Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

George O'Connor

Aphrodite. Goddess of Love (Olympians, 6)

Aphrodite is the sixth instalment of the tremendous Olympians series. It is narrated by the Charites and begins in a time before time, with the ancient Greek creation myths – Gaea and Ouranos, unfocused Eros, and the rise of the Titans leading to Kronos' castration. "The seat of Eros' power in Ouranos" is depicted falling into the sea in a mass of pink foam. The foam churns while more of the creation story plays out. The Olympians, humans, and animals all develop and(...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achilles Aeneas Aeneid Agamemnon Aphrodite Apollo Architecture Ares Argo Argonauts Artemis Athena Athens Cerberus Charites Cronus / Kronos Cupid Cyclops / Cyclopes Demeter Dionysus / Dionysos Eris Eros Gaia / Gaea Galatea Gods Greek Art Hades Helen Hephaestus Hera Hermes Hestia Iras (Handmaid) Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Olympus Paris (Trojan Prince) Poseidon Priam Psyche Sirens Thetis Trojan Horse Trojan War Troy Venus Zeus

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

TAGS: Aesop Arcadia Caduceus Hermes Lamia Lycaon Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metamorphosis

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

TAGS: Aesop Arcadia Caduceus Hermes Lamia Lycaon Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metamorphosis

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

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

TAGS: Aphrodite Apollo Architecture Argo Argonauts Artemis Atalanta Athena Centaur(s) Demeter Divination Eros Fate Gods Hera Jason Meleager Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metamorphosis Minotaur Moirai Nestor Oracles Ovid Poseidon Theseus Zeus

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

TAGS: Andromeda Arachne Architecture Ares Athena Athens Cronus / Kronos Fate Gaia / Gaea Gods Graeae / Graiai Greek Art Hera Hermes Juno Medusa Mercury Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metamorphosis Metis Minerva Moirai Nymphs Olympus Ovid Pegasus Perseus Poseidon Zeus

George O'Connor

Dionysos. The New God (Olympians, 12)

Dionysos opens not with “the new god”, but with the quieter, lesser-known deity, Hestia. The reader is returned to the beginning of the series (Vol. 1 Zeus. King of the Gods), which introduced the creation of the universe and the Olympians. Hestia tells this story, and that of the war with the Titans, this time from her own perspective. She then explains a little about herself; her disinterest in temples and the usual offerings and her content to be found in the hearths of people&rsq(...)

literary

YEAR: 2022

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Afterlife Aphrodite Architecture Ares Ariadne Bacchus Centaur(s) Cerberus Crete Cronus / Kronos Dionysus / Dionysos Egypt Eleusinian Mysteries Fate Faun Gaia / Gaea Gods Greek Art Greek Music Greek Theatre Hades Hecate Hephaestus Hera Hermes Hestia Immortality Katabasis Laurel Wreath Mercury Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metis Midas Olympus Pan Persephone Styx Theseus Underworld Zeus

Maria Dynowska

From Greek Legends: „Metamorphoses” According to Ovid [Z podań greckich: “Przemiany” podług Owidjusza]

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.This book is an overview of Greek myths selected by the author from the first six books of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It begins with the Four Ages of Man followed by the flood and the myth of Deucalion and Pyrrha who repopulated(...)

literary

YEAR: 1911

COUNTRY: Congress Poland

TAGS: Actaeon Amor Andromeda Apollo Arachne Arethusa Athena Bacchus Cadmus Ceres Daphne Deucalion Diana Echo Hubris Iris Juno Jupiter Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Narcissus Nemesis Neptune Niobe Ovid Perseus Phaethon Phoebus Pluto / Plouton Poseidon Proserpina Pyrrha Python Saturn Themis Thetis Zeus

George O'Connor

Hera. The Goddess and her Glory (Olympians, 3)

