Callisto
I chose to read the Classic Ovid's Metomorphoses because it is a classic and I have not read it, but have translated Latin sentences into English from the great story. It is interesting how Ovid is telling the story of many Roman myths as a seamless story to explain the accepted ideas by the Romans of his day, but in a more exciting way through verse in Latin which is not easy to do. In my first Latin course at the University of Oklahoma I started reading Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan for part of my culture points. Yes, the first series of the books are about Greek myth, but, the second part of that series is about Roman myth. I think in many ways I compare what Ovid did in his style of telling us about Metamorphoses in much the same way. An old story being told in a new way, one that we can identify with and be entertained by. I feel amazed when I read Rick Riordan's books and I am also intrigued by Ovid's stories of changes of all the many characters of the myths.
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I especially like the story of Callisto, it is a sad one, but the imagery is vivid. I like the part where Hera grabs Callistos hair and face and she transforms into a bear. This is so heartbreaking that this poor girl that was raped, gets kicked out of her career path basically because you have to be a virgin to be a part of the hunt with Dianna, then cannot even raise her child because a jealous Goddess turns her into a bear. She sadly watches her life being trapped inside of an animal. Nobody said life was fair. I find it interesting in the difference too of how in Ovid's stories, bad things happen, really bad and it doesn't end well. But in modern times, telling stories almost always requires needing a way to wrap it up nicely so it has a happy ending.
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