To teach children these lessons, as well as the gods and goddesses of greek mythology, try some of these awesome greek mythology books for kids. Apollo and daphne the greek myth story of daphne and apollo. For somewhat older people who are curious about the stories and reallife history related to greek myths, a good choice is thomas bulfinchs the age of fable or stories of gods and heroes coupled with ovids metamorphoses. Timeless tales of gods and heroes, 75th anniversary illustrated edition. Among these, youll find close historical retellings as well as texts that read like spiritual descendants of the original myths in a completely new setting. These stories are great teaching tools for kids, but they are often difficult for children to read. One day, while he was hunting in the woods, the oread nymph echo spotted him and immediately fell for him. Greek mythology states that apollo had been mocking the god of love, eros also known as cupid. Under the spell of the arrow, apollo continued to follow daphne, but she continued to reject. Most of these ancient greek myths survive till our days because they have been included in the works of famous ancient writers and historians. Its called the song of achilles yes, this is by madeline miller who is an american academic. Cupid and psyche is a story originally from metamorphoses also called the golden ass, written in the 2nd century ad by lucius apuleius madaurensis or platonicus. The stories of the gods, goddesses, heroes, monsters, and other mythical creatures. Best greek mythology books to read for adults and kids.
Variously depicted as either a beautiful youth or a mischievous nude boy, eros is most commonly represented with a bow and an unlimited number of arrows which he uses to overpower the reason and incite erotic feelings in any mortal or god per aphrodites or his. Favorite greek myths the darkness of night was a serpent, slain by their sungods arrows. Unfortunately, its difficult for a newcomer to get started on the subject, as there are hundreds of books on greek mythology available. Pdf the complete world of greek mythology download full. Just dont anger the gods, and love should come much easier to you. Theres more than just greek and roman mythology, too. According to greek mythology, the love between paris and helen provoked the downfall of troy. His wife was a dryad, eurydice, who also attracted the attentions of aristaeus.
These are the greatest stories ever told the labours of hercules, the. In the classical world, for instance, there were venus and aphrodite, love goddesses of the roman and greek pantheons respectively. Favorite greek myths grades 57 this book features 12 classic stories from greek mythology, including stories of echo and narcissus, and cupid and psyche. Discover, download and read free and lowpriced ebooks on the subject of greek mythology. The stories of the gods, goddesses, heroes, monsters, and other mythical creatures childs introduction series daulaires book of greek myths. A daring, dazzling followup to the bestseller the song of achilles, novelist madeline miller has created an epic story of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a mans world. So now, of course, its time to put on a performance. Will he love you back or will you just be one of his many lovers. Lets talk about the first book youve chosen, which is about the greatest greek hero at troy, achilles, and his love affair with another greek man, patroclus. I used to sleep with it under my head and memorized every little tale by heart. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. He chose aphrodite because in return she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. Sometimes ya series can be corny and very unrealistic but raye wagner has done a great job making this story come to life. The story of orpheus and eurydice is one of the most romantic heartbreaking stories from greek mythology.
Below is a list of books about greek mythology, based on or inspired by. In the ancient near east, love was personified in such. The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for. The third installment of sarah mccarrys mythologyinspired metamorphoses series, about a girl reworks many elements from classic greek stories into a beautiful and heartbreaking lesbian love story.
Love stories of greek myth naturally, love was one hot topic amongst the greeks, and the proliferation of romantic themesmost of them tragic is astounding. Theamount of myths and stories that the greeks created is incredibly large. Favorite greek myths classic books for children at. The story of eros and psyche has a longstanding tradition as a folktale of the ancient grecoroman world. Stories in greek mythology teach us many lessons about life, love, and relationships. The greek mythology is a sum of fables told by the ancient greeks to explain the existence of the world, some natural phenomena or just for pleasure, to intrigue the imagination of people. Bende, rogue rider by larissa ione, for the love of hades by. Goddess of love, a graphic novel adaptation of the classic greek myths. Lucy coats, author of one of the best books greek myth books for children. This book was published in the year 1942, and is one of the most wellknown books for mythology. Some of them settled in the land we now call greece, taking with them their quaint stories.
Pierre grimals dictionary of classical mythology reprinted by penguin books as the penguin dictionary of classical mythology. Bizarre love stories from greek mythology george oconnor. Hyacinth was the son of the muse clio and king pierus of macedonia. Greek mythology is brimming with epic battles, melodramatic fighting between gods and. They are, of course, not based on rationalism but on the. Myths of love and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. If youre fascinated by greek mythology books, or looking for percy jackson or. List of 10 best books to read about greek mythology.
The story begins with the trojan prince paris being chosen to decide which of three goddesses hera, athena and aphrodite is the fairest. Posted on august 5, 2012 updated on november 12, 2016. With the above books and activities, students will build a solid foundation of knowledge related to greek mythology. For the complete listing of the books that are published by yesterdays classics, please visit. The new national geographic treasury of greek mythology offers timeless stories of greek myths in a beautiful new volume. Stories in mythology can provide explanations for events and rituals, and are.
