The Weekly · Issue No. 14 · Sunday, 8 November 2026
Issue No. 14
The 2026 midterms, the oral world before writing, and a monster in the village stream. From the archive, two earlier essays that answer them: Herodotus’ women, and the folklore of Sherwood Forest.
Something wintry is coming. Soon we will announce a poetry competition, with the winning poems printed in our Winter 2026 Quarterly. Follow us on Instagram, @the_astyanax, to keep up to date with short-form content.
Hector Hallett, Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Politics · Essay
Do the 2026 Midterms Suggest Centrism Is the Key to American Political Success?The results seem to signal the end of MAGA, and the rise of the DSA. Yet, are the real winners the centrists, on both sides of the aisle?
Dillon Kavanagh
Poetry
The WobbleheadA brief poem about a monster born out of urban legends. Seeking to build a "modern American mythology."
R.C. Horton
Classics · Essay
Before Writing: How the Ancient World Communicated Without a PageFrom oral memory to written word — what ancient communication reveals about how we remembered, what we passed on, and what we may have lost.
Yoana Nikolova
Literature · Essay
Robin Hood, Dante and Saint Augustine: Theology, Poetry and Folklore in Sherwood ForestCorrupt kings, jaded children and boisterous friars. How an old legend keeps company with Dante's Commedia and Augustine's City of God.
Alex Boyd
Classics · Essay
The Women of Herodotus’ HistoriesHow Herodotus, a non-Athenian, portrays the women of his Histories.
Vlada Kampane