Hera begins with a recap of the triumph of Zeus and the other Olympians over Kronos (from Zeus. King of the Gods). New aspects of the battle are shown, including Hera's participation in the fighting and her ability to command Zeus haughtily to assist her when she does not wish to put her full effort in ("Honestly, I almost broke a nail", she complains). Aspects of Zeus' seduction of Hera, seen in Athena. Grey-Eyed Goddess, are shown with Hera's perspective now supplementing(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Afterlife Aphrodite Apollo Apples of the Hesperides Architecture Ares Argo Argonauts Atalanta Athena Atlas Cerberus Crete Demeter Dionysus / Dionysos Gaia / Gaea Gods Golden Fleece Hebe Hera Heracles Hercules Hestia Hydra Jason Katabasis Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Olympus Poseidon Stymphalian Birds Twelve Labours of Heracles Zeus

George O'Connor

Hermes: Tales of the Trickster (Olympians, 10)

This enjoyable graphic novel is the most humorous one of the Olympians series to date. The novel takes as its frame the myth of the killing of Argus Panoptes. A traveller and his dog arrive at the field that the giant, Argus, guards, where he keeps his many eyes on a lone white cow. The traveller begins to tell the giant stories:The first is the story of the dogs' complaint. Hermes arranged for dogs to make their complaint to Zeus about being under human bondage. But they "voided their (...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aesop Aesop’s Fables Afterlife Aphrodite Apollo Architecture Ares Artemis Athena Centaur(s) Cerberus Dionysus / Dionysos Divination Egypt Egyptian Mythology Fable Faun Gods Greek Music Hephaestus Hera Hermes Hydra Mercury Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Nymphs Olympus Ovid Pan Penelope Phaedrus Zeus

Blair Drawson, Sheldon Oberman

Island of the Minotaur. Greek Myths of Ancient Crete

This is an interesting take on the myth of the Minotaur which places it within a wide context by telling a selection of myths that build up to the Minotaur's demise. This creates a multi-generational story which arcs from the days of Cronos until Phaedra's departure from Crete as the last queen of Knossos. The myths of Medea and Ariadne are told in contrast to each other. The work begins and ends with historicising interpretations of the myths, relating the myths' connections to Mino(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: Canada United Kingdom

TAGS: Afterlife Apollo Architecture Argo Argonauts Ariadne Athens Atlantis Centaur(s) Cerberus Crete Cronus / Kronos Cyclops / Cyclopes Daedalus Dionysus / Dionysos Europa Fate Gods Golden Fleece Greek Art Greek History Heracles Hercules Jason Katabasis Labyrinth Maze Medea Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metis Minos Minotaur Pan Pasiphae Poseidon Theseus Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld Zeus

Alex Frith , Simona Sanfilippo

King Midas and the Gold

King Midas and the Gold is a children's storybook written with deliberately simple language for those learning to read. It is part of a series that contains many examples of traditional myths and simplified versions of classical literature.The Midas myth is told in an extremely simplified form as the paramount focus is telling a story with very basic vocabulary. There is more emphasis on Midas' kindness than his foolishness or greed. The text states 'he was kind', accompanying a (...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Apollo Architecture Dionysus / Dionysos Gods Laurel Wreath Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Midas Ovid

Joan Holub, Leslie Patricelli

Make a Wish, Midas!

The character "Midas" here is a pre-school-aged child in the modern era. He loves his green toy dinosaur and the colour yellow. Given a series of choices, he always picks the yellow option. During a painting session with yellow paint he begins to wish that all of the things in his life – his house, his car, his mother – were yellow. In a moment of impulsiveness, he turns and paints his stuffed green dinosaur yellow. Now his beloved dinosaur is painted, Midas understands his(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Architecture Dionysus / Dionysos Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Midas Ovid Pan

Nadia Wheatley

Melting Point

Melting Point is the story of Xenia Hadzithakis, a seventeen-year-old Greek Australian girl living in Sydney, Australia. Xenia is a rebel, in constant conflict with her traditional Yaya over her style of dress, her forthright behaviour, even the fact that she is studying Latin at school rather than ancient or modern Greek. After a terrible argument with her grandmother, she finds solace in the classroom translating Ovid’s version of the story of Icarus’ flight and fall from Book Eigh(...)

