Baytown Library's Blog

As someone who grew up reading Greek myths for fun, I find it a bit sad that so few people actually know any myths, and frustrated when I see Greek figures like Hades misrepresented in movies. I understand that this happens because the ancient Greek myths are often perceived as having no value or relevance to our modern society, however, I think that this line of thinking is incorrect because the themes of many myths are still relevant and many of the stories and figures can be recontextualized in such a way that they become relevant to our current struggles.  To begin, let’s talk about Icarus and his wax wings. For the uninitiated, the myth of Icarus tells the story of how the young, Icarus, and his father, Daedalus, used wings made of bird feathers held together by wax to escape their prison. As they flew, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the water because it would make the wings soggy and unable to fly. He then warned his son not to fly too close to the sun for it wou

What if you were the child of a legendary Greek god?  Would you use your amazing powers for good, fighting monsters and going on dangerous quests? Or would you stay safe and hidden at Camp Half-Blood, a place where demigods (half-gods, half-humans) can be safe? The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan explores this possibility. Percy Jackson, the demigod son of Poseidon is a 12 year old with dyslexia who has been expelled from school several times as a result of bizarre “accidents”. After one such accident reveals his math teacher to be a Fury, Percy is expelled from school one last time. That summer, his mom drives him to Camp Half-Blood, but when they arrive a Minotaur turns her into light and teleports her to the Underworld. Upon his arrival at the camp, he meets Annabeth, a 12 year old daughter of Athena. It is then revealed that his friend Grover is actually a Satyr and his Latin teacher is Chiron, the legendary teacher of heroes. Percy is then sent on a quest along with Annabeth and