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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
This book offers a nice overview of Greek mythology. All of the major stories, and many of the minors, are included here. I would have liked to see more of the myths from other cultures, but it is understandable that they are not included, given the fact that the work was done in the 1950's. A worthwhile introduction to myths.
This book seems to me an excellent source for Greek mythology. The author is clearly passionate about the subject, and knowledgeable enough to give the book a clear structure. The introductions to the larger stories discuss the various authors who adapted the story, and how she selected from those authors while writing her own, making sure that the reader knows more than just the basic story itself.
A small chapter about Norse mythology is tacked on to it, Mythology would be a better work without it. Other important works of mythology are equally missing, so I do believe it fails as an overview of mythology. Nonetheless, the treatment of Greco-Roman mythology forms the meat and bones of this book, and it is top-notch. Just skip the chapter about Norse mythology.
A small chapter about Norse mythology is tacked on to it, Mythology would be a better work without it. Other important works of mythology are equally missing, so I do believe it fails as an overview of mythology. Nonetheless, the treatment of Greco-Roman mythology forms the meat and bones of this book, and it is top-notch. Just skip the chapter about Norse mythology.
Very interesting, but way too many names to keep track of! haha. It seems everyone is related to everyone somehow or another. I learned Hera is a real bitch but kind of has the right to be since Zeus sleeps with every beautiful woman he sees. It was really cool reading about Norse mythology- made me want to go watch the Thor movies again.
It's like eating chips - you start one story, get addicted & you've read 1/2 the book before you know it. All of a sudden, you know all of the Greek gods & goddesses and their stories. Cupid and Psyche is my fave.
4⭐
Fellow Demi-Gods, heed my words! If I speak falsely, may Zeus’ thunderbolt strike me down where I stand! May Poseidon thrust upon me an irrational desire to undertake coital alignment with a bovine beauty (a horny heifer/arousable angus/titillated toro, if you'd be so kind)! May I dream a most splendid dream in which my lips meet those of the blessed Aphrodite herself, only to awaken and find, in horror, that I am merely tongue-wrestling the three heads of Cerberus! Alas! None of that should be necessary, as I think you’ll find what I have to say most agreeable.
Euripides, one of the greatest poets the World has ever known said:
”If Gods do evil than they are not gods.”
A little naive maybe, however, given this and the irrevocably atrocious acts of each and every member of the Greek Pantheon, I suggest that there are, in fact, no Gods in Greek Mythology, only reflections of vastly more powerful versions of ourselves, unmasking and exposing all of our most unfavourable attributes. Physically, the Olympians are objectively perfect. I mean this in the sense that whatever your subjective idea of beauty is, that is the form in which the Gods should appear to you. In any case, their beauty, strength and vigour are unmatched but, these things aside, their personalities, temperament and moral compass’ leave much to be desired. The Olympians are unpredictable, unfaithful and consequently jealous, sex fiends. They are self-serving, scheming, apathetic and scornful, and have a major superiority complex!
Most wanted for crimes against humanity are Aphrodite, Hera, Athena, Poseidon and Apollo. Nevertheless, none of the Olympians could be considered Angels and they’ve all got blood on their hands by the closing of this book.
The majority of Hera’s misdeeds are a result of the fact that Zeus can’t keep his Jörmungandr in his pants (Yes, we’re mixing mythologies, just roll with it). She’s perpetually paranoid that Zeus is screwing around behind her back and, well… He usually is. The unfortunate bit is that she always channels her anger towards the women, who are often unaware that they are getting it on with the almighty himself, and/or the children that they give birth to. Among many other things, she was partly responsible for the Fall of Troy and wholly responsible for sending Hercules insane, resulting in the murder of his wife and children.
"They tried to get involved, the Greek Gods, and I said nooo, nooo, no!" - Jamie Steinhaus
Niobe, daughter of Tantalus, disrespected the Goddess Leto by exclaiming to the people that they should worship and burn incense to her and not to the Goddess. Leto’s children, Artemis and Apollo avenged their mother by killing all 14 of Niobe’s children. Story after story of this kind, of vengeful acts and lust for power are what you can expect here. This is not the Disney adaptation, folks!
Our deity-like doppelgangers are not alone in committing atrocities. Humans are more than equal to the task. Agamemnon murders his daughter, Iphigenia, to appease Artemis who, in turn, provides “good winds to sail to Troy”. Hector’s young Son, Astyanax and Hecuba’s daughter, Polyxena are murdered after the defeat of Troy, Tantalus kills his own son and feeds him to the Gods, Atreus feeds his brother his own children… you get the point! The Greek poets had a penchant for the dramatic and leaned heavily on shock value. You’ll walk away from reading Hamilton’s ‘Mythology’ with a stronger appreciation for the term ‘Greek Tragedy’.
