ODYSSEY: THE PODCAST - my 14 episode, 24 hour sequel to Trojan War: The Podcast - is now recorded and waiting for you. Subscribe through your usual podcast provider, or go to odysseythepodcast.com! THE STORY: (40 minutes) Zeus, King of the Gods, hosts a wedding. An uninvited guest crashes, bringing an unwelcome gift. In mere moments, all Hades breaks loose. And the wheels of Western culture’s most awesome epic - the Trojan War - are set in motion. THE COMMENTARY: DID THE TROJAN WAR REALLY "HAPPE...
Sep 05, 2016•49 min•Season 1Ep. 1
THE STORY: (54 minutes) A queen is visited by a terrifying nightmare. Priests discern what the nightmare means. And a king is faced with a soul-wrenching dilemma: “do I kill my child, or allow my city to burn?” And the king’s decision …? Well, you’ll have to listen in to see how that turns out. THE COMMENTARY: FATE VS. FREE WILL (16 minutes; begins at 54:00) In this episode of post-story commentary I explore the role of “Fate” in the Trojan War epic. I observe that most of us listening to this p...
Sep 04, 2016•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 2
THE STORY: (38 minutes) A miraculous child survives not only the homicidal raging of an angry demi-god, but also an icy immersion in a magic river and the venomous bite of a deadly snake. Then the child turns two, and his real adventures begin. THE COMMENTARY: THE ACHILLES STORIES THAT I DID NOT TELL YOU (16 minutes; begins at 38:00) I begin this episode of post-story commentary by discussing the reasons for the popularity of “Achilles stories” in the Bronze Age and Classical Greek world. I then...
Sep 03, 2016•54 min
THE STORY: (30 minutes) Hermes, the messenger god, locates a “highly qualified” judge for a beauty contest between three powerful, vain and vindictive goddesses. One of the goddesses is cruising to what appears to be certain victory, until her competitors propose a “twist” on the contest rules. And our judge – a boy you already know – is suddenly confronted with a choice: political power, military glory, or some smokin' hot … But you'll have to tune in, if you want to find out exactly what happe...
Sep 02, 2016•45 min
THE STORY: (30 minutes) The transition from shepherd to Crown Prince of Troy isn’t easy, but with some help from Aphrodite (and from the royal harem), Paris manages to settle in to Troy quite nicely. A road trip to the the Greek kingdom of Sparta follows, during which Paris discovers that Aphrodite keeps all of her promises. THE COMMENTARY: DID SPARTA REALLY THROW BABIES OFF OF CLIFFS? (14 minutes; begins at 30:00) I spend the entire post-story commentary of this episode talking about Sparta. Mo...
Sep 01, 2016•44 min
THE STORY: (37 minutes) This episode has it all! A kinky story about an amorous swan, a disturbing story about a butchered horse, a cautionary story about a foolish husband, and a too-familiar story about a corrupt politician. And in the midst of all the stories, well, Helen of Sparta moves to Troy. THE COMMENTARY: HELEN OF TROY - DAMSEL IN DISTRESS or FEMME FATALE? (26 minutes; begins at 37:00) Helen of Troy is one of the most complex and enigmatic characters in all of fiction (or in all of fac...
Aug 30, 2016•1 hr 4 min
THE STORY: (43 minutes) Operation Trojan Storm needs the craft and cunning of Odysseus, Greece’s most clever man. But Odysseus has mysteriously vanished. Agamemnon puts his best man, Palamedes, on the case. “Find Odysseus; bring him to me, one way or another”, Agamemnon commands. But what Palamedes discovers when he finally locates Odysseus ….! Tune in to the podcast to learn the whole, horrifying truth! THE COMMENTARY: GREEK PIRATES vs. TROJAN MERCHANTS (17 minutes; begins at 43:00) I shameless...
Aug 30, 2016•1 hr
THE STORY: (49 minutes) Agamemnon doesn’t dare launch his invasion of Troy until Achilles - Greece’s very own “weapon of mass destruction” – is part of the operation. So Odysseus, the cleverest of the warlords, is dispatched to find the elusive Achilles. Act One of today’s episode is a cleverly constructed mystery. And Act Two? Well, let’s just say that Act Two is more than a bit of a drag. THE COMMENTARY: ACHILLES, THE OPERA! (15 minutes; begins at 49:00) Stories, myths and legends are like any...
Aug 29, 2016•1 hr 4 min
THE STORY: (45 minutes) In this horrifying episode Agamemnon, Commander in Chief of the Greek’s Operation Trojan Storm, is confronted with an existential question. How badly does he want to invade Troy, and who or what is he willing to sacrifice in order to realize his plans? THE COMMENTARY: MURDER, INCEST, INFIDELITY & CANNIBALISM – AGAMEMNON’S INTERESTING FAMILY! (16 minutes; begins at 45:00) This deeply troubling episode is based on the story of the sacrifice of Iphigenia – Agamemnon’s te...
Aug 28, 2016•1 hr 2 min
THE STORY: (53 minutes) Agamemnon’s 100,000-strong army finally makes it to the beaches of Troy, and readies itself for one day of glorious, decisive, "winner-take-all" battle against Hector’s Trojan army. But the Trojans appear to have other plans. And it soon becomes clear that the Greek troops will not be making it home for Christmas – at least not for any Christmas in this decade. THE COMMENTARY: WEAPONS, ARMOUR & BATTLEFIELD REALITIES c. 1250 B.C.E. (30 minutes; begins at 53:00) Some ep...
