arrow_upward
Pattern Pattern Pattern

Showing 32 entries for tag: Metamorphosis

Pattern Pattern Pattern

Franciszek Kobryńczuk

A Poem about King Picus [Poemat o królu Pikusie]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue (accessed: June 11, 2021), Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.Picus, son of Saturn, the first king of Latium, is very rich and likes to hunt. In a forest, he meets a nymph called Canens. They fall in love and marry. Later, the witch Circe watches Picus and falls in(...)

literary

YEAR: 1994

COUNTRY: Poland


Franciszek Kobryńczuk

Adonis

When Adonis becomes an orphan, Aphrodite becomes his guardian and soon begins to love him. The goddess comes up with the idea that the beautiful boy, to avoid catching a cold, should go down to Hades with Persephone for the winter. When Persephone emerges from the Underworld in the spring, it turns out that she has also fallen in love with Adonis and does not want to give him to Aphrodite. Zeus settles the dispute: Adonis will spend one-third of the year with Aphrodite, one-third – with Pe(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Poland


Maria Krüger

Apolejka and Her Donkey [Apolejka i jej osiołek]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.A princess named Apolejka lives alone in a high tower on a hill outside the town. One day from the windows of her tower she notices a chimney-sweep drinking water from the well. The very next instant the boy turns into a donkey; (...)

literary

YEAR: 1963

COUNTRY: Poland


George O'Connor

Apollo. The Brilliant One (Olympians, 8)

The Muses narrate this collection, taking turns to tell different myths about Apollo:The birth of Apollo and Artemis.Apollo establishes the oracle at Delphi.Daphne.Marsyas.Hyacinth.Asklepios.A thoughtful Author's Note on Apollo follows. Profile summaries of Apollo, Asklepios, and the Muses are included along with eight points for follow-up discussion and a bibliography and recommended reading list that includes explicit reference to works used in the creation of the graphic novel (Hesiod, Ae(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United States of America


Franciszek Kobryńczuk

Arachne

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue (accessed: June 11, 2021), Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.A mortal woman named Arachne boasts that she is a better weaver than Athena. In response, the goddess orders Arachne to demonstrate her skills. When Athena realizes that Arachne’s skills are indeed(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Poland


Kai Meyer

Arcadia Awakens [Arkadien erwacht] (Arcadia, 1 [Arkadien, 1])

A shy seventeen year old girl, Rosa Alcantara, comes from Brooklyn, New York, and is of Italian descent. After having been raped she had to undergo an abortion. One day, she travels by plane to Palermo in Sicily in order to attend the funeral of a leader of the mafia clan called Carnevares. Rosa’s situation within her family is complicated: her father died several years earlier and her mother, who left Sicily a long time before that, does not want to have any contacts with her relatives, w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: Germany


Kai Meyer

Arcadia Burns [Arkadien brennt] (Arcadia, 2 [Arkadien, 2])

When Rosa Alcantara and Alessandro Carnevare try to be intimate, they are transformed into mythical beasts, the moment they get too close to each other. The reason for this lies in the fact that they belong to different mafia clans, which have been adversaries for centuries. Therefore, their fate seems to be an eternal fight against each other. When they realize the problem, they stop trying to be intimate, Rosa moves to New York and after many years reconciles with her mother Gemma. Her mum esc(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: Germany


Kai Meyer

Arcadia Falls [Arkadien fällt] (Arcadia, 3 [Arkadien, 3])

During their search in Sicily for a peace bringing ancient statue, Rosa Alcantara and Alessandro Carnevare are attacked by harpies, who look like big owls. Yet, it turns out soon that this mythical statue is missing. In their dreadful fight with the harpies, one ally of Rosa and Alessandro called Quattrini is killed. In due course, it is revealed that the harpies are killers for hire and belong to their own clan, the Malandras. The leaders of the clan are two dangerous sisters, Aliza and Saffira(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: Germany


