Latest news with #Odysseus
National Geographic
a day ago
- Entertainment
- National Geographic
The original sirens in mythology weren't the seductresses we know today
Sirens torment Ulysses with their enchanting song in Herbert James Draper's 1909 painting titled 'Ulysses and the Sirens.' Draper portrays the Sirens as sexualized mermaids, consistent with other Edwardian era depictions of the creatures. © Ferens Art Gallery / Bridgeman Images For thousands of years sirens have lured sailors, haunted coastlines—and shapeshifted through myth and media. Here's how they evolved to the seductive mermaids of our modern imagination. The Greek hero Odysseus famously faces many travails as he attempts to return home following the Trojan War, from giant cannibals to enigmatic enchantresses. But one challenge stands out as perhaps the most evocative, dangerous, and enduring of them all: the sirens, with their hypnotic and mesmerizing song, who call to passing sailors. To stop is certain death. They're powerful and mysterious figures and even now, of all the creatures from Greek myths, audiences simply can't get enough of them. Sirens have been a fixture of the Western imagination since the time of Homer and the composition of The Odyssey in the 8th century B.C. They appear in the works of ancient Roman writers like Pliny the Elder and Ovid, and one even appears in Dante's Divine Comedy. They fascinated painters of the 19th century and now lend their name to television shows and the "siren-core" fashion aesthetic touted by social media creators. (Dante's 'Inferno' is a journey to hell and back.) But these mythological creatures have shifted forms dramatically over the centuries, transforming with the times to reflect society's complicated and ever-changing relationship with desire. In modern popular culture, sirens are alluring creatures of the sea, most commonly women, often sporting shimmering mermaid tails. But their ancient Greek roots weren't fishlike at all; instead, they were bird-bodied creatures associated with death. Here's how sirens have evolved over time, and why their song stays so loud in popular culture. A attic terracotta status from Greece 300 BCE shows Sirens in their original, bird-woman form. Photograph by Peter Horree, Alamy Stock Photo This artwork titled 'A Siren and a Centaur' shows how classical mythology and artistic imagination have blended together to reshape Sirens iconography. The piece portrays a bird-like siren (left) and centaur (right) in an imaginative and dynamic scene. Photograph by ART Collection, Alamy Stock Photo Homer's Odyssey is the sirens' earliest appearance. Thought to have been composed sometime in the 8th century B.C., the poem follows the winding path of the hero Odysseus as he returns home to Ithaca and his long-suffering wife from the Trojan War. Along the way, he faces Greek gods, marvels, and monsters, including the sirens. The sorceress Circe warns him about the creatures, telling him that they 'bewitch all passersby. If anyone goes near them in ignorance, and listens to their voices, that man will never travel to his home.' Odysseus plugs his men's ears with wax, so they won't be lured—but he leaves his own ears free and commands his men to bind him to the ship's mast, so he's able to hear their promises as they tempt him with the prospect of knowledge and tales of heroic deeds. (The Odyssey offers monsters and magic—and also a real look into the ancient world.) But the Odyssey is far from the only story featuring the sirens. They also appear in the Argonautica, a 3rd century B.C. epic poem following Jason and the Argonauts in their search for the Golden Fleece, where sirens are described as daughters of the river god Achelous and the muse Terpsichore. The musician Orpheus snatches up his lyre to drown out their song—but not before one member of the crew throws himself in the ocean. Tradition has it that the names of those sirens were Parthenop, Ligeia and Leucosia. Perhaps the siren's most important distinguishing feature—and the one that remains to this day—is their voice. 'It's a hypnotic voice, it lures people, makes them forget everything, in a lot of cases makes them fall asleep,' says Marie-Claire Beaulieu, associate professor of classical studies at Tufts University. 'Essentially, people become so hypnotized that they forget everything.' What do sirens symbolize in Greek culture? 'When the ancients say sirens, they mean a bird-bodied woman,' says Beaulieu. Closely associated with death, sirens' bird legs and wings show that they're liminal creatures who dwell betwixt and between. Their connection with the sea, which the ancient Greeks considered profoundly dangerous, and their wings, situate them somewhere between earth and air. Sirens were a fixture of ancient Greek funerary art, such as stele, a type of grave marker. For example, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts holds a funerary plaque from the 7th century B.C. depicting a mourning scene, in which two women flank a funeral couch that holds a corpse. Crouched underneath is a siren. Some sources, including Euripides' 5th century B.C. play Helen and Ovid's 8th century A.D. poem Metamorphoses, associate the sirens with Persephone, the goddess of spring carried off by Hades, god of the underworld, to become his queen. Some stories say they were given wings to seek Persephone. According to Beaulieu, som e sources, including the Argonautica , show sirens as the daughters of one of the Muses. 