Aug 27, 2016•1 hr 22 min
THE STORY: (46 minutes) Ten years into the siege of Troy a priest of Apollo arrives at the command tent of Agamemnon, Commander in Chief of the Greeks. The priest makes a simple request of Agamemnon. Agamemnon refuses, and Greek soldiers die in the thousands. And then things turn truly ugly… THE COMMENTARY: DID A GUY NAMED HOMER EXIST, & DID HE WRITE THE ILIAD? (16 minutes; begins at 46:00) This particular episode of Trojan War: The Podcast brings our story arc into Homer’s Iliad itself. I u...
Aug 26, 2016•1 hr 3 min
THE STORY: (58 minutes) Hector proposes an audacious “exit strategy” to Agamemnon: a deal to end the war with just one man dead. Intense diplomatic negotiations follow. And just when it appears that Greek and Trojan have agreed to terms, a third, more powerful party, enters the conversation. THE COMMENTARY: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OLYMPIAN GODS, IN UNDER 13 MINUTES! (12 minutes; begins at 58:00) I dedicate all of this post-story commentary to the Olympian Gods: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Aphr...
Aug 25, 2016•1 hr 10 min
THE STORY: (56 minutes) As Greek and Trojan forces openly clash on the plains of Troy the goddess Athena imbues a Greek warlord – Diomedes – with fearsome, godlike powers of combat. So with the Trojan forces in disarray and on the verge of wholescale panic, Hector decides on an audacious plan to save his army. But can Hector survive his own plan? THE COMMENTARY: CAN WAR BE BOTH TERRIBLE and GLORIOUS? (17 minutes; begins at 56:00) This post-story commentary examines both the “glorious” and the “t...
Aug 24, 2016•1 hr 14 min
THE STORY: (57 minutes) This episode, pivotal to the entire Trojan War Epic, features philosophy, bedroom farce, and genuine tragedy -- all in equal measure. Temptation plays the lead: Agamemnon tempts Achilles; Hera tempts Zeus; and Patroclus tempts Deadly Destiny. THE COMMENTARY: WERE ACHILLES & PATROCLUS LOVERS? (20 minutes; begins at 57:00) I dedicate this entire post-story commentary to the Achilles/Patroclus relationship: a relationship which has confounded scholars, storytellers, and ...
Aug 23, 2016•1 hr 18 min
THE STORY (65 minutes) Homer’s Iliad opens with the storyteller’s invocation to the Muse: “The wrath of Achilles – sing it now, goddess, sing through me ….” When Achilles learns that his beloved Patroclus is dead – at the hands of Hector –Achilles “snaps”. What follows is a powerful, disturbing and truly horrifying podcast episode. THE COMMENTARY: WHAT HAPPENS TO US AFTER WE DIE? (25 minutes; begins at 1:05) This post story commentary is dedicated to Bronze Age beliefs about death and the afterl...
Aug 22, 2016•1 hr 30 min
THE STORY (50 minutes) This episode traces the personal griefs of two bitter enemies: Achilles, who has lost his best friend and soul mate, Patroclus; and King Priam, who has lost his son and his heir, Hector. Both Achilles and Priam are inconsolable, until Zeus and Deadly Destiny unite them, under the roof of one tent. What transpires in that tent is truly remarkable. THE COMMENTARY: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT & WHY DOES HOMER END THE ILIAD HERE? (19 minutes; begins at 50:00) With this podcast episo...
Aug 21, 2016•1 hr 10 min
THE STORY (59 minutes) With Hector dead, the desperate Trojans grasp on to increasingly ridiculous deus ex machina solutions to save their city from the Greeks. And then old King Priam hatches the most hair-brained (or brilliant) scheme of them all….. THE COMMENTARY HOW DID ACHILLES DIE and WHO KILLED HIM? (15 minutes; begins at 59:00) With this podcast episode we leave behind Homer`s account of the Trojan War, and once again delve into that jambalaya of accounts, fragments, partial references a...
Aug 20, 2016•1 hr 14 min
THE STORY (50:00 minutes) A dispute over honour leads to a leadership shift (and a profound tragedy) in the Greek army. Meanwhile, Paris Prince of Troy discovers that “nemesis” is a word of particularly Greek origin. THE COMMENTARY THE OENONE STORY: A PATRIARCHAL MARRIAGE PRIMER (20 minutes; begins at 50:00) I devote this post-story commentary to an exploration of the “Paris and Oenone” story. I begin by reviewing the basic details of the story that seems to be agreed upon by all tellers down th...
Aug 19, 2016•1 hr 15 min
ODYSSEY: THE PODCAST - my 14 episode, 24 hour sequel to Trojan War: The Podcast - is now recorded and waiting for you. Subscribe through your usual podcast provider, or go to odysseythepodcast.com! THE STORY (60 minutes) Odysseus finally decodes the cryptic prophecy that “Troy’s walls will never be destroyed by an enemy force”, then sets to work on implementing the most audacious - and famous - “con” in the history of war. THE COMMENTARY WAS THERE EVER REALLY A TROJAN HORSE? (20 minutes; begins ...
Aug 18, 2016•1 hr 24 min
ODYSSEY: THE PODCAST - my 14 episode, 24 hour sequel to Trojan War: The Podcast - is now recorded and waiting for you. Subscribe through your usual podcast provider, or go to odysseythepodcast.com! THE STORY and A MESSAGE FROM JEFF WRIGHT (1:39:53) Odysseus confronts Priam, Menelaus confronts Helen, and Agamemnon confronts Fate and Deadly Destiny …. all on the night when the mighty city of Troy finally falls. And so, with the city of Troy in flames and the Greek fleet set sail across the wine da...
Aug 17, 2016•1 hr 38 min
