Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Esther M. Friesner

The sequel to Nobody’s Princess, Nobody’s Prize tells the story of Helen of Troy as a teenager, before the events of the Trojan War. In this novel, the adventure-loving Helen sneaks on board the Argo to participate in the quest for the Golden Fleece. She is disguised as a boy named Glaucus, and accompanied by her friend and freed-slave, Milo.After running into trouble in Iolkos, Helen persuades Heracles’ nephew, Iolaus, to take her and Milo on as weapons bearers and hide their (...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Acastus Aeëtes Aethra Agamemnon Aphrodite Argos / Argus (Constructor of "Argo") Atalanta Boreads Calais Castor Clashing Rocks / Symplegades / Cyanean Rocks Clytemnestra Harpies Helen Heracles Hylas Iolaus Jason Medea Menelaus Orpheus Phineus Phrixus Polydeuces Theseus Zetes Zeus

Kate McMullan , Denis Zilber

Stop that Bull, Theseus! (Myth-O-Mania, 5)

This is the fifth book in the Myth-O-Mania series. In this series, Hades is the narrator who 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. In this book, Hades reveals the truth behind the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Hades claims that the Minotaur was actually Zeus’ grandson (Pasiphae w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Aegeus Aethra Ariadne Cupid Daedalus Dionysus / Dionysos Furies Hades Icarus Labyrinth Medea Minos Minotaur Poseidon Procrustes Sciron Sinis Zephyrus Zeus

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Tanglewood Tales for Girls and Boys

Tanglewood Tales is the sequel to Hawthorne’s first volume of Greek myths for children, A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys. In the Introduction to this book, a precocious young storyteller Eustace Bright returns to Tanglewood Manor to visit Nathaniel Hawthorne, and they discuss the success of their recent publication, which, according to the fiction, Eustace composed and Hawthorne edited. Now Eustace presents his friend with a second collection of six stories. Although this volume does not f(...)

literary

YEAR: 1853

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aeëtes Aegeus Aethra Ariadne Cadmus Ceres Chiron / Cheiron Circe Crete Delphi Demeter Europa Golden Fleece Hades Hera Heracles Hercules Hermes Jason Labyrinth Medea Minos Odysseus / Ulysses Pelias Persephone Proserpina Telephassa Theseus

Aleksander Wojciech Mikołajczak

The Greece of Gods and Heroes [Grecja bogów i herosów]

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 compilation of Greek myths, abundantly illustrated (photographs of mythology-inspired art, ancient and modern). In the beginning there was Chaos, from which Gaia, Tartarus and Eros emerged. Gaia gave birth to and married (...)

literary

YEAR: 2000

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Achilles Actaeon Aethra Agamemnon Amphitrite Apollo Argos / Argus Panoptes (Giant) Ariadne Artemis Athena Atlas Cronus / Kronos Demeter Dionysus / Dionysos Gaia / Gaea Ganymede Hades Helen Hera Heracles Hermes Hesiod Hestia Homer Horae Io Jason Leto Medea Medusa Minos Minotaur Mnemosyne Moirai Muses Nemesis Niobe Odysseus / Ulysses Oedipus Ouranos / Uranus Paris (Trojan Prince) Persephone Perseus Poseidon Prometheus Rhea Themis Theseus Zeus

Robert Byrd

The Hero and the Minotaur: The Fantastic Adventures of Theseus

In this lavishly illustrated story of the ‘adventures of Theseus and his friends’ (endpapers), Robert Byrd explains the origins of Theseus’s birth and childhood, watched over by the sea-god Poseidon. His exploits as a child include standing up to Heracles, who enters the city of Troezen clad in the skin of a lion and lifting the boulder to find the golden sandals and sword of his father, King Aegeus (pp. 5–6). Excited by adventure, and the dream of meeting his father, The(...)

literary

YEAR: 2005

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aegeus Aethra Ariadne Cercyon Daedalus Dionysus / Dionysos Icarus Minos Minotaur Poseidon Sciron Sinis Talos (Automaton) Theseus

Theresa Tomlinson

The Moon Riders

This novel follows over a decade in the life of the Moon Riders, a group of warrior priestesses from various tribes who serve the moon goddess Maa and travel across Asia Minor. They are called “Amazons” by outsiders. In particular, the novel focuses on a young Mazagardi Moon Rider named Myrina, and her friendship with the Trojan princess Cassandra. Tomlinson looks at gender politics and freedom from the point of view of a protagonist from an egalitarian society. Told in third person,(...)

literary

YEAR: 2002

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Achilles Aethra Amazons Cassandra Chryseis Clytemnestra Hecuba Helen Iphigenia / Iphigeneia Odysseus / Ulysses Paris (Trojan Prince) Penthesilea Priam Theseus

Geraldine McCaughrean

Theseus

The book unfolds the adventurous life of the Athenian hero Theseus from his birth to his old age. We learn of his different exploits and acts of bravery (slaying giants, fighting the Minotaur), as well as his mistakes and flawed relationship with others (the Amazon queen Hippolyta, his son). Through the story of Theseus expedition to Crete, to fight the Minotaur, two more characters are introduced, Daedalus and Icarus. Their story, especially their fatal flight is interwoven with Theseus’ (...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aegeus Aethra Ariadne Athena Athens Crete Crommyonian Sow Dionysus / Dionysos Heracles Hercules Hermes Hippolyta Hippolytus Icarus Labyrinth Medea Medes Minos Minotaur Periphetes Phaedra Poseidon Sciron Sinis Theseus Zeus

Anna Manolatos, Frank Sikalas

Theseus and the Minotaur: Birth of a Hero

In this picture book version of the Theseus Myth, Theseus is a young man born of Princess Aethra and King Aegeus but also the son of Poseidon. He has incredible strength (being a demi-god) and is able to lift large boulders with one arm. When he turns 16, Theseus must remove his father’s sword and sandals from under a large rock, which have been hidden there until he is old enough to meet his father, King of Athens. Once he has obtained them, Theseus sails to his father’s kingdom. Up(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Aegeus Aethra Ariadne Minos Minotaur Poseidon Theseus

Natalia Kapatsoulia, Filippos Mandilaras

Theseus [Ο Θησέας (O Thīséas)]

This book aims to educate young learners about Theseus, presenting episodes from Theseus' life in a compact and entertaining manner. The textual and visual narrative starts with Theseus’ parents, Aegeus and Aethra, and ends with the hero’s long rule as a wise king of Athens. The plot unfolds like a fairy tale, appropriate for a story about the four kings mentioned: Aegeus, Theseus, Pittheus, and Minos. There is constant action, and we move on swiftly from one event to(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: Greece

TAGS: Aegeus Aethra Ariadne Athens Crete Marathon Midas Periphetes Procrustes Sciron Sinis Sounion Troezen