Greek mythology is an amazing subject, full of complex characters and lore. Fantasy lover by sherrilyn kenyon, perfekt order by s. He was a very beautiful young man, and many fell in love with him. If you are like me, you love revised fairy tales, and the revision of greek or roman mythology to new purposes is just as satisfying. The stories are full of action as percy, a kid with adhd and dyslexia, learns that he is a hunted kid because his father is a greek god. Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient greeks and a genre of ancient greek folklore. Narcissus was a hunter in greek mythology, son of the river god cephissus and the nymph liriope. The 5 most romantic greek mythology love stories of all time. I used to sleep with it under my head and memorized every little tale. A time came when many tribes of this aryan race moved on to other lands. Each god has stories that not only relate to other gods, but to mortals or regular humans like you and me as well. Its getting better overall, but id love to see more diverse voices being.
Books to read if you love greek or roman mythology book riot. Aristaeus pursued her until she stepped on a poisonous snake and was forced into the underworld. The most beautiful love stories in the ancient greek. Here, well look at the top 5 greek mythology love stories ever. Ever since i started studying greek mythology in grade school, ive been. Below is a list of books about greek mythology, based on or inspired by these myths. Well, first of all, i am going to mention that i do not recommend robert gravess the greek myths 1955. Orpheus was the son of the muse calliope and therefore a grand musician.
The greek mythology has been my favorite book since secondary school. Youve probably heard this mythical love story because its used to lecture impatient. The most beautiful love stories in the ancient greek mythology. There were some fiery romances that rival any of the great love stories in history and no doubt most of the betterknown romance tales were influenced by greek storytellers. Modern scholars study the myths in an attempt to shed.
One of the most tragic love stories of greek mythology. Hades and persephone, greek mythology, ya mythology series, best of. The most beautiful love stories of greek mythology. A new translation of an important text for greek mythology used as a source book by classicists from antiquity to robert graves, the library of greek mythology is a complete summary of early greek myth, telling the story of each of the great families of heroic mythology, and the various adventures associated with the main heroes and heroines, from jason and perseus to. Across many ancient civilizations throughout the world, love was placed under the domain of a certain deity, usually, but not in all cases, a goddess. What she reads if she loves greek mythology she reads. Brought to life with lyrical text by awardwinning author donna jo napoli and stunning artwork by awardwinning illustrator christina balit, the tales of gods and goddesses such as zeus, aphrodite, apollo, and athena and. Medusa, a love story by sasha summers the deep end of the sea by.
These stories concern the origin and the nature of the world, the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins and significance of the ancient greeks own cult and ritual practices. The book tells us about how the universe was created, the 12 olympians, the heroes before and after the trojan. Therefore, when reading any book on the topic, its extremely helpful to have a guide to those key terms handy. What is the best book that has a complete collection of. The best mythologybased books for teens the ya shelf. Like other retellings and reinterpretations, books that use greek. This renowned classic brings the heritage of greece to life with enthralling tales and stories. The 5thcenturybce greek historian herodotus remarked that homer and hesiod gave to the olympian gods their familiar characteristics.
Klotho, atropos, and lakhesis, who weave the tapestry. The percy jackson and the olympians series is perhaps the most famous of greek mythology books for kids on account of the movies. Eros known as cupid to the romans was the greek god of sexual attraction, a constant companion of aphrodite. The fantastic in every sense of the word books on this list draw from indian, norse, japanese, chinese, and korean myths. The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between psyche. Of course, the greeks honored love, but surprisingly, they did not particularly laud the goddess of love, aphrodite. Bulfinch is widely available, including online, and the stories entertain as well as explain, with the caveat that he prefers roman names like jupiter and. The goddess aphrodite was adored and feared by gods and morta. Being a fan of greek mythology you wouldnt have thought youd ever be able to meet one of your favorite gods. Circe isnt a wellknown or revered goddess, but she had a story. In the first book of the iliad, the son of zeus and leto apollo, line 9 is as instantly identifiable to the greek.
Greek mythology is the body of myths and teachings associated with the ancient greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and origins and significance of their own culture and ritual practices it is slowly and steadily becoming the center of attention for the people who show keen interest in having knowledge of the ancient people as the rich literature. Greek stories into a beautiful and heartbreaking lesbian love story for young adults. The iliad tells the story of the conquest of the city of troy by a greek army led by the likes of achilles, agamemnon, and odysseus. For more great fantasy reads, check out our fantasy books for kids and 10 thrilling books for teens who love. The story tells of the struggle for love and trust between eros and psyche in greek mythology, psyche was the deification of the human soul.
Like all greek myths, these fictionalized retellings contain love and sex, poetry and passion, and often buckets of blood. The fight is ultimately over helen, a daughter of zeus and one of the most beautiful women to ever walk the earth, who is abducted by one of the trojans. Despite all the death, tragedy, betrayal and blood, greek mythology love stories do provide a sense that love really can conquer anything. The reason is because, while graves is truly an excellent storyteller, the vast majority of the time he has literally no idea what he is talk. Aphrodite is sixth in the new york times bestselling olympians series.
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