Discover the MythCloud

Marcin Napiórkowski's Mitologia współczesna (Contemporary Mythology) offers a sophisticated analysis of how mythological thinking persists in modern Polish society despite ostensible secularisation and rationalisation. By examining everyday phenomena—from the popularity of kebabs to the iconic status of ski jumper Adam Małysz—Napiórkowski demonstrates how seemingly mundane aspects of contemporary life function as repositories of collective meaning that structure social understanding in ways remarkably similar to traditional mythological systems.

Particularly significant is Napiórkowski's focus on charitable events and urban legends, which reveals how modern societies continue to create shared narratives that address fundamental human concerns about community, morality, and the unknown. These contemporary social practices and narratives serve functions remarkably similar to traditional mythology—providing frameworks for understanding complex aspects of experience, reinforcing social bonds, and navigating uncertainty—while adapting to modern contexts and concerns.

The structuralist approach that Napiórkowski employs reveals the underlying patterns that connect contemporary cultural phenomena to traditional mythological thinking. By identifying the persistent structures that shape how societies create meaning, this methodology demonstrates the remarkable continuity in human meaning-making processes despite significant changes in specific content and contexts. This approach challenges simplistic notions of modern rationality by revealing how mythological thinking persists beneath the surface of ostensibly rational modern discourses.

By inviting readers to critically engage with these pervasive myths and their role in shaping perceptions, Napiórkowski's work exemplifies how contemporary academic analysis can itself contribute to more reflective engagement with the mythological dimensions of modern life. Rather than simply debunking modern myths as irrational, this approach recognises their essential function in creating social meaning while encouraging more conscious and critical participation in these shared frameworks. This reflective stance represents an important evolution in how societies engage with their own mythological systems.

"Solidaryca" refers to the distinctive brush-painted lettering designed by graphic artist Jerzy Janiszewski for the iconic 1980 Solidarność (Solidarity) logo. This powerful visual symbol became emblematic of Poland's first independent trade union movement and the broader opposition to communist rule that ultimately contributed to systemic political change across Eastern Europe.

The logo's bold, organic letterforms ingeniously suggest a crowd of people holding up the Polish flag, visually embodying the concept of solidarity and collective action. Though not formally developed as a typeface, the distinctive letterforms have been adapted extensively in various logos and protest materials, becoming one of the most recognisable political symbols of the late 20th century.

The Solidarność logo and its associated typographic style transcended mere graphic design to become a potent political and cultural symbol that helped create a foundational myth for democratic Poland. As a key visual element of the movement, it contributed to the development of a narrative of peaceful resistance against an authoritarian system, playing a central role in Poland's transition from communism to democracy in the 1980s.

The design itself brilliantly encapsulated the spirit of unity and defiance that characterised the movement. Its hand-drawn quality suggested authenticity and grassroots origins, while its bold, condensed form conveyed strength and determination. Over time, the logo became a cornerstone of Poland's national identity during a period of profound political transformation.

Janiszewski's creation demonstrates how visual symbols can embody complex political ideas and aspirations, creating immediately recognisable shorthand for movements and their values. The enduring power of this symbol illustrates how graphic design can transcend aesthetic considerations to become a significant element in political mythology and collective memory.

James Ensor's abstract painting Various Monsters exemplifies how modern artists continued to explore mythological themes through new aesthetic approaches that responded to changing intellectual and social contexts. This work, part of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp's collection, demonstrates Ensor's distinctive ability to blend humour with macabre elements, creating visual experiences that address profound human concerns through seemingly fantastical imagery.

Ensor's exploration of monstrous figures connects his work to a rich tradition of hybrid and liminal beings in mythology across cultures. However, his abstract treatment of these forms represents a distinctly modern approach—creating visual experiences that function symbolically rather than narratively, evoking psychological states rather than illustrating specific stories. This evolution from narrative to symbolic representation demonstrates how mythological thinking adapted to modern artistic frameworks that emphasised subjective experience over shared narrative.

The vibrant colours and imaginative forms in this work exemplify Ensor's unique position within European modernism—drawing on traditional symbolic motifs while developing highly personal visual language that influenced subsequent artistic movements. His fascination with grotesque imagery provided a means of exploring human anxiety and social hypocrisy through displaced symbolic forms that maintained connection to folkloric and mythological traditions while addressing distinctly modern psychological and social concerns.

This painting's preservation in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp reflects ongoing cultural interest in understanding how traditional mythological concerns evolved through modern artistic innovation. Rather than representing complete rupture with earlier symbolic traditions, Ensor's monsters demonstrate how modern art maintained connections to mythological thinking while developing new visual languages appropriate to changed social and intellectual circumstances. The work thus exemplifies how mythological elements persisted in modern artistic imagination, adapted to address contemporary psychological and social realities through innovative formal approaches.

