Finally! A podcast episode on the elderly in ancient myth, am I right? I’m sure you’ve all been clamouring for content like this for years! Interestingly – or at least for Abi and Sarah – the older characters in myth play very specific roles in society, and we think it’s high time they were championed.
They’re paragons, they’re success stories, and sometimes they’re quite naughty – usually with some pretty dire consequences. It’s a whole different way of looking at the elderly than we do in today’s society.
Ageism is real, people, and it’s a bunch of hooey. I don’t know about you but my elders know a whole bunch more than I do – plus they’ve got a wicked sense of devil-may-care humour.
We’ll take you through some sweet myths about older couples, the pinnacle of male heroism as respected elder warrior (and apparently their long, long, long storytelling prowess), and some old women encouraging depravity cloaked as “sexual liberation”. Fear not, guys, the randy old person is not just limited to men – equal rights...
Expect some Ovid, some Homer, and - for the first time on our cracking (right?) podcast – the GREAT ARISTOPHANES. Seriously, if you’ve got some free time, please check out the quality content in the comedies of Aristophanes. Honestly, he stretches from high – a precursor to Orwellian tensions between utopia and dystopia (we know, right? We surprised ourselves there too) – to low brow jokes: yes, there is plenty of slapstick and filth, naughty and toilet humour alike.
Sorry, guys – we got a bit carried away there fan-girling over Aristophanes...
As usual, we’ve got some fab ancient material culture to tell you about, along with possibly the most perfect mythological moment for all you myth fans out there. Anyway, please do have a listen and find out why we think humanity should take a leaf out of the ancient’s book when it comes to our elders!
The passage you hear at the beginning and end comes from Jenny Joseph’s *AMAZING* poem ‘Warning’.
Artworks discussed:
Atlas, one of a number of captives or bound slaves, Michalengelo Buonarroti, 1525-1530
Nestor’s Cup, found on Ischia, 8th Century BC
Old Drunkard, probably from Smyrna, 1st century AD copy of a 3rd Century BC Hellenistic statue