with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker

Reference Materials for today’s class:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.13 – Athens City Academy of Performing Bards

Gabrielle started out as a less than simple village girl who wanted to see more of the world than an arranged marriage in her hometown could provide. When she first began her travels with Xena, she stayed on the sidelines watching as the warrior woman beat up ruffians and fought angry kings and foiled the plans of vindictive goddesses. But she wasn’t just hanging around twiddling her thumbs and waiting until the fighting was over. All the time she was gathering the details of Xena’s adventures into her brain and turning them into stories, because what Gabrielle wanted most was to someday be a bard. Why else would she have been born with such a wonderful Power of Gab?

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker

Reference Materials for today’s class:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.12 – Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts

Not one to have her adventures restricted by silly things like facts, Xena was known to pull a Forrest Gump on occasion and go for a stroll through actual historical events. And she didn’t do it in a way that went along with what REALLY happened, or show up at times and places that fit any kind of timeline that would be possible. While most of the myth about the Trojan War against the Greeks over the beautiful Helen is probably myth, there really was a city of Troy at one time, and it really was destroyed in 1180 BC. Later on in the series Xena has a fling with Caesar (ya, THAT Caesar) which would have taken place around 50-44 BC, which would put Xena at about 1130 years old. She certainly looked good for her age.

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.10 – Hooves and Harlots Today, class, let us look at a very important stage in the evolution of the Xena/Gabrielle relationship. When they first meet, Xena is the powerful warrior who Gabby, the young village girl, looks up [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.9 – Death in Chains Long before Xena and Gabrielle began their regular cycles of dying and coming back to life, they dealt with death among their friends and enemies. The first episode to show how non-permanent death could [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.8 – Prometheus If you can remember back to the unit on Greek Mythology in high school/middle school, you will recall that according to the Greeks, Prometheus was a tricky Titan who gifted human beings with the ability to [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.7 – The Titans Gabrielle may not have wanted to conquer the world in a fiery, bloody battle, but that does not mean she wasn’t so good and innocent that she didn’t occasionally fall into the traps laid by [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.6 – The Reckoning If there was one man in Xena’s life who was not just another roll in the hay, that man was Ares, the God of War. Whether she was fighting him for the lives of farmers [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.5 – The Path Not Taken Becoming a good guy worked out for Xena. She got some support from Hercules and then collected a chatty sidekick and was ready to go out and do some great deeds. But not [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.4 – Cradle of Hope Most of us remember having to read and study the myths of ancient Greece and Rome in middle school and/or high school. And though we might rack our brains trying to place her in [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.3 – Dreamworker Today, class, we will take our first real glimpse into the inner battles that Xena fought almost constantly. Sure it looked like she made the leap from bloodthirsty warlord to great hero in only a few [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode 1.2 – Chariots of War When we think about Xena and Gabrielle, we think of them together – as friends, as enemies, as soulmates. But in the beginning, they were two women buddies who were young, on the road, [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Xena: Warrior Princess, Episode #1 – Sins of the Past Today, class, we will look not at the birth of a hero, but at the birth of the hero’s sidekick. No hero can fight the forces of evil alone. Some join leagues of [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Hercules the Legendary Journeys – episode #13 “Unchained Heart” Today, class, we will look at the rebirth of the warrior princess from murderous harlot to noble hero. I would say it has been a long time in coming, but it really hasn’t. After [...]

with Professor of Fangeekonomics, Ms. Melissa Voelker Reference Materials for today’s class: Hercules the Legendary Journeys – episode #12 “The Gauntlet” Today, class, we will look at the next stage in the evolution of Xena on her path from power-hungry warlord to heroic warrior. This change didn’t happen overnight (more like three) and seemed to [...]