Today was once the birthday of author Edith Hamilton (1867-1963), who was born in Germany but raised in Indiana, and who graduated from Bryn Mawr but dreamed of ancient Greece. Among her many works was the classic
Mythology, first published in 1942 and used for decades afterward in high school English classes like my own. I can't say that I truly cared for
Mythology the first time around because we were quizzed on it daily and somehow lost the epic excitement of the Greek, Roman and Norse tales, but I reread it later just for kicks and enjoyed it much more. And then I also had a foundation of mythological knowledge to fully appreciate lovely paintings like the pictured François-Edouard Picot's
Cupid and Psyche and John William Waterhouse's
Psyche Opening The Golden Box. So thanks, Edith, for keeping the mythic torch burning and passing its light to us all.
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