Metamorphoses

Tales of Change

The Metamorphoses tales and other Greek myths featured here often involve some form of transformation and explore many aspects of human nature: greed, curiosity, vanity, generosity, arrogance, creativity. This makes them a very powerful springboard for discussion and creative work.

The stories

The stories are listed below in the order we suggest you teach them in the classroom (and alternative ideas for orders are available here). Click the links to access audio recordings and other teaching materials.

Creation 1: The Very Beginning
07:00
How earth and sky became separated.
Creation 2: Prometheus
05:28
The children of Prometheus inherit the earth.
Creation 3: Pandora
13:15
Prometheus locks away bad things from his children but Pandora can't resist looking inside.
Demeter and Persephone
09:58
How the seasons came to be.
Orpheus and Eurydice
11:18
Newlyweds Orpheus and Eurydice are cruelly separated by fate.
The Time of Greed: Part 1 - Lycaon
03:27
The gods are disappointed to see humanity behaving like animals.
The Time of Greed: Part 2 - Deucalion
05:06
The earth is submerged in water and just two people are spared by the gods.
Erysichthon
10:02
Erysichthon chops down a tree sacred to Demeter to demonstrate the gods do not exist.
King Midas: Part 1
06:41
Midas is granted a wish he lives to regret.
King Midas: Part 2
07:50
Midas misjudges a god and tries to hide his foolishness.
Baucis and Philemon
09:17
A couple offer two strangers food and shelter in a storm.
Echo and Narcissus
07:34
The nymph, Echo, falls in love with a man in love with his own reflection.
Adonis and Aphrodite
14:37
The beautiful Adonis divides his time between Persephone and Aphrodite.
Actaeon
07:14
Actaeon stumbles on the goddess of hunting while she is bathing.
Calydonian Boar Hunt
12:36
A vision comes to pass when a mother's brothers are killed by her own son.
Cygnus
05:01
Cygnus can't be harmed by weapons but armour is another matter.
Arachne
07:36
Arachne claims to be a better weaver than Athene, the goddess of handicrafts.
Phaethon
08:11
The son of the Sun asks for proof - with disastrous consequences.
Daedalus and Icarus
08:18
Wax and feathers don't hold together well against the heat of the sun.
Theseus and the Minotaur
11:51
Theseus tricks Ariadne into helping him defeat the bull-headed Minotaur.
Labyrinth
33:33
With the recreation of Talos' maze as its backdrop, this series of longer, inter-related stories incorporates versions of the tales above which will already be familiar and will be a useful stepping stone to the longer stories of War with Troy and Return from Troy.
Metamorphoses - Alternative Versions
A collection of alternative tellings of the Metamorphoses and similar myths from other cultures.