Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Johnny Capps , Julian Murphy, Howard Overman

Jason, a twenty-first-century young man in search of his lost father, travels in a submarine through an under-ocean portal and ends up on the shores of the ancient city of Atlantis ruled by King Minos. He befriends a yet unrecognized mathematical genius/geek Pythagoras and a prizefighter past his prime, Hercules. In this version of the Minotaur myth, victims for the monster are picked from among the inhabitants of the city in a lottery. Pythagoras draws a black stone, but his friends try to save(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Admetus Aeson Alcestis Anabasis Ariadne Atalanta Baucis Campe Cassandra Circe Daedalus Destiny Furies Hecate Heracles Hercules Icarus Jason Jocasta Katabasis Laius Medea Medusa Melas Minos Minotaur Oedipus Oracle of Poseidon Oracles Orpheus Pandora’s Box Pasiphae Philemon Prophecy Pythagoras Telamon Thanatos Tiresias Underworld

Elsie Finnimore Buckley, Frank C. Papé

Children of the Dawn: Old Tales of Greece

This is a detailed, extensive retelling of eleven key Greek myths with significant attention often given to character development, and details of the character’s education and early life. Scenery, landscape and geography are also described at length. The featured stories are:The Riddle of the SphinxEros and PsycheHero and LeanderThe Sacrifice of AlcestisThe Hunting of the Calydonian BoarThe Curse of EchoThe Sculptor and the ImageThe Divine MusicianThe Flight of ArethusaThe Winning of Atala(...)

literary

YEAR: 1908

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Admetus Alcestis Alpheus Antigone Arethusa Atalanta Echo Eros Galatea Jocasta Laius Leander Meleager Oedipus Oenone Paris (Trojan Prince) Psyche Pygmalion

Robert Graves

Greek Gods and Heroes

This is a dryly humorous children's anthology of myth by Robert Graves, better known for his earlier mythography work The Greek Myths. It tells key Greek myths, with a focus on the personalities of the key gods who it introduces in the opening chapter. There are no illustrations. The stories included are:The Palace of Olympus (introduction to the different gods),Other Gods and Goddesses,Demeter's Lost Daughter,The Titans,The Underworld of Tartarus,The Birth of Hermes,Orpheus,Deucalion(...)

literary

YEAR: 1960

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Admetus Alcestis Amphitrite Apollo Artemis Athena Hades Hera Heracles Hermes Marsyas Omphale Persephone Pirithous / Perithous Poseidon Theseus Zeus

Rocco Negri, Ian Serraillier

Heracles the Strong

Heracles, the son of a mortal woman and the god, Zeus, was hated by Hera. She inflicted him with madness and he committed a terrible crime. As penance, he served King Eurystheus and was set twelve difficult and dangerous labours to perform.(...)

literary

YEAR: 1970

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achelous Admetus Alcestis Alcmene Alpheus Amazons Amphitryon Apollo Ares Argonauts Artemis' Hind Athena Athens Atlas Augean Stables Centaur(s) Cerberus Charon Chiron / Cheiron Cithaeron (Mount) Creon Deianeira Delphic Oracle Elysian Fields / Elysium Erymanthus Eurystheus Eurytos Garden of Hesperides Geryon Golden Fleece Hades Hera Heracles Hercules Hippolyta's Belt Hydra Hyllus Iolaus Iole Iphicles Ladon Lerna Megara Minos Minyans Mycenae Nemean Lion Nereus Nessus Nymphs Orthrus Persephone Pholus Phyleus Pillars of Hercules Poseidon Prometheus Pygmies Stymphalian Birds Stymphalian Lake Styx Tantalus Thebes Theseus Tiresias Titans Twelve Labours of Heracles Zeus

John Bankston

Hercules

This book is part of a series of eight on different Greek deities. It tells the story of Hercules, half-man, half-god who with his god-given strength was able to overcome great obstacles. However, he was not able to overcome the greatest internal obstacle of his own anger. Starting with the episode of Hercules’ cattle being stolen, Bankston launches into a discussion of myth and the place of the myth of Hercules in the ancient world. Each chapter contains selections of the myths with other(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Admete Admetus Alcmene Amazons Amphitryon Apollo Apollodorus Apotheosis Arcadia Athens Atlas Augeas Cacus Cerberus Chiron / Cheiron Cithaeron (Mount) Constantine Constellations Deianeira Diana Diodorus Siculus Diomedes (of Thrace) Electryon Erginus Erymanthus Eurystheus Eurytos Greece Hera Heracles Hercules Hesperides Hippolyta Hydra Iolaus Juno Jupiter Lerna Linus Macedonia Minerva Minos Minyans Nessus Olympians Olympic Games Olympus Oracles Pholus Plato Pluto / Plouton Prometheus Ptolemy Pythia Rome Sparta Thanatos Thebes Titans Virgil Zeus

Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Christian Williams

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Series, S02E01–24)