'Except that in a way, they're the Muses of death, instead of the Muses of life, because they lure people to death with this singing,' says Beaulieu. This mural from the 14th century shows a Siren playing music. During this period, the enchantresses were depicted as both bird-women and mermaids. Photograph by Heritage Image Partnership Ltd, Alamy Stock Photo How the iconography of sirens has evolved Sirens retained their bird bodies into the time of the Roman Empire and well beyond; Pliny the Elder includes them in the 'Fabulous Birds' section of his Natural History, written around A.D. 77, claiming they lull men to sleep with their song and then tear them to pieces. (Though he's a skeptic that they exist.) But over the course of the Middle Ages, the siren transformed. More and more they began exhibiting fishtails, not bird bodies. The two types coexisted from the 12th through 14th centuries at least, Beaulieu explains, but eventually the mermaid-like creature emerged as dominant. That shift is probably thanks in part to the strong Greek and Roman tradition of unrelated sea gods like Triton, as well as the sirens' association with water. But it's also thanks in no small part to the influence of Celtic folklore traditions. 'The blending is a super interesting syncretism of cultures,' says Beaulieu, pointing to 14th century tradition about St. Brendan the Navigator, an early Irish Christian whose journeys parallel those of Odysseus. Naturally, he encounters a siren on his odyssey—only this one is wholly recognizable to modern audiences as a mermaid. How Christianity has shaped Greek mythology As the physical appearance of the sirens began to shift, so did their symbolic meaning. The sirens of ancient Greece were considered beautiful—but they tempted Odysseus with songs of glory, not simply sex. Ancient Greeks were more concerned with power dynamics, so a man having sex with a subordinate woman wasn't a problem. 'You get into trouble when you have a goddess having sex with a mortal, for instance,' explains Beaulieu. "That's part of what would have given the sirens their menace." But medieval Christianity saw sex and sirens differently. They became symbols of temptation itself, a way to talk about the lures of worldly pleasures and the deceptive, corrupting pull of sin. Hence the appearance of a siren in Dante's 14th century Divine Comedy. The very same creature who tempted Odysseus comes to Dante in a dream and identifies herself as 'the pleasing siren, who in midsea leads mariners astray.' In the end, his guide and companion through the underworld (the epic poet Virgil) grabs her, tears her clothing, and exposes the 'stench' of her belly showing the medieval siren is sexually alluring but repulsive. Those medieval temptresses are unmistakably the roots of modern sirens, with their dangerously attractive songs. The association between sirens, mermaids, and temptation only grew tighter in the 19th century, when painters returned again and again to creamy-skinned, bare-breasted sirens with lavish hair. There is no better example than John William Waterhouse's turn-of-the-century painting The Siren, where a lovely young woman gazes down at a stricken, shipwrecked young sailor who looks both terrified and enthralled. The sirens of modern-day popular culture Millennia later, the sirens continue to resonate. They're even inspiration for a fashion aesthetic: sirencore, a beachy and romantic look with just a little hint of menace. Modern creatives, meanwhile, are still turning to the sirens as a source of inspiration and a rich symbol for exploring power, gender, and knowledge. Netflix's new release Sirens, which adapts Molly Smith Metzler's 2011 play Elemeno Pea and stars Julianne Moore, explicitly grapples with the mythological figure. Director Nicole Kassell told The Hollywood Reporter, 'I love the idea of analyzing the idea of what a siren is, and who says what a siren is—the sailor. It's very fun to get to go back and consider it from a female lens.' Black sirens navigate the challenges of modern-day sexism and racism in Bethany C. Morrow's 2020 A Song Below Water; a Puerto Rican immigrant falls in love with a merman on turn-of-the-century Coney Island in Venessa Vida Kelley's 2025 When The Tides Held The Moon. For many writers, sirens are an opportunity to turn old tales and stereotypes on their head, using characters who've long been reviled and distrusted for their controversial power. The Sirens by Emilia Hart is one such modern-day retelling, which weaves between the modern day, and the 19th century transportation of Irish women convicts to Australia. 'I thought this mythological creature was the perfect way to give my female characters some power back into this historical narrative,' she explains. 'I wanted to make this general comment on how we think about women and how we have this idea of women as being temptresses, and we demonize them and we overly sexualize them, as a way of trying to explain or perhaps diminish their power,' she says. In the hands of modern-day writers, the sea can become a place of transformation, freedom, and potential. And sirens can be restored to a place of power and wisdom—and, yes, a bit of danger too.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov review – how it feels to lose a father
The Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov was published quietly in the Anglophone world for years before he won the 2023 International Booker prize with Time Shelter, about an Alzheimer's clinic that recreates the past so successfully, it beguiles the wider world. He is perhaps now Bulgaria's biggest export. Ever playful, never linear, his new novel Death and the Gardener consists of vignettes of a beloved dying and dead father, told by a narrator who, like Gospodinov, is an author. Gospodinov has spoken publicly about losing his own father recently, and the novel feels autobiographical in tone. When we read 'My father was a gardener. Now he is a garden,' it is not the beginning of an Archimboldiesque surrealist tale, but rather a more direct exploration of how we express and where we put our love. It is harder to write about fathers than about mothers, the narrator says. 'The father is a different sort of presence – shadowy, mysterious, sometimes frightening, often absent, clinging to the snorkel of a cigarette, he swims in other waters and clouds.' The book attempts a remedy, capturing a gentle man whose passion is his garden, and the grief of losing him. Odysseus and the biblical Joseph are used as examples of elusive fathers, but not ones without heart. The novel references the episode in Homer's Odyssey where Odysseus, after years away, watches his aged father, Laertes, tend to his garden, and this book is in a sense an expansion of that particular scene. Death and the Gardener is also a rebuff to the kind of toxic patriarchal culture that flourished under communist rule. The narrator recalls the story someone told him of a classmate who, when asked by a teacher where his father works, replies 'the slap factory', one of the book's both sad and funny anecdotes. Communist party officials destroy the narrator's father's too-tight trousers and make him cut his own hair and the 'Beatles-like' hair of his young sons. The father's life is one of poverty and lost dreams, but he 'managed to turn every place into a garden, every house into a home'. As the father ages and sickens, the narrator develops a love-hate relationship with his garden. He loves the 'buzzing Zen of the bees', its beauty, the way it is a declaration of love in a culture where 'it is not customary to say things like I love you', but he also thinks 'there was some fatal connection, some Faustian deal, between them. I imagined it slowly sucking away his strength, feeding the fruit and roses within it, the rosier the cherries, tulips and tomatoes grew, the paler he became.' We sit with the narrator in the hospital and at his father's deathbed. Overwhelmed by medical language – 'suspected propagation in the cerebrospinal canal' – he muses that 'until now I had known that Latin was a dead language. Now I know that it is the language of death.' As well as describing Bulgarian funerary traditions (eat boiled wheat by someone's grave, and you will dream about them), the novel also captures how technology has changed our relationship to death. 'After death the phone is a source of metaphysical horror.' A few days after his father's funeral, the late man's mobile phone rings. A voice on the line says, 'Hey Dinyo, hope you're not sleeping…' We are told of a woman who buries her dead husband with his phone, only to have it ring her a few days later. 'I was scared, then I decided to call him back and he didn't answer.' The narrator, too, keeps almost accidentally calling his father before remembering. There are some cliches, and the luxurious jetsetting of the narrator grows tiresome, but the occasional slip is easily forgiven in such a warm and melancholic writer – the kind who also remarks, 'I wonder whether flowers aren't covert assistants to the dead who lie beneath them, observing the world through the periscope of their stems'. The book is endlessly quotable, and the narrator's travel bragging is put into an empathetic context by the lack of travel allowed to Bulgarians under the Soviet regime. He tells us of his father's one trip abroad to Finland, a reward from his agricultural collective for good work. The amount that Bulgarians are allowed to spend there is limited by the Communist party. Another man on the trip smuggles extra spending money, hiding it in hand-rolled cigarettes. In a fit of excitement over finally getting to travel, he accidentally smokes it. Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov, translated by Angela Rodel, is published by Orion (£18.99). To support the Guardian, order your copy at Delivery charges may apply
