Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Natalia Kapatsoulia, Filippos Mandilaras

Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty [Αφροδίτη η θεά της ομορφιάς (Afrodítī ī theá tīs omorfiás)]

Mandilaras and Kapatsoulia recount Aphrodite’s life, starting with her birth from the sea in Cyprus and ending with her veneration in Greek temples and legacy for sculptors and painters. Aphrodite emerged from the sea in a large seashell. She was beautiful and everyone fell in love with her. Zephyrus travelled with Aphrodite, first to the island of Cythera – where he spent a night with her – and afterwards to the west part of Cyprus. In Cyprus, the Hours made Aphrodite bea(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Adonis Aphrodite Aphrodite of Melos / Venus of Milo Ares Athena Cyprus Cythera Dionysus / Dionysos Eris Eros Helen Hephaestus Hera Hermes Horae Judgement of Paris Menelaus Olympus Peleus Persephone Poseidon Pottery / Vases Thetis Troy Underworld Zephyrus Zeus

Simon Spence

Atalanta

Atalanta offers a retelling of the myths of Atalanta the huntress for a young audience. The retelling takes a biographical form, opening with Atalanta's early childhood and ending with her living out "the rest of [her] days." This retelling might be considered a feminist retelling of the myths, as the narrator encourages the reader to approve of Atalanta's skills and independence of mind and to disagree with those who wish to limit her actions because she is female. This has th(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Aphrodite Architecture Argonauts Argos / Argus (Constructor of "Argo") Centaur(s) Divination Golden Fleece Greek Art Greek History Homer Jason Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Mycenae Peleus

Irena Parandowska, Józef Wilkoń

From the World of Myths [Ze świata mitów]

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.Selection of seventeen widely known Greek myths from various sources including Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey: Pandora, Flood Myth of Deucalion and Pyrrha, Daedalus, Talos and Icarus, Persephone, Eos and Orion, Perseus, Sis(...)

literary

YEAR: 1967

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Andromeda Apollo Argonauts Ariadne Arion (Poet) Aristaeus Athena Autolycos Boreads Daedalus Danae Demeter Deucalion Dictys Eos Eris Eurydice Hades Harpies Helios Helle Hephaestus Hera Heracles Hermes Hippodameia Hypsipyle Icarus Jason Medea Medusa Midas Minos Minotaur Oenomaus / Oinomaos of Pisa Orion Orpheus Pandora Paris (Trojan Prince) Peleus Pelops Persephone Perseus Philemon Phineus Phrixus Prometheus Sisyphus Talos (Perdix) Theseus Thetis Trojan Horse Underworld Zeus

Kate McMullan , Denis Zilber

Go for the Gold, Atalanta! (Myth-O-Mania, 8)

This is the eights book in the Myth-O-Mania series, which offer alternative versions of the Greek myths, narrated by Hades. Hades, who is a self-professed shy and serious god, promises to tell the whole truth about the Greek myth; he claims that his brother Zeus, is a myth-o-maniac (that is, a liar) and that he fabricated the myths and wrote his version so that he and his children will appear noble and praiseworthy. Hades’ versions offer the “true” story of the myths.In this bo(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom United States of America

TAGS: Aphrodite Artemis Atalanta Atropos Calydonian Boar Castor Clotho Hades Hera Hercules Lachesis Melanion / Milanion Meleager Peleus Persephone Polydeuces Theseus

Tony Ross , Francesca Simon

Helping Hercules

Helping Hercules tells the story of a young girl named Susan who does not want to help or do chores at home. She finds a magic coin that takes her back to Ancient Greece where she becomes entangled in scenarios from Greek mythology – she has to help Hercules clean out Augean stables, help Orpheus get Eurydice back from Hades, help Paris choose between the goddesses, help Bellerophon capture Pegasus to find the chimera, fight Medusa, deal with Midas, and help Hercules get the apples from th(...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Alpheus Andromeda Aphrodite Apollo Aristaeus Athena Atlas Augeas Bellerophon Cassiopeia Cepheus Cerberus Chimera / Chimaera Eris Erymanthian Boar Eurydice Eurystheus Furies Gorgon(s) Greece Hades Helen Hera Heracles Hercules Hesperides Ida (Mount) Ladon Medusa Menelaus Midas Nymphs Orpheus Pan Paris (Trojan Prince) Pegasus Peleus Peneus Perseus Polydectes Poseidon Satyr(s) Styx Taenarum Tantalus Thetis Tmolus Troy

