A (Condensed) Dictionary of Mythological Characters

by Rachel Rodman

Adonis-Argus

He was a beautiful youth, possessed of 100 eyes. But he scorned women, preferring cows.

Oedipus-Orpheus

He consigned his mother to Hell. But then he looked back, as he exited the pit, and perceived that he desired her.

Pandora-Phaeton

From the box, while her father slept, she released the sun, which burned all the world.

Priapus-Procrustes

To humanity, he gave the gift of penis standardization. He cut penises that were too long and stretched penises that were too short. After that, all men were the same.

Saturn-The Sirens

To his sons, he sang haunting lullabies. Then he devoured them.

Rachel Rodman’s fiction has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Grievous Angel, On the Premises, and other places. You can link to more of her published fiction (and equally weird non-fiction) here: rachelrodman.com.

Check out the write-up of the journal in The Writer.

Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.

Matter Press is now offering private flash fiction workshops and critiques of flash fiction collections here.

Submissions

Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again September 15, 2025. Submit here.

Upcoming

12/15 • Isabelle Ness
12/22 • Catherine Bai
12/29 • Stephan Viau
01/05 • Allison Blevins
01/12 • Justin Ocelot
01/19 • Yejun Chun
01/26 • Mathieu Parsy
02/02 • Robert McBrearty
02/09 • Sarah Daly
02/16 • Wayne Lee
02/23 • Terena Elizabeth Bell
03/02 • Michael Mirolla
03/09 • Nicholas Claro
03/16 • TBD
03/23 • TBD
03/30 • TBD