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Odyssey fans baffled by resale movie tickets going for $400 a year before film's highly anticipated release
IMAX tickets for Christopher Nolan's next epic, The Odyssey, are already being resold for upwards of $500, after selling out within hours of their release. Advanced tickets for the Oscar-winning director's forthcoming movie, starring Matt Damon, Zendaya, and Tom Holland, went on sale at midnight Thursday — an entire year before its July 17, 2026, debut. Premiere screenings are taking place across the globe next year — in select U.S. and Canadian cities, as well as London, Melbourne, and Prague — at theaters equipped with IMAX 70mm screens. Some lucky fans on Reddit managed to snag single tickets for around $32, plus fees. However, by Thursday afternoon, scalpers were already listing them on sites like eBay for much more. 'The Odyssey 70mm IMAX tickers are already going for $500 buy now on eBay I hope you're proud of yourselves IMAX rollout team,' one irritated fan wrote on X. Matt Damon leads 'The Odyssey' as the Greek hero Odysseus (Universal) A quick search of eBay did, in fact, reveal a listing for two reserved seats to a July 19, 2026 showing. The seller has the two tickets listed for $399. 'The Odyssey tickets have already hit eBay. Good grief!' a second noted, while a third found it 'insane that [tickets] are already being sold for double what it is retail price.' A fan has already posted two tickets to a July 2026 viewing of 'The Odyssey' on eBay for $399 (eBay) 'Someone is trying to resell 2x BFI IMAX 70mm tickets for The Odyssey for £94 Great British Pounds! These tickets are for second row seats right against the wall… THE AUDACITY,' a fourth added. 'That resale pic of Odyssey tickets can't be real. Who the hell is reselling movie tickets lmfaoooo,' another laughed. The Odyssey 70mm IMAX tickers are already going for $500 buy now on eBay I hope you're proud of yourselves IMAX rollout team — Marco Andre (@mrmarcoandre) July 17, 2025 The Independent has contacted IMAX for comment. The decision to sell tickets this early seems to be strategic, despite being unprecedented. After the success of Nolan's previous Oscar-winning feature Oppenheimer, which grossed $975.8 million globally and made over $190 million of its revenue from IMAX screenings alone, it can be assumed that studios and theaters would prefer to lean further into that demand. Earlier this year, it was reported that The Odyssey is being shot entirely on IMAX cameras, the first commercial feature film to do so. The new IMAX cameras, which are reportedly lighter and 30 percent quieter, eliminate the usual problems that come with traditional film and digital cameras, like scanning and processing of the film stock. They also allow the director to easily watch dailies while filming. The Odyssey, which is still filming, is an adaptation of Homer's epic Greek poem. The story follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of Ithaca, as he journeys home after the Trojan War. However, his expedition proves perilous as he has to battle numerous threats and mythological creatures. Holland has been cast as Odysseus's son Telemachus, while Charlize Theron has been cast as the goddess Circe. Zendaya's role has yet to be announced, and the characters played by Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, and Anne Hathaway also remain unknown. Other recent casting announcements include Mia Goth, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Benny Safdie, and Elliot Page. The Odyssey will be released in theaters on July 17, 2026.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey movie tickets now on sale, beginning movie fans' epic wait till its release
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Get ready for an exercise in patience, as movie tickets for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey officially went on sale for US and UK moviegoers today, July 17, one year from when the movie is set to premiere exclusively in movie theaters. That's right, The Odyssey won't be playing until July 17, 2026, but you can purchase your tickets right now to make sure you're among the first to see the Oscar-winning director's next epic movie. This is great news for anyone who really likes to plan ahead! There are a couple of key details that you need to know, though — the only tickets available to purchase right now are for movie theaters that can show IMAX 70mm screenings; Nolan's preferred format, to the point he is the first filmmaker to shoot an entire movie with IMAX cameras with The Odyssey. Tickets to see The Odyssey in other formats won't be available until an as-yet-undisclosed time closer to the movie's release date. Nolan's The Odyssey is based on the epic Greek poem by Homer about Odysseus, a Greek king, who must go through an epic journey home after the Trojan War, where he encounters all kinds of challenges from Gods and monsters. