Mythos: 1 (Stephen Fry's Greek Myths)

I really enjoyed Frys collection of myths, reinterpreted into prose, and language easily digestible for a modern audience. He injects dry British humour throughout and his appendices providing background knowledge throughout were greatly appreciated.

Ancient Greek mythology has always fascinated me with all that beauty, chaos, pettiness, and drama but it's also previously confused me.Stephen Fry brings order to the madness. He gathers the best myths into a coherent narrative, adds a clear chronology, and shows how the gods connect, clash, and occasionally cooperate. It suddenly all feels readable rather than overwhelming.This is an easy, enjoyable book, helped massively by Fry's humour and wit. His retellings make the hierarchy of the gods feel accessible, without losing any of the grandeur or absurdity that makes Greek mythology so fun.My one niggle? The footnotes. I'm not a footnote person at all. They break the flow for me, and Fry uses them liberally. Not a deal-breaker, just a mild interruption.Overall, Mythos is absolutely worth picking up, especially with Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey now in cinemas.

Very interesting read, totally enthralled from beginning to end. I now feel like I have a better understanding of Greek mythology told to me in modern terms rather than dry antiquated writings. Well done Mr Fry 👏🏻

I really like how the stories were told. It made me think I went back in time and I was there.

Enjoying this book, but it takes concentration to absorb all the players!

There seems to be a lot of fervour around this series and especially this book so I picked it up after a recent trip to Athens. I found the writing to be a bit awkward to get into because it is neither wholly telling the story or discussing the context within which the stories were told, but instead opts to blend the two. Therefore, if you are expecting to pick this up primarily as a retelling of the Greek Myths you may struggle with it.The actual content is interesting and reasonably well written, but the stories often focus on one key aspect and gloss over other parts so it ends up carefully describing the beauty of a character, then when they meet their end it says something along the lines of "Zeus struck him down with a lightning bolt" or similar, which feels unceremonious which is a stylistic choice but didn't quite sit right with me.It's probably worth a read but anecdotally a couple of my friends have had to stop partway through the second book because they found it to be rather dull so your mileage may vary but I wasn't a huge fan.

This might help a few readers find their way around Mythos. A lot of the stories are real gems but finding them again can be quite an undertaking. I was so fed up with wads of bookmarks going astray I produced an index. The yarns about Arion, Melissa, Erysichton, etc are very popular in our house at the moment.Abydos, ancient city 359Aceso, a daughter of Asclepius 253Acheron, River (Woe) 62, 143Acis, Sicilian shepherd boy 349Actaeon, Theban hero and stag 244Adamanthea, nymph 30Admetus, King of Thessaly 254Adonis, son of Smyrna, born of a weeping myrrh tree 325, 327Aeacus, one of the Judges of the Underworld 143Aegaeon (Briareos), Hecatoncheir 8Aegina 270Aegis 87Aegyptus, King of Egypt 209Aeolus 264Aeos, one of the horses of the Golden Quadriga 202Aether, God of Light 5Aethon, one of the horses of the Golden Quadriga 202Agave 227, 241Agenor, King of Tyre 210Aglaea, one of the three Charities or Graces 50Alecto (Erinys), Remorselessness 22Alexander the Great 383Algos, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Pain 137Alopex Teumesios, the Teumessian Fox 