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The podcast Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby has an ongoing project of narrating Samuel Butler’s translations of Homer. She’s up to Book 16 of the Iliad.
You may also be interested in the readings available on Librivox like Pádraic Colum’s retellings.
https://librivox.org/the-adventures-of-odysseus-and-the-tale-of-troy-by-padraic-colum/
Reciever of Many by Rachel Alexander is a lovely telling of these myths. Covers a lot of backstory. The sequel, Destroyer of Light is complete and published.
These books are pretty thick (so to speak, since the default version is the ebook) and I'm not super pleased with how Thanatos is in them, but otherwise they're great. (They are very NSFW in...lots of places).
Here's what you want:
It's two ancient mythographical handbooks (one Greek, one Latin), compiling the myths. Apollodorus' Library tells all the major myths in one more or less continuous narrative; Hyginus' Myths is not a continuous narrative, but short chapters covering a wide range of myths and is a nice complement to the fuller account in Apollodorus.
The other place to go would be Ovid's Metamorphoses, which is the most influential book of Greco-Roman myth. If you can find a translation you like, it's very readable (some people are put off by the fact that it's poetry, but I personally think Ovid is the greatest author ever).
I think it's this: Mythical Monsters: The Scariest Creatures from Legends, Books, and Movies https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/0439854792/
I've definitely seen the picture before but haven't got my copy to hand so can't be 100% certain.
It looks close, but Weird and Wild Creatures seems to be a trading card thing.
This is actually from the book Mythical Monsters: Legendary Fearsome Creatures
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0092GIDWK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_QEz0FbTXQNHXK
I had this book too as a kid and I absolutely loved it.
I'd suggest Edith Hamilton's Mythology but while it's concise it is not short since it goes over the larger myths such as the Trojan War, Jason and the Argonauts, Heracles's trials, etc. It is my favorite mythology book however and I read it for the first time in fifth or sixth grade. I've heard it be termed as boring by some people as well, but I think that's more personal preference on storytelling. For a simpler start I'd recommend an encyclopedic type book such as the one in this link (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0762470011/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1) which simply gives a introduction to basically every character in Greek Mythology while not completely going over their myths. I'd recommend checking the pictures in the link as it shows how small each excerpt is.
I think it’s out of print now, but this book introduced me to all the major myths in the most beautiful way. It’s a children’s book in comic book format
EDIT: THANK ZEUS! It is STILL in print! Here’s the paperback on amazon Greek Myths https://www.amazon.com/dp/0763653845/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8Dt2AbM25K073
There's a great satirical fiction book about this called 'Gods Behaving Badly', if you're looking for a fun interpretation. The gods have lost their power in the modern world, since they rely on people believing in them and their superiority. Most of them are reduced to modern, mortal equivalencies (Apollo's a daytime TV mystic) except for Hades - I mean, everyone believes in death! There's also a film, but it's nowhere near as good as the book!
https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Behaving-Badly-Marie-Phillips/dp/0316067636
Did you read Euripides or Seneca? At the end of Euripides' Hippolytus, an etiology is given by Artemis concerning the cult of Hippolytus, as well as a description of the initiation rituals involved:
"Yea, and to thee, for this sore travail's sake, Honours most high in Trozen will I make; For yokeless maids before their bridal night Shall shear for thee their tresses; and a rite Of honouring tears be thine in ceaseless store; And virgin's thoughts in music evermore Turn toward thee, and praise thee in the Song"
https://archive.org/stream/hippolytusthebac08418gut/8urip10.txt
I would argue that the formation of this "mystes" isn't the focal point of Euripides' tragedy but rather more of a passing mention. I'm not familiar enough with Seneca's Phaedra to argue on its focus.
Edit: Another thought regarding your professor's interpretation: In Hippolytus, the reader isn't ever exposed to anyone undergoing an initiation process. Compare, for example, with Apuleius' The Golden Ass, wherein the protagonist Lucian actually undergoes an initiation process into the cult of Isis. We see a reversal of his circumstances because of this initiation. A more culturally relevant example can be found in the gospels' accounts of the establishment of The Eucharist during the Last Supper.
Try the Posthomerica by Quintus.
This is the first book I got and I love it so much! It explains all the main myths including some lesser known ones. You also don’t need any background knowledge to read it as it explains it in a beginner friendly but still accurate way. It also has sections that link into why the myths are relevant today. I highly recommend for getting started!!!