Natalia Kapatsoulia, Filippos Mandilaras

Jason and the Argonauts [Ο Ιάσονας και η Αργοναυτική Εκστρατεία (O Iásonas kai ī Argonaftikī́ Ekstrateía)]

Mandilaras’ narrative starts with Jason’s childhood on Mount Pelion and ends with the hero’s adventures in Colchis. Aeson, Jason’s father, entrusted the child Jason to the centaur Chiron. When he turned twenty Jason headed for Iolcus to dethrone Pelias, his uncle. At a river crossing, Jason assisted an elderly woman, who was the goddess Hera in disguise. Jason lost one sandal in the river. King Pelias was terrified when he saw Jason. He remembered an oracle that he w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Achilles Aeëtes Aeson Amphiaraus Argonauts Argos (City) Boreas Calais Chiron / Cheiron Clashing Rocks / Symplegades / Cyanean Rocks Colchis Greece Harpies Hera Hercules Iolcus Jason Lemnos Medea Mysia Nymphs Orpheus Peleus Pelion Phineus Theseus Thrace Zetes

Sandra Jobson

Once Upon a Vase

Contents: Illustrations IntroductionThe First Story. The Story of Peleus and ThetisThe Second Story. The Trojan WarThe Third Story. The Revenge of HephaistosThe Fourth Story. Theseus and the MinotaurThe Fifth Story. Perseus and the GorgonsThe Sixth Story. The Battle of the Pygmies and the CranesThe colophon states that “Ergotimus made my vase and Kleitas painted me. Sandra Jobson has retold my story and redrawn my illustrations in my book”: “Ergotimus m’epoisen (...)

literary

YEAR: 1970

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Acrisius / Akrisios Agamemnon Ancient Fashion Aphrodite Apollo Ares Artemis Athena Centaur(s) Children’s Game (Ancient) Doris Eris Eurytion Fates Graeae / Graiai Helen Hephaestus Hera Hermes Hippodameia Leto Maia Menelaus Nereid(s) Nereus Oceanus / Okeanos Oenomaus / Oinomaos of Pisa Paris (Trojan Prince) Peleus Poseidon Pottery / Vases Priam Pygmies Wedding Traditions (Greek and Roman)

Weng Chen (Jade), Carolyn Hennesy

Pandora Gets Heart (Mythic Misadventures, 4)

This is the fourth instalment in a series of books called Mythic Misadventures that takes the classic story of Pandora's box and gives it a young, adventurous, partly contemporary twist – Pandora is Prometheus' thirteen-year-old daughter. In this book, the group must travel to the past in order to find Lust, hidden in a golden apple. But they must be careful not to change history since this apple is the one that starts the story of Paris, Troy, and Helen of Sparta. Since they (...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achilles Aphrodite Athena Centaur(s) Charon Chiron / Cheiron Elysian Fields / Elysium Eris Hades Helen Hephaestus Hera Hermes Ida (Mount) Olympians Olympus Pandora Paris (Trojan Prince) Peleus Prometheus Sparta Styx Thetis Titans Troy Zeus

Natalia Kapatsoulia, Filippos Mandilaras

Paris and Beautiful Helen [Ο Πάρις και η ωραία Ελένη (O Páris kai i ōraía Elénī)]

The story starts with pregnant Hecuba, Queen of Troy, having a bad dream. The seer Aesacus advises Hecuba to kill her child. If she does not Troy will be destroyed. Priam asks a herdsman to abandon the newborn child in the mountains. The herdsman leaves the baby under an olive tree. When he returns in a week’s time he sees the infant playing with a bear and decides to raise the child as his own. He names the child Paris. The years go by and Paris becomes handsome and good with words. When (...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Achaeans Aphrodite Ares Athena Hecuba Helen Hera Iris Menelaus Olympus Paris (Trojan Prince) Peleus Priam Sparta Thetis Troy Zeus

Aniela Orzechowska

Stories about Greek Demi-gods and Heroes [Opowiadania o półbogach i bohaterach greckich]