literary

YEAR: 1994

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Crete Daedalus Icarus Latin (Language) Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Ovid

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

TAGS: Andromache Celtic Mythology Charybdis Hector Homer Iliad Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metamorphosis Monsters Norse Mythology Odysseus / Ulysses Odyssey Ovid Plato Sappho Scylla Sirens Virgil

Stephen Cosgrove, Robin James

Nitter Pitter

A didactic picture book for young readers, based on the myth of Narcissus. The story of Nitter Pitter involves a stallion so beautiful that he refuses to play with the other horses. He loves to stare at his reflection in the pond, until one day he falls in. After this, he realises that he has become muddy and ugly. He refuses to look at himself again and hides himself under a tree. Soon after, a black raven encourages him to play with the other horses, because they do not mind that he is ugly. T(...)

literary

YEAR: 1978

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Echo Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Narcissus Ovid

George O'Connor

Olympians (Series)

Olympians is a series of graphic novels that takes one deity per volume as the focus, retelling numerous myths related to that god.Volume 1. Zeus. King of the Gods. Featuring creation myths and the war between the Titans and Olympians. Narrator unspecified.Volume 2. Athena. Grey-Eyed Goddess. Featuring the myth of Athena's conception and birth; Pallas; the attack of the Giants; Medusa and Perseus; Arachne. Narrated by the Moirae (The Fates). Volume 3. Hera. The Goddess and her Glory. Fe(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achilles Aeneas Aesop Aesop’s Fables Afterlife Agamemnon Amphitrite Anteros Aphrodite Apollo Apples of the Hesperides Arachne Architecture Ares Argo Argonauts Ariadne Artemis Asclepius Athena Athens Atlas Bacchus Baucis Centaur(s) Cerberus Ceres Charybdis Chimera / Chimaera Crete Cronus / Kronos Cyclops / Cyclopes Daedalus Delos Demeter Diana Dionysus / Dionysos Divination Egypt Egyptian Mythology Epimetheus Erinyes Eris Eros Europa Fable Furies Gaia / Gaea Galatea Gods Golden Fleece Greek Art Greek History Greek Music Greek Philosophy Griffins / Gryphons Hades Harpies Hecate Hector Helen Hephaestus Hera Heracles Hercules Hermes Hestia Homer Hydra Icarus Iliad Immortality Jason Juno Jupiter Katabasis Labyrinth Laurel Wreath Leto Mars Maze Medusa Menelaus Mercury Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metempsychosis Metis Minos Minotaur Nymphs Odysseus / Ulysses Odyssey Olympus Oracles Ovid Pan Pandora Pandora’s Box Paris (Trojan Prince) Pasiphae Patroclus Pegasus Penelope Persephone Perseus Philemon Polyphemus Poseidon Priam Prometheus Sirens Sisyphus Sphinx Stymphalian Birds Styx Theseus Thetis Trojan Horse Trojan War Troy Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld Zeus

Astrid Lindgren

Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter [Ronja rövardotter]

An adventure-fantasy story for young readers reflecting the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe. Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren takes place in an imaginary wood in Sweden known as Matt’s Forest where there are harpies, goblinfolk, Unearthly ones and gray dwarves. The protagonist, Ronia, is born in a robber’s stronghold and soon learns how to traverse Matt’s Mountain and avoid the hell-harpies (who would tear up their victims or enslave them). On the night of (...)

literary

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: Sweden

TAGS: Chloe Daphnis Harpies Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Ovid Pyramus Sirens Thisbe

Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak

Speak is the first-person narrative of fourteen-year-old Melinda Sordino, who documents her freshman year at Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York, over the course of four academic "marking periods." Melinda experiences alienation at school owing to an unspecified event during the summer. At a party, Melinda had called the police after an incident involving her, causing her friends to reject her. She returns to school without the support of her friends, except for a new s(...)

literary

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Apollo Daphne Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Ovid Philomela Procne