313Amalthea, talking she-goat and nanny to Zeus 28, 30Ambrosia 80Ameinias and Narcissus 338Ampelos, companion of Dionysus, trasformed into a grape vine 239Amphidamus 216Amphilogiai, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Disputes 137Amphion, a son of Zeus 225, 283Amphithea 269Amphitrite 11, 64Androktasiai, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Manslaughter 137Anteros, one of the Erotes 157Antiope 225anvil, bronze, one of 14Apate, personification of deceit 17Aphrodite and Adonis 325Aphrodite and Eos 317Aphrodite and Hermes154Aphrodite and Psyche 160Aphrodite and the Propoetides 352Aphrodite emerging from the sea 25Apollo and Hyacinthus 324Apollo and Arion 372Apollo and Marsyas 288Apollo and Midas 390Apollo, birth of 92Apollo, Coronis and his crow 250Apple of Discord, Discordia's provocative wedding present that led to the Trojan War 18Apuleius, Roman writer 160Arachne, the weaver girl and proto-spider 292Arc, vessel of the Great Flood 140Arcas, son of Callisto and latterly Ursa Minor 303Arch Psychopomp 142Ares and Eos 317Ares, God of War 69Arestor 189Arges, a Cyclopes 8Arges, killed 254Argus 191Arion and the dolphin 363Arion, a talking horse (not the notable musician) 65Aristaeus 244Aristides, King 160arrows, golden, of Apollo 97Artemis and Actaeon 244Artemis, birth of 92Asclepius, god of medicine 251ash tree 22, 54Asopos, a river God 225, 269Asphodel, Meadows of 144ass, ears of 391Astrapos and Arguros 375Athamas, King of Boeotia 260, 264Athena and Arachne 292Athena and Tiresias 330Athena, delivered from Zeus's head 85Athens 85Atlantides, The Seven Sisters 100Atlas and Gaia's curse 13Atlas and Prometheus 56Atlas, a Titan and father of the Pleiades (or Atlantides) 100Atlas, ordered to hold up the sky by Zeus 54Atropos, one of the Moirai (Fates) 51auctoritas, authority or level of prestige (Latin) 67Auloniades 54aulos, double-piped reed instrument 286Aunt Agatha 66Aurora, Roman name for Eos 308Autolycus 268Autonoë 227, 241Auxesia (Auxo), one of the Horai #1, Goddess of Summer 51Babylon 345Bacchae 241Bacchus 241Baucis and Philemon 373Beroë 236Blessed, Isles of the 144Botrys 240bow of Apollo 97Briareos, Hecatoncheir 8Brontes, a Cyclopes 8Brontes, killed 254Bull, The White, and Europa 210Byron, Lord 361Byzas 193Cadmus (Kadmos) 210Caduceus, Hermes' staff (Roman apellation) 109Calanthe 160Calliope, the muse of epic poetry 47Callirrhoë 306Callisto, princess, bear and subsequently Ursa Major 302Calypso, an oceanid 11Carpo, one of the Horai #1, Goddess of Autmn 51Cassandra, Trojan prophetess 330Caucasus Mountains 146Cecropia, first King of Athens 86Cenchreis, Queen of Cyprus 325Centauros, son of Nephele 258Centaurs 258Cephalas 309Cephissus, river god, father of Narcissus 331Cerberus (Kerberos) Three-headed Hound of Hades 62, 145Ceres, Roman equivalent of Demeter 65Ceto 52Chaos 3Chariot, The, that takes Persephone to the Underworld 150Charities, The (The Graces) 50Charon, Ferryman of the Dead to the Underworld 18, 62, 143Chest, Wooden, of Deucalion and Pyrrha 139Chiron, a centaur 239, 244, 251, 258chthonic, born/sprung from the earth 22, 97Chthonius 224Cilix 210Cleitus 317Clio, the muse of history 47Clotho, one of the Moirai (Fates) 51Cloud Gatherer (Zeus) 58Clymene, an oceanid and mother of Atlas, Prometheus, etc 10,13, 44, 54, 138, 196Cocytus, Stream of Lamentation and Wailing in the Underworld 62Coeus, Titan of Intellect 7, 81Cora (Persephone) 149Corinth 363Cornucopia, Horn of Plenty 32Coronis, Princess 250Cosmos 4Cottus, Hecatoncheir 8Creation of Mankind 119Creon, Regent of Thebes 313Crete, birthplace of Zeus 28Cretheus 264Crius, Titan 7, 12Crocus, transformed into a flower 325crows, white turned black 250Cupid 157Cyclades 91Cyclopes 8, 23, 44, 