Notes from the Oracle: A Percy Jackson and Mythology Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

It's official. Here there be monsters... That's right! Percy Jackson and friends are crossing the threshold into the Sea of Monsters where they're facing down the biggest, most dangerous foes they've faced yet: the legendary Scylla and Charybdis. Connor and Jack are breaking down every moment of this chapter's heart-pounding action before exploring the depths of the mythology that these monsters have to offer. But that's not all because Jack has brought a brand new Ramblings from Cabin 6 where this time he's providing another historical deep dive into America's civil war. This time, he's covering Union hero Laura Jackson, a lesser known historical figure and sister of the famous confederate, General Stonewall Jackson, so be sure to stick around to the very end of this episode, so you don't miss a moment!

This Week's Myths:

• Scylla and Charybdis
• The Clashing Rocks / The Sympleglades

And a special new section! This Week's History Section:

• Laura Jackson and General Stonewall Jackson

The Oracle's Visions! (Links to sources)

• Homer, The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fitzgerald. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998.
• Strait of Messina - Wikipedia
• CHARYBDIS (Kharybdis) - Whirlpool Monster of Greek Mythology
• SCYLLA (Skylla) - Sea Monster of Greek mythology
• CETO (Keto) - Greek Goddess of Sea Monsters
• APOLLONIUS RHODIUS, ARGONAUTICA BOOK 4 - Theoi Classical Texts Library
• Aeneas - Wikipedia
• Apollodorus, Library (Apollod.)
• The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Odyssey, by Homer
• VIRGIL, AENEID BOOK 3 - Theoi Classical Texts Library
• Symplegades - Wikipedia
• Phineus - Wikipedia
• The Argonautica, by Apollonius Rhodius
• Riordan, Rick. The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2). Disney Hyperion, 2006.
• James I. Robertson, Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend (1997).
• Stonewall Jackson Genealogy. Online Resources from the VMI Archives.
• Historic Beverly: The Jonathan Arnold House
• Laura Jackson Arnold | Civil War Women Blog
• Spurgeon, Larry. “Laura Arnold: Stonewall Jackson’s Unionist Sister.” Jackson Brigade Quarterly (2020). Laura-Arnold-paper-Final-Draft.pdf
• Forgotten sister of Stonewall Jackson defied her family and paid the price - West Virginia Explorer

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An encounter with a hydra can't bog this chapter down! It's got Monster Donut in it! Percy Jackson and friends finish their escape from the Princess Andromeda, and Connor and Jack are breaking down every detail of the phenomenal character interactions they have along the way and their discussions within the demigod hideout they stop to rest in before the attack from the Hydra. That means that in this week's myth section, we're talking about one of the most memorable multi-headed monster in Greek mythology, the dreaded Hydra. And the wind bag of course! So get yourself a box of donuts and prepare to dive into this delectable chapter.

This Week's Myths:

• The Bag of Winds from the Odyssey
• Hydras

And a special new section! This Week's History Section:

• The History of the Confederate Navy

The Oracle's Visions! (Links to sources)

• Homer, The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fitzgerald. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998.
• LERNAEAN HYDRA - Nine-Headed Serpent of Greek Mythology
• Hesiod, Theogony
• Apollodorus, Library
• Riordan, Rick. The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2). Disney Hyperion, 2006.
• Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian
• Still, William N. “Confederate Naval Strategy: The Ironclad.” The Journal of Southern History 27, no. 3 (1961): 330–43. https://doi.org/10.2307/2205212.
• Hill, J. Richard, Rear Admiral (2000). War at Sea in the Ironclad age. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35273-X.
• Sondhaus, Lawrence (2001). Naval Warfare 1815–1914. London: Routledge.
• The First Modern War? | Virginia Museum of History & Culture
• Surdam, David G. “THE CONFEDERATE NAVAL BUILDUP: Could More Have Been Accomplished?” Naval War College Review 54, no. 1 (2001): 107–27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26391129.

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We swore it upon the River Styx... or at least, we told you we were going to make it, so here it is! Our full review of the live action movie adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and oh boy was it something!

Thank you all again for following, subscribing, commenting, and reviewing! Your participation is what makes this all worth it!

Programming Updates:

Chapter 1 of The Sea of Monsters releases next on December 28th!

We hope you all enjoyed this torturous conclusion to book 1! This holiday season, we hope you find time to curl up with a good book, watch a better movie than this one, and spend time with the people you love. We'll see you soon!

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We're trying something new in today's episode of Notes from the Oracle! We've compiled a list of difficult and obscure quiz questions from all throughout The Lightning Thief, and now, it's time for Jack and Connor to test their knowledge! Join us for a more casual episode filled with fierce competition alongside all the usual wits, laughs, and banter. If you like this style of episode and want to see more like it, make sure to let us know in the comments of this episode! And tell us your score in the comments if you played along!