This Lithuanian folk tale about the origin of hag children belongs to the category of sakmė, narratives that explain mysterious occurrences through supernatural frameworks. The tale addresses the anxiety surrounding unexplained developmental differences in children by attributing them to mystical exchanges between humans and supernatural beings.

According to the story, a woman has her child taken by a hag, who leaves her own child in return. This substitution goes undetected because the hag's child appears human but cannot speak, growing into adulthood in silence. The narrative reaches its climax when the mother, frustrated by her child's muteness, follows a beggar's advice to perform a specific ritual involving oak logs, a bonfire, and eggs—elements that combine sympathetic and contagious magic principles.

When exposed to this ritual, the child finally speaks, revealing his true nature by referencing the oak as a century-old entity, demonstrating knowledge impossible for someone of his apparent age. Having exposed his identity, the hag's child vanishes, returning to the supernatural realm from which he came.

This tale reflects common themes in Lithuanian mythology, where the boundary between natural and supernatural worlds remains permeable, allowing for uncanny exchanges and intrusions. The narrative addresses the profound anxiety surrounding children who do not develop as expected, providing a cultural framework for understanding difference through supernatural rather than medical explanations.

Like many folk narratives across cultures, this sakmė draws on concepts of age, transformation, and the mysterious forces that control life's cycles. It demonstrates how traditional societies developed narrative explanations for developmental differences, creating cultural spaces for understanding the unexpected while reinforcing the importance of correct ritual action when confronting the supernatural.

Žalioj Girelė Jau Geltonuoja (The Green Little Forest Is Turning Yellow) is a traditional Lithuanian folk song recorded by renowned Lithuanian scholar Jonas Basanavičius (1851-1927) during his extensive fieldwork documenting oral traditions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This particular song was collected from villagers in Gačiškiai village, representing an important element of Lithuania's rich folk heritage.

The song captures the autumn transformation of the forest, using the changing colours of leaves as a natural symbol that likely carries deeper metaphorical significance. In Lithuanian folk tradition, forest imagery frequently serves as a potent symbol connected to national identity, with Lithuania historically known as a land of forests and lakes. The juxtaposition of "green" and "yellow" in the title creates a vivid image of transition and change, potentially reflecting broader themes of life cycles, impermanence, and seasonal renewal.

Lithuanian folk songs, known as dainos, typically feature distinctive musical characteristics including modal scales, natural harmonies, and regional variations in performance style. The lyrical content often addresses themes of nature, agricultural life, love, family relationships, or historical events, creating a comprehensive cultural archive of rural experience and worldview.

Basanavičius's work in documenting such cultural expressions was crucial to the Lithuanian National Revival movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a physician, folklorist, and national activist, he recognised that preserving Lithuania's distinct cultural heritage was essential to maintaining national identity during a period of intense Russification policies that restricted Lithuanian language and cultural expression.

The archiving and preservation of this song by the Lithuanian Institute of Literature and Folklore ensures that this cultural expression remains accessible to current and future generations, maintaining connections to traditional ways of understanding and relating to the natural environment through artistic expression.

Within the context of mythology and operatic representation, Gioachino Rossini's Semiramide (1823) offers a fascinating exploration of legendary themes transformed through musical narrative. Based on Voltaire's tragedy Sémiramis, itself inspired by the semi-legendary Assyrian queen Semiramis, the opera exemplifies how historical figures become mythologised through artistic interpretation.

The historical Semiramis (or Shammuramat) ruled Assyria as regent from 811-806 BCE, but her story has been embellished over centuries with legendary exploits and supernatural elements. By the time her narrative reached Metastasio, whose libretto inspired Rossini's composition, Semiramide's character had evolved into a complex blend of power, tragedy, and mythic dimension.

Rossini's operatic treatment draws parallels between Semiramide and figures from classical mythology, particularly in themes of forbidden love, betrayal, and fate—echoing narratives such as the Greek myths of Oedipus and Phaedra. The queen's tragic downfall follows recognisable mythological patterns, where characters cannot escape prophecy despite their attempts to circumvent destiny.

In the opera, Rossini introduces Semiramide's complex emotional landscape through sophisticated musical characterisation, reflecting these mythological undercurrents. The work delves into the consequences of family transgressions and inescapable prophecies, central motifs in classical mythology where characters' lives are governed by forces beyond their control.

