And ready-witted Prometheus he bound with inextricable bonds, cruel chains, and drove a shaft through his middle, and set on him a long-winged eagle, which used to eat his immortal liver… So it is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will of Zeus…
Hesiod’s Theogony, par. 519, 614-615 (circa 800 BCE)
I dream of woodland valleys, and pathways that I know, And answer, O-sce-o-la dear, I’m coming back to you.
The Hills of Osceola, Edmund Wilkes Jr. (1939)
With summer upon us, I often look back with fondness to my youth for the activity I was most assuredly preparing for right at this moment: Boy Scout Summer Camp. For me, that meant a hot old-school bus ride to Osceola, Missouri, where I would spend 10 days, yes, consecutive days, sleeping in a tent, covered in mosquitoes and ticks, eating dining hall food, snakes. My parents insisted; it was as if they were getting back at me for all the trouble I caused as a wayward youth. Don’t get me wrong, it was incredible fun, (and I will for sure spin more tales of my adventures), mostly thanks to exploring in the woods, merit badges you couldn’t earn at home, and campfires. And for those we had, well, an Ancient Greek mythological figure to thank…