This list of books about greek or roman mythology is sponsored by little, brown and company, publisher of circe by madeline miller. Read this book with your class then discuss gossip and vanity. Its full of silliness, mishaps and a host of famous greek gods, goddesses, and heroes as kids. Abbi holts abecedarius letifer february 19, 2020 leave a comment. Capture the actionpacked world of greek myths with 15 funtoread mini books students love to read. The lightning thief by rick riordan, the sea of monsters by rick riordan, the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan. It is a classic book that has dense writings about greek mythology, from the origin of the universe to the trojan war. Apr 17, 2017 greek mythology is thousands of years old and yet continues to inform popular culture today. Favorite greek myths classic books for children at. For others, the value of the greek myths and the religion of which they were a part lies in their importance for understanding the history of western civilization.
Vivi has started a new school in japan, and feels lonely until she makes an intriguing new friend. In terms of gods, the greek pantheon consists of 12 deities who were said to reside at mount olympus. Sep, 2019 the percy jackson and the olympians series is perhaps the most famous of greek mythology books for kids on account of the movies. Whereas a few of the other books on this list contain some basic remarks about the greek gods and other aspects of greek religion that pertain directly to the myths, burkert goes much further. Well bet youve heard of some of the famous and infamous. The arachne is a creature from greek mythology, whose name was later used for words like arachnid and arachnophobia. Ariadne meets the hero theseus, and strikes an uneasy deal.
The orestes story is related in the third person, a device that deprives the eponymous hero of aeschylus trilogy of his own voicethe authors sly riposte, perhaps, to the fact that in so. A child who shares her name with a greek god wants to learn more about the legends and history behind her name. This fully reproducible collection of illustrated mini books includes a. According to the old greek myths, jupiter was the king and father of gods and men.
The songlines by bruce chatwin 1987 greek mythology. Retells the myth of the greek princess, rejected by her father, raised by bears, won in marriage in a race by melanion, and then changed into a lioness by an angry aphrodite. One day, while he was hunting in the woods, the oread nymph echo spotted him and immediately fell for him. Currently, the best greek mythology book is the timeless tales of gods and heroes. The stories of narcissus and echo are two of the most resonant of greek mythology. Speaking of which, i was intrigued that that story about achilles being dipped in the river styx by his mother didnt appear in either the childrens homer or the song of achilles. Daulaires book of greek myths paperback march 1, 1992. It provides a complete history of greek myth, telling the story of each of the great families of heroic mythology, and the various adventures. Clytie stood in this large garden one day, watching her pet doves as they flew about in the sky, when she caught a glimpse of the sun chariot of apollo. Greek mythology is a dense and fascinating topic for study. Oct 21, 2019 greek mythology is an amazing subject, full of complex characters and lore. After helen ran away with paris, prince of troy, the greek armies fought a ten year long war against troy to win her. Zeus ruled the entire universe no one was mightier than the mighty zeus. Absolutely packed with greek myths, their meanings msg in a historical context and even their origins relating to other mythologies and cultures from around the world.
Christopher marlowe, called her, the face that launched a thousand ships. With thirtytwo popular and exciting stories including pandoras box, the minotaur and the labyrinth, jason and the golden fleece. The author has obviously gone to great lengths to compile the definitive book of greek myth and to this end also includes alternate telling of the story. Classic stories of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters by donna jo napoli and national geographic kids 15 oct 2011 4. What are the best books on greek myths for young children. In this ancient greek myth, hercules goes on a miraculous quest for three golden apples. The story of medusa zeus, hera and little io greek myth. Zeus, hera, aphrodite, apollo, ares, artemis, athena, demeter, dionysus, hephaestus, hermes, and poseidon. Read more about the illustrations for abbi holts abecedarius letifer in. Loki, in a temper, must steal the goddess idun and her apples. The stories are full of action as percy, a kid with adhd and dyslexia, learns that he is a hunted kid because his father is a greek god. Best books for kids and adults interested in greek mythology.
