I would be very surprised if you haven’t ever heard of Medusa. Or of the Greek Gods. The Odyssey, maybe? I bet you’ve heard about at least a few largely popular Greek myths, even if that’s not something you’re too terribly interested in.
But have you ever heard of Sobek, the crocodile-headed god who emerged from the waters and laid the eggs that hatched the world? What about Ganga, the prideful goddess cursed to become mortal? Or Izanagi and Izanami, the twin gods that created the archipelago of Japan by stirring the ocean?
I would guess not. Sobek, the river god who laid the eggs of the world, is an Egyptian god associated with the Nile (and the subsequently named species of Crocodile), fertility, and military prowess. He was involved in creation myths, and was revered by one of Egypts biggest pharaohs. Ganga is a Hindu goddess, the personification of the River Ganges, and is still worshiped in Hinduism today. She was cursed to become mortal and bear 8 children. Izanagi and Izanami are the twin creator gods of Japan, bringing the islands of the nation up and out of the sea itself.
There are plenty of ways to learn about these myths, but a format that is rising in popularity (and my personal favorite as of late) is books retelling these myths. Books like Circe, Song of Achilles, and Ariadne have skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years. I love them, I think they’re super interesting and love the opportunity to learn about more myths.
However, the market is completely saturated with Greek mythology. Besides the ever-popular Rick Riordan (author of Percy Jackson and other mythology series’) books, most mythologies don’t get any retellings of their stories, except for the Greek/Roman pantheon.
This year, I read two retellings of Hindu mythology, and I loved them. It was new and fresh, and I loved the opportunity to learn about new stories and cultures. But they’re also severely lacking in coverage. And don’t even mention African mythology.
There are so many interesting mythos out there, mythos that only have a handful of books to their name. We need to have the opportunities to expand our horizons, the option to explore these other stories that we’re all missing out on right now. Give me Egypt, give me Japan, give me India, and Africa, and Aboriginal Australia. I know that Greek mythology sells, it’s popular and commonplace. But other mythologies could sell too, if we only had examples to look towards. This is proven by the one-off stories that smaller pantheons get.
There are two ways to take this claim, both are equally valid and should be considered. Entertainment – eventually Greek mythology will exhaust itself and stop selling. Without variety, people will get bored of it. Admittedly, it will probably be in a long time, but it will happen. Adding other mythologies and their stories to the mix would add significantly more variety and things to pick from.
Secondly, it can be somewhat educational. These stories are a great way to broaden one’s horizons and experience other cultures. Even ancient cultures and mythologies have ties to their region of origin today. These books retelling old, foreign myths provide a perfect window into other cultures. They’re a perfect way to learn and appreciate cultures that aren’t your own.
The best way to stimulate growth in these kinds of stories is to search them out. Find the few stories about cultures that you’re curious about, and show your interest in them. Showing authors and publishing agents that there’s a market for these stories is the best way to get them written and released for people to read and learn from. There’s so much more to the ancient world than Greece and Rome, if we could only give it a platform to shine.
All of these books are about non-Greek myths, and they offer a pathway into further exploration of these stories:
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Axie Oh – Korean Mythology
Kaikeyi & Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel – Hindu Mythology
Of Jade and Dragons, Amber Chen – Chinese Mythology
Skin of the Sea, Natasha Bowen – Yoruba Mythology