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, while the cast includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron and Jon Bernthal. Selling tickets for a movie a year in advance of when people can actually go see it is something more akin to a Taylor Swift or Beyoncé concert, but Nolan has become a signature event for many movie fans. I include myself in that. A big reason why I opted to go watch Jurassic World Rebirth in movie theaters was because I wanted to see The Odyssey teaser trailer that was included with it as that was the only way to see it the trailer as it has yet to be released online (it's also now playing in front of Superman). What this really signals is The Odyssey countdown for fans. All apologies to 2025 new movies like Bugonia, Sentimental Value, Wicked: For Good and 2026 movies like 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Project Hail Mary and others, but The Odyssey is probably the movie I am most excited to see between now and when it premieres. However, it's going to be quite a wait; thankfully, not as long as Odysseus, though. If you're ready to clear your calendar and make sure you have your spot to watch The Odyssey the way Christopher Nolan intended, then go ahead and grab your The Odyssey IMAX tickets today. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Record
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
The Moray spots where Matt Damon and Tom Holland have been filming The Odyssey
Directed by Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey stars Damon as Odysseus and Holland as his son Telemachus Hollywood actors Matt Damon and Tom Holland have been filming scenes for their upcoming movie The Odyssey in Scotland. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film is based on the ancient Greek poem about Odysseus and his journey home after years at war. Damon, 54, stars as Odysseus, with 29-year-old Holland playing his son, Telemachus. Filming locations include Morocco, Greece, Sicily, and notably the Moray Firth coast in Scotland. The Moray Firth is known for its resident population of around 130 bottlenose dolphins, often seen near the shore. Harbour seals are also common in the area. And there have also been occasional sightings of harbour porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, minke whales, pilot whales, and killer whales further out at sea. On the southern shore of the Moray Firth, Culbin Forest stands on one of the largest sand dune systems in Britain. Beyond the trees lies the 7-kilometre Culbin Bar, the UK's best example of a large natural shingle spit. The forest includes mature pine plantations supporting wildlife typical of native Caledonian forests, with species such as roe deer, red squirrels, badgers, and pine martens present. Culbin is a large area of sandy beaches, salt marsh, and forestry east of Burghead, with a duck pond and wide views across the Firth. Filming has taken place there over several days, with a local car park closed for the duration. The actors were seen filming in Burghead, a coastal town with a population of just under 2,000. The town has ancient origins, with a large Pictish fort dating back around 1,000 years. Burghead is known for the Boxing Day Swim, an annual charity event, and the Burning of the Clavie, a traditional fire festival celebrated on January 11, according to the old Julian calendar. From Burghead, Damon and Holland travelled by boat to Culbin Forest, where a car park was closed for filming. The forest is popular with cyclists and horse riders and is home to diverse wildlife, including roe deer, red squirrels, badgers, pine martens, and a duck pond. Additional filming took place in Buckie and near the ruins of Findlater Castle close to Cullen. Buckie is a small fishing town with a large harbour, marina, two golf courses, a leisure centre, and two outdoor bowling parks. The area is known for its coastal scenery, wildlife, and nearby attractions such as Bow Fiddle Rock near Portknockie. Findlater Castle, a well-known ruin overlooking the Moray Firth, sits on a rocky outcrop and is a notable historical site. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. While in the area, the cast and crew dined at a local hotel, with Damon telling staff at The Seafield Arms in Cullen that their food was "the best [they'd] had on [their] journey around the world". The blockbuster star also praised the "remarkable" workers and posed for pictures with them. The town's culinary speciality is Cullen Skink, a fish and vegetable soup which is known around the world. In Inverness, filming included scenes involving the Draken Harald Hårfagre, described as the world's largest Viking ship built in modern times. The ship was moored in the Cromarty Firth. While in the capital of the Highlands, Holland's girlfriend and co-star Zendaya popped into a local gelateria for an ice cream, posing for a pic with staff and telling them she'd be back with Tom. Filming of The Odyssey has been ongoing for several weeks in the Moray Firth locations. The Odyssey is due to be released next July.