56, 57, 64, 349Cygnus 199Cyllene, Mount, in Arcadia 100Cynthia (Artemis) 95Cynthos, Mount, Delos. Birthplace of Artemis and Apollo 91Cyprus and the Propoetides, Pygmalion and Galatea III 352Cyprus, arrival of Aphrodite 25Damaris, Queen 160Daphne, a naiad 351Daphnis, Sicilian shepherd 352Dardanelles or Hellespont 359Dardanus 213Death 19, 142Deioneus, King of Phocis 257Delos, floating island of, birthplace of Artemis and Apollo 91Delphi in Phocis, navel of the Greek world 98, 140Delphinus (The Dolphin) constellation 372Demeter and Persephone abducted 149Demeter devoured by Kronos 27Demeter regurgitated 38Demeter, birth of Arion (a colt) 65Deucalion and Pyrrha, survivors of the Great Flood 138, 264Dia, Princess 257Diana, Roman equivalent of Artemis 95Dike, one of the Horai #2, Goddess of Justice 51Dione, hyade or rain nymph 261Dionysus and Midas 385Dionysus, born from Zeus's thigh 238Dis 61Discordia 18dodecatheon, the twelve Olympians 67dolphin 363Doris, an oceanid 11, 349dreams 18dryads, tree nymphs 54Dryope, a nymph 154Dysnomia, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Anarchy 137Earth Shaker (Poseidon) 64Echidna, monster: half woman, half water snake 14, 62Echion 224Echo, an oread 333Eirene, one of the Horai #2, Goddess of Peace 51Electra 213Elis 264Elpis, of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Hope 137Elysian Fields 144Elysium 281Emathion 320Endymion, eternally slumbering shepherd 315Eos, Titaness and goddess of the dawn 203, 308Eos, Tithonus and Cleitus 317Epaphus, son of Zeus and Io, taunter of Phaeton 193, 197, 209Ephialtes 259Ephyra (Corinth) 264Epimetheus and Pandora 133Epimetheus, Titan, brother of Prometheus 13, 44Erato, the muse of lyric and love poetry 48Erebus, Primordial God of Darkness 5, 60, 61, 137Erechtheus 194Erechtheus, first King of Athens 194, 309Erechthonius, founder of Athens (see Erechtheus) 194Erines 62Erinyes or Eumenides, (The Furies) female chthotic deities of vengeance 22, 51Eris, Goddess of Strife and Discord 18Eros, one of the Erotes 157Erotes 156, 157Ersa (Hersa), daughter of Zeus and Selene 308Erysichton, King of Thessaly 246Eumeneia, Asia Minor 373Eumenides (Erinyes) 22, 51Eunomia, one of the Horai #2, Goddess of Law 51Euphrosyne (Euthymia), one of the three Charities or Graces 50Euripides, Athenian playwright 241Europa 143Europa, abducted by Zeus disguised as a white bull 210Euryale, a Gorgon 52Eurybia 12Eurynome, an oceanid, mother of the Charities 50Eurynomos, demon 145Euterpe, the muse of music 48Fates, The (Moirai) 51, 244Fennel 129Fire, The Gift of 129First Order of Dieties 5Flood, the Great 139, 264Flora, Roman name for Thallo 51Forgetfulness, Waters of 144Fortunate Isles 144Fraus, Roman equivalent of Apate 17Furies, The (Erinyes) 22, 62Gaia, Goddess of Earth (Mother Earth) 5, 141Galatea III, statue sculpted by Pygmalion 355Galatea, a nereid 349Galetea II, mother of Pandion 349Ganymede 306, 317Geras, God of Old Age 17Gigantes 22, 44Gods, The 39Golden Age, End of 137Golden Age, The 126golden fleece 260Gordian Knot 382Gordias, founder of Gordium and father of Midas 381Gordium, city of, Phrygia 382Gorgons 52, 87Graces, The (The Charities) 50Gratiae, Roman name for The Charities 51Greek Sea or Dardanelles 359Gyges, a Hecatoncheir 8Hades and Persephone 149Hades regurgitated 38Hades, King of the Underworld 27, 61, 142Halicarnassus 154hamadryad, a type of dryad associated with a particular kind of tree 54, 247Harmonia 213Hecate, Titaness 150Hecatonchires 8, 23, 44, 56Hedone, daughter of Psyche, spirit of pleasure and delight 186Hedylogus, one of the Erotes 157Helicon, Mount 46Helios, piqued at the Gates of Dawn 203Helios, Titan 151Helle, son of Athamas 260Hellen, son of Deucalion and Pyrrha 