Hypsipyle & the Curse of Lemnos: A novella

Hypsipyle and the Curse of Lemnos retells the ancient Greek myth of Hypsipyle through a feminine perspective. This novella explores themes of female agency, betrayal, and love. It offers a powerful counterpoint to traditional male-centred interpretations, where Hypsipyle is celebrated for her loyalty to her father at the cost of betrayal to herself and the women of Lemnos.

Condemned by a god's tantrum and betrayed by their husbands, the women of Lemnos suffer the consequences of Aphrodite's fury. Humiliated by Hephaestus after he exposed her affair with Ares, the Goddess unleashed her wrath on Lemnos, one of her husband's sacred isles. When the Lemnian men abandon their wives for captive Thracians, a curse ignites a night of bloodshed.

Hypsipyle saves her father, King Thoas, by smuggling him to safety. Her compassion unleashes a slow-burning aftermath of guilt, shame, and eventual exile.

In the wake of the massacre, Hypsipyle begins to rebuild, forging a new order from the old. When Jason and the Argonauts arrive on their quest for the Golden Fleece, Hypsipyle is persuaded to extend hospitality instead of violence. Her union with Jason bears twin sons, who are sent to his homeland in Thrace, while she faces the ramifications of her actions.

For readers drawn to mythic retellings through a feminist lens, such as Pat Barker, Natalie Haynes, or Madeline Miller, Hypsipyle and the Curse of Lemnos is a fierce, lyrical reclamation of one woman's struggle to shape her destiny following the repercussions of a divine retribution.