A big thank you again to Sam for being our Quizmaster for the day! Follow her @Shakespearean.Sam on Instagram! Tell her Notes from the Oracle sent you!

Don't worry! Notes from the Oracle will continue presenting brand new mythology breakdowns as we begin The Sea of Monsters.

Programming Updates:

Here is our expected release schedule as we head into Sea of Monsters. We are just two people, so in the event of unforeseen circumstances, these dates may be changed

• Nov 30 - The Lightning Thief Quiz
• Dec 14 - The Lightning Thief movie review
• Dec 28 - The Sea of Monsters - Chapter 1

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Hello, and welcome to Notes from Oracle's full book review and final episode for Book 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief! Much like Percy and his friends, this has been a long journey from where we started, and we are so grateful for everyone listening who has joined us on this journey. We hope you enjoy this celebratory episode where we discuss our favorite and least favorite parts of The Lightning Thief and the myths we encountered along the way. We couldn't make this show without your support, so from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Remember, be impertinent folks! And we'll see you next time for The Sea of Monsters... See ya!

Vote for your favorite myths and chapters by clicking here!

Don't worry! Notes from the Oracle will continue presenting brand new mythology breakdowns as we begin The Sea of Monsters.

Programming Updates:

Here is our expected release schedule as we head into Sea of Monsters. We are just two people, so in the event of unforeseen circumstances, these dates may be changed

• Nov 16 - The Lightning Thief
• Nov 30 - The Lightning Thief quiz
• Dec 14 - The Lightning Thief movie review
• Dec 28 - The Sea of Monsters chapter 1

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Are you ready for the final chapter of The Lightning Thief? Join Connor and Jack as they dive into a chapter packed with goodbyes, villainous monologues, scorpions, and... WISDOM!?! As Percy Jackson enjoys the end of his Summer at Camp Half Blood, we're savoring every moment of it. And we're talking about Luke. We have A LOT to say about Luke Castellan. Make sure to stick around for this week's myths to learn about Chiron actually being useful and that time Artemis unleashed a giant murder pig!

The ending of The Lightning Thief has come all too quickly! But the fun doesn't stop here. Notes from the Oracle are continuing our journey through the Riordanverse with Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Sea of Monsters! For more details, please see the programming update below.

This Week's Myths:

• Chiron, Inventor of Medicine
• Artemis and the Calydonian Boar
• Burial Shrouds in Ancient Greece

Check out the art referenced in today's episode!

• Calydonian Boar Hunt - Ancient Greek Vase Painting
• Attic Red-Figured Kylix (Getty Museum)

Programming Updates:

Here is our expected release schedule as we head into Sea of Monsters. We are just two people, so in the event of unforeseen circumstances, these dates may be changed

• Nov 2 - The final chapter of The Lightning Thief (this episode)
• Nov 16 - The Lightning Thief full review
• Nov 30 - The Lightning Thief quiz
• Dec 14 - The Lightning Thief movie review
• Dec 28 - The Sea of Monsters chapter 1

The Oracle's Visions! (Links to sources)

• CHIRON (Kheiron) - Elder Centaur of Greek Mythology
• Hyginus, Fabulae
• Homer, Iliad, Book 4
• Homer, Iliad, Book 11
• Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Book 7
• Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, Book 3
• Pindar, Nemeon Ode, 3.50
• CALYDONIAN BOAR (Hus Kalydonios) - Giant Boar of Greek Mythology
• Calydonian Boar Hunt - Ancient Greek Vase Painting
• 300000, ATHENIAN, Florence, Museo Archeologico Etrusco, 4209
• Homer, Iliad, Book 9
• Callimachus, Hymn to Artemis
• Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book 8
• Statius (c.45–c.96) - Thebaid: Book II
• Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca, Books 1-3
• Hyginus, Fabulae
• The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Burial Customs of the Ancient Greeks, by Frank Pierrepont Graves.
• Homer, Iliad, Book 23
• Homer, Odyssey, Book 2

An Additional Note:

If you live in the United States, the leaders of your federal government are deliberately making choices to weaponize the current shutdown. This choice is horrific and targeted. People will go hungry. Children will go hungry. Call your representatives. Make your voice heard.

This heinous weaponization of people's ability to put food on the table is pure villainy. Here at Notes from the Oracle, we know what you do with monsters--you battle them, however you can. As such, we found our local food bank using the link below and made a donation.

Whether you are in need or able to support others, you can find a local food bank with the help of Feeding America. And remember, be impertinent everyone.

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Join Connor and Jack as they discuss the penultimate chapter of the novel in which Percy Jackson finally completes his quest and returns the Master Bolt to Zeus. They're talking about a peak chapter as Connor shares the mythology of the peaks of Mount Olympus!

