posted on 15 Sep 2022

Flying Snakes & Griffin Claws: and Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities by Adrienne Mayor

Stanford University research scholar, Adrienne Mayor is a renowned historian and classical folklore academic who has built a reputation for pioneering the discipline of ‘geomythology’ – exploring the boundary-lines between the scientific interpretation of paleontological evidence and pre-scientific folk stories and myth. 

Her new book, Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws follows her previous successful publication, Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, & the Scorpion Bombs, which considered the origins of biological and chemical warfare and uncovered how we have arrived at our understanding of the use of poison weaponry and tactics. In this hugely entertaining new anthology of historical curiosities we reap the benefits of Mayor’s willingness to burrow into the dusty corners of history and to pick up on myths and stories other historians tend to slide past without stopping. Mayor, however, wants to know what lies behind the myths and legends and refuses to accept that their origins can’t be uncovered or that they are not worthy of being ushered into the light. Her excellent and entertaining Introduction kicks off by telling us exactly what to expect:

“In my meandering path towards becoming a classical folklorist and historian of ancient science, I’ve always been drawn to the nooks and crannies and dusty corners of literature, art and history.”

Perfect. Who could resist that? Not me, it turns out.

I thought this was going to be a book I’d dip into and select those sections that most caught my imagination – who is stoical enough to resist an exploration of ghost ships, foot fetishists or a study of wine goblets and women’s breasts? But, it turns out the fifty or so chapters, each given over to a different myth or legend, all turn out to be completely irresistible.

The individual chapters are grouped together under four sub-headings: Animals: fabulous, real and extinct; Formidable Women; Curious History and Science; Travelers, Tattoos and Tyrants and we’re taken from the ancient to the surprisingly modern. But what really keeps you reading is Mayor’s superbly readable prose – she really knows how to hook a reader and the force of her playful personality shines through without ever compromising the academic credibility of her research. She has taken the wise decision to forego references and footnotes as a hindrance to the sheer enjoyment of the way the scientific method can be used to bring substance to myth. 

Are the flying snakes of folklore really bats or beetles and do the claws of the Griffin belong to an extinct lizard or raptor? As with many myths we ultimately can’t know for sure but it is the duty of the scientist to follow the evidence and find the possibilities – not just pack them away as ancient myth unrelated in any way to reality.

Anyone picking up this book who has any sort of curiosity about ancient times and ancient myths will certainly find something here to amaze and entertain but, if you really want to understand what Mayor is really all about and why ‘geomythology’ is an important field of study should go to Chapter 14 and read ‘Hunting Griffins: an imaginary letter to a paleontologist’. This is something of an explanation of method and an academic manifesto and is thrillingly readable. 

In many ways I felt that the moving spirit that lies behind this whole field of study is the ancient Greek pioneer of historical enquiry, Herodotus who turns out to be the starting point for many of the historical journeys that Mayor leads us through. I’m off now to root out my copy of his writings and see what mysteries I can turn up to find out more about……….

The book is published by Princeton University Press and can be ordered from your local independent bookshop or directly from the publisher on https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691211183/flying-snakes-and-griffin-claws

 

Terry Potter

September 2022