Mice and Frogs behaving Badly

Episode 22, Season 4 of Ancient Rome Refocused has been posted. It is now available on Itunes and Hipcast.

The title is:

 Mice and Frogs Behaving Badly.

https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HncmJb

With a backdrop of an original musical piece composed by Matthew Leigh Embleton, we hear the piece begin with a translation of the poem (read by Dr. Christensen of Brandeis University), it jumps to an excerpt of the Battle of the Frogs and the Mice by George Martin (read by Graeme Malcolm with permission of Random House Audio Books) with the conclusion of the poem (the attack of the crabs) told with storytelling brios by Dr. Christensen. Based on his book with Eric Robinson titled: The Homeric Battle of the Frogs and Mice we can hear the story teller across the millennia tell a tale of bravery and foolishness. George Martin and the Christensen / Robinson books are available on line.

Christensen guides us through this odd epic poem where the heroes are frogs and mice acting like Homeric Heroes.   Was this a poem written by Homer himself? Was it listened to by children or adults in ancient times? What does Homeric-like poetry try to teach us? Did Alexander the Great hear this poem?

Dr. Christensen, is an associate professor of Classical Studies and Comparative Literature, and is the chair in the Department of Classical Studies, and teaches courses in Greek Epic and Archaic Poetry, Rhetoric and literary theory, linguistics, and mythology. He has taken the time to talk to us about an odd poem that has be translated repeatedly over the years. Why do people over the generations find this poem so interesting? 

Join the podcast for a fascinating romp into Mice and Frogs Behaving Badly. Are you a frog or a mouse?  Step into the pond and find out.