theliterarystoriesmythology

FC0263 Trail of the Unicorn - 1950

Synopsis:
Scrooge wants a unicorn for his Zoo so Donald and the nephews are sent to the Himalayas after the fabled animal which they know does not exist. Or does it?

Comments:
Horses have always been present in myths. Just think of centaurs and Pegasus. And the unicorn. Mentioned in the Bible and in mythology, a unicorn is generally known as a white mare with one spiralled horn growing from the center of its head.

FC0367 A Christmas for Shacktown - 1952

Synopsis:
Scrooge's money falls down an almost bottomless pit and all seems lost. The nephews thinks of an idea that might recover the money. But not for free...

Comments:
Barks sometimes used Christian symbols from the Bible as vignettes in his Christmas stories. The Wise Men who travelled to Jesus' birth is one example where Barks used the characters as fillers between panels. Another example can be found in CP1 Letter to Santa from 1949.

U$10 The Fabulous Philosophers' Stone - 1955

Synopsis:
Scrooge has found a lead to a stone that can change everything it touches to gold. But during the search he keeps stumbling over a bearded little man...

Comments:
Besides the medieval myth of the alchemists' stone that could turn everything to gold, Barks includes the tale of the gold-thirsty King Midas as well as the mythological Minotaur in the labyrinth of Crete.

U$12 The Golden Fleecing - 1956

Synopsis:
Scrooge wants gold-wool to make a coat fit for a rich man. But he has to battle Larkies (=Harpies) and a dragon to get Jason's golden fleece...

Comments:
Barks got his main plot from the Greek mythology - the story about Jason and the golden fleece guarded by a dragon. He also used Harpies who are described as winged monsters with the face of an ugly old woman and equipped with crooked, sharp talons. They carried off persons to the underworld and inflicted punishment on them by befouling all the food the hungry people received.

U$21 'The Scarecrow Story' - 1958

Synopsis:
Gyro is tired of the annoying crows in his garden and he invents a scarecrow to chase them away. But it is Little Helper who saves the day by imitating the Nordic god Thor.

Comments:
Thor is the powerful god in Nordic mythology with his mighty hammer. He uses a flying chariot driven by two goats as his mean of transportation.

U$34 Mythic Mystery - 1961

Synopsis:
Scrooge, Donald and the nephews are blown up in the air to a nearby, small planet. It seems to be Valhalla, the home of the ancient gods!

Comments:
In quite a number of stories we can see Barks' fondness of Greek mythology but in this one he concentrates primarily on the Nordic gods such as Odin and Thor.

U$36 The Midas Touch - 1962

Synopsis:
Magica finally succeeds in getting Scrooge's lucky dime and now she hurries home to melt it down into an amulet. But Scrooge is after her...

Comments:
The story title refers to the Greek mythology's tale of King Midas who wished that everything he touched would turn into gold.

U$40 Oddball Odyssey - 1963

Synopsis:
Magica lures Scrooge to her hide-out in order to steal the Number One Dime but luckily Donald and the nephews are standing by...

Comments:
Barks dives into the Greek mythology and comes up with the tale of Circe, the sorceress that enchanted sailors and led them to their demise. The role of Circe is of course played by Magica de Spell.

U$48 Jonah Gyro - 1964

Synopsis:
Gyro is catching more fish than the other anglers due to a toy salmon he has invented. He is not popular...

Comments:
The Bible tells of Jonah who was swallowed by a big fish - presumably a whale - but managed to escape after a few days. Barks must have had this tale in mind when he titled his own story.

WDCS292 Instant Hercules - 1965

Synopsis:
Donald runs a booming diving and salvation business until he one day has to battle a sea monster...

Comments:
The Greek god Hercules is the son of Jupiter, the ruler of Olympus. Hercules is especially known for his colossal strength. Here we see him strangling a centaur - a small feat compared to that of Donald's...