Now that all of the billionaires are going into space, the night sky holds a special new kind of allure. We see a little twinkle in the distance and we can think to ourselves, there they are, out there, far away, away from us.
It’s not clear whether Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk spent their childhoods looking up at the stars, fantasising fervently about joining them at some future date, or if they are now just bored. But perhaps their sense of identification and belonging in the vast night sky can be understood in another way. Humans have always told stories about the stars, and many of these myths could be relevant to the ambitions of these very wealthy men. Think of Prometheus, too smart and powerful for his own good. Or Phaeton, who thought he was strong and clever enough to drive Apollo’s chariot all by himself and ended up crashing and basically destroying the Earth.
Many of the stories humans have told about the stars could be relevant to the ambitions of very wealthy men
Or perhaps they should remember Perseus, who was a ‘hero’ and very pleased with himself, but who no one especially liked as he had a habit of killing everyone around him. I particularly enjoyed the Perseus episodes of Tales of the Night Sky, a podcast that combines astronomy with the mythological tales that give shape and meaning to the constellations. Perseus’s heroic deeds are brought back to Earth, once you realise that he was a whiny, entitled brat and that his slaying of Medusa was hardly noble.
These are old stories, but well told here through a blend of interviews, narration, and drama. They are each directed and written by actor Bibi Jacob, but a varied cast of musicians, actors and theatre folk join her in the telling.
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