Retold from the ancient authors, by roger lancelyn green. Jun 14, 2019 pandoras box the greek myth of pandora and her box greek mythology story pandora was, according to the myth, the first woman on earth. In the house of helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the titans, a daughter is born. A sumptuously illustrated treasury of greek myths filled with lively retellings of stories of brave heroes, powerful gods and terrible monsters, presented in a luxury, clothcovered hardback.
With thirtytwo popular and exciting stories including pandoras box, the. How to makeup your own greek mythology story pen and the pad. Featured free audio books mythslegends loyal books. Greek myths short for mythology are a series of stories about the gods and magical beings of greece. Transformed into a vicious monster with snakes for hair, she was. Favorite greek myths the light which comes from the sun, while helios was the god of the sun itself. Perseus won a prize at the moonbeam childrens awards at the end of last year. The heroes in training series is a hilarious collection of books that cover the adventures and exploits of the greek gods when they were kids.
Prometheus, however, stole it and returned it to earth once again. For this reason, creating a story using the traditions of greek mythology could be a worthwhile and relevant pursuit. Jan 04, 2017 like other retellings and reinterpretations, books that use greek myths as their inspiration take an old and familiar story and update to be something new, excited, and never before seen. A beautiful mortal, medusa was the exception in the family, until she incurred the wrath of athena, either due to her boastfulness or because of an illfated love affair with poseidon. The story of king midas and his golden touch is a classic of greek mythology, and can be a great fable for a writing prompt on wishes. Th e rays of sunlight, which might sometimes be seen across a dark cloud, were apollos golden arrows. Theyll encounter these timeless tales again and againhow the greek s won a victory with the trojan horse, how perseus bravely faced medusa, how atalanta slayed a dangerous boar and outran her suitors, and many more. List of 10 best books to read about greek mythology. The book doctor goes on a search for the best myth. Greek religion offers a comprehensive account of the ancient greeks sanctuaries, rituals, deities, theology both explicit and implicit, ideal of. Free audio books in genre mythslegends that you can download in mp3, ipod and itunes format for your portable audio player. His story is a myth with monsters, bad luck and much adventure.
Story of cronus roman and greek gods and goddesses. Hg was inspired by mythology, but it is not based on mythology, nor does it tell the story of a myth, or otherwise incorporate myths in some way. Greek mythology are books about or based on the ancient greek myths as well as. He, with the other gods, lived high up on mount olympus, above the clouds. Apr 12, 2018 this list of books about greek or roman mythology is sponsored by little, brown and company, publisher of circe by madeline miller. The greek poet hesiod related two principal legends concerning prometheus. As the price of fire, and as punishment for humankind in general, zeus created the woman. In greek mythology, helen was the most beautiful woman from the age of the heroes. In marie phillipss wildly funny gods behaving badly, the greek gods and goddesses you know and love get a dirty 21stcentury update. List of 10 best books to read about greek mythology penlighten. After helen ran away with paris, prince of troy, the greek armies fought a ten year long war against troy to win her back, as told by homer.
The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for. Our multimedia books are available on the ipad, iphone, kindle, and we also. Beyond explaining natural events, mythology was also used to tell stories, establish moralrules through story. Jul 22, 2019 greek mythology books retellings, translations, and commentary continue to be some of my favorite reads. From immortal gods, goddesses, and heroes to unusual creatures and demigods, these greek mythology books for kids are filled with action, drama, and adventure.
Years ago there was a beautiful girl who lived near a large garden. Anthologies of greek myths that are appropriate for children include tales of the greek heroes. The myths and legends of ancient greece and rome by e. Speaking of which, i was intrigued that that story about achilles being dipped in the river styx by his mother didnt appear in. Odysseus, jason and the argaunauts, theseus, the amazons, persphone and many more myths. Bodies clashtheseus the hero, and asterion the minotaur. A sharp and funny story about love, transformation, and sisterhood, girl meets boy is a mustread for greek myth fans. The myth of greek god zeus the story of greek god zeus is featured in the book entitled a handbook of greek and roman mythology. Anderson 2011 fiction based on several different mythologies australian mythology. It provides a detailed description and history of the greek myth and has had a great impact on many writers. Among these, youll find close historical retellings as well as texts that read like spiritual descendants of the original myths in a completely new setting. Greek mythology is an amazing subject, full of complex characters and lore. The fantastic in every sense of the word books on this list draw from indian, norse, japanese, chinese, and korean myths.