Very cool! I am totally going to have to shill to you. I wrote a book called 'Medusa' that is a telling of the Medusa story but from her point of view. For some reason I think you are exactly the sort of person who would love it.
​
Here is the Amazon link to it:
I would really recommend the "Mythology" book in the "-Ologies" series, if you can get your hands on one. This book series is absolutely fantastic for that age range. The books are all formatted like they are an adventurer/archaeologist's fieldbook, filled with lots of notes, interactive elements, pull-outs and "specimens" from the field! (in this one, there is a "Don't open" Pandora's box pop-out, "samples" of thread discovered from Jason's golden fleece, a card game that teaches you the Twelve Olympians, etc). For that reason, I would recommend buying new rather than second-hand, just so there's nothing missing. Not only is it a really fun way to learn, but looking back on them now, I still think they are also surprisingly very informative for any age.
There are many more books in this series on a similar vein too if you're child likes it - I also have Egyptology, Dragonology, Monsterology and Wizardology and they're all top-quality and got me really interested in learning about the fantastical. Learning spells, decoding ruins, learning how to write hieroglyphs - it's the interactivity of these books that make them really special and great way to get kids of that age introduced and interested in learning.
https://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Heroes-Monsters-Ancient-Ologies/dp/0763634034
I read this one myself as a kid and I LOVED the beautiful pictures!
This is an old thread but I also have a Eurydice/Orpheus question and stumbled upon it
Was this the book? If I remember correctly it matches with what you described. The book was popular at Scholastic book fairs and a likely candidate for one you would have had growing up.
everyone is asking where. I found this
But I would be VERY cautious buying that from amazon. I assume it would be of cheap quality, and suggest trying to find a manufacturer or seamster/seamstress you can buy from directly.
Looked at some busts of both Hera & Artemis, looks more like Artemis to me.
Especially this bust I found on Amazon.
Christopher Louge’s WAR MUSIC, is books 1-4 and 16-19of the Iliad. All the action, pathos, rage, and depth, without a lot of the lists. Most amazing alive translation I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot of them), very modern. Sadly, Louge died before he completed his full translation. https://www.amazon.com/War-Music-Account-Books-Homers/dp/0226491900
It’s called Icarus Icarus https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MDF2JX7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1TRV3JKEYM35RCWW7J5Z Here’s where I found it. I was on a deep dive for myth related books (bought an old one on Helen of Troy just haven’t read it yet)
Could it be Edith Hamilton's Mythology? It's the first book that sprung to mind that's as comprehensive as you've described and would have been around in the 80s and 90s - a quick google search says that there have been green covers in the past, though maybe not matching your description entirely!
The first time I studied Tragedy, we went chronologically - Aeschylus (Agamemnon) -> Sophocles (Oedipus + Antigone) -> Euripides (Medea + Bacchae)
It's really difficult to know where to suggest as a starting point tbh. Is there a particular myth/family/character you're interested in?
I'm tempted to recommend The Greek Plays, which includes accessible translations of 16 of the most popular tragedies (all 5 mentioned above are included) along with introductions and notes that you might find helpful as a first-time reader!
How about you give The Demigod's Guide to Hell a shot? A certain god believes humans must be purge from existence and releases the full wrath of the underworld upon humankind. https://tapas.io/series/The-Demigods-Guide-to-Hell
How about you give The Demigod's Guide to Hell a shot? A certain god believes humans must be purge from existence and releases the full wrath of the underworld upon humankind. https://tapas.io/series/The-Demigods-Guide-to-Hell
How about you give The Demigod's Guide to Hell a shot? A certain god believes humans must be purge from existence and releases the full wrath of the underworld upon humankind. https://tapas.io/series/The-Demigods-Guide-to-Hell
If you're wondering what the Muses were up to more recently, Urania conned Polyhymnia into nurturing Mortals' quest for powered flight. No, really... it's all explained in my novel:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0951L2QPC
(I'd really love to get feedback from members of this sub-form, even if its based on the "Look Inside" feature. Thanks!)
Check out the Posthomerica.
