In another of my ‘when fandoms collide’ moments – author, radio presenter, stand up and classicist Natalie Haynes has just created a thread pairing Taylor Swift songs with goddesses from the pantheon!
Hooray! And ht to @ StefArchivist who sent me this first thing, knowing I’d be in awe!
On our second dip into the Eras pool, Ms Haynes has chosen the first kiss, the flawless, really something, it’s Fearless
Next in our Goddess Eras Tour, it’s Fearless, with Hebe, goddess of youth. The golden dresses, teen girl hormones and innocent optimism of Fearless make this a perfect match.
“‘Fearless’ was an album full of magic and curiosity, the bliss and devastation of youth,”
Swift recalled in early 2021. “It was the diary of the adventures and explorations of a teenage girl who was learning tiny lessons with every new crack in the facade of the fairy-tale ending she’d been shown in the movies.”
Plus, Hebe is no stranger to the allure of the jock,
as her eye is caught by Hercules, and she would surely understand when Taylor sings “In your life you’ll do things greater than/Dating the boy on the football team/I didn’t know it at 15…”.
If you like learning about goddesses, you can hear about lots more (including Hera, Hebe’s mother!) in Divine Might: bookshop.org/p/books/divine…
Pictured: Fearless (Taylor’s Version) album cover, and Lady Hamilton as Hebe feeding Jupiter’s Eagle by Gavin Hamilton.
LeedsBookClub 