Greek hero myth

Greek myths are sagas that can be told around the fire over many nights – the snippet here is a small part of a story that’s one stage of a long, epic quest. It helps explain some of the things to think about when writing your hero myth.

Talk BIG. Tiny hero vs giant monster. Spoken stories cannot be subtle.
Repeat names. In four sentences, Odysseus’ name is said three times. The Cyclops is four times. Repeating names keeps everyone following the tale.
Summarise action. Myths are low on detail but big on action. The storyteller gives a lot of information in this paragraph. A Cyclops eating people, huge stone blocking the way, sheep herding. Days pass. What will Odysseus do?

On finding Odysseus and his men in the cave, the Cyclops became enraged, grabbed two of the men, smashed their heads against the rocks, ate them, and fell asleep. Odysseus dared do nothing to the Cyclops, since only the Cyclops was strong enough to move the stone away from the mouth of the cave. The next morning, the Cyclops grabbed two more men, smashed their heads against the rocks, and ate them for his breakfast. He then rolled away the stone, led out his herd of sheep, and rolled the stone back to close the cave. Odysseus devised a plan.

Odysseus and the Cyclops (from The Odyssey)

A diver swimming near the statue 'Christ of the Sailors'.

When first Rene swam closer, the Behemoth opened its stone arms wide, and Rene retreated, quickly. For two days, Rene repeated this, keeping distant, not daring to approach the Behemoth, since it was clearly powerful enough to destroy him with a single movement. On the third day, the Behemoth lowered its gaze, put its hands to its face and began to shake as if it were weeping. It was then Rene saw that the Behemoth was secured to the ocean floor by huge metal manacles. The algae covering it told Rene that Behemoth had been imprisoned for years. Filled with pity, he decided to help the wretched creature.

Write a small part of a saga that could be told around the fire, using the photo as a starting point. Keep your listeners attention by keeping the action big and the details low, repeating what’s important.

Genre Mix 03 (Middle years)