Hi guys, if you want to introduce greek mythology to your kids this is the most user friendly app on playstore and currently is on sale, take a look https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kookoonut.greekgods&hl=en&gl=US
Get it used on Amazon Hesiod Works
He was. I covered this episode in my Master thesis ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01APGSU0A/ ) and there is a great expression to it, when some author once said that "Memnon taught Achilles that the sons of goddesses could die too." In every version still available to us, Achilles does not defeat Memnon because he is better than him. It's not like Penthesilea, that he defeats easily. Instead, Memnon is defeated just because he is distracted for a single moment, allowing the son of Thetys to deliver him a significant blow...
All the other comments are great recommendations if u chose those. If your looking for the easiest possible introduction, D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths is the first book I read when I was in grade school and it got me instantly hooked. Very easy book, but would say it’s probably more focused on illustrations
Welcome aboard! I am a Hellenic pagan who focuses mainly on Dionysus. My undergrad also focused heavily on classical studies, so I have a lot of experience with actual historical texts and records about beliefs, practices, and general attitudes about Greek religion.
It's an extremely broad system of beliefs, and each region would have variations. These variations would pop up in differences of narrative or epithets or even festivals. So there's a pretty wide spectrum of information out there for you to dip your toes into!
With Dionysus specifically, I always recommend the novice to read Dionysus:Myth and Cult by Walter Otto. It's an academic text, but it's very accessible and has fascinating information about the development of the cult and beliefs of ancient worshippers.
Dionysus is not just the god of wine. He's also the god of madness and ecstasy. Ecstasy is a term that must be understood correctly as well. It's not just a good feeling or state of bliss. In Greek it roughly means to stand outside of yourself. He is a god who leads you outside of your normal perceptions of reality and into a state of divine madness. Typically done through wine, rhythmic dance, and music.
But yeah, that's how they did it. It's all in that book, and I can suggest more if you'd like. Happy reading, and evoe!
There's a fascinating chapter in Elizabeth Wayland Barber's When They Severed Earth From Sky theorizing that this story may have been linked to volcanic activity- the eagle being the upward and outward spreading smoke/ash, and the glow at night being the regrowing liver.
Gods of the Greeks by Karl Kerenyi is one of my favourites. It has a companion Heroes of the Greeks as well. One of the many reasons I really like these books is that many different, sometimes very obscure, versions of stories are looked at.
I always recommend this each time this question is asked:
d'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths
It’s sumptuously illustrated, comprehensive but not exhaustive, barely sanitized but reasonably adapted for younger readers while still being thorough and honest with its treatment of the characters for adults, weaving everything logically and chronologically from the creation myths all the way through the Trojan War.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It’s great for kids, and great on a coffee table, and it’s great on a night stand. Do yourself and spend the $20 for the hardback and enjoy the ever loving heck out this perfect introduction to Greek mythology.
If you’d like a slightly more comprehensive set of recommendations for primary tests (such as the partial lists recommended elsewhere in this thread) I’d be happy to do that too!
https://www.amazon.com/Mythology-Timeless-Heroes-Anniversary-Illustrated/dp/0316438529/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1534795752&sr=8-2&keywords=Mythology%3A+Timeless+Tales+of+Gods+and+Heroes This book has some seriously beautiful illustrations and the cover looks something magical for sure. And it might be a good way to introduce her some more 'serious' literature and bigger books. Oh, and btw, why not show her some games, like age of mythology? My team is developing a mythological game right now and it's all because we love Greek mythology and the AoM series since teenagers. =) (btw Persephone is my fav too haha)
This is one of the most copied stories there is. There are dozens and dozens of versions of it.
As someone else said, "O brother where art thou" is a retelling of the Odyssey, but it is fairly abstracted away. For someone who didn't already know the story of the Odyssey, many of the allusions and "retelling" you might not be able to notice.
There is also the classic Joyce novel Ulysses, now a classic of English literature on its own.
Walcott's Omeros
Marget Atwood wrote the "Penelopiad" which retells the story from the wife's perspective.
A few others : Cold Mountain, Big Fish (both the book and the movie), Ice Age : Continental Drift, Ulysses 31 (Anime),
There are also more straight "updated translations" https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Dramatic-Retelling-Homers-Epic/dp/0393330818
My favorite is Karl Kerenyi: The Gods of the Greeks and The Heroes of the Greeks.
Karl Kerenyi: Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life
Karl Kerenyi: The Gods of the Greeks