Philippe Béha, Glen Huser

The Golden Touch. A Retelling of the Legend of King Midas

The Golden Touch. A Retelling of the Legend of King Midas is a book and CD version of an opera staged in Canada in which over 200 school children performed alongside a Chroma Musika cast accompanied by The Orchestre Symphonique Pop Montréal, with narration from UK comedian Terry Jones. The opera was composed by Greek national Giannis Georgantelis, and was run as a community project under the auspices of the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, and the city of Laval. This w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Canada United Kingdom

TAGS: Apollo Architecture Bible Charybdis Cyclops / Cyclopes Dionysus / Dionysos Faun Gods Greek Music Helen Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Midas Ovid Pan

The Wachowskis

The Matrix (The Matrix, 1)

Thomas Anderson, a programmer by day and a computer hacker by night is given a chance to see his ‘reality’ for what it is, a computer simulation. When alone at his computer one evening, Thomas Anderson (Neo as he is known by the hacker community), falls asleep at his computer only to be awakened by a message typed on his screen that reads “Wake up Neo” sent by the elusive ‘hacker’ Morpheus who Neo is searching for. Morpheus then sends Neo instructions tha(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Christianity Delphic Oracle Lethe (River) Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Morpheus Plato Underworld

Jan Lewis, Saviour Pirotta

The Orchard Book of First Greek Myths

This is a very popular collection of ten retellings of ancient myths, attractively laid-out and well-written for a young audience. There is an illustrated Table of Contents at the start, which enables pre-literate children to participate in choosing the story that will be read, as well as teaching them how to use a ToC.Each story begins with an elaborate fronts-piece full of details from the story, and each story concludes with a small image that contains a key element of the myth. Both elements(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Arachne Architecture Argo Argonauts Ariadne Athena Athens Bellerophon Chimera / Chimaera Crete Daedalus Dionysus / Dionysos Epimetheus Gods Golden Fleece Graeae / Graiai Helen Homer Icarus Jason Labyrinth Maze Medea Medusa Menelaus Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Midas Minerva Minos Minotaur Odysseus / Ulysses Odyssey Ovid Pan Pandora Pandora’s Box Paris (Trojan Prince) Pegasus Perseus Theseus Trojan Horse Trojan War Troy

Margaret Mahy

The Tricksters

In The Tricksters, 17 year old Ariadne ("Harry") Hamilton’s family makes their Christmas annual visit to "Carnival’s Hide," their family holiday house, on the Banks Peninsula, formed by the eruption of an ancient volcano, near Christchurch. The house is comparatively old for New Zealand, being built in the nineteenth century, and it is haunted by Teddy Carnival, who was accidentally killed by his father, the builder of the house. While she is swimming in the bay, (...)

literary

YEAR: 1986

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Ariadne Athena Labyrinth Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Minerva Minotaur Oceanus / Okeanos Ovid Theseus

Jean Chalopin, Yoshitake Suzuki, Nina Wolmark

Ulysses 31 [Ulysse 31]

Ulysses 31 was created by a Japanese animation company for a French audience, conceived as a way to use modern Japanese cartoon work to introduce a young audience to the myths of Odysseus within a futuristic sci-fi environment. The series is based on Homer's Odyssey, set in the 31st century. Some additional Greek myths and, to a much lesser extent, myths from further cultures, are woven into the narrative, including Native American. The premise of the programme and of individual episode(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: France Japan

TAGS: Amazons Ancient Slavery Architecture Ariadne Asclepius Athena Charybdis Comedy (Ancient) Cronus / Kronos Cyclops / Cyclopes Demeter Divination Egypt Fate Galatea Gladiator Games Greek Theatre Hades Hermes Hydra Labyrinth Laurel Wreath Maze Mercury Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Minos Minotaur Odysseus / Ulysses Odyssey Oedipus Oracles Orpheus Pegasus Penelope Persephone Poseidon Scylla Sirens Sophocles Telemachus Theseus Tragedy (Ancient) Trojan War Troy Underworld Zeus