The 2010-2011 season performance by Kunsthuis Opera Vlaanderen, now available on DVD, showcases this operatic retelling of a mythologised historical figure. For those interested in the intersection of history, myth, and artistic expression, this production offers insight into how ancient narratives continue to resonate through musical interpretation, transforming historical figures into vehicles for exploring enduring themes of human vulnerability in the face of fate.

Bluiríní Béaloidis is a podcast from the National Folklore Collection at University College Dublin. It explores the rich landscape of Irish and European folk traditions. Each episode journeys through diverse cultural narratives, revealing how understanding our traditional heritage can illuminate our present and guide our future. By uncovering the stories, beliefs, and practices embedded in folklore, the podcast invites listeners to discover the depth and complexity of our shared cultural inheritance.

Samhain (Halloween)
The festival of Samhain has long been regarded as a pivotal moment in the Irish ritual calendar, marking the transition from light to darkness and the threshold of winter. This ancient Celtic observance, occurring on the eve of 31st October, represents one of the most significant seasonal boundaries in the traditional Irish worldview.

Samhain is characterised by traditions of heightened supernatural activity, the return of ancestral spirits, and practices of divination and disguise. It embodies a liminal period when normal rules and behaviours are temporarily suspended, allowing mischief, mystery, and ritual to take centre stage in community life. This suspension of ordinary constraints reflects a broader pattern found in festival traditions worldwide, where established social orders are temporarily inverted or relaxed.

In this edition of Blúiríní Béaloidis, produced by Ireland's National Folklore Collection, Jonny Dillon is joined by special guest Dr. Billy Mag Fhloinn, a folklorist, archaeologist, author, and lecturer known for his expertise on Irish ritual and tradition. Dr. Mag Fhloinn has contributed to international productions by the BBC, PBS, and National Geographic Channel, and his 2016 book, Blood Rite: The Feast of St. Martin in Ireland, explores another key festival in Irish folklore.

Together, they delve into the rich lore surrounding Samhain, discussing its enduring significance in Irish cultural memory and the ways it continues to resonate in both historical and contemporary contexts. The programme examines how this ancient festival, with its emphasis on the thinning of boundaries between worlds, provides insight into traditional Irish conceptions of time, space, and the relationship between the living and the dead.

Talking History offers a distinctive exploration of pivotal political, social and cultural events that have shaped our world, examining the complex figures central to these historical moments. Hosted by Dr Patrick Geoghegan of Trinity College Dublin, this programme interrogates the multifaceted, often contested dimensions of our collective past, illuminating what these historical narratives reveal about contemporary society.

WB Yeats & The Occult
A century after W.B. Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, this episode of RTÉ's Talking History hosted by Dr. Patrick Geoghegan brings together distinguished scholars to examine the complex interplay between Yeats's literary achievements, his political engagements, and his lifelong fascination with the occult. This multifaceted exploration illuminates how these seemingly disparate elements combined to produce one of the 20th century's most significant literary voices.

The panel features remarkable scholarly expertise, including Dr. Adrian Paterson from the University of Galway, Dr. Lucy Collins from University College Dublin, and Professor Roy Foster from the University of Oxford, who authored the definitive two-volume biography of Yeats. They are joined by Professor Margaret Harper, Glucksman Professor in Contemporary Writing at the University of Limerick and former Director of the Yeats International Summer School, and Susan O'Keeffe, Director of the Yeats Society Sligo.

Their discussion reveals how Yeats's involvement with esoteric traditions—from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to spiritualism and automatic writing—was not peripheral to his literary work but central to his understanding of symbolism, imagination, and cultural renewal. The Tattwa Cards mentioned in the caption, which Yeats created during his membership in the Golden Dawn, represent physical evidence of how seriously he engaged with occult practices as tools for accessing deeper realities beyond ordinary perception.

This occult dimension of Yeats's work was intimately connected to his vision of Irish cultural nationalism. The mythological and supernatural elements he incorporated into his poetry and plays were part of a conscious effort to construct a distinctively Irish literary tradition that could stand apart from English influences while connecting to broader European cultural movements.

The centenary of Yeats's Nobel Prize provides an opportunity to reconsider how his integration of occult symbolism, mythological narratives, and political engagement produced a body of work that continues to resonate globally while remaining deeply rooted in Irish cultural experience.

The Irish Wake Museum in Waterford offers a sophisticated exploration of how death rituals function as repositories of cultural memory and continuity. Situated in a 15th-century Almshouse—a building itself associated with life and death across six centuries—the museum examines how wake traditions evolved from early Christian times to the 20th century, demonstrating how death practices provide particularly resilient frameworks for maintaining cultural distinctiveness even through periods of significant social transformation.