264Hellespont or Dardanelles 359Hemera, Goddess of Daytime 5Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths 68, 71, 83, 109, 254Hera and Tiresias 330Hera regurgitated 38Hera, sister and wife of Zeus, goddess of marriage, family, etc 27, 66, 96Hermaphroditus, son of Hermes and Aphrodite, one of the Erotes 154, 157Hermes as Arch Psychopomp or chief conductor of souls 142Hermes delivers Aphrodite to Epimetheus 133Hermes fathers Pan and Hermaphroditus 154Hermes, birth of the Messenger of the Gods, trickster, god of trade, thieves, travellers, etc 100Hermes and Crocus 325Hero, priestess of Aphrodite 360Hesiod 43Hesione, an oceanid 138Hesperides, Garden of 204 208Hesperides, Nymphs of the West/Sisters of the Evening 19Hestia regurgitated 38Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth 26, 58Himeros, one of the Erotes 157Hippocrene fountain 46Hippolyte, maid to Smyrna 326Honey 76Horai, two sets of triplet daughters by Zeus and Themis 51hubris 18, 283Humankind, Creation of 118Hyacinthus, struck by Apollo's discus and turned into a flower 324Hydra 62Hygieia, a daughter of Asclepius 253Hymenaios, one of the Erotes 157Hypaepae, in Kingdom of Lydia 292Hyperenor 224Hyperion, Titan God of Heavenly Light 7Hypnos, God of Sleep 18Hysminai, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Battles137Iapetus, Titan God of Mortality 7, 13, 54Iasion 213Iaso, a daughter of Asclepius 253Ichor, the blood of the gods 81Ictys, son of King Tereus and Procne, transformed into a revenge stew 303Ida, Mount, Crete, birthplace of Zeus 30, 154Idmon, father of Arachne 292Ilium, former name of Troy 306, 318Illyrius, son of Cadmus and Harmonia 227Ilos 306Inachus, King of Argos 189Ino 227, 241Io 189Iphimedia 259Ixion, King of the Lapiths 256Jar, Opening the 136Jason and the Argonauts 260Judges of the Underworld 143Juno, Roman equivalent of Hera 66Justina, Roman name for Dike 51Karma 18Kerberos (Cerberus) Three-headed Hound of Hades 62Keres, female spirits of death, daughters of Nix 52Keroessa 193Kerykeion, Hermes' staff 109Kithara, musical instrument, lyre 363Kore (Persephone) 149Kos 81Kronos and the Titanomachy 44Kronos and the sickle 15Kronos, children of, regurgitated 38Kronos, Titan, father of Zeus 7Lachesis, one of the Moirai (Fates) 51Ladon, a river god 351Lailaps the wonderdog 312Lampros 349Laomedon, son of Ilus, King of Troy 317Latona, Roman equivalent of Leto 90Leander and Hero 359Leimakides 54Lerna, Lake, one of the entrances to the Underworld 62Lesbos 363Lethe, River, Waters of Forgetfulness in the Underworld 62, 144Leto and Zeus, dispatched to the island of Delos 90Leto of Kos, daughter of Titans Coeus and Phoebe 81Letoides, Leto's twins Artemis and Apollo 99Leucippos II, son of Oenomaus 351Leucippos, daughter, and later son, of Galetea II and Lampros 350Libya 209lightning, bolt from the blue 254lime tree 379Limos, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Starvation 137, 247linden tree 379Liriope, a naiad, mother of Narcissus 331Livia, wife of Emperor Augustus 90Lottery, The 60Lucifer 61Luna, Roman name for Selene 308Lycaon, King of Arcadia 139Lydia, Kingdom of 292lyre 106, 390Machaon, a son of Asclepius 253Maenads, female followers of Dionysus 241Magaera (Erinys) Jealous Rage 22Maia, an oread, mother of Hermes and associated with nurturing and midwives 100Makhai, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Wars 137Mankind, Creation of 119manna 22, 54Mars, Roman equivalent of AresMarsyas, a satyr 286Meadows of Asphodel 60, 277Medicine, The Birth of 250Medusa, a Gorgon 52Megala Kazania 110Meliae, nymphs of the manna-bearing ash tree 22, 28, 54Melissa, a nymph who introduced honey to Zeus 76Melops 265Melpomene, muse of tragedy 48Memnon 320Memphis 