Justine Fontes, Ron Fontes, Thomas Yeates

Atalanta. The Race Against Destiny

The myth of Atalanta is retold here to familiarise young people with her myths and with ancient Greek culture more broadly. Atalanta is exposed as an infant, reared by a bear, then taken to live with hunters. She learns from the Delphic oracle that she will 'lose [her]self' if she marries. She takes part in the Calydonian boar hunt, challenges potential suitors to race her for her hand in marriage, and experiences metamorphosis once she finally marries. Chapter Headings:AbandonedFou(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United States of America


George O'Connor

Athena. Grey-Eyed Goddess (Olympians, 2)

These tales of Athena are narrated by the Moirae, the Fates. They are all-seeing and know what happened in the earliest times, and even what happened inside Zeus' head. They know who Athena is, and here they tell stories of her birth, followed by three stories of Athena establishing her identity: young Pallas, monster Pallas, Perseus and Medusa, and finally a story of fully-established Athena – the myth of Arachne.The Fate Klotho narrates at first. She recaps the myth of the triumph of(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America


William Lau, Walter P. Martishius

Barbie (Series): Mermaidia / Fairytopia. Mermaidia

Being a sequel to Fairytopia (2005, Barbie™), Mermaidia is a story in which Barbie, as the fairy Elina travels to the realm of the mermaids to rescue her merman friend Nalu, who was kidnapped by the evil fairy Laverna. Laverna pressures Nalu to reveal the location of a special berry, by threatening that she would poison the waters of Mermaidia. With the help of Nori, a mermaid in love with Nalu, Elina tries to save Nalu before Laverna’s servants retrieve the magical fruit allowing he(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: Canada United States of America


Beverley Cross, Desmond Davis, Ray Harryhausen, Charles H. Schneer

Clash of the Titans

The film loosely follows ancient versions of the myth of Perseus and Medusa. The film opens with king Acrisius of Argos throwing his daughter Danaë and her infant son Perseus into the sea in a casket. After the credits, the scene cuts to the gods on Olympus, where Zeus swears to punish Acrisius and has Poseidon release a monster, a titan called the Kraken to destroy Argos. It is revealed that Perseus is the child of Zeus.Danaë and Perseus drift safely to the island of Seriphos, where P(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, Louis Leterrier, Matt Manfredi

Clash of the Titans

A remake of the 1981 film of the same name (also surveyed on this database), this film loosely follows both the plot of the original film and the myth of Perseus and Medusa. The film opens with the story of the defeat of the Titans by the Olympians. After Hades has produced the Kraken, the Titans are defeated and Zeus, Poseidon and Hades assigned kingdoms. Zeus creates humans to fuel the gods with prayers, and the voiceover explains that humans are questioning and rising up against the gods(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America


Marcia Dorothy Williams

Daedalus and Icarus & Orpheus and Eurydice

This short book contains two stories previously published in a longer collection by the same author. Like other books in the same series, the main body of the book is taken up with one story, while around a third of the book comprises a shorter retelling. The first story, Daedalus and Icarus, is told in a series of short chapters. Daedalus is presented as a craftsman renowned for his skills who boasts about his achievements. When his nephew, Talos, turns out to be a craftsman whose skills e(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Franciszek Kobryńczuk

How Apollo Turned Pierus’ Daughters into Magpies [Jak Apollo zamienił w sroki córki Pierosa]

Apollo, the god of beauty, is also the guardian of the nine Muses, for whom he cares deeply. Pierus, the king of Macedonia and father to nine daughters, states they could take the place of the Muses and be better. Apollo immediately turns Pierus’ daughters into magpies when he hears this boast. In the ending, the lyrical I says that he hears magpies outside his house every day at dawn and believes they are the counterparts of Clio and Erato because they bring him facts and rhymes.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Poland


Franciszek Kobryńczuk

How the Beautiful Chelone Changed into a Turtle [O pięknej Chelone w żółwia zamienionej]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue (accessed: June 11, 2021), Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.Zeus and Hera are about to marry; Hermes is ordered to invite gods, animals and people from all over the world for the wedding. During his journey, Hermes also finds the tiny hut of a nymph named Chelone(...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: Poland


Franciszek Kobryńczuk

Hyacinth [Hiacynt]

