Greeced Lightning

Greeced Lightning supports a permanent end to the violence and genocide in Gaza. We encourage you to take action however you are able. The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. Or maybe it’s the myth of Orpheus. You be the judge! This #MythMonday, special guest Jackie Banigan joins us for the rock star of ancient Greece, 19th century Parisian demimonde, and high...

Greeced Lightning supports a permanent end to the violence and genocide in Gaza. We encourage you to take action however you are able. CW: suicide. After starting this super-sized episode with some good old-fashioned Plato-bashing, Sara and Sam consider Cleopatra’s connections to the Roman civil wars, drunken Richard Burton, and royal bedroom exploits of multiple genders. Roman hairstyles On the p...

Greeced Lightning supports a permanent end to the violence and genocide in Gaza. We encourage you to take action however you are able. Today Sam and Sara dive into the world of the Amazons, including: misogynistic geographers, Artemis/Diana’s rage, poorly designed armor, chaotic special effects, and crimes against the voice of David Thewlis. Ovid's Metamorphoses 3.138-252 - A.S. Kline's translatio...

I’m Spartacus! You’re Spartacus! Today we’re taking a deep dive on Roman slavery and Spartacus’s revolt. Join us for the brutality of the rich, paganism-Judaism crossovers, ancient grooming practices, and a little objectification of classic film stars. Wikimedia Commons - Kylix attributed to Apollodorus showing two women removing pubic hair, from early 5th c. BCE. Housed in the archaeological muse...

This #MythMonday, Sara and Sam discuss Theseus, also known as Heracles 2.0 and Ancient Greece’s chief asshole. Sara mangles Greek geography and bemoans the genre of myth soup movies. Sam finds a new model of fatherhood. The hosts drool over Henry Cavill. Mask of Agamemnon Medea's drakon-pulled chariot - Red-figure krater from late 5th/early 4th c. BCE. Daedalus and Icarus - Translation of Ovid's M...

CW: kidnapping, rape, Stockholm syndrome. If that didn’t scare you off, join Sam and Sara for the legend of the Sabine women. Discussion includes: white people dancing, mystery pregnancies, the powerful effect of baby animals on your hosts, and a proposed alternate ending. Hephzibah: Wikipedia - Did you already know who Hephzibah was? You're way ahead of us! The Sobbin' Women, by Stephen Vincent B...

Greeced Lightning is back! We’re kicking off Season 2 with a foreign film and a very special guest. Josh Lindal of Screens of the Stone Age podcast joins us for the story of Romulus and Remus and the movie Il Primo Re: twin drama, swamp settlements, ancient hominids, and how often we think about the Roman Empire. Find Screens of the Stone Age at: https://pasc-scpa.ca/sotsa https://bsky.app/profile...

Sara and Sam had the pleasure of joining the fine folks at Screens of the Stone Age for a guest episode, so please enjoy this feed drop of their show! Today we’re reviewing Attila (2001), a two-part TV miniseries about the infamous king of the Huns, who was a different person from Genghis Khan. We know so little about this period that we needed to invite some guests to help us out: Sara Hales-Brit...

In the Season 1 finale, Sara has a little gift for Luke and Sam before diving into the life and times of the Macedonian king and general Alexander the Great. The hosts revel in Irish accents galore. Sam investigates the four versions of the movie Alexander, including nudity, so that you don’t have to. P.S. At 24 minutes, Sara says Pelopponesian Wars when she should have said Persian Wars. Whoops!...

Join Sara, Luke, and Sam for the Aristophanic comedy, Lysistrata! The hosts take a (non-binding) vow of chastity, debate the merits of a big brass bed, and question John Cusack’s presence in a Spike Lee film. Why Are Ancient Greek Phalluses Funny? - If you're curious what Greek comedic actors' false phalluses might have looked like, this article includes photos of 5th-4th c. BCE vase paintings and...

Sara, Luke and Sam take a wild and dirty ride through the underbelly of Rome with Petronius’s Satyricon. Join us for Neronian conspiracies, Priapic purification rituals, Roman Donald Trump, and the literary connections to Harold & Kumar. Bonus: discussion of ancient dildos. CW: suicide, sexual assault and explicit sexual content The long and satisfying 28,000-year history of the dildo - More i...

Get in loser, we’re going to steal the Golden Fleece! Sara, Luke, and Sam dig into the myth behind 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts. Join us for Hecate worship, talking boats, stop-motion magic, and the invention of disc golf. Phineus & Harpies - A 5th c. BCE red figure painting of the Harpies stealing Phineus's food. Theocritus, Idyll 2 - Early 20th century translation of a poem about a woman named...

Sara, Luke, and Sam take an uncomfortable dive into the religious violence of late Roman Alexandria with the film Agora. Sam puts on his historian hat to teach Luke and Sara about Serapis; all three hosts condemn the openness of men’s restrooms. Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, ed. Helen Strudwick - Sam teaches Sara and Luke about Serapis based on what he learned in this book. A great resource if yo...

