And through the time that Zeus is dragging Prometheus to the mountain to chain him, he's just inwardly hoping Prometheus could just apologize about the whole thing, and he'd forget the punishment altogether. Both Prometheus and Zeus basically acknowledge that him stealing the fire was not just disobedience from a superior, but a personal betrayal from a beloved friend. To be clear, it's not that they're NOT assholes, but that they are more than just assholes.įor that tale, Zeus wasn't just a tyrant who feared humanity rising up to his level, and he wasn't just a cruel and petty dipshit, but he was also.a hurt friend. I personally think the focus on them being petty cruel assholes to the point of overlapping anything else is a very shallow and unsatisfying characterization of them, and it's an interpretation that Stephen Fry doesn't pander to.

Never look in the kitchen of your favorite restaurant, I guess. Like you knew they had issues but they attended white supremacy rallies as well! To me it’s like finding out that your favorite actor or singer is actually a racist or something. What does Artemis do that modern retelling people seem to forget? Artemis exiles the Priestess. I’ve read that in modern times this is shown of men corrupting women etc. One tale of Artemis who is a champion of women and virgins (and more modern of Lesbians apparently) had one of her priestesses raped by Zeus. Humans were literally their playthings and if they ever took notice of you for good or ill you were up a creek. What most people know of the Greek gods is a light fun version. Apollo skinned a man alive for claiming to play music better than him. The gods (and yeah yeah they are gods) would rape, steal, kill, whatever.Įven the “good” gods like Athena and Apollo.

Yeah he cheated on Hera, but he just loved/was horny. Zeus I more or less knew but it was usually a romanticized verion. Why? Because the gods are flaming assholes. I really enjoyed my time with it BUT ultimately I am disappointed. The Greek gods and the creation of the world etc etc etc. A fun and educational read about Ancient Greek Myth. So, I’ve finished the book “Mythos” by Stephen Fry.

Mythos by stephen fry