The Whispering Muse by Sjón, first published in 2012, is a truly unique novel that blends Greek mythology with Nordic culture, with a particular focus on seafood. Sound a bit out there? Maybe, but honestly, doesn’t it pique your curiosity? The story reimagines parts of the Jason and the Golden Fleece myth, infused with a Nordic twist that playfully suggests that their love of seafood might give Nordic people extra smarts and strength.
I have to admit, I almost started to believe it myself because the arguments are quite convincing. Eating fish has to be a superfood — this book definitely convinced me of that. Just look at the Japanese — they love their seafood and are some of the most innovative people out there, as the novel points out.
The Whispering Muse: Book Review
The Whispering Muse story takes place on a ship in 1949, on a voyage to the Black Sea, and offers a solid look at life at sea — the hierarchy, the protocols, all that maritime stuff. Just like Jason was the captain of the Argo, you get a sense of who the captain of this ship is too.
There’s also Caeneus, a character who keeps everyone entertained with his nightly tales from the original quest for the Golden Fleece. But here’s the cool part — he listens to a piece of wood, once part of the Argo’s hull, which whispers stories to him and sparks his inspiration. That seems to be how the novel gets its name — The Whispering Muse. The main protagonist, however, is a guy named Valdimar Haraldsson, who would much rather talk about seafood than listen to tales of Jason and the Argonauts.
Here’s the weird part: Caeneus used to be an Argonaut, out searching for the Golden Fleece, but now he’s the second mate on a 1940s Danish merchant ship, hauling paper pulp in the same vicinity as the ancient Argonauts. Whether Caeneus really was an Argonaut or just loves telling stories about them is a bit unclear, but one thing’s for sure — he knew some insider info. Or did he? Maybe it’s all coming from the Whispering Muse…
The Whispering Muse novel tries to blend Greek and Nordic myths, ship life, and playful ideas about seafood granting Nordic people their intelligence, strength, and beauty. Overall, it’s a pretty unique story, but don’t let the laid-back Nordic vibe fool you — there’s some seriously interesting stuff about Jason and the Argonauts packed into these 143 pages. I especially enjoyed reading about Queen Hypsipyle and the women of Lemnos (without any men on the island).
The novel, with its Greek mythology connections, even mentions some of its sources at the end, like Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes, Medea and Hypsipyle by Euripides, and Metamorphoses by Ovid. So, there’s some solid Greek myth woven into its pages.
By Poseidon, reading it truly made me think that Icelandic author Sjón must be incredibly intelligent. I could never have written something like this — not even close. On the downside, the novel has its fair share of slow, dull parts. But since the book isn’t very long, you can breeze through those sections on autopilot until you reach the more fascinating parts.
I’d rate The Whispering Muse by Sjón a 6 out of 10. Didn’t love it, but it did get me thinking — eating fish really is a smart move…
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The Whispering Muse is an imaginative story that reimagines the Jason and the Golden Fleece myth in its own unique way — somewhat like my own Jason and the Argonauts Movie Myth Tribute. But what about The Immortal by Christopher Pike? Now that’s a true classic!
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