Title: Queer Mythology
Author: Guido A. Sanchez
Illustrator: James Fenner
Queer Mythology is an important book. As Sanchez emphasizes in his introduction, myths are some of our oldest stories, and queerness has always been a part of mythology. Despite attempts to erase queer people from history in the past and today, they have always been here and will continue to be here. Sanchez has done excellent work collecting a variety of myths from all corners of the world and not shying away from the myriad of identities present in these stories.
Accompanying most of the myths are beautiful illustrations by James Fenner. With rich, vibrant colours, his art enhances each tale capturing the characters in key moments of the narrative. My favourite illustration is the one that accompanies “Mawu-lisa Creates Everything,” a story about a female moon-goddess, Mawu, and a male god, Lisa, coming together as a non-binary deity. In the picture, Mawu-Lisa gazes up at a sky adorned by the sun, moon, and a rainbow over a mountain. The scene has a powerful tranquility as they admire their creation.
I come at this story from a background studying Greek mythology.
Several of the stories have a Greco-Roman origin, but most of the book does not. I enjoyed the stories that are new to me, as I enjoy learning. The myths in this book are steeped in variety in areas of the world, subject matter, and facets of queerness. I was pleased to see that not every story was a queer romance, and that the book encompassed the spectrum of asexual, non-binary, and others. Queerness is a central part of each figure in the story, but it’s not the only thing they do. They have adventures, create worlds, learn, and grow.
However, despite all this variety, in some ways the book was a bit of a disappointment. All of the stories are told in the same, soft, almost flat tone that made some of them blend together and reading multiple narratives in a row a bit tiresome. Also, while the presence of queer characters, and the basic beats of each story are accurate to the myths (at least the ones I know), some of the interpretations and details were altered in ways that confuse me. I know that mythology is in its very nature fluid and ever-changing, and none of the alterations in this book were wildly off base, but I am curious about some of Sanchez’s choices.
For instance, in the story about Athena and her lovers, the narrative speaks of her learning a lesson about impulsivity and having compassion for humanity. The Athena I am familiar with does not have much compassion (just ask Arachne). Also, in the tale about Achilles and Patroclus, Sanchez mentions Andromache, the wife of Hector that Achilles slew, begging for his body back and then forgiving him for her husband’s murder. In the Iliad, it is Hector’s father, Priam, who begs for his son’s body back, and I have yet to encounter a version where Andromache is forgiving of Hector’s death.
That said, none of these changes detract from the overall stories or the message of the book. I do recommend that you do not buy this book online, but spring for a print copy. The illustrations are worth seeing in print, because not only are there pictures with the myths, but each page has a creative border. It’s a lovely little book. I also suggest reading the stories one at a time, and then investigating older versions to learn the deeper nuances of the tales. This would make an excellent starter mythology book, or one for a younger audience interested in mythology.
Queer Mythology: Epic Legends from Around the World by Guido A. Sanchez (Author), James Fenner (Illustrator)
Spanning the globe and thousands of years, Queer Mythology highlights the legends and tales of LGBTQIA+ gods, heroes, spirits and more.
Myths and legends tell our stories. They connect us and show us not only who we are, but also reflect the people during the time the stories were first told. And LGBTQIA+ people have been a part of every community since the dawn of storytelling. From Tu’er Shen, the Chinese rabbit god who protected those yearning to come out in an unaccepting world, to Ghede Nibo, the Haitian spirit who performed drag in the realm of the dead, the twenty myths told in this collection capture one irrefutable fact—even as labels, language, and definitions have changed, LGBTQIA+ people have always existed.
Some of these myths are not widely known. Others are myths that you may think you know, but over time their inherent queerness has been erased. Queer Mythology offers fresh retellings, paired with beautiful illustrations, to give new life and celebrate the inspirational and resilient LGBTQIA+ community in some of humanity’s earliest tales.
