IF - Myth

For 'myth' I chose a cyclops, a creature I have been fascinated with for a long time. It began when I first read the Odyssey and reawakened only lately when I read it to my son. I never realized how bloodthirsty Greek mythology is. Only when reading, it dawned on me that maybe it might not be suitable for a nine-year-old. However my son seemed completely unimpressed by any bloodshed.

Shortly after that I read Cinderella to him and I must confess that this fairy tale seemed even worse to me with the cut-off toe and heel of the evil sisters. As neither Greek mythology nor fairy tales have done any serious damage to me, I begin to think that adults sometimes make to much of a fuss about this kind of incidents in stories or mythology. Children just visualize them differently. However, this is not meant to be an invitation to more brutality in stories for children. It just shows that children are capable of more distinction than adults normally credit them for.