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Historian Herodotus
› “The Histories”: Herodotus chose which
versions of stories to keep based on what
was a better story and more politically
expedient
› Therefore, much controversy
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Differences:
› No Spartan went into battle bare chested
 Known for armor and chest plates
› Spartans were not heroes
 Kept slaves
 Interestingly, strange male/female equality
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Similarities:
› Not all Spartans were warriors
› Betrayed by Ephialtes
› “Tonight we dine in hell”
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Primary Sources:
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Homer’s Iliad
Major/minor works from Greece & Rome
Medieval European sources
Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida
Art from:
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Mycenae
Knossos
Pylos
Troy
Background
 Abilities
 “Incredible Hercules” vs. “Hercules”
 Zeus, Apollo, Ares, Hera, Pluto, Athena, and
Poseidon all make appearances
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› Zeus favors Hercules
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“Incredible Hercules” issue #129
› Descent into Underworld to find missing Zeus
› Set in casino scene
› Hades as “Lord of the Dead”
Background
 Siblings: Demeter, Hera,
Poseidon, Pluto & Vesta
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› Hera became his Queen
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Weapon: lightning bolt
forged from the flames of
Olympus by Hephaestus was his usual
weapon of choice
Gods of Olympus
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Theodore Roosevelt depicted as infant Hercules
grappling with the Standard Oil Company
“Odysseus and the
Cyclops”
“Pandora’s Box”
“Perseus and Medusa”
“The Trojan Horse”
“The Twelve Labors of
Hercules”
“Theseus and the Minotaur”
Similar to book
 More male/female/family interaction in
order to gain more crowd
 Otherwise, very
similar
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T.S. Eliot “Gerontion”:
› I was neither at the hot gates
Nor fought in the warm rain
Nor knee deep in the salt marsh,
heaving a cutlass,
Bitten by flies, fought.

Sylvia Plath “Letter in November”:
› O love, O celibate.
Nobody but me
Walks the waist high wet.
The irreplaceable
Golds bleed and deepen, the mouths of Thermopyla.

Lord Byron “Don Juan” canto iii:
› Earth! render back from out thy breast
A remnant of our Spartan dead!
Of the three hundred grant but three,
To make a new Thermopylae!
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A.E. Housman “The Oracles”:
› The King with half the East at heel is marched from land of
morning;
Their fighters drink the rivers up, their shafts benight the air,
And he that stands will die for nought, and home there’s
no returning.
The Spartans on the sea-wet rock sat down and combed
their hair.

Emily Dickinson “Go Tell It — What a Message”:
› “Go tell it” — What a Message –
To whom — is specified –
Not murmur — not endearment –
But simply — we — obeyed –
Obeyed — a Lure — a Longing?
Oh Nature — none of this –
To Law — said sweet Thermopylae
I give my dying Kiss –
“The Muse”
 “Sirens”
 “Clash of the Titans”
 “Troy”
 “Alexander”

“Despite the introduction of Christianity and subsequent
decline of early Roman religion, Roman mythology
stayed intact and continues to impact modern
Western society today. Many people find these
ancient myths fascinating and they are often taught
in schools. Much of Western society’s literature has
felt the impact of Roman mythology and tells the
stories of its gods and goddesses. Mythical names
and creatures are often used for businesses or sports
teams to symbolize their strength or power.
The Roman myths that were first told many centuries
ago can still be found in modern society in different
ways. Movies, stories, comic book heroes and
business logos show the continued impact of Roman
mythology on Western civilization.”
(The Impact of Roman Mythology)
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"300 Spartans - Frank Miller's 300 Historical Accuracy - Spartan Warriors of
History." 300 Movie Quotes - Quotable Lines from the Movie 300 Quotations. 15 July 2009 <http://www.300quotes.com/spartans/>.
Age of Bronze Comics Homepage - The Story of the Trojan War ." Age of
Bronze Comics Homepage - The Story of the Trojan War . 15 July
2009 <http://age-of-bronze.com/aob/index.shtml>.
"Hercules (Marvel Comics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia."
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 16 July 2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(Marvel_Comics)>.
Miller, Frank, and Lynn Varley. 300. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse, 1999.
"The Impact of Roman Mythology." Articles, Blogs and Information on
Mythology. 22 July 2009 <http://www.myths-andmythology.com/articles/mythology-impact/roman-impact.php>.
"Zeus (Marvel Comics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia."
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 18 July 2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus_(Marvel_Comics)>.
"Zeus - Marvel Universe: The definitive online source for Marvel super hero
bios.." Marvel: The Official Site | Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men,
Wolverine and all Marvel Comics, News, Movies and Video Games
Marvel.com. 20 July 2009 <http://marvel.com/universe/Zeus>.