Hyacinth, a beautiful boy, is friends with Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, and Apollo, the god of beauty. With Zephyrus, Hyacinth runs while Apollo teaches him to play the lyre and zither, shoot the bow, and throw the discus. Zephyrus is jealous of Hyacinth and Apollo’s relationship. Therefore, when the friends throw a discus, the god of the wind blows on the instrument, and it flies on a different track, hitting Hyacinth and killing him. The distraught Apollo, unable to revive his fri(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Poland


Simona Bursi, Linda Cavallini, Susanna Davidson, Alex Frith , Anne Millard, Matteo Pincelli, Russell Punter, Lesley Sims , Louie Stowell

Illustrated Stories From the Greek Myths

Illustrated Stories From the Greek Myths is a highly illustrated collection of short stories for children or young teens.Contents:The Wooden Horse: Russell Punter (Author) and Matteo Pincelli (Illustrator),The Minotaur: Russell Punter (Author) and Linda Cavallini (Illustrator),Bellerophon and Pegasus: Susanna Davidson (Author) and Simona Bursi (Illustrator),The Twelve Tasks of Heracles: Alex Frith (Author) and Matteo Pincelli (Illustrator),Perseus and the Gorgon: Lesley Sims (Author) a(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Julia Jarman, Claudia Venturini

King Midas’s Golden Touch

This charming children's picture book introduces the young reader to King Midas, who we are told is rich, kind, and somewhat foolish. The King and his daughter, Zoe live in a palace surrounded by a lush and famous rose garden. During one of their daily walks in the garden, they come across Silenus the satyr, hungover and sleeping among the rose bushes. Zoe and King Midas help Silenus who is a friend of the god, Dionysus. Suddenly, Dionysus descends from the sky, luxuriating in a fluffy, shim(...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Amos Tutuola

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

Just like his first novel, The Palm-wine Drinkard, Amos Tutuola’s second novel, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts has its roots in the folkloric oral tradition of the Yoruba tribe of the Southwest of Nigeria. The author uses the first person narrative technique to tell his story set in the jungle inhabited by goblins and other weird and fantastic monsters acting in the spiritual realm. As common in folklores, the basic themes of the novel are focussed around didactic instructions to (...)

african

YEAR: 1954

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Bernard Kos Mbulu

Myth of the Origin of Dja and Mpomo Rivers

A long time ago, far back into the beginning of life on earth, when men could barely distinguish between good and evil after they had been sent out of the celestial home to live on earth, God started feeling lonely without his children, the humans. Every morning, he peeped through his window to check their evolution and look after them. One day, Ziem, the God of the Land, was strolling around his terrace and admiring satisfactorily the progress of his children on earth. On that day, he had (...)

oral

COUNTRY: Cameroon


Franciszek Kobryńczuk

Narcissus [Narcyz]

All of the nymphs are in love with Narcissus, a beautiful boy. Echo has a special affection for him. However, Narcissus does not pay any attention to her at all, making Echo go further into the forest, and her cries become quieter and quieter until they completely fade away. Narcisuss’ sisters, to change the boy’s approach to love, ask Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, for help. She leads Narcissus to a stream and asks him to wash in the water. Narcissus sees his reflection and fa(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Poland


Margot McGovern

Neverland

When seventeen-year-old orphan Kit Learmonth tries to commit suicide by slashing her wrists in the swimming pool of her prestigious boarding school, her uncle takes her back to her childhood home to recuperate. Before her parents drowned in an accident at sea when she was ten, Kit grew up on an idyllic island owned for generations by her wealthy, infamous family. Though its official name is Learmonth Island, everyone refers to it as Neverland. In Kit’s mind, it is a place of magic and adve(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: Australia


Pauline Baynes, Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis

Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia, 2)

Prince Caspian is the second book published in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. In this sequel to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the Pevensie children – Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan – sit at a railway station waiting to start their new term at boarding school. Suddenly, they are unexpectedly catapulted to a desert island. After some exploration of the island, they discover that they have in fact returned to Narnia – a magical land that they discover(...)

literary

YEAR: 1951

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Enid Blyton, Anne Johnstone, Janet Johnstone

