5 modern retellings of classic mythology and folklore, from ‘Circe’ to ‘Daughter of the Moon Goddess’

Written by Vaishnavi Patel, Kaikeyi is a novel exploring the life and legacy of the book’s namesake, who appears in the Hindu epic Ramayana. She is the princess of Kekeya Kingdom and becomes the queen of Ayodhya. While Kaikeyi appears in the epic, she is merely a side character, the catalyst for the main hero’s journey.

Turning this story on its head, Patel’s retelling highlights Kaikeyi’s life, explains some of her actions within the epic, and fills in the gaps in her life. In the epic, Kaikeyi treats her stepson, Rama, with malice. While Patel addresses Kaikeyi’s flaws, she paints her as a complex character and reframes some of her spiteful choices.

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Madeline Miller’s book tells the story of Circe, the daughter of the sun god Helios in Greek mythology. She lived as a sorceress and was able to turn people into animals – including the famous Odysseus, whom she turned into a pig. The book takes Circe’s perspective and details her origin story and interactions with Greek gods and heroes. The book explores not only her incredible power and witchcraft but also her struggles with morality, trauma and love.

Sue Lynn Tan’s book retells the famous Chinese myth of Chang E, who drank the elixir of life – a brew which belonged to her husband, the famous archer Hou Yi – and flew to the moon. She was then forever separated from her love. Some view Chang E’s act as a betrayal against her husband, while others feel she was making a sacrifice by drinking the potion to keep it away from villains.

Tan reinvents the tale to focus on Chang E’s hypothetical daughter, Xingyin, who is trapped on the moon alongside her mother, but kept in the dark as to the reason for their isolation. Tan creates new adventures for Xingyin who leaves the moon and has to find her way among the mortals.

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In a reimagining of Norse mythology, The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec describes the life of a banished witch named Angrboda, who falls in love with Loki, a Norse god, who is also a shape-shifter and a trickster. In the Poetic Edda, Angrboda is only mentioned once as Loki’s lover and the mother of his three children. Despite having only a single mention, her name itself conveyed negative characteristics, as Angrboda translates to “the one who brings grief” or “she who offers sorrow”.

Gornichec creates a narrative for this mysterious figure in Norse mythology by depicting her relationships with her children, her love affair with Loki and her notoriety in the myths.

The ancient Mayan civilisation revered hundreds of gods, and their death god went by many names with several different backstories.

Inspired by these sweeping tales in Mexican folklore, Gods of Jade and Shadow, written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, transports us to the Jazz Age in southern Mexico. The main character, Casiopea Tun, accidentally lets loose Hun-Kamé, the spirit of the Mayan god of death.

As the spirit needs her help in taking back the throne from his evil brother, Casiopea begins a journey that eventually leads her to the Mayan underworld.