The museum's approach—exploring funeral practices "in order to gain a true understanding of the origins of a wake's unique customs"—recognises how death rituals reveal core cultural values and social structures. By examining traditions surrounding this universal human experience, the museum provides accessible entry point for understanding broader cultural patterns and historical developments. This approach exemplifies how examination of specific cultural practices can illuminate wider social frameworks and historical processes.

The immersive, guided format creates experiential engagement with historical practices that might otherwise remain abstract concepts. By physically placing visitors within atmospheric spaces associated with traditional wake practices, the museum creates multisensory encounters with cultural history that transcend purely intellectual understanding. This approach exemplifies how contemporary heritage institutions increasingly recognise the importance of embodied experience in creating meaningful connections to historical practices.

The museum's location in a building that has witnessed six centuries of Waterford's history creates powerful connection between specific architectural space and broader historical narratives. This spatial continuity reinforces the museum's thematic exploration of how death rituals maintain cultural continuity across generations, creating tangible link between contemporary visitors and historical communities who navigated mortality through shared ritual frameworks. The museum thus demonstrates how material spaces themselves participate in the transmission of cultural memory, connecting past and present through physical environments as well as narrative frameworks.

This Lithuanian etiological legend about the creation of the Sun represents a classic example of how traditional societies developed narrative explanations for cosmic phenomena. The story of a blacksmith who forged a shiny piece of iron for six years before hurling it into the sky where it remains as the Sun demonstrates how mythological thinking connected natural phenomena to human activities and crafts, making the cosmic comprehensible through familiar frameworks.

The attribution of the Sun's creation to a blacksmith reflects the cultural significance of metalworking in traditional societies. The transformation of raw materials through fire and skill represented one of humanity's most profound technological achievements, naturally lending itself to mythological associations with cosmic creation. The six-year timeframe emphasises the extraordinary effort required, positioning this cosmic creation as the ultimate expression of human craft rather than instantaneous divine action.

The act of throwing the forged Sun into the sky creates a compelling visual image that bridges human and cosmic domains. This narrative element exemplifies how mythological thinking frequently creates connections between everyday human actions and cosmic processes, making the universe conceptually accessible through familiar frameworks. The simplicity and directness of this explanation demonstrates how mythological narratives often distill complex phenomena into comprehensible stories that connect human experience to larger cosmic patterns.

The preservation of this tale in Norbertas Vėlius's collection How the Earth Came to Be: Lithuanian Etiological Legends represents an important transition in how such narratives function—from living explanatory frameworks to documented cultural heritage. This preservation process transforms oral traditions into textual artifacts, changing their social function while ensuring their survival beyond the communities that originally created them. The contemporary interest in such etiological legends reflects continuing fascination with how traditional societies created meaningful explanatory frameworks for understanding the natural world through narrative rather than scientific explanation.

The incorporation of themes from the Kalevala into Finnish heavy metal music by bands like Turisas, Ensiferum, and Amorphis exemplifies how ancient mythological narratives maintain cultural relevance through adaptation to contemporary artistic forms. This musical reinterpretation of Finland's national epic demonstrates how traditional cultural materials continue to provide meaningful frameworks for artistic expression even in genres that might initially appear disconnected from traditional heritage.

The appeal of Kalevala narratives for metal musicians lies partly in their thematic resonance with the genre's aesthetic concerns. The epic's themes of heroism, supernatural forces, and the clash between cosmic powers naturally complement metal's musical intensity and dramatic sensibilities. This compatibility demonstrates how mythological frameworks often find new relevance in cultural forms that address similar psychological and emotional territories through different media and sensibilities.

Beyond specific narrative elements, the incorporation of Kalevala references into metal music connects contemporary Finnish artists to distinctively national cultural heritage. This connection serves both artistic and identity functions—providing rich narrative material while simultaneously positioning these artists within recognisable cultural lineage. The international success of Finnish metal bands drawing on these traditions demonstrates how culturally specific mythological references can achieve global resonance when effectively integrated with contemporary artistic forms.

The blending of ancient narrative traditions with modern musical forms creates experiences that are simultaneously novel and connected to established cultural patterns. This combination offers audiences both the excitement of innovation and the resonance of cultural continuity, demonstrating how effective contemporary mythology often operates through creative synthesis rather than either pure tradition or complete reinvention. The ongoing academic and fan-based discussions of these cultural interconnections reveal how contemporary artistic adaptations of traditional mythology generate new forms of cultural discourse that bridge scholarly and popular domains.

The Kristal calendar, created to promote photographer Frank Philippi's photo studio, features a striking crystal glass bowl adorned with mythological female figures.