”How can you have any pudding, if you don’t eat your kids?” I mean, you can’t fault the logic, dessert’s delicious but not nearly as nutritious as human flesh. Cronus (Saturn), father of Zeus, learned from Gaia and Uranus that one of his own children would overthrow him as he did his own father. So, he devoured them all as soon as they were born to prevent the prophecy, as you would. Anyway, Zeus escaped the same fate as his siblings for… reasons, the prophecy was fulfilled, the kids were regurgitated etc. etc.
This story, along with a few others, got me wondering why no one has created any horror adaptations of the Greek Myths. Some of the tales have a really insidious tone that I think could make for some chilling cinematics. One that stood out was the Wine God, Dionysus, and his Bacchantes/Maenads (Wine-maddened/berserker women). Pentheus, a King of Thebes, questions Dionysus’ divinity and Dionysus satiates his need for vengeance by placing the women of Thebes into a Frenzy and, long-story-short, Pentheus’ Mother and Aunties tear him limb from limb only to be awakened from their frenzy to look in horror at what they’ve done. Horrifying stuff. If you’re aware of any Greek Myth Horror adaptations, let me know!
I really enjoy reading Mythology and Edith Hamilton’s ‘Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes’ has been no exception. If you can get a hold of the 75th Anniversary edition, do so! The beautiful hardback cover, Illustrations by Jim Tierney, multiple double-page family trees and gold chapter header and border detailing make it an obvious choice. In fact, I’ll just come out and say it, if you read the dull little paperback version, you’re an inferior human being, it is what it is.
Hamilton proves herself extremely knowledgeable, not only with regard to the Greek Myths but, about the times in which they were composed as well. More often than not she shares with us the particular poet’s version she has taken inspiration from in her retelling and any others she has borrowed from as supplementation. You actually finish the book with a pretty good idea of who all the major authors of Greek and Roman Mythology were and some of their storytelling traits.
There are two reasons this lost a star from me. The first is that Hamilton’s bias towards particular poets comes through too strongly at times and she can be quite opinionated. Opinions are great, and she often accompanies them with some interesting facts, but I feel like a little more subtlety or, on occasion, impartiality would’ve made it a little less jarring.
The second is that Hamilton shows an absolute lack of respect for the Norse Myths, offering up a paltry 20 pages that were carelessly tacked onto the rear end of this work as though she’d squeezed out all of her best Greek Myths and the Norse tales were just the left-over dregs, like the dags on an oxes ass! Really, not a single fuck was given as she whistled through some really great material without doing it a lick of justice. The truth is, she could’ve excluded the final 20 pages and sold this solely as ‘Greek Mythology’ and I may have given it 5 stars. Make of that what you will.
Have a lovely day Bookish folk and never forget the moral underlying all of Greek Mythology. For the love of the Gods, LISTEN.TO.CASSANDRA!!
Fellow Demi-Gods, heed my words! If I speak falsely, may Zeus’ thunderbolt strike me down where I stand! May Poseidon thrust upon me an irrational desire to undertake coital alignment with a bovine beauty (a horny heifer/arousable angus/titillated toro, if you'd be so kind)! May I dream a most splendid dream in which my lips meet those of the blessed Aphrodite herself, only to awaken and find, in horror, that I am merely tongue-wrestling the three heads of Cerberus! Alas! None of that should be necessary, as I think you’ll find what I have to say most agreeable.
Euripides, one of the greatest poets the World has ever known said:
”If Gods do evil than they are not gods.”
A little naive maybe, however, given this and the irrevocably atrocious acts of each and every member of the Greek Pantheon, I suggest that there are, in fact, no Gods in Greek Mythology, only reflections of vastly more powerful versions of ourselves, unmasking and exposing all of our most unfavourable attributes. Physically, the Olympians are objectively perfect. I mean this in the sense that whatever your subjective idea of beauty is, that is the form in which the Gods should appear to you. In any case, their beauty, strength and vigour are unmatched but, these things aside, their personalities, temperament and moral compass’ leave much to be desired. The Olympians are unpredictable, unfaithful and consequently jealous, sex fiends. They are self-serving, scheming, apathetic and scornful, and have a major superiority complex!
Most wanted for crimes against humanity are Aphrodite, Hera, Athena, Poseidon and Apollo. Nevertheless, none of the Olympians could be considered Angels and they’ve all got blood on their hands by the closing of this book.
The majority of Hera’s misdeeds are a result of the fact that Zeus can’t keep his Jörmungandr in his pants (Yes, we’re mixing mythologies, just roll with it). She’s perpetually paranoid that Zeus is screwing around behind her back and, well… He usually is. The unfortunate bit is that she always channels her anger towards the women, who are often unaware that they are getting it on with the almighty himself, and/or the children that they give birth to. Among many other things, she was partly responsible for the Fall of Troy and wholly responsible for sending Hercules insane, resulting in the murder of his wife and children.