See the pages of our notes we talked about in the episode here!

Support Your National Parks:

Notes from the Oracle has made a donation to each of the following organizations, and we hope you will consider donating as well.

• Donate to the National Parks Conservation Association
• Donate to the Climate Foundation
• Donate to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy

This Week's Myths:

• Olympus
• Imprisonment of Kronos
• Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades Draw Lots

The Oracle's Visions! (Links to sources)

• Homer, Iliad, Book 1
• Homer, Odyssey, Book 6, line 1
• Hymn 15 to Heracles Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Ed.
• OLYMPUS (Olympos) - Home of the Gods of Greek Mythology
• Mount Olympus - Wikipedia
• Olympus - Wikipedia
• Herodotus, The Histories, Book 1, chapter 56
• Hesiod, Theogony, line 687
• Homer, Iliad, Book 15
• Hesiod, Theogony
• The Trump Administration's Expansive Push to Sell Out Public Lands to the Highest Bidder

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Sword-fighting with Ares, giant boars, and two myths that feature the goddess of love? Things are heating up around here! But that might just be from Connor and Jack are getting fired up in this episode. Wanna know why? You'll just have to listen and find out! Hopefully we don't boar you with today's myth section which discusses Ares's association with pigs by means of violent revenge in the myth of Adonis...

Programming Updates:

As mentioned in today's episode, we plan to release our episode discussing the movie adaptation of The Lightning Thief after our full-book recap episode. Episodes of Notes from the Oracle will continue to release bi-weekly through the final two chapters and any remaining content we produce related to The Lightning Thief.

We have also started recording episodes for the second book in the series, The Sea of Monsters! We hope you enjoy our remaining episodes for book one as we prepare ourselves to continue our collective journey into uncharted waters...

This Week's Myths:

• Ares and Boars/Adonis
• Ichor

The Oracle's Visions! (Links to sources)

• ARES MYTHS 4 WRATH - Greek Mythology
• The Internet Classics Archive | Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book 10
• Nonnus, Dionysiaca
• Ichor - Wikipedia
• Homer, Iliad, Book 5
• GIGANTES - Giants of the Gigantomachia of Greek Mythology
• Plutarch, De Alexandri magni fortuna aut virtute, Chapter 2

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Join Jack and Connor as they follow Percy Jackson and his friends deeper into the underworld. Which of course means Connor has a bunch more to tell you about Hades and its inhabitants! This week, we're discussing the Fields of Elysium and the Asphodel Fields as well as an abridged version of the myth of Hades and Persephone...

This Week's Myths:

• Hades and Persephone/Persephone’s Abduction
• Elysium/The Elysian Plain
• Hades's Helm of Darkness
• Fields of Asphodel

The Oracle's Visions! (Links to sources)

• HADES - The Underworld of Greek Mythology
• HESIOD, WORKS AND DAYS - Theoi Classical Texts Library
• Greek underworld - Wikipedia
• Asphodelus ramosus - Wikipedia
• Homer, Odyssey, Book 11
• Homer, Odyssey, Book 24
• Homer’s Asphodel Meadow
• HADES ESTATE & RETINUE - Greek Mythology
• Hesiod, Shield of Heracles
• APOLLODORUS, BIBLIOTHECA BOOK 1
• ELYSIUM - Islands of the Blessed of Greek Mythology
• Homer, Odyssey, Book 4
• Rhadamanthus - Wikipedia
• Hesiod, Works and Days
• Pindar, Olympian Odes
• Isles of the Blest | Riordan Wiki | Fandom
• Homeric Hymn to Demeter - The Center for Hellenic Studies

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On this week's episode of Notes from the Oracle, join Percy Jackson and his friends as they begin their descent into the underworld! Listen in as Jack tries to convince Connor that this chapter is better than he originally thought it was and enjoy the vivid descriptions that mix the ancient depictions of death with the worst parts of modern life. And to cap it all off, Connor is talking about Greek mythology's favorite dog, Cerberus, as well as Charon, the ferryman of the dead, Erebus, and the River Styx!

This Week's Myths:

• Charon
• Cerberus
• The River Styx
• Erebus (the Place)

The Oracle's Visions! (Links to sources)

• CHARON (Kharon) - Ferryman of the Dead, Underworld Daemon of Greek Mythology
• Charon - Wikipedia
• Charon | Riordan Wiki
• EREBUS (Erebos) - Greek Primordial God of Darkness
• Erebus - Wikipedia
• STYX - Greek River-Goddess & Underworld River of Hatred
• CERBERUS (Kerberos) - Three-Headed Hound of Hades of Greek Mythology
• Cerberus - Wikipedia
• Sextus Propertius The Elegies

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