This promotional piece demonstrates how mythological imagery permeates even commercial design, blending intricate glasswork with classical representations of female forms. Philippi's artistic approach combines photography with mythological symbolism, creating a visual language that draws on shared cultural references to elevate a commercial object into something more evocative.

The piece exemplifies how mythological references function as a visual shorthand across cultures and contexts, lending gravitas and artistic legitimacy to everyday objects and promotional materials.

The Táin Bó Cúailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) stands as the centrepiece of the Ulster Cycle, a collection of heroic tales from early Irish literature dating from the 8th century CE. This epic narrative, which blends pre-Christian mythology with proto-historical elements, represents one of the most significant works of early European literature and continues to influence Irish cultural identity.

The epic recounts the story of Queen Medb of Connacht's attempt to steal the prized Brown Bull of Cúailnge from Ulster, and how the teenage hero Cúchulainn single-handedly defends his province against her armies while the other Ulster warriors are incapacitated by a curse. Through extraordinary feats of martial prowess, supernatural transformations, and tactical ingenuity, Cúchulainn holds off the invaders until his fellow warriors recover and join the battle.

Thomas Kinsella's acclaimed 1969 translation, referenced here, draws primarily from two medieval manuscripts—the 12th-century Book of Leinster and the earlier but more fragmentary Book of the Dun Cow—supplemented by elements from other versions. His work also incorporates related stories that provide context for the central action, offering readers a more complete understanding of the epic's complex narrative and characters.

This edition is distinguished by its inclusion of brush drawings by Louis le Brocquy, one of Ireland's most significant 20th-century artists. Le Brocquy's stark, minimalist illustrations offer a modernist interpretation of these ancient tales, creating a visual language that captures the primal energy of the text while avoiding anachronistic historical representation.

The combination of Kinsella's poetic translation and le Brocquy's evocative artwork creates a version of The Táin that bridges ancient and contemporary sensibilities, demonstrating how mythological narratives can be continuously reinterpreted while maintaining their essential power and relevance across centuries.

The Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (KMSKA), one of Belgium's foremost cultural institutions dating back to 1810, houses A Bronze Sculpture Depicting the Mythical Beast Sphinx, Inventory No. 3079, by Belgian sculptor Rik Poot (1924-2006).

This sculpture exemplifies Poot's fascination with mythological themes and his distinctive ability to convey a sense of mystery and power through dynamic sculptural forms. The Sphinx, a legendary creature with origins in ancient Egyptian mythology that later found expression in Greek tradition, typically features a lion's body with a human head, symbolising the enigmatic and the unknowable.

In Greek mythology, the Sphinx is most famous for posing a riddle to travellers approaching Thebes, devouring those who failed to answer correctly until Oedipus solved the puzzle. This association with riddles and wisdom made the Sphinx a potent symbol of the mysterious and the intellectual throughout Western art history.

Poot's interpretation likely draws on this rich symbolic tradition while incorporating his personal artistic vision. Known for creating sculptures with expressive surfaces and powerful presence, his treatment of the Sphinx would emphasise both its physical power and its symbolic resonance as a guardian of hidden knowledge.

Bronze, with its durability and ability to capture fine detail while conveying mass and weight, serves as an ideal medium for representing this mythological being. The material connects Poot's modern work to ancient sculptural traditions while allowing for contemporary artistic expression and interpretation.

This piece demonstrates how mythological subjects continue to inspire artistic creation across centuries, providing vehicles for exploring universal themes of knowledge, mystery, and the boundaries between the human and the monstrous.

This Baltic brass brooch exemplifies how decorative objects in traditional societies functioned as carriers of cosmological understanding. Featuring sun and plant motifs drawn from archaeological findings dating to the Roman Iron Age, the brooch demonstrates the sophisticated visual language through which Baltic peoples expressed their relationship to natural and supernatural realms.

The prominence of solar imagery in Baltic decorative arts reflects the central role of the sun in pre-Christian European mythologies. As a symbol of life, regeneration, and cosmic order, the sun motif connects the wearer to universal cycles while simultaneously marking cultural particularity through specific stylistic execution. This dual function—expressing both universal patterns and cultural distinctiveness—characterises effective mythological symbols across cultures.

The integration of plant imagery alongside solar motifs creates a visual narrative of cosmic fertility—the sun's generative influence on earthly growth. This relationship between celestial and terrestrial realms represents a fundamental pattern in agricultural mythologies worldwide, where human prosperity depends on correctly understanding and ritually acknowledging cosmic influences.

The brooch's function transcended mere decoration, serving simultaneously as practical fastener, status marker, and potentially protective talisman. This multidimensional functionality illustrates how pre-modern societies integrated practical, social, and spiritual concerns within unified symbolic systems rather than separating them into distinct domains. The preservation and contemporary reproduction of such designs demonstrates how mythological symbols maintain cultural resonance even when detached from their original belief contexts, serving as tangible connections to ancestral worldviews.

