It is well known among Book Riot circles that I’m a mythology fangirl. I love the OG myths themselves, but what really gets my bells ringing is a juicy, subversive retelling that flips a familiar narrative on its head.
Lucky for me, the wave of recent retellings has given me all of that and more. Madeline Miller’s once powerless, voiceless Circe steps into her power with righteous rage; Vaishnavi Patel presents us with a Kaikeyi who refuses to shrink herself to fit with the role she’s expected to play as a woman, a mother, and a queen; in Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes’s Medusa asks us to interrogate the concepts of beauty and monstrosity, and who gets to decide how each is defined. This is truly just the tip of the iceberg, too: my TBR doth overflow.
Like any good bookworm, I went in search of merch aligned with my literary obsession on Etsy and I come bearing both good and bad news. The good news is there’s plenty of awesome stuff out there for fans of Greek and Roman mythology; the bad news, at least in my experience, is that it was near impossible to find merch for anything outside the Greco-Roman tradition, or even for retellings by authors besides Madeline Miller.
So if any creators out there are reading this, please to consider whipping up some pretty prints, snarky tees, and more bookish goodies for other mythology and folklore! See the works of Pat Barker, Natalie Haynes, Vaishnavi Patel, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Sue Lynn Tan, Jennifer Saint, Roseanne A. Brown, Rebecca Roanhorse, Genevieve Gornichec…I could do this all day.
For now, I present you with some of the best gifts for fans of Greek mythology I found. Go forth and get your myth on!
Gifts for Greek Mythology Lovers
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Do I have too many mugs? Yes. Am I still buying this Artemis ceramic mug? Also yes. $20
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After I read and raved about Circe in 2018, all the Madeline Miller stans were like, “just wait till you read Song of Achilles. Just. you. wait.” Reader, it destroyed me. Pick up this Song of Achilles tee if you too were ruined by this beautiful book, or if you just need something to soak up all those tears. $27
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This Medusa’s Gaze candle smells like wet stone, amber, and sea mist, all of which go perfectly with the windswept cave setting described in Stone Blind. Perfection. ($21)
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True story: a very nice employee at a Southern California vineyard once asked me if I’d like to revisit any of the wines from a tasting and I, very much in my cups, replied “What would Dionysus do? Drink!” Try not to judge me and instead nab this Dionysus wine club sweatshirt for $34+
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I love a little bit of silly humor like this. Get it? Stoneworks? Heh? I’ll sit down now. This Medusa’s Stoneworks sweatshirt starts at $34.
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I love this Circe T-shirt‘s simplicity. $41
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Picture me sobbing and softly whispering, “Patroclus.” This Song of Achilles sticker is just $4, tears not included.
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These wooden Circe bookmarks are so gorgeous! ($9)
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… and the Medusa versions don’t disappoint, either. $8+
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Don this Circe’s Island T-shirt as you stroll down the street singing “Cell Block Tango” — if you know, you know. $33+
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I love the sweetness of the design paired with the threat of the words in this Circe print. Mwahaha. $3
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I just want to wear this Circe’s Brew enamel pin and see who gets it. ($3)
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I keep saying Natalie Haynes’ Stone Blind got me thinking about Medusa in a whole different way, but it was Jess Zimmerman’s fantastic nonfiction work, Women and Other Monsters, that first got those wheels turning. That read pairs perfectly with this Medusa T-shirt. $18+
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I grew up with an abuela whose greatest joy in life is hustling people out of their money over a card game. If I’m going to get my pockets emptied, at least I’ll have some pretty Iliad playing cards to look at. ($27)
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I have absolutely no room for anything on my bookshelves so someone please, pretty please: let me live through you and grab these Medusa bookends which come in both black and white versions. ($90)
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I am sneaking in one more Song of Achilles good because this tote is just too pretty. $17
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My insufferable ass took one look at this shirt and went, “but it was a jaaaaaar!” I still want this Pandora T-shirt because again, I love the silly humor. $25
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And finally, this delightful mug. I’m more of an ambivert but look, I am always down to discuss mythology. $17
If you’re looking to get into retellings or need recs for more diverse reading, we have you more than covered.
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– Vanessa Diaz
Source : Gifts for Greek Mythology Lovers
