Crazier Eights: Olympus
7.0
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Tabletop Game
A gateway fantasy card game in the world of Greek mythology with gods, heroes, and other aspects of...
The Greek Myths
Book
The gold standard in Greek mythology, in a dazzling Graphic Deluxe Edition with a new introduction...
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)
6.5
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Movie
It's the 21st century, but the gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters have walked out of the...
Heroes (Stephen Fry’s Great Mythology Volume 2
10.0
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Book
There are Heroes - and then there are Greek Heroes. Stephen Fry's glorious retelling of their...
Greek Mythology Greek Heroes
It started off a little unsure, but this could have been down to me getting used to the style of writing and language style used to represent the characters and gods. However it soon picks up and really draws you in. It's an epic tale spanning so many different aspects of Greek gods and mythology. I could barely believe so many mythological tales had been spun into this, and not only that but done brilliant well. It's such a comprehensive and intriguing tale of the goddess Circe, who is a well rounded and feisty female protagonist. I really struggled to put this book down, and my only disappointment is that it took so long to read, and that it ended too of course. I could have quite happily read on about many more tales of Greek gods and mythology woven into Circe's life.
For me this book was pure escapism. Well written and highly captivating, diving into a book about gods and goddesses is a fantastic way to escape the dreary realities of real life.
Hercules (1997)
8.2
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Movie
Disney tackles Greek mythology in this animated feature. Hercules (Tate Donovan), a son of gods, was...
The book reads as a quasi-novel, from the birth of the universe to the third and fourth generations of immortals (this includes the creators, the titans, the gods, and mythical creatures/characters, spawns of titans and gods, gods and creatures, gods and men and all sorts.) and their adventures, each following on from the other.
I have always had an interest in the Greek myths and gods, and as I suggested above the really interesting part of these stories, beyond the very human nature of the immortals (jealousy, unreasonableness, duplicity, rage, deceit and pride) which makes for so much more of a believable creation theory, is the myriad ways they have influenced English language (any many others I'm sure). To give an example (I'm showing my own ignorance flagrantly here) a simple thing, the alphabet. It never occurred to me, in my own self centered existence, this simply come from the first and second letters of the Greek alphabet. Alpha and Beta. So simple, so obvious, yet I never made this connection.
The stories themselves are wonderful, and the best thing about them is they all tie in with a creation theory. Something, whatever it is, is learned, or created. Some paradigm is set, some moral conundrum is answered, or something in the world is explained by the end of every story told (the tides, the moon, wine, love, soul, war, sex, the seasons, humanity itself just to name a few). It's such an entertaining read, and I find myself telling anyone who will listen some of the revelations I find in this book page on page on page.
As an end note, don't be overwhelmed by the prospect of reading about these stories, this installment ONLY covers from creation, to the establishment of the twelve Greek gods, and their children. It stops before the even greater amount of legends stemming from human demigods (Hercules, Perseus etc) and these are picked up in Fry's most recent offering, Heroes (which I am yet to read).
If you have any interest in the Greek mythology, or etymology, or even history as a whole, this is absolutely one for you.
- Rob
Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes
8.0
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Book
IF YOU LIKE POISONINGS, BETRAYALS, MUTILATIONS, MURDERS AND FLESH-EATING FARMYARD ANIMALS, KEEP...
David McK (3204 KP) rated Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures in Books
Jun 24, 2020
I say 'more or less' as the setting of these tales are in constant flux, with characters popping up all over the place long before (or after) they otherwise should! That's not a criticism of the retelling: just a statement of fact.
This volume thus covers the likes of Bellerephon and Pegasus, Oedipus (yes, that Oedipus!), Heracles - who the Romans renamed Hercules - and his Twelve Labours, Jason and the Argonauts, Theseus and the Minotaur and many (many) others!
Worth it for the educational value alone!
Now, hurry up and release part 3 (Troy) ...