logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
1h 1m

Choose Your Own Adventure: Scylla, Chary...

Spencer Klavan
About this episode

We're nearing the last leg of Odysseus' journey, and he's really caught between a rock and a hard place. Between the devil and the deep blue sea. Between...well, between Scylla and Charybdis. After a dramatic turning point among the dead, Odysseus is now faced with what he says is the saddest and most pitiable horror he has ever seen on all his suffering journeys across the sea. What is it--and would you have chosen differently?

Register for Spring courses at The Ancient Language Institute https://ancientlanguage.com/youngheretics/

Order Light of the Mind, Light of the World (and rate it five stars): https://a.co/d/2QccOfM

Catch up on my livestream with Andrew Klavan (no relation): https://thenewjerusalem.substack.com/p/new-livestream-october-7-6pm-et

Simon Netchev’s Odyssey Map: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15906/odysseus-ten-year-journey-home

 

Up next
Jun 27
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED???
If, like me, you're still sore about what they did to the Gladiator franchise, let this episode be part of your healing journey. It's certainly part of Aeneas': with the fleet grounded back in Sicily, the crew realizes it's been one year since the death of his father Anchises. Th ... Show More
1h 13m
Jun 10
I Will Go Down with This Ship
There are some indelible scenes inscribed forever into the psyche of the West, and the death of Dido is one of them. When William Congreve wrote that "Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd," he surely had in mind this archetype of a ... Show More
1h 8m
May 29
Once in Royal David's City, ft. Doron Spielman
Major Doron Spielman has dedicated much of his life to excavating the City of David, the ancient archaeological site just outside modern Jerusalem which confirms much of the Jewish history recorded in the Bible. It's an astonishing tale of theological warfare, cutting-edge schola ... Show More
37m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2024
The Odyssey Book Sixteen: Father and Son
Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by independent scholar and friend of the podcast Mr. Thomas Lackey to discuss book 16 of the Odyssey: Father and Son.Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for our written guide!From the guide:83.      What happens in book sixteen?Telemachus arrives at ... Show More
1h 24m
Dec 2024
The Odyssey Book Twenty-Three: The Great Rooted Bed
Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by Mrs. Rachel Greb to discuss Book 23 of the Odyssey: The Great Rooted Bed. Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for more resources!From our written guide:108.    What happens in book twenty-three?The old maid Eurycleia, laughing with delight, runs ... Show More
1h 2m
Nov 2024
The Odyssey Book Nineteen: Penelope and Her Guest with Mary Pat Donoghue
Dcn. Harrison Garlick is joined by Mary Pat Donoghue, Executive Director of the Secretariat of Catholic Education at the USCCB, to discuss Book 19 of the Odyssey: Penelope and her guest. Check out thegreatbookspodcast.com for more!From our written guide:93. What happens in book n ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2024
103: Euripedes - The Bacchae
The Bacchae is a parennially popular Greek tragedy that portrays the coming of Dionysus to Greece. The Dionysian strikes Hellas like a wave of madness, and the play is full of miracles, illusions and other violations of the natural order. Often interpreted as a play about the con ... Show More
1h 58m
Sep 2024
Episode #212 ... Nietzsche and Critchley on the tragic perspective. (Amor Fati pt. 2)
Today we begin by talking about Nietzsche's concept of life-affirmation. Contrasting it with the renunciative, rational traditions of Western thought. The episode then delves into Greek tragedy through the lens of Simon Critchley's work; making a case for how these ancient plays ... Show More
38m 29s
Dec 2024
396: Greek Myths: Hades, Too
💀Hades is taking the long way home💀 After dropping Persephone off in the world of the humans, Hades makes the long walk back down to his palace at the heart of his realms, giving us a tour of the greek underworld and all the things that creep within. 😈 The Creature: Bwca An el ... Show More
49m 46s
Feb 2025
230 | Advanced - Short Story: The Forgotten God of the Sea [English Listening Practice]
Title: The Forgotten God of the SeaLevel: Advanced (C1-C2) Story :In a forgotten village by the sea, an ancient legend whispered of a forgotten god—an entity whose name had been erased from human memory. The stories spoke of his immense power, his dominion over the oceans, and th ... Show More
14m 34s
Jan 2025
209 | Beginner - Short Story: The Little Boat [English Listening Practice]
Title: The Little Boat AdventureLevel: Beginner (A1) Story :Daffy, a curious young duck, decides to build a small boat and explore the lake. Along his journey, he meets Finny the fish and Frodo the frog, who both offer advice and cheer him on. Daffy reaches a tiny island with a s ... Show More
7m 40s
Nov 2024
The Minotaur
Half man and half bull, the Minotaur is one of the most famous, and scariest, monsters of Greek mythology. The story goes that it was trapped in a great labyrinth beneath Knossos on the island of Crete and feasted on human flesh until it was slain by the hero Theseus with the hel ... Show More
50m 58s
Dec 2024
Battle of the Bastards: Achilles v Odysseus w/ Hermes Michaela
In a special, rambley holiday episode, Liv and Michaela look at who was worst Achilles or Odysseus?CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real th ... Show More
45m 10s