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Classical Antiquity is a particularly important field in terms of “Hope studies” […]. For centuries, the ancient tradition, and classical mythology in particular, has been a common reference point for whole hosts of creators of culture, across many parts of the world, and with the new media and globalization only increasing its impact. Thus, in our research at this stage, we have decided to study how the authors of literary and audiovisual texts for youth make use of the ancient myths to support their young protagonists (and readers or viewers) in crucial moments of their existence, on their road into adulthood, and in those dark hours when it seems that life is about to shatter and fade away. However, if Hope is summoned in time, the crisis can be overcome and the protagonist grows stronger, with a powerful uplifting message for the public. […] Owing to this, we get a chance to remain true to our ideas, to keep faith in our dreams, and, when the decisive moment comes, to choose not hatred but love, not darkness but light. Katarzyna Marciniak, University of Warsaw, From the introductory chapter

Clearly, wherever myth forms part of an educational syllabus, value judgements have been made by those who chose the texts, with regard to content, approach, usage, emphases, purpose and many other elements. [...] the present volume examines the reception of such myth within formal education in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries […]. It focuses for the most part on school education, but with forays into post-high school where relevant, and includes a wide geographical and chronological range. With regard to the latter limitations, the general emphasis is on modern day, and the current situation, but as a result of individual historical circumstances in each example. Lisa Maurice, Editor of the Volume This is a task of paramount importance, as educational processes have a lasting influence on us – all the more so as we are exposed to them already in childhood, when the capacity for critical thinking is being formed by none other than school curricula shaped and developed in specific circumstances. This volume makes us aware of these complex processes, their implications, and the opportunities they create for the future of Classical Antiquity. Katarzyna Marciniak, Editor of the Series

In international fantasy literature for teenage readers based on motifs of the ancient Greek and Roman mythology often an adolescent protagonist is focused on, who has a lot of problems with growing up. Therefore a mythic narrative emerges in the plot to help the main figure mastering his problems. This narrative filled with supernatural incidents is a vehicle for the protagonist to become a strong and selfconfident adult, who saves the world from evil mythical creatures. In this paper the famous Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, the popular Blue Secrets series by Anna Banks and the blockbuster movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg are subjects of this investigation and the author demonstrates that normal human protagonists are described as holy Redeemer-figures by amalgamating them with the mythic god Poseidon. In this way mythic motifs are mixed with Christian values to create a modern kind of superhero giving people a new sense in life. This superhero spreads hope for the threatened mankind, which is very important in (actual) dark times.

Today, series of books for adolescents that achieve immense success throughout the world (such as Percy Jackson and The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan, The Companions Quartet by Julia Golding, The Goddess Girls by Suzanne Williams and Joan Holub, Die Irrfahrer by Gerd Scherm and The Pig Scrolls by Paul Shipton) bear witness to the remarkable dominance of Graeco-Roman mythology in current literature for children and adolescents (LCA). By means of interdisciplinary analysis of texts and motifs, the speech works out the preeminent status of mythical creatures in postmodern LCA and films as well as their − explicit or implicit − reference to Homer’s Odyssey or Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In this context, it is be worthwhile looking at the way in which the ancient creatures are being transformed and functionalised in current works of literature. Furthermore, we analyse to what extent novels and films are being adapted on a pedagogical level in order to create cultural identity. In doing so, we focus on hybrid creatures, esp. the Minotaur which, at central passages of the main classical epics that are being referred to, works as agent that expands the sphere of heroic experience and probation by further mythical/ fantastic dimensions. Looking at postmodern adaptations of hybrid creatures that are main characters of myths, especially of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, we can show how Ovid’s complex reformation of the mythical tradition has inspired today’s authors to apply astoundingly similar techniques of transforming the fantastic. At the same time, we take into consideration the mythological beasts’ design that is achieved through their positioning in modern culture − which frequently involves updating values and ideals in a way that is contradictory to the ancient context., The volume gathers the results of a stage of the programme Our Mythical Childhood, supported by an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Alumni Award for Innovative Networking Initiatives and an ERC Consolidator Grant. Open Access at Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH at https://www.winter-verlag.de/en/detail/978-3-8253-7874-5/Marciniak_Ed_Chasing_Mythical_Beasts_PDF/ book/ hardcover ISBN: 978-3-8253-6995-8 Series: Studien zur europäischen Kinder- und Jugendliteratur/Studies in European Children's and Young Adult Literature, Volume No.: 8 Information about Our Mythical Childhood is available at http://omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/