The second season of Hercules: the Legendary Journeys utilizes the same basic structure as the first season (see relevant entry) but builds upon the momentum of the franchises’ popularity to expand the number of episodes to almost double that of the first season (13 and 22, respectively). Each episode is self-contained and depicts Hercules and his companion, Iolaus, embarking upon a quest to defeat a villain/bad-guy and/or to resolve an issue of injustice that plagues a town/village. (...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: New Zealand United States of America

TAGS: Admetus Alcestis Alcmene Aphrodite Barbarians Centaur(s) Demeter Echidna Giants Gods Golden Fleece Hades Hera Heracles Hercules Hero(es) Iolaus Iphicles Jason Judgement of Paris Medea Midas Orestes Persephone Prophecy Salmoneus Sisyphus Sparta Typhon / Typhoeus / Typhaon

Josephine Preston Peabody

Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew

This is a collection of Greek myths for children presented as a supplement to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Wonder Book and Tanglewood Tales. The stories are based fairly closely on Ovid’s Metamorphoses. There are a small number of line drawing illustrations depicting key scenes; the illustrator is uncredited.Featured Stories:The Wood-Folk (Pan, Syrinx, Dryope, Echo, Clytie),Judgement of Midas,Prometheus,The Deluge (Deucalion and Pyrrha),Orpheus and Eurydice,Icarus and Daedalus,Phaethon,Niob(...)

literary

YEAR: 1897

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achilles Admetus Agamemnon Alcestis Apollo Arachne Atalanta Athena Cupid Diana Eurydice Icarus Midas Niobe Odysseus / Ulysses Oedipus Orpheus Pan Prometheus Proserpina Psyche Pygmalion Venus Zeus

Don Bolognese, Roger Lancelyn Green

Tales the Muses Told

This is a fairy tale style retelling of Greek myths for children, which displays Lancelyn Green's high level of knowledge of ancient source material. He often brings in lesser-known myths or obscure variant versions, such as Daphne's father being called Amyclas. The sections are divided into "Tales of Flowers", "Tales of Trees", "Tales of Birds and Bees", "Tales of the Stars" and "Great Lovers and True Friends". It is lightly illustrated (...)

literary

YEAR: 1965

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Admetus Adonis Alcestis Apollo Baucis Callisto Clytie Daphne Erigone Hero(es) Hyacinth Leander Melampus Narcissus Orion Philemon Pyramus Thisbe Zeus

Liudmila Rubleŭskaia

The Old World Myths of the Town of B* [Старасвецкія міфы горада Б* (Starasvietskiia mify horada B*)]

The old world myths of the town of B* is a cycle of 12 stories. Each one starts with a short author's retelling of an ancient Greek myth. The title of the story includes the main characters of the corresponding ancient myths, and its plot follows the stated synopsis. The protagonists, who inhabit a generic Belarusian town at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, repeat the fate of ancient heroes. The similarity is vividly emphasized by the parallel details of the story:Artemis and Ac(...)

literary

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: Belarus

TAGS: Achilles Actaeon Admetus Alcestis Apollo Artemis Echo Eurydice Galatea Ganymede Heracles Jupiter Marsyas Narcissus Odysseus / Ulysses Orpheus Pandora’s Box Paris (Trojan Prince) Pygmalion Semele Sidon Sirens Trojan Horse Troy

Robert (Bob) Blaisdell, Althea (Thea) Kliros

The Story of Hercules (in Easy-to-Read Type)

Hercules narrates his story, beginning with his birth as the mortal son of a god. He talks of how he was a child prodigy in warfare but failed at learning music. After killing the teacher that belittles him about failing at music, Hercules goes out into the world to learn what he can. After Hera challenges Zeus to prove Hercules is worthy of being immortal, Hercules jumps at the opportunity and completes twelve labours. (...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achelous Achilles Admetus Aegean Sea Aeolia Aeolus Aeson Alcestis Alcmene Alcyonian Lake Althaea / Althea Amazons Amphitryon Antaeus / Antaios Aphrodite Apollo Apples of the Hesperides Arcadia Ares Argo Argolid Argonauts Athena Atlas Augeas Autolycos Automedusa Black Sea / Pontus Euxinus Calydon Castor Centaur(s) Cerberus Ceryneian Hind Chiron / Cheiron Cretan Bull Crete Cronus / Kronos Deianeira Diomedes (of Thrace) Diomedes’ Mares Echidna Elerion Enceladus Erymanthian Boar Erymanthus Eurystheus Eurytos Gaia / Gaea Geryon Giants Golden Fleece Greece Hades Hephaestus Hera Heracles Hercules Hesione Hippolyta's Belt Hydra Hylas Immortality Iolaus Iole Iphicles Ithaca Jason Linus Minos Minotaur Mycenae Nemean Lion Nephele Nessus Nymphs Odysseus / Ulysses Olympus Orpheus Pallene Pasiphae Peloponnese Perseus Pholus Pillars of Hercules Poseidon Rhea Stymphalian Birds Telamon Thebes Theiodamas (King) Themiscyra / Themyscira Thespis Tiryns Titans Troy Twelve Labours of Heracles Typhon / Typhoeus / Typhaon Zeus