Mythology Expert Reviews Greek & Roman Mythology in Movies (Part 1) | Vanity Fair

“Spartan soldiers were very much into each other” An excellent choice of words

“Great bisexual army” 😭 never thought I’d hear that statement ever

Hades is so misunderstood - only Greek god who ever did his job; didn't impregnate a bunch of chicks, was in fact faithful to his wife that he loved (that the other gods had to shift the cosmos to make that romance happen), and actually ferried souls, etc. He's really not a bad dude.

It's funny how Sparta has become this idealized place in modern times because it fully would have suuuuuuucked to live there haha. I remember in one of my college classes on ancient Greece some classmate asked if there is a modern equivalent of Sparta and the professor spent the next 10 min or so breaking down how, yes, there is a modern equivalent and it's called North Korea. lol

I took a class with him when I was at NYU. To this day, still one of my favorite classes. He invests a lot of time with his students. He took on a trip to Barnes and nobles to teach us how to pick our translations. He also took us to the met and taught us how to read the ancient pottery. And he had a theater company and we went and saw them perform Promethus Unbound. He even brought in masks one day and taught us how people used to perform the ancient Greek plays with masks on. He was a really awesome teacher.

I took Professor Meineck's class on Performing Homer in college. And then I took it again, just because who wouldn't want to listen to him talk for an entire year? In one lecture he announced that cheesemaking was "the ultimate example of human-animal symbiosis," and I've thought of that probably every week since.

Peter Mienick- love his disclaimer at the end, where he basically says that mythology is STILL alive and changing, and that is good. I used to teach a high school mythology class, and I always enjoyed teaching what I'd learned, but also suggesting ways in which those myths might be represented today and how they might have changed without losing validity.

I took one of his classes at NYU and I loved his class. It was engaging and he really cared about his students. He brought masks in one day and he allowed us to use them. Often times classes about the classics can be very book heavy and boring but he made it so much fun! Amazing teacher!

In Wonder Woman, the enmity between the Amazons and Ares is somewhat ironic, because in mythology Ares seems to have been a major patron of the Amazons. The Amazon queens Hippolyta and Penthesileia were daughters of Ares.

Would love to hear his thoughts on "Troy" the movie, and how that fits in with other interpretations of Achillies and Petrocles

I have never formally studied Greek or Roman (or any) mythology, but I've always been fascinated by it and always read about it myself. This was a completely different set of perspectives on the whole area, that I have never encountered anywhere else and which I absolutely loved. My brain has just taken a complete left turn. I love it.

This professor has given one of the best two part mini series of classical cultures and mythology I’ve seen this year. His review of 300 and the irony of how it’s often received vs the historical reality of Sparta is something I’ve spoken on since that movie was released. His emphasis on the Near Eastern and African connections in Greek myth was also great, and it’s refreshing to see more white academics talking about it.

As a Greek mythology enthusiast, I initially clicked to see the professor point out all of the many inaccuracies in Disney's Hercules, but I'm glad I watched the whole thing for all of the knowledge and valuable historical insights he offered.

I would love to see a second part of this with him, he was really superb!

I would absolutely love to see Professors Meineck talk about Greek and Roman mythology in video games, please bring him back for that! There's the big ones like Hades, God of War, Assassin's Creed Odyssy, Immortals Fenyx Rising. I'd love to see what he thinks of art style inspired by Greek pottery in Apotheon. Okhlos, Persona 3, NyxQuest, Troy: Total War are some more games I've heard of but am not personally familiar with. Hope to see something like this in the future!

I am not familiar with the idea of the snake wound around a rod as a symbol of death. The Cadeucus and the rod of Asclepius to my understanding are symbols of healing and wisdom, and snakes being symbols of the earth absolutely makes sense in that context. This is a new one for me! The gender war thing actually does make a lot of sense especially in light of how the sexes were segregated in various times and places. Fascinating video!

Absolutely loved the last point he made about myths and fidelity. Stories are made richer by allowing it to be influenced by the zeitgeist.

oh my gosh, i loved peter's explanation of greek and roman mythology. it's something i studied in school and even considered getting a masters in! his approach is so easy and digestible with honesty that links to todays world. please bring him back!!

Homie didn't pull any punches with the commentary. Well done

Imagine today if you threw in a credit card trying to get to the Underworld. You: swipes card Chiron : Sorry, sir. Your card is maxed out.