Theres more than just greek and roman mythology, too. The myth about greek god zeus is featured in the book entitled the story of greek god zeus is featured in the book entitled a handbook of greek and roman mythology. Mar 21, 2011 a companion to greek mythology presents a series of essays that explore the phenomenon of greek myth from its origins in shared indoeuropean story patterns and the greeks contacts with their eastern mediterranean neighbours through its development as a shared language and thoughtsystem for the grecoroman world. From immortal gods, goddesses, and heroes to unusual creatures and demigods, these greek mythology books. The story of the iliad, by rosemary sutcliff, is a good introduction to homer and the tale of troy that is so central to any study of ancient greece. Its difficult to find accurate sources to tell the true story of greek mythology and the family of myths passed down for thousands of yearsweve collected the best sources for you below. Theres very little to fear about the story of arachne, however. Stories of the greek gods and heroes vividly retold by waterfield, kathryn, waterfield, robin isbn. Odysseus, the king of ithaca, is probably the most famous hero of all times. Hers is a cautionary tale about pride that we can all learn from. The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for smart.
Greek mythology is the body of myths and teachings that belong to the ancient greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. Zeus also united in love with demeter, who bore him a lovely daughter, persephone. These stories concern the origin and the nature of the world, the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins and significance of the ancient greeks own cult and ritual practices. As a girl, she delighted in fresh streams and the meadows they watered. The power of myth by joseph campbell 1988 the white goddess by robert graves 1948, expanded 1966 worlds in collision by immanuel velikovsky 1950 comparative mythology modern disciples series by i. Mythology is one of the oldest forms of storytelling. The best books on greek myths, as recommended by author lucy coats. Medusa was one of the three gorgons, daughters of phorcys and ceto, sisters of the graeae, echidna, and ladon all dreadful and fearsome beasts. She had wonderful golden hair and big brown eyes, and she was tall and slender. But circe is a strange childnot powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. The stories also, perhaps, help explain how to behave and the consequences of. Myths and legends are the ones that we know about and your stories are the ones sent in and created by you. Advertisers are using greek myth references all the time, and people dont even think about it.
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient greeks and a genre of ancient greek folklore. Greek myths famous stories, myths and legends of ancient. To write such a tale, it is important to have an understanding of what a myth is. The theogony tells the story of the universes journey from nothingness. Like all greek myths, these fictionalized retellings contain love and sex, poetry and passion, and often buckets of blood. The first is that zeus, the chief god, who had been tricked by prometheus into accepting the bones and fat of sacrifice instead of the meat, hid fire from mortals. Percy jackson and the olympians series rick riordan. If youre still fascinated with greek mythology books, or looking for percy jackson or circe readalikes, youll find the best of them here for adults, teens, and kids alike. When narcissus sensed that someone was following him, echo eventually. According to the myth, arachne was a very famous and talented weaver.
The story of prince yamato take and his protector the sun goddess. The story of the iliad, by rosemary sutcliff, is a good introduction to homer and the. Then theres your achilles heel, your achilles tendon. He was a very beautiful young man, and many fell in love with him. Narcissus was a hunter in greek mythology, son of the river god cephissus and the nymph liriope. The greeks used gods, heroes, and monsters to describe supernatural events and other events answers didnt yet exist forscience at the. The greatest legends from the time when gods and godesses roamed the earth and mingled with humans. Unfortunately, its difficult for a newcomer to get started on the subject, as there are hundreds of books on greek mythology available. Greek myth takes many forms, from religious myths of origin to folktales and legends of heroes.