In Karol Radziszewski's 2017 mural in Warsaw, Poland, the traditional Warsaw Mermaid (the city's emblem) is joined by a mer-man, a bold addition that adds complexity to the established myth. The mermaid, long a symbol of Warsaw's strength and resilience since at least the 14th century, is reinterpreted by Radziszewski in a contemporary, dynamic form.

The mer-man element, uncommon in Warsaw's traditional iconography, introduces balance and duality, suggesting that the city's spirit isn't defined by a singular symbol but by a broader, more inclusive narrative. By combining these figures, Radziszewski challenges historical gendered interpretations while echoing themes of cooperation and harmony.

This innovative approach to the well-known legend demonstrates the fluidity of myth in modern artistic discourse. The mural transcends simple representation of the city's coat of arms to become a reflection of Warsaw's evolving identity in the 21st century. It exemplifies how traditional mythological symbols can be reinterpreted to address contemporary social concerns while maintaining their connection to cultural heritage.

The artwork stands as a visual dialogue between past and present, traditional and progressive, maintaining the protective symbolism of the original mermaid while expanding its meaning to encompass new values of inclusion and diversity. This adaptation shows how urban mythologies continue to evolve, reflecting changing social attitudes while preserving their function as shared narratives that unite communities.

Pauline Lebbe's analysis of Belgian art songs set to symbolist texts offers valuable insights into how mythological thinking adapted to modernist artistic contexts. During the period between the 1880s and the Second World War, Belgium became a creative crucible where literary symbolism—with its emphasis on suggestion, evocation, and transcendence—found powerful musical expression through art songs that created new mythological frameworks for understanding human experience.

The collaboration between musicians, artists, critics, theorists, and concert organisers described by Lebbe exemplifies how cultural mythologies emerge not from isolated genius but from complex creative ecosystems. These interconnected networks facilitated the cross-pollination of ideas across different artistic disciplines, producing innovative works that responded to the spiritual and existential challenges of modernity while drawing on both traditional and newly invented symbolic languages.

Symbolist art songs, though less well-known than their literary and visual counterparts, represent a significant adaptation of mythological thinking to modern artistic forms. By combining evocative texts with sophisticated musical settings, these compositions created multisensory experiences that functioned similarly to traditional mythological narratives—providing frameworks for understanding aspects of experience that resist literal description while evoking emotional responses that transcend rational comprehension.

The rich collaborative environment Lebbe describes demonstrates how mythological thinking continued to thrive in ostensibly secular, modernist contexts. Rather than abandoning symbolic understanding in favour of scientific rationalism, these artists created new mythologies that addressed the psychological and spiritual needs of a rapidly changing society. This cultural moment offers valuable perspective on how mythological thinking continually reinvents itself to remain relevant in new contexts, adapting traditional symbolic languages while developing innovative forms of expression.

The 2023 artwork by anonymous artist Spicebag depicting Gardaí in riot gear conducting an eviction represents a powerful example of how contemporary social movements repurpose historical imagery to create resonant modern mythologies. By deliberately echoing a 19th-century painting by Cork artist Daniel MacDonald that depicted a Famine-era eviction, the image establishes continuity between historical trauma and contemporary housing injustice, transforming immediate political concerns into part of a deeper national narrative.

The artwork's viral spread and emotional impact demonstrate how visual symbols can crystallise complex social and economic realities into accessible narrative frameworks. Just as traditional mythological images condensed complex cultural knowledge into recognisable visual forms, this image distills contemporary housing anxiety into a powerful visual metaphor that connects present circumstances to established historical narratives of displacement and resistance.

Particularly significant is the parallel drawn between historical British colonial power and modern neoliberal forces. By visually equating contemporary Gardaí enforcing evictions with historical British agents, the image suggests continuity in power structures despite formal political independence. This reframing exemplifies how contemporary mythologies often function to make visible otherwise abstract systemic forces, providing frameworks for understanding complex political and economic relationships through concrete visual metaphors.

The fusion of traditional Irish protest imagery with contemporary social media aesthetics demonstrates how modern mythological thinking adapts traditional forms to new media contexts. Like political cartoons in 19th-century Irish nationalism, this viral image transcends its immediate context to become part of Ireland's evolving mythology of resistance, demonstrating how societies continue to create compelling visual narratives that make sense of complex power dynamics and mobilise collective action against perceived injustice.

