Hades = The Devil? I Don't Think So.

How long? How long do I have to wait before I see a version of Greek Mythology that has not been Christianised within an inch of its life? Seriously, Hollywood, stop pissing me off...Well maybe not just Hollywood. I'm seeing a whole lot of this going on. And new Hercules...um...Gladiators?! Stop putting f***ing Gladiators in Ancient Greek films/tv shows.

Ah, hello readers. I shall calm myself and structure this into a proper argument.

As a Pagan, I am getting increasingly annoyed with how my beloved Gods are portrayed. Yes, I get it. You can't have a man-whore Zeus, a callous and jealous Hera and a not-quite-a-villain Hades in a Disney film. That's understandable. And in a way, as a writer, I completely understand new interpretations of Greek mythology; that has gone on for years and there are multitudes of different stories (some we probably don't even know about)!

I guess it's just all the romanticising that goes on. Myths aren't meant to be nice little fairytales (even fairytales aren't always fairytales - check out the original Brothers Grimm stuff, f***ing hell!). The main thing that's bugging me, is the way my friends (who aren't pagans or fountains of literary mythology knowledge), assume they know more than me about Greek mythology because they've read Percy Jackson or seen Atlantis (BBC TV Series). And all I can really do is sit there and shake my head. Because in reality, they only know the bastardised version of Greek mythology. The one that's been painted and preened till it's more wholesome and easier to swallow.

One of the reasons I chose to follow the Ancient Greek Gods, wasn't to be cool or unique, it was because they were more human than the Christian God I had followed. They weren't pinnacles of morality or righteousness. Half the time they did not stop the monsters, they caused them. Perhaps there's an immorality and a chaotic nature within me, that innately calls to that idea of passion and chaos. I don't want life to be easy and uncomplicated, where's the fun in that? You might say I am asking for trouble. Maybe I am, but the last thing I want in life is to live out a path that really means very little, either to myself or anyone else.

So in a way, I don't want to see my Gods neatened and dressed up, till they fit within a nice little Christian theme. Stop telling me and others that there is only good and evil. That for those of us who aren't 'evil', we won't ever become it or be able to understand it. And for those of us who are, there's really no escape from that path. Stop changing my view of life and death, for yours. I don't want to see your view of Hell, as my view of the Underworld. The respect and companionship we once had with Death, is now irrevocably changed. We now fear the expected, which is madness, yet we waste this current life worrying about it. Stop telling me that the Mother should be sweet and kind, the Father brave and resourceful and the Devil is without goodness.

I want my Paganism to be shown fully on TV and Films, without frills or censorship. I want there to be more than archetypes and stereotypes. And for once in all my life, I don't want to see Gladiator fights on an Ancient Greek film. Get those men entirely naked and running round a field! Or wrestling. I don't care, just make sure they're naked, check your historical facts first and then go to the myths for inspiration. There's nothing wrong with new stories and ideas, I just want some of my religion left behind when I see the final product and not a sweetened version of it.

Exciting Times!

So some of my plans for next year are going to involve me being very busy, and my mother probably saying 'Hannah, you've got too much on your plate!' But I'm genuinely very excited about all of this.

My first plan involves poetry and dance. My housemate Nick is a performance poet and a very good one too! This is a video of a poetry slam he organised and I was particularly inspired by the beautiful dance performed to a poem, written by Keren Margetts (she's the dancer furthest away).

As a contemporary dancer of fourteen years I love experimenting with different styles of theatre and dancing. So something I'm now planning for my third year, is working with my housemate Nick to set up a production of dance set to performance poetry. I think this'll be a great way of boosting up public appreciation of performance poetry and develop a new style of dance, where the focus lies on the beats of the word, the human body and our own natural rhythm. I'm going to be talking with Nick and Keren soon, so hopefully all goes to plan, otherwise I may have to seek help elsewhere.

I've got two plays being planned as well. My first one is a collaboration with another housemate, and we're hoping to do a radio play. I'm also working on my own play, a dark drama looking at the world's obsession with sexuality. I love Theatre of the Absurd, Theatre of Cruelty, Physical Theatre and Brechtian styles. So I'm really hoping I'll get to explore these more if I'm working with a small group of people. I really want to go further with my directing and production manager, though I'll probably work with someone else. I can't wait to work with a group of people whom I know I work well with and who can produce the best results. I'm not talking about people always agreeing with me, but just knowing I won't be going home each night, desperate to tear my hair out in frustration!

So watch this space...exciting times ahead!