The whole tragic story of Oedipus, seen through the prism of the four great classical tragedies (chiefly by Sophocles), each taking up where the previous one leaves King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus, The Seven Against Thebes and Antigone. These are followed by the war of the Epigoni. This last volume in the series closes with one final myth, that of the Heraclids, after which the curtain falls suddenly and unexpectedly on Greek mythology.
An extensive summary of the Homeric poem which focuses on its poetic highlights, the most gripping episodes in Odysseus' ten-year voyage home, and the age-old wisdom of this ancient masterpiece which has enthralled readers young and old for the past three thousand years with its message that "there is nothing sweeter in the world than one's homeland and one's loved ones".
“The crags of Olympus stand silent and bare, scoured by the icy winds. The halls of the gods are as if they had never been.” This sequel to 'The Gods of Olympus' takes the reader from the birth of mankind to the passing of the ancient religion of the Greeks. Names and events which have become a part of the western world’s identity are brought to vivid life in these how Prometheus brought the gift of fire to men; the tale of Pandora’s box; the story behind 'the Midas touch'; the boy on the dolphin; the origin of 'tantalize'; the sad end of Icarus, who literally burnt his wings; how the Peloponnese came by its name and Europa gave hers to a continent. Here are love’s labours lost in the tragic myth of Orpheus and his Eurydice, and love lent wings in the story which has given us our 'halcyon days'. The gods of the Greeks may have vanished in the mists of time, yet their legacy lives on undimmed.
The twelve gods of Olympus, as seen in the most important and loveliest of the myths surrounding them, are presented in this book with the light touch and clear eye of the distinguished student of Greek mythology Menelaos Stephanides. Combining the joy of learning with the pleasure of tales well told, this enjoyable volume will give its readers an amusing introduction to the all-too-mortal gods of the ancient Greeks. For in Greek mythology the gods are very far from perfect and have as many human weaknesses as supernatural powers. It is precisely their blend of power and frailties that gives mythology in its Greek form the lasting appeal that has drawn people to the stories of its gods for the past three thousand years. Superhuman battles with fearsome creatures or forces of nature such as Typhon, the loves and infidelities of Zeus, cunning, hatred, friendship, wisdom and generosity are all interwoven in an entrancing tangle which Menelaos Stephanides unwinds and weaves into clear and simple language. The myths are arranged so that each god is given one chapter, while the first chapter is devoted to Hesiod's cosmogony, the Greek version of the birth of the world. Suitable for all ages.