Dublin-based folk group Lankum exemplifies how traditional narratives evolve in contemporary contexts. Emerging in the 2010s, the quartet—Ian Lynch, Daragh Lynch, Radie Peat, and Cormac MacDiarmada—transforms traditional Irish music by blending folk melodies with experimental contemporary influences, creating immersive soundscapes that reimagine cultural heritage.

Their work draws from traditional ballads, work songs, and laments, yet ventures into experimental territories with drones and layered harmonies that push folk genre boundaries. This approach creates a dialogue between past and present, demonstrating how shared narratives adapt to new contexts while maintaining their cultural significance.

Socially, Lankum occupies a distinctive position in Ireland's cultural landscape, capturing nostalgia while addressing present concerns of migration, hardship, and resilience. Their commitment to authenticity—reviving lesser-known songs and reinterpreting classics with raw emotional intensity—shows how traditional narratives can be revitalised rather than preserved as static artefacts.

Culturally significant for bridging generations, their work resonates with traditionalists and younger audiences drawn to their experimental approach. In doing so, Lankum challenges stereotypes of folk music as static or overly sentimental, demonstrating the enduring relevance of shared narratives in a rapidly changing world.

Talos is an artistic research initiative led by Israeli choreographer Arkadi Zaides that explores the intersection of mythology, technology, and border politics. The project takes its name and conceptual framework from a European Union-funded research program developing mobile robots designed to secure Europe's borders, which itself drew its name from the mythological bronze giant from Greek mythology.

In Greek myth, Talos was a bronze automaton created by the divine craftsman Hephaestus to protect the island of Crete and, by extension, Europa (for whom Europe is named) from invaders. This ancient tale of a mechanical guardian patrolling boundaries resonates provocatively with contemporary debates about migration, sovereignty, and technological surveillance.

Zaides' two-year research project uses this mythological narrative as a foundation for exploring contemporary themes in performance, theatre, and dance. The initiative focuses particularly on the concepts of pre-enactment and speculation—artistic strategies that imagine and physically rehearse potential futures rather than representing past events.

Through this framework, Zaides and his collaborators investigate the implications of increasingly technologised approaches to security and borders. The project raises critical questions about how physical and ideological protection of territories can be represented and reimagined through performance, creating space for reflection on the ethical and political dimensions of border control technologies.

By connecting ancient mythology with cutting-edge surveillance technology and artistic practice, Talos demonstrates how mythological narratives continue to provide powerful conceptual tools for understanding and critiquing contemporary social and political developments.

Kneecap represents a fascinating intervention in the performative dimensions of Irish national identity. This Belfast-based rap trio operates at the intersection of linguistic revitalisation, post-conflict cultural production, and subcultural expression, embodying a provocative reimagining of Irish vernacular practice.

Their linguistic strategy—deploying Irish as a dynamic, living language of urban experience—challenges traditional modes of cultural preservation whilst creating new forms of collective identity. By transforming nationalist narratives through hip-hop's transgressive idiom, Kneecap enacts a cultural translation that destabilises conventional frameworks of political and linguistic belonging.

Their recent film and album further elaborate this critical project through a multimedia exploration of identity that refuses calcified representations. Instead, they perform a nimble, irreverent negotiation of contemporary Irish subjectivity, demonstrating how shared narratives can both preserve tradition and radically reimagine it for new generations.

The Lithuanian tale explaining why the Moon has spots provides a fascinating example of a sakmė, a type of folk narrative used to explain natural phenomena through mythological frameworks. This particular story belongs to the category of Lithuanian etiological legends, which address the origins of the world and its features.

According to the tale, the spots on the Moon represent a girl carrying water, who was once an orphan mistreated by her stepmother, a witch. Subjected to endless tasks, including fetching water, the girl ultimately became the victim of her stepmother's rage and was cursed and sent to the Moon. There, she was condemned to carry a yoke and buckets eternally, her silhouette forming the dark spots visible on the lunar surface.

This narrative exemplifies how celestial observations were integrated into cultural explanations before scientific understanding was widespread. The Moon's distinctive markings, visible to all, invited storytelling that connected cosmic phenomena with human experiences of hardship, cruelty, and injustice.

The tale incorporates common motifs found in folk narratives across cultures: the mistreated orphan, the wicked stepmother, and supernatural punishment. However, its specific attachment to lunar features gives it a distinctly Lithuanian character, reflecting how universal storytelling patterns adapt to local contexts and natural observations.

Compiled and edited by Norbertas Vėlius, a prominent Lithuanian folklorist, in How the Earth Came to Be: Lithuanian Etiological Legends (Kaip atsirado žemė: lietuvių etiologinės sakmės), this tale demonstrates how mythological explanations serve not only to account for natural phenomena but also to articulate moral lessons about human relationships and behaviour.