"They tried to get involved, the Greek Gods, and I said nooo, nooo, no!" - Jamie Steinhaus
Niobe, daughter of Tantalus, disrespected the Goddess Leto by exclaiming to the people that they should worship and burn incense to her and not to the Goddess. Leto’s children, Artemis and Apollo avenged their mother by killing all 14 of Niobe’s children. Story after story of this kind, of vengeful acts and lust for power are what you can expect here. This is not the Disney adaptation, folks!
Our deity-like doppelgangers are not alone in committing atrocities. Humans are more than equal to the task. Agamemnon murders his daughter, Iphigenia, to appease Artemis who, in turn, provides “good winds to sail to Troy”. Hector’s young Son, Astyanax and Hecuba’s daughter, Polyxena are murdered after the defeat of Troy, Tantalus kills his own son and feeds him to the Gods, Atreus feeds his brother his own children… you get the point! The Greek poets had a penchant for the dramatic and leaned heavily on shock value. You’ll walk away from reading Hamilton’s ‘Mythology’ with a stronger appreciation for the term ‘Greek Tragedy’.
”How can you have any pudding, if you don’t eat your kids?” I mean, you can’t fault the logic, dessert’s delicious but not nearly as nutritious as human flesh. Cronus (Saturn), father of Zeus, learned from Gaia and Uranus that one of his own children would overthrow him as he did his own father. So, he devoured them all as soon as they were born to prevent the prophecy, as you would. Anyway, Zeus escaped the same fate as his siblings for… reasons, the prophecy was fulfilled, the kids were regurgitated etc. etc.
This story, along with a few others, got me wondering why no one has created any horror adaptations of the Greek Myths. Some of the tales have a really insidious tone that I think could make for some chilling cinematics. One that stood out was the Wine God, Dionysus, and his Bacchantes/Maenads (Wine-maddened/berserker women). Pentheus, a King of Thebes, questions Dionysus’ divinity and Dionysus satiates his need for vengeance by placing the women of Thebes into a Frenzy and, long-story-short, Pentheus’ Mother and Aunties tear him limb from limb only to be awakened from their frenzy to look in horror at what they’ve done. Horrifying stuff. If you’re aware of any Greek Myth Horror adaptations, let me know!
I really enjoy reading Mythology and Edith Hamilton’s ‘Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes’ has been no exception. If you can get a hold of the 75th Anniversary edition, do so! The beautiful hardback cover, Illustrations by Jim Tierney, multiple double-page family trees and gold chapter header and border detailing make it an obvious choice. In fact, I’ll just come out and say it, if you read the dull little paperback version, you’re an inferior human being, it is what it is.
Hamilton proves herself extremely knowledgeable, not only with regard to the Greek Myths but, about the times in which they were composed as well. More often than not she shares with us the particular poet’s version she has taken inspiration from in her retelling and any others she has borrowed from as supplementation. You actually finish the book with a pretty good idea of who all the major authors of Greek and Roman Mythology were and some of their storytelling traits.
There are two reasons this lost a star from me. The first is that Hamilton’s bias towards particular poets comes through too strongly at times and she can be quite opinionated. Opinions are great, and she often accompanies them with some interesting facts, but I feel like a little more subtlety or, on occasion, impartiality would’ve made it a little less jarring.
The second is that Hamilton shows an absolute lack of respect for the Norse Myths, offering up a paltry 20 pages that were carelessly tacked onto the rear end of this work as though she’d squeezed out all of her best Greek Myths and the Norse tales were just the left-over dregs, like the dags on an oxes ass! Really, not a single fuck was given as she whistled through some really great material without doing it a lick of justice. The truth is, she could’ve excluded the final 20 pages and sold this solely as ‘Greek Mythology’ and I may have given it 5 stars. Make of that what you will.
Have a lovely day Bookish folk and never forget the moral underlying all of Greek Mythology. For the love of the Gods, LISTEN.TO.CASSANDRA!!
I'll be very honest - i skimmed a lot of the book because they were stories i knew and some i didn't feel like re-reading so soon.
/
However, Edith Hamilton's way of writing down the stories makes for a very enjoyable read. She's easy to understand and the illustrations in this novel are beautiful. Will read again when i need more info on something (and will be another source in possible essays alongside Metamorphosis). 4/5 stars.
/
However, Edith Hamilton's way of writing down the stories makes for a very enjoyable read. She's easy to understand and the illustrations in this novel are beautiful. Will read again when i need more info on something (and will be another source in possible essays alongside Metamorphosis). 4/5 stars.
Read this with my AP Lit class this semester in order to get them primed to see allusions more easily. Other than Hamilton's occasional preaching or editorializing, it was fun to review all these stories I learned way back when.
informative
slow-paced
Quite interesting, but tough to get through at points. Worth reading as so many books, movies, music, and art reference mythology and it’s fascinating to be able to recall those connections.
This is a basic summary of the main Greek gods and their stories. It's not prettied up, but has the general information of sequences of order and who did what when. She's very good about sourcing her information.