James Sale
Author
James Sale has had over 50 books published, most recently, "Gods, Heroes and Us" (The Bruges Group, 2025). He has been nominated for the 2022 poetry Pushcart Prize, and won first prize in The Society of Classical Poets 2017 annual competition, performing in New York in 2019. His most recent poetry collection is “DoorWay.” For more information about the author, and about his Dante project, visit EnglishCantos.home.blog
LATEST
Herakles and the Apples of the Hesperides: The Search for Immortality
The 11th of Herakles’s Labors shifts from a test of physical strength to a metaphysical quest for wisdom and eternity.
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Why the Number 10 Represents Order, Completion, and Human Aspiration
We count, rank, and score our lives in tens, but beneath this familiar number lies a rich symbolic history and a profound paradox about life itself.
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Herakles and Geryon: Journey to the Edge of the World
Herakles’s 10th Labor becomes a test of endurance, as he journeys to the edge of the world to reclaim life and order from chaos.
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Why the Number 9 Signals Fulfillment and the Edge of Transformation
The significance of this last odd single-digit is found across cultures since time immemorial.
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Herakles and the Girdle of Hippolyta: When Trust Breaks Down
Herakles’s ninth labor reveals how fragile trust can be—and how quickly misunderstanding can turn a peaceful encounter into tragedy.
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Consulting Ancient Wisdom for the Price of Sight
Across myth, scripture, and literature, the loss of sight reveals a deeper truth: Only by surrendering illusion can we gain real vision.
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Why the Number 8 Points Us Beyond Completion
After completing tasks and goals, why do we still feel empty? This fortuitous number points to what comes next.
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Herakles and the Mares of Diomedes: When Appetite Turns Against Itself
In the eighth Labor, Herakles confronts a deeper evil: appetites twisted by human cruelty, embodied in the man-eating Mares of Diomedes.
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Herakles and the Cretan Bull: The Burden of Unmastered Power
The Seventh Labor of Herakles reveals that true strength lies not in domination but in mastering and carrying out power responsibly.
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Channeled Rage: Herakles and the Erymanthian Boar
In Herakles Fourth Labor, he learns a lesson that’s apt for modern times.
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