The transformation of Gdynia from small seaside village to bustling port city during Poland's interwar period represents a compelling case study in how urban development projects acquire mythological significance beyond their material dimensions. As a symbol of progress and national pride within the Second Polish Republic, Gdynia's rapid growth became a powerful embodiment of Poland's aspirations for independence and prosperity following extended periods of foreign domination.

The city's development encapsulated not merely infrastructure construction but the creation of tangible proof that Poland could direct its own modernisation after centuries of partition. This symbolic dimension explains why Gdynia acquired such exceptional significance in Polish national consciousness—it provided concrete evidence of national capability and autonomy at a time when these qualities remained psychologically crucial but practically uncertain.

The political and economic tensions that marked Gdynia's transformation reveal the complex reality behind national mythologies of progress. The challenges inherent in rapid urban development—competing interests, resource limitations, ideological conflicts—created significant gaps between idealised narratives of national triumph and lived experiences of urban growth. This tension between mythological representation and complex reality characterises many national development projects, which typically generate simplified narratives that obscure underlying conflicts and contradictions.

Gdynia's enduring status as powerful symbol in Polish cultural memory demonstrates how built environments acquire mythological significance that persists beyond their original historical contexts. The city continues to function as reference point in Polish discourse about national development and identity, demonstrating how physical spaces become repositories of collective meaning that evolve through changing historical circumstances while maintaining connection to foundational national narratives. This persistent symbolic resonance exemplifies how modern societies continue to create mythological frameworks around material developments, transforming concrete structures into carriers of abstract cultural values.

Olga Tokarczuk's Nobel Prize acceptance speech, "The Tender Narrator", delivered in December 2019, addresses the crisis of narrative in our information-saturated age. As one of contemporary literature's most significant voices, Tokarczuk uses this global platform to examine how storytelling structures have fractured in modern society and to propose a renewed approach to narrative.

Tokarczuk contemplates the paradoxical consequences of universal access to information, observing how it has overwhelmed our capacity to process knowledge meaningfully. She critiques the prevalence of superficial thinking in an era of instant information access, where facts accumulate without cohering into wisdom. More troublingly, she notes the absence of new metaphors, fables, and shared myths that might help us navigate our complex reality.

Her speech explores literature's vital role in an age of fragmentation, emphasising its unique ability to offer alternative perspectives and examine the complexity of human experience. Literature, she argues, provides crucial insight into the interconnectedness of all things while fostering a "tender" approach to understanding—one that embraces complexity rather than reducing it to simplistic narratives.

Tokarczuk identifies a fundamental problem: our lack of language to describe modern complexities creates a void that literature must strive to fill. This perspective speaks directly to the condition of contemporary discourse, where meaningful narratives are often obscured by the noise of media, politics, and unchecked information flows.

By advocating for a reimagining of literature's role, Tokarczuk proposes that new forms of storytelling can help us understand our rapidly changing world. Her speech stands as a powerful argument for narrative as an essential tool for making sense of human experience in all its complexity.

Ludovik Vermeersch's article on artistic alter egos explores how creative personas function as mythological constructs that simultaneously extend and constrain artistic identity. By examining the motives behind alter ego creation, the article illuminates how these artificial personas represent modern manifestations of ancient mythological patterns where identity is understood as fluid and potentially multiple rather than fixed and singular.

The connection to the myth of Narcissus is particularly revealing, suggesting that artistic alter egos often embody the paradoxical quest for self-knowledge through self-transformation. Just as Narcissus becomes transfixed by his own image—recognising yet not recognising himself—artists who create alter egos engage in complex dialogues with externalised aspects of themselves, seeking both escape from and deeper understanding of their artistic identity through this mythological doubling.

The concept of the "mythically enhanced personality" suggests how alter egos function as more than mere pseudonyms or disguises, instead serving as transformative vehicles that allow artists to transcend ordinary limitations. This enhancement parallels traditional mythological narratives where humans acquire extraordinary capabilities through divine intervention or transformation, adapting ancient patterns of transcendence to address contemporary artistic concerns about authenticity, identity, and creative potential.

The article's title—The Vain Escape From The Self—encapsulates the fundamental paradox at the heart of artistic alter egos: the impossibility of truly escaping one's identity even through elaborate mythological constructions. This tension between transformation and inevitable return to self reflects broader patterns in mythological thinking, where transcendence is always temporary and partial, constrained by fundamental conditions of human existence. The contemporary artistic exploration of alter egos thus represents a sophisticated adaptation of traditional mythological concepts to address modern concerns about identity, authenticity, and the boundaries of the self.