Liverpool is well-known for its collection of world-class museums. From the Museum of Liverpool to the Lady Lever Art Gallery, there’s so much culture to immerse yourself in at these incredible venues. Of them all, however, you might just want to make a special visit to the World Museum over the winter months.
Found on William Brown Street, the World Museum has an extensive slate of events all based around the incredible, fascinating, and ever-popular realm of ancient Greek mythology. While the museum’s Return of the Gods event has been running since 28 April, and will continue until 25 February 2024, there are still plenty of must-see talks and exhibitions to visit when the days get colder.
Dates to remember for the Return of the Gods
Ancient Greek mythology is loaded with larger-than-life heroes, incredible stories of high drama, and plenty of morally dubious gods and goddesses. The tales of the Greek pantheon and their explanations for the world were so powerful that the vaunted Roman empire essentially just copied and pasted the mythos into their own, giving even more life to the famed figures of Zeus, Hades, Hercules, Athena, and their kin under different names.
The Return of the Gods exhibition event at the World Museum is here to showcase all of the greatest elements of these incredible stories and the characters that make them popular to this day. While the general exhibit can be visited on any day during welcoming hours, there are also several talks and events on the horizon. One of the showpiece talks is In Conversation with Natalie Haynes (who wrote Pandora’s Jar) on 25 November.
Kicking off a packed December slate, 2 December sees Dr Chrissy Partheni host a talk on how the Greeks and Romans celebrated their holidays and feasted for the gods. The following weekend, on 9 December, discover how amulets protected the ancient world in a talk by Jordan Poole. On 15 December, the stage goes to Professor Mary Beard, who’ll be discussing her career and new book, Emperor of Rome. The very next day, you get to delve into the workings of the ancient cult of Demeter and Persephone.
Tapping into one of the most popular parts of European history
Greek gods and tales have been embedded in UK pop culture for decades. Right now, they’re most prominently found being integrated into or adapted to the superhero genre. We’ve got the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, in the form of Wonder Woman, Zeus making a cameo in the fourth Thor film, and Aquaman, whose on-screen presentation is very much of Poseidon.
Still, there are also other popular new entertainment productions that stick much more closely to the grand myths and mythical characters of the Greeks. Inventive ancient Greek games are easily the most popular theme in online casino platforms. Rise of Olympus 100, Forge of Olympus, Atlantis Power Combo, Amazing Link Zeus, and Zeus’s Thunderbolt all overtly base their features and settings on Greek myths.
On TV, the myths have also made a comeback, but now in the form of animated series. Co-creator of Rick and Morty, Dan Harmon, has created a new comedy that draws heavily from the characters of Greek myth. While it also delves into modern talking points, Krapopolis is still entrenched in its source material. Closer to the real stuff, Blood of Zeus enjoyed a superb debut on Netflix, and eventually, its second season will launch.
If you’re fascinated by these legendary tales of gods and heroes, get yourself down to the World Museum this winter!
