.social @alexvandewalle.bsky.social @joelagordonnz.bsky.social @dsaarchaeology.bsky.social and Kate Minniti! 😍😍🥰

You can now register for the Mythological Game Studies Conference (22-24 May, online)! We'll have around 30 presentations on mythology & games, a dev roundtable, and more. Head over to mythgamescon.wordpress.com for the conference schedule and abstracts! @maciejpaprocki.bsky.social #MythGames2025

It’s magic day in class which means my favorite activity—making curse tablets

ANNOUNCING... A Periodic Table of Greek Mythology - our first book! 🎉 📅Available 5th Feb 2025 (but you can preorder now) 🤝 In collaboration with @contubernales.bsky.social ✍️ 117 different writers 🖼️ Periodic Table Poster by @corabeth.bsky.social 👇 Read more...

Welcoming new followers be like:

REMINDER: CfP Mythological Game Studies Conference (May 2025, online) Send @alexvandewalle.bsky.social and me your abstracts on everything games, myth, mythology & mythologies before February 2 (this Sunday)!

Next week’s tutorial readings for BA archaeology & anthropology @uclarchaeology.bsky.social (I maintain all archaeologists need a solid foundation in the workings of myth, witchcraft, and sortition)

REMINDER: CfP Mythological Game Studies Conference (May 2025, online) Send @maciejpaprocki.bsky.social and me your abstracts on everything games, myth, mythology & mythologies before February 2!

Agreed! And please consider it an invitation to explore the work that has explored these videogaming traditions. Phillip Penix-Tadsen comes to mind as one of the best.

With a dossier on Nyx by yours truly 😁 Can't wait!

Happy New Year! 🎆✨ @alexvandewalle.bsky.social and I have just published a paper on humorous/playful elements in the game 'Immortals Fenyx Rising', highlighting how it subverts traditional portrayals of the Greek gods a la Lucian’s "Dialogues of the Gods". Enjoy! 😄 gamestudies.org/2404/article...

Accuracy is a tedious and irrelevant criterion. Folks get that for textual literature, and no reasonable Romanist is scolding, e.g., Vergil for misrepresenting what 12th cent BCE Carthage actually looked like. What is it about the medium of film that makes scholars lose all literary critical sense?

Downloaded Planet Coaster 2 yesterday and was surprised to see that one of their new themes is “Mythological,” vaguely Greek stylings. Must avoid writing about this, but you can’t spell amusement without muse I suppose.

Wonder is an 'undoing' of all that we experience. All that we know is suspended in service to a brief moment wherein all that we will never know becomes possible. And both fear and fascination tumble through on their way to a rebirth in the stars.

Our hard-wiring to connect with each other, to care for each other, to want to be accepted by each other can be a very powerful tool for changing minds. To the extent non-scientists without much interest in it ever connect with science, it’s through our ability to serve as a bridge.

All are invited! Bring your game and myth expertise! :D

CfP alert! 📢 Mythological Game Studies Conference @maciejpaprocki.bsky.social and I are organizing an online conference on mythology & video games (May 2025). We're interested in everything games, myth, mythology & mythologies! Abstract deadline: Feb 2! For more: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

#MosaicMonday - A dapper wee parrot from the Altar Room of Palace V, Pergamon: ca. Mid-2nd Century BC. #Bird #AncientBluesky 🏺 Or, to quote Ovid (Amores 2.6.1)... 'Parrot, winged mimic from the dawn-lit east' Image: Berlin Antikensammlung (Mos. 71). Link - recherche.smb.museum/detail/69712...

Gonna take a moment to plug this site that has free pdfs of a lot of really old books that are no longer under copyright, including a bunch of folklore and mythology. So go check that out www.globalgreyebooks.com/category/ebo...

My anger is a biting ember in my fist. Most of the places I could set it down will burn something to the ground, so I keep holding it, trying to find a hearth that needs kindled to heat a home or a cooking pot or do anything beyond recklessly burning the world to ash. #poetry

🌅 The Sixth Sun is an indie adventure that blends Mexica mythology with modern struggles. When an ancient Trickster God and a human drummer face an impending apocalypse, they must discover the power of creation and connection. #Animation #Mythology #aztec #nativehistorymonth #indigenous #mexico

Guest Illustration: Michael Bucci’s Homeric Hymn to Demeter 🏺ClassicsBluesky BlueskyClassics AncientBluesky 🏛️ greekmythcomix.com/comic/guest-...

Thrilled to announce I've been a guest on @mythsbaby.bsky.social excellent "Let's Talk About Myths, Baby!" podcast 👍😍 We discussed why Greek gods behave the way they do: what are their powers and limitations, and what happens when they couple with humans 😂http://mythsbaby.com/episodes

A big question: does modern reception of antiquity primarily use Rome for historical settings and Greece for mythological ones? If yes, why? Has anyone written about this?

"Good food, food freely chosen, is part of living your own life. Although this choice brings with it the responsibility of choosing your food wisely, the alternative is a world where the powerful constrain what you eat, in the name of health, or political and economic expediency." -Rachel Laudan

"Mêtis sat hidden beneath Zeus’ entrails, That mother of Athena, creator of just affairs, The one who knows most of gods and mortals" Μῆτις δ' αὖτε Ζηνὸς ὑπὸ σπλάγχνοις λελαθυῖα ἧστο, ᾿Αθηναίης μήτηρ, τέκταινα δικαίων, πλεῖστα θεῶν εἰδυῖα καταθνητῶν τ' ἀνθρώπων open.substack.com/pub/joelchri...

"No one deserves the right to steal from the garden of your heart that you so lovingly grew."

We seldom admit the seductive comfort of hopelessness. It saves us from ambiguity. It has an answer for every question: "There's just no point." Hope, on the other hand, is messy. If it might all work out, then we have things to do. We must weather the possibility of happiness.

Medusa 🐍🏺🌿

Whenever I hear the first verse of this song, I think of Sisyphus, that midnight rider, the rambler, the gambler, the back biter -- and how he was bold enough to put Death in chains... Sooner or later Gods will cut you down. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IStl...

Just had an absolute blast discussing all things Greek and divine with wonderful @mythsbaby.bsky.social It was a pleasure and honour! "The first thing we have to do is to tell the world the whole astonishing story." PS. Yes, children of Helios are gods 😅😍😍

If you like darker, Celtic-inspired folk, listen to Karliene Reynolds: her songs marry captivating melodies and powerful lyrics, breathtaking in their stark simplicity. youtu.be/9NcgP7b-EAk?...

I want to understand how Greek gods work: their powers, limitations, fears, wants.