Ariadne: The Mesmerising Sunday Times Bestselling Retelling of Ancient Greek Myth

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Before Ariadne runs away with Theseus: "Today I would seize my destiny for myself ... My story would not be one of death and suffering and sacrifice." What am I supposed to take from this? That it's impossible for Ariadne to break out of the suffering that men (and gods) cause in creating their legends? She certainly doesn't try - the woman is so passive that she knows nothing about the world or about her own husband. It would be better to write this as a tragedy and show an active heroine who tries to break out of the fate set for her, and who chooses Dionysus because he is interesting and powerful. Discuss Dionysus' indictment of the gods: "The gods do not know love,because they cannot imagine an end to anything they enjoy. Their passions do not burn brightly as a mortal's passions do, because they can have whatever they desire for the rest of eternity. How could they cherish or treasure anything? Nothing to them is more than a passing amusement and when they have done with it, there will be another and another and another, until the end of time itself." Does this description ring true to you? Do you think Dionysus himself is different, especially in his relationship with Ariadne and their sons? Jennifer Saint’s beautiful debut is the reimagining of the Greek mythological story of Ariadne, Princess of Crete, daughter of King Minos and his queen Pasiphae. As a young girl, she is fond of dance, loves her younger sister Phaedra and even helps to take care of her brother Asterion (the Minotaur) when he was a baby, but unable to bear his bestiality as he grows. She grows up listening to her nursemaid’s stories about the gods, goddesses and mortal heroes whose lives have become legends. She is particularly moved by the story of Perseus and Medusa and the story behind how Medusa became a Gorgon. She is witness to her mother’s suffering brought upon by the birth of the Minotaur conceived as an act of revenge exacted by the gods against her father. She ponders over her own fate in a world where gods and men rule and women have no say in the decisions crucial to their lives and are but pawns in the hands of the men who control their fate. Ariadne is horrified by the bloody rites she witnesses between Dionysus, the Maenads, and the resurrected goat. In attempting to understand the Maenads' participation, she reflects: "The ritual gave fearful shape to the anger and the grief that had driven so many of them here in the first place; they screamed and danced in their blood-soaked frenzy by night so that they could live serenely in the sunlight."Does this explanation make sense to you? Can you think of rituals or activities in our culture today that might fill a similar role? Does that justify them?

Ariadne realizes that there is a darker side to the stories of gods and men. Discuss some examples from the novel that bear this out. Is there still a tendency in our culture to valorize men while ignoring women's pain? a b "LacusCurtius • Diodorus Siculus — Book V Chapters 47‑84". penelope.uchicago.edu . Retrieved 2023-05-20. Some of the Naxians also have a story of their own, that there were two Minoses and two Ariadnes, one of whom, they say, was married to Dionysos in Naxos and bore him Staphylos and his brother, and the other, of a later time, having been carried off by Theseus and then abandoned by him, came to Naxos, accompanied by a nurse named Korkyne, whose tomb they show; and that this Ariadne also died there. [32]

There’s something really timeless and universal about those familiar stories that is quite comforting in uncertain times. And the trends for authors revisiting those stories for a contemporary audience has been incredibly popular recently,” said Carvalho.

What I did not know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: However blameless the life we lead, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do.” I am this close to having that quote tattooed on my forehead. (definitely read the content warnings at the bottom for this book though). Some characters make some questionable choices but I understand that these were the grecian times… this book is the perfect addition to my greek mythology shelf and fits right in with ‘circe,’ ‘the silence of girls,’ and ‘a thousand ships.’ Saint skillfully weaves the Greek mythology of heroism and revenge into whole cloth, making the fabric of interactions among humans and gods compelling and entertaining as she shows us that women often get the blame for men's (and gods') actions. Sisterhood is required for survival. Readers of mythology and human relations will enjoy this book. Highly recommended. Lucas, Arthur; Plesters, Joyce (1978). "Titian's 'Bacchus and Ariadne' ". National Gallery Technical Bulletin. 2: 25–47. ISSN 0140-7430. JSTOR 42616250.Broadcaster and classicist Natalie Haynes brilliantly retells the story of the Trojan war from an all-female perspective. She presents a kaleidoscopic view of the war and the women involved in a series of episodes narrated by Calliope, the Greek muse of epic poetry. A fresh take on the Iliad brimming with wit and atmosphere. Ariadne, Princess of Crete, grows up greeting the dawn from her beautiful dancing floor and listening to her nursemaid's stories of gods and heroes. But beneath her golden palace echo the ever-present hoofbeats of her brother, the Minotaur, a monster who demands blood sacrifice. The story continues to follow the separate lives of the two sisters until they meet again years later when it is apparent that both women bear the scars of sorrow, love, betrayal and now deep seeded suspicion of each other as the events that shaped them now threatens to pull them apart. When you read Greek Mythology, you know tragedy is just lurking around the corner and this book is no different. Stories told that, at the moment of her drowning, Scylla was transformed into a seabird. Far from giving her escape from her cruel fate, she was immediately set upon in an endless chase by the crimson-streaked eagle bent upon eternal vengeance. I could well believe the truth of it, for the gods did enjoy a prolonged spectacle of pain.

There are alternate versions to the myth, and one I prefer to others, and this seems at first to follow my preferred ending, yet still ends tragically. When presented with such an option that would make an amazing novelization, Dionysus immortalizing Ariadne as he did his mother, to not use that inspiring, beautiful version seems like an immense waste to me. ESPECIALLY since this is marketed as feminist. Nothing says feminism quite like a needlessly tragic ending, am I right? (Heavy sarcasm) So of course I’m disappointed. As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos's greatest shame and Ariadne's brother - demands blood every year. Barthes, Roland, "Camera Lucida". Barthes quotes Nietzsche, "A labyrinthine man never seeks the truth, but only his Ariadne," using Ariadne in reference to his mother, who had recently died. I really enjoyed the exploration of Pasiphae especially with the birth of Asterion, the Minotaur. It was great to explore this motherhood and how both of the sisters saw different sides of their mother when growing up.

Ariadne is a major character in Mary Renault's historical novel The King Must Die (1958), about the Bronze Age hero Theseus. It’s just really a shame because as much as I dislike “and they lived happily ever after” because I don’t mind a bit of pain, I REALLY don’t like to read about all women needlessly suffering at the hands of or because of men and that being the only message I take away from this novel when it was advertised as a “brilliant feminist debut” and WHEN THERE WAS AN AMAZING ALTERNATIVE WITHIN ESTABLISHED MYTHOLOGY.

Saint’s immersive novel thrusts the reader straight into the heart of Greek mythology with this wonderful reimagining of the story of Ariadne.’– iPaperI love stories about strong female characters, and immediately found Ariadne to be a captivating heroine. Her character is well fleshed out in all of its complexity, triumph, and heartbreak. She displays strength and resilience in the face of adversity, and it was fun to follow along and cheer her on. I also found her relationship with her sister Phaedra heartwarming to read. What happens after the monster is defeated and the princess leaves with the hero? Jennifer Saint’s ARIADNE is a shimmering tapestry of two sisters bound by deceit and the shadows of family history. . .With a fresh voice and keen insight, Saint adds flesh and bone to an ancient myth, drawing the reader into an uneasy world of ever-afters.’– Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of THE NIGHT TIGER