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.Presentation of five most popular and significant ancient myths featuring Prometheus, Perseus, Heracles (Hercules)*, Theseus, and Jason. The structure and language of each short story is easily comprehensible and not too sophisti(...)

literary

YEAR: 1911

COUNTRY: Austro-Hungarian Empire Congress Poland Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

TAGS: Amazons Apollo Argo Artemis Athena Chiron / Cheiron Cronus / Kronos Danae Dioscuri Gorgon(s) Graeae / Graiai Helios Hephaestus Hera Heracles Hermes Orpheus Pandora Peleus Perseus Prometheus Telamon Theseus Twelve Labours of Heracles Zeus

Roger Lancelyn Green, Betty Middleton-Sandford

The Tale of Troy

Roger Lancelyn Green’s The Tale of Troy stresses that the origins of the Trojan War go right back to the beginning of Zeus’ reign, when Prometheus prophesised that the sea nymph Thetis would give birth to a son who would grow up to be greater than his father. In order to preserve his power, Zeus changed his mind about being Thetis’ consort, and instead arranged for her to be married to the minor hero Peleus. All the Olympians attended the celebration, except for Eris, the godde(...)

literary

YEAR: 1958

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Achilles Aeneas Aeneid Agamemnon Ajax / Aias Andromache Antenor Aphrodite Apollo Athena Calchas Circe Clytemnestra Cyclops / Cyclopes Diomedes (Son of Tydeus) Epic Cycle Eris Hector Hecuba Helen Hera Heracles Hercules Hermes Hermione Homer Iliad Iphigenia / Iphigeneia Laocoon Menelaus Neoptolemus Nestor Odysseus / Ulysses Palamedes Paris (Trojan Prince) Patroclus Peleus Philoctetes Priam Prometheus Sinon Sirens Thetis Tiresias Trojan Horse Trojan War Troy Zeus

Evi Pini, Elisa Vavouri

The Trojan War. The Beginning of History [Τρωικός Πόλεμος. Η αρχή της ιστορίας (Trōikós Pólemos. Ī archī́ tīs istorías)]

Evi Pini explains how the Trojan War started. The text is in the form of a fairy tale, as implied by the standard phrase “once upon a time” (my translation) at the very beginning. The book begins with Eris and ends with Iphigeneia’s last-minute rescue from being sacrificed to Artemis. Neither fighting nor bloodshed is presented. Instead, we have an account of human and divine passions and emotions, as well as a description of logistical preparations for going to war.&nbs(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Achilles Aeolus Agamemnon Aphrodite Argos (City) Artemis Athena Athens Boeotia Calchas Clytemnestra Crete Diomedes (Son of Tydeus) Eris Euboea Gods Greek History Helen Hera Hermes Idomeneus Iphigenia / Iphigeneia Ithaca Lykomedes Menelaus Menestheus Mycenae Nestor Odysseus / Ulysses Paris (Trojan Prince) Peleus Phocis Priam Pylos Skyros Sparta Thetis Troy Tyndareus Zeus

Janusz Towpik, Jadwiga Żylińska

The Youth of Achilles [Młodość Achillesa]

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.The author presents Achilles’ life but not the well-known version told by Homer in the Iliad. The story begins with the nuptials of Achilles’ parents, the nymph Thetis (in this version of the myth, she is the daughter(...)

literary

YEAR: 1974

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Achilles Chiron / Cheiron Deidamia of Scyros Lykomedes Odysseus / Ulysses Peleus Thetis Trojan War

Piotr Fąfrowicz, Zofia Stanecka

Troy. A Story of the City's Fall [Troja. Historia upadku miasta]

The story is a brief description of the Trojan War written for children aged 6–7 who are learning how to read. The classical story begins and ends with a pacifist message saying that every war, even if it generates stories about heroic deeds, is a dreadful event that causes tears and leaves towns in ruins.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Achilles Agamemnon Aphrodite Apollo Ares Artemis Athena Cassandra Deiphobus Demeter Eris Gaia / Gaea Greek History Hades Hector Hecuba Helen Hephaestus Hera Hermes Hestia Homer Iliad Ithaca Menelaus Mycenae Odysseus / Ulysses Olympus Paris (Trojan Prince) Patroclus Peleus Poseidon Priam Sparta Styx Themis Thetis Trojan Horse Trojan War Zeus