It’s an ancient disaster! Sara, Luke, and Sam learn about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, the destruction of Pompeii, Pliny the Younger’s #BigNarcEnergy, and Kit Harrington the Horse Whisperer. The hosts also have a great idea for future Greeced Lightning merch. Mount Vesuvius Didn't Kill Everyone in Pompeii. Where Did the Survivors Go? - Live Science article interviewing Dr. Steven Tuck regarding t...

Sara, Luke, and Sam are back in the land of myth with Disney's Hercules! Sara teaches Luke and Sam everything there is to know about this himbo hero. Sam detects more than a hint of stink to Hades' depiction. All three hosts learn of an unexpected connection to Quibi. Sophocles' Women of Trachis - A 1966 translation of Sophocles' tragedy which depicts the death of Heracles. Euripides' Alcestis - A...

Let us entertain you with a deep dive into gladiators and Roman games! Sara, Luke, and Sam talk good and bad emperors, sexy gladiators, combat to the death, and the Teflon quality of the Oscar-winning film Gladiator. Commodus as Hercules - The famous bust of Commodus in the guise of Hercules, with symbolism that portrays Commodus as having conquered the world. (Wikimedia Commons) Pliny's Epistulae...

Sara, Luke, and Sam go on the greatest of adventures with The Princess Bride! Listen along as Sara delves into the fascinating world of the criminally underappreciated Greek novels, and everyone has a whale of a time with this classic film! The Princess Bride Home Movie - The celebrity home-movie remake of The Princess Bride that Luke mentions in the episode. The Princess Bride is actually an anci...

Romanes eunt domus! This week, Sara, Luke, and Sam dive into the Roman occupation of Judea with Monty Python’s Life of Brian! Join us for a conversation about Jewish history, renaming BC/AD, the alarming history of toilets, and how poorly John Cleese’s humor has aged. Arch of Titus - Photo of an inner panel from the triumphal arch of Titus, just outside the forum in Rome. The carved relief on this...

Sara, Luke, and Sam take their first dive into ancient history, rather than myth, this week with the 2007 violent, machismo-soaked 300! Learn all about the Persian Wars and Spartan life while enjoying topics of discussion such as: jock rock as a movie, fun ancient instruments, and the Greeks' aversion to pants. Aulos music - The aulos played in this video is a reconstruction based on an ancient au...

This week, your hosts end their time with the Titans with 2012's Wrath of the Titans. Sara returns to her #BadClassicist ways, Sam earns 5 Greeced Lightning Points, and Rip Torn gets his Greek God kudos. Ps.-Apollodorus, The Library - An easily-navigable English translation of the work Bibliotheca (The Library) by Pseudo-Apollodorus. If you're interested in looking at the Greek text as well, check...

We’re back with more myth soup, and the 2010 reboot of Clash of the Titans! Sara, Luke, and Sam discuss Gorgons, Io, Priapus, and whether the world is ready for an Irish Zeus. CW: This episode’s myths involves a lot of rape. Athena with the aegis - Athena Promachos, from Herculaneum, now housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. You can see the aegis (goat skin) draped over her exten...

Episode 4 is the first of three episodes breaking down the “of the Titans” saga. We start with 1981’s Clash of the Titans! Join us for the story of Perseus and Andromeda, according to both Ovid and Ray Harryhausen: golden showers, color and gender in ancient art, special effects so bad they’re good, Laurence Olivier thirst, and more! Ovid's Metamorphoses - The 1986 translation of Ovid's Metamorpho...

This week, we’re breaking down the myth of Pygmalion: the original incel! After Luke and Sam teach Sara what negging is, discussion includes ancient pickup artists, blurred lines between sculpture and real life, the absolute delight that is Lars and the Real Girl, and what it takes for a doll to be real. "Guy and Doll" - Luke says Lars and the Real Girl is great because a woman wrote it. Here’s a...

Welcome back for Episode 2! Dr. Sara, Luke, and Sam dive into Homer’s Odyssey to discuss tricksy heroes, visits to the Underworld, murderous rampages, and how loose of an adaptation we think O Brother Where Art Thou is. Madeline Miller - Join Sam and Sara in their love of Madeline Miller's myth-themed novels! Edith Hamilton - Edith Hamilton's Mythology Emily Wilson translation - Emily Wilson's tra...

In the series premier of Greeced Lightning, Dr. Sara Hales-Brittain, Luke Patrick, and Sam Siegel begin their deep dive into ancient Greek mythology by breaking down the legend of the Trojan War. Dr. Hales-Brittain teaches Luke and Sam about the epic cycle, Paris' past, and how much the movie Troy failed. Troy: Fall of a City - The miniseries Troy: Fall of a City aired in 2018 and does an excellen...