Tales of Long Ago

This is a collection of short stories "retold by Enid Blyton" for children. Half are drawn from Greek mythology, half from Arabian Nights.Tales from Ancient Greece:Pandora and the Whispering BoxPhaeton and the Sun-HorsesProserpina and the King of the UnderworldThe Maiden and the Laurel TreeThe Watchman with a Hundred EyesThe Story of Echo and NarcissusThe King with the Golden TouchThe Story of Orpheus and EurydiceClytie, the Sunflower MaidenThe Story of Baucis and PhilemonThe Statue th(...)

literary

YEAR: 1965

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Carlo Lorenzini, Enrico Mazzanti

The Adventures of Pinocchio. Story of a Puppet [Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino]

The Adventures of Pinocchio. Story of a Puppet narrates the quest of a wooden animated marionette, Pinocchio. It all starts with the best known incipit of all time: “Once upon a time, there was…  “A king!” my little readers will say right away. No children, you are wrong. Once upon a time there was a piece of wood.” *And so, we are at once catapulted into the shop of a carpenter, Master Antonio, called Master Cherry because the tip of his nose was always (...)

literary

YEAR: 1883

COUNTRY: Italy


Carson Ellis, Cynthia Rylant

The Beautiful Stories of Life: Six Greek Myths, Retold

Attractively presented as a small, square hardback book, The Beautiful Stories of Life is a compendium of six well known classical myths: the stories of Pandora, Persephone, Orpheus, Pygmalion, Narcissus, and Psyche. The stories are lyrically told, with an alternating pattern of longer descriptive passages followed by single sentences that underscore the important messages of each story. Aphorisms feature throughout the book, presented as "the stories of life" in the book’s title(...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Mama Asanatou

The Jealous Woman Who Became a Snake

“Kesasahooo”! “Kesasahooo”!* [Can I tell you this story! I tell you this story!]“Wooo”! “Wooo”!  [Yes! Yes!]A long time ago, there lived a hunter who had many wives in an unknown village. He could stay in the forest for many years hunting. In his absence, his wives would always fight and quarrel among themselves. Whenever he returned with gifts and game, he did not share equally among his wives. The second wife was always given the biggest sha(...)

oral

COUNTRY: Cameroon


DK

The Mythology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

The book presents eighty references from world mythology. The text is accompanied by graphics and photos. The mythologies included in the book are ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Northern Europe, Asia, The Americas, Ancient Egypt and Africa, and Oceania. The book includes a directory and index. Before the actual myth, a short introduction to the relevant culture is given,, as well as an “in brief" section, a short table which contains the theme of the myth, its ancient sources, the(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Veronique Mengue

The Orphans and the Old Woman with her Walking Staff

Performer: Ekaŋ biso elaŋ elaŋ éé;Audience: éééé,Performer: Ekaŋ biso elaŋ elaŋ éé;Answer: éééé,Performer: Ekaŋ biso elaŋ elaŋ éé;Answer: ééééPerformer:: məlό məba [two ears]Audience: məba fᴐ [two indeed]Performer: esame ndoloAudience: esango;Performer: esame ndolo;Audience: esango;Performer: esame ndolo;Audience: answer: esango;Performer: vogəlán nlaŋ mazu mina lɛ(...)

oral

COUNTRY: Cameroon


Margaret Mahy

The Other Side of Silence

Twelve-year-old Hero is an elective mute. She is the third child (of four) in a talkative family of high-achievers. At the point where the story starts, Ginevra, the eldest daughter of the family has just returned home after she fell out with their mother four years ago, throwing the family into further turmoil. She is pregnant and has the teenager Sammy in tow. In order to have some power in her family, Hero has stopped speaking, except sometimes to her older brother Athol. She thinks of her or(...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Marcia Dorothy Williams

Theseus and the Minotaur & Arachne versus Athene

Like other books in the set of retellings of ancient Greek myths taken from Marcia William’s 1991 collection Greek Myths for Young Children, the current volume is divided into two sections. The first contains Williams’ retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur. The second, shorter, section, derails with Arachne’s’ contest at spinning with Athene. In the first section, divided into short chapters, Theseus sails from Athens to Crete as one of the set of young men and women(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom