Nov 25
One of the more oddball Greek myths I am fascinated with is that of Zeus and Ganymede. It’s NSFW so buckle up, and like most Greek myths, differs according to who tells it. Basically, Ganymede was a comely youth who caught the eye of Zeus so Zeus kidnapped him in the form of an eagle, …
Nov 22
Pretty much all fantasy writers are familiar with Greek myths, or they should be: they’re one of the unfailing constants of Western Culture. The Iliad, which told of the fall of Troy (and the Trojan horse.) The Odyssey, about the hero Odysseus’s epic journey to find his way home. Theseus and the Minotaur, Icarus who …
Oct 24
Some Biblical scholars believe the apple of the Garden of Eden was actually a pomegranate, apples being unknown in the Middle East many thousands of years ago. But I’m sure it wasn’t a fruit like this one, which is beautiful yet eerie.
Sep 20
Orange is a color that literally didn’t exist in the English language before the 16th century. When people wanted to describe an orange hue, they used word composites like yellow-red or red-gold, or sometimes saffron. Only after Portuguese merchants began to import orange trees to Europe did the shade receive a name. In France the …
Aug 23
A centauride is the Greek term for a female centaur. Though only one was named in Greek myth, they were common motifs in ancient Greek and Roman art and have remained so up until the present day. Walt Disney even played a riff on them for Fantasia (1940); they were going to be bare-breasted …
Aug 11
Now we come to my favorite part of the Summer of Narnia — posting endless depictions of my favorite character, Queen Jadis, late of Charn. (She’s the same person as the White Witch, but Queen of Charn is her first incarnation, so to speak.) There have been many stage productions of The Magician’s Nephew over …
Jul 09
I forgot to add this picture to my previous post. Not sure if it’s meant to be the White Witch, but it could… except for that elephant head peeking out from top left, and the cathedral-like imagery.
Jun 24
Over the past year I’ve come across many more depictions of my favorite Narnian character, The White Witch, who is open to more interpretations than any of the “good” characters the reader is supposed to align with. The children mostly differ in the color of their hair, while Aslan is nothing other than a golden-maned …
May 30
On to the second part of my Zeptoons series. There is much more to explore on Deviantart, including these toons by artist and writer electricsorbet, who, like her compatriot Nicola Rivka, mines LZ and other bands for worshipful and often satirical content. In her art she concentrates on the darker side of LZ: Jimmy’s heroin …
May 28
Now we come to the part of Zep May I have been so excited about. Zeptoons! Done by fans, in loving homage to the band. The one above depicts an incident from a real-life concert where live doves were released, one happening to fly right into Robert’s hand. But the artist turns it into more …