Ta Megala Theria: Heavy Metal Music’s Reception of Mythological Adversaries

Описание: In this virtual lecture, Dr. Jeremy Swist, Assistant Professor of Classics at Michigan State University, examined how heavy metal bands draw on ancient mythologies to express rebellion, defiance, and identity.

From satanic imagery to mythological adversaries like Apophis, Tiamat, and Typhon, heavy metal has long gravitated toward figures who challenge order and authority. Dr. Swist explored how modern metal doesn’t just retell these myths—it reimagines them, often giving ancient antagonists a triumphant ending that aligns with metal’s underground ethos.

🔍 This lecture explored:
Why heavy metal embraces transgressive and chaotic mythological figures
How ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern myths appear in metal themes
Ways artists reinterpret these stories to challenge modern institutions of order and conformity
How myth and rebellion intersect across music, culture, and identity

🎓 About the Speaker
Dr. Jeremy Swist is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Romance & Classical Studies at Michigan State University. He earned his PhD in Classics from the University of Iowa. His research includes pagan prose authors under the later Roman Empire and the reception of ancient Greece, Rome, and Byzantium in heavy metal music. His recent book, Julian Augustus: Platonism, Myth, and the Refounding of Rome, is published by Oxford University Press.

For more information visit: https://tampamuseum.org/