209Menoetius 54Mercury, Roman name for Hermes 110Mestra 248metamorphoses 82Methe 240Methymna, Lesbos 363Metieta 89Metis persued, then consumed by Zeus 81Metis, an oceanid and first spouse of Zeus 10, 44, 88, 89Metis's Potion 35Midas, King of Phrygia 383Minerva, Roman name for Athena 86Minos, King of Crete, and subsequently one of the Judges of the Underworld 143, 212, 301Miseria 17Mnemosyne, Titan Goddess of Memory 7, 11Moirai, The (Fates) 51Momos, God of Mockery, Scorn and Blame 18Moros, God of Doom 17, 43, 68, 149Morpheus 18Mors, Roman equivalent of Thanatos 19Muses, The 11, 46Music 363Mycene 189myrrh tree 327Mytikos 127Naiads, freshwater nymphs 53Narcissus 331Narthex 129Nectar 80Neikea, (not Ikea) out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Quarrels 137Nemesis, Goddess of Retribution 18Nephele, cloud nymph in the image of Hera 258Neptune, Roman counterpart of Poseidon 64Nereids, sea nymphs 11, 53Nereus, a sea god 11, 349nightingales 101, 305Nilus, God of the Nile River 10, 209Ninus, King of Assyria 346Niobe, the Queen of Tears, daughter of Tantalus 261, 283Niobids, seven sons and seven daughters of Niobe 283Nisus, King of Megara 301Nyctimus 139Nymphs 53Nyx, Goddess of the Night 5, 61, 137oak tree 247, 379obolus, metal token or coin 276, 143Oceanids, water nymphs 10, 53Oceanus, Titan God of the Sea 7Oenomaus 351Oenone, Island of 270Oizys, Goddess of Misery, Anxiety, Grief, and Depression 17Old Father Time (Kronos) 56olive tree 86Olympians 68Olympus, Mount 68, 110Omphalos, navel-stone of Greece 97Oncaea, a nymph, mother of Arion 363Oneroi, spirits charged with making and bringing dreams 18Ophiuchus, constellation of (The Serpent Bearer) 255Oreads, mountain nymphs 53Ossa, Mount 259Othrys, Mount, home of the Titans during the Titanomachy 9, 16, 25, 31, 43, 68Otus 259Ouranos 22Ouranos emasculated 20Ouranos, Primordial God of the Sky 6Ovid 345owl 86Pactolus, River 389Pallas 87Pan 180Pan and Acis 349Pan and Apollo 390Pan, goat-footed Nature God 154Panacea, a daughter of Asclepius 253Pandia, daughter of Zeus and Selene 308Pandion of Phaestos, Crete 349Pandion, King of Athens 303Pandora, first woman created by the gods 132Pandora's Box (or Jar) 136Paphos, son of Pygmalion and Galatea III 359Parnassus, Mount 46, 97, 140parthenogenesis 5Pax, Roman name for Eirene 51Pegaeae 53Pelagon, King of Phocis 216Pelasgos 139Pelion, Mount 258Pelops, son of Tantalus 261Pelor 224Pentheus 227, 241Periander, tyrant of Corinth 363Persephone, goddess of the underworld and springtime 65, 149Petasus, Hermes' winged helmet 109Phaeton, son of Helios and Clymene, crashed the sun chariot 196Phantasos, one of the Oneroi, God of Surreal Dreams 18Philemon and Baucis 373Philomela, tongueless daughter of King Pandion, transformed into a nightingale 303Phlegethon, River of Fire in the Underworld 62Phlegon, one of the horses of the Golden Quadriga 202Phlegyantis, Kingdom of 250Phobetor, one of the Oneroi, God of Nightmares 18Phoebe, Titaness associated with the moon 7, 12, 81Phoebus Apollo 196Phoenix, son of King Agenor and Queen Telephassa, not the combusting bird 210Phonoi, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Murders 137Phorcys 52Phrixus, son of Athamas 260Phrygia, Kingdom of, Asia Minor 373, 382Phylira, an oceanid 258Pieria, Thessaly 46Pierian Spring, The Fount of all Wisdom 46Pierides 46Pithos 133Pleiades (Atlantides), The Seven Sisters 100Pleione, an Oceanid 100Pluto, Roman equivalent of Hades 61Podalirius, a son of Asclepius 253Polydorus 227Polyhymnia, muse of sacred music, dance, poetry, rhetoric, etc 49Polyphemus, another Cyclopes 349Pomegranate seeds 153Ponos, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Hardship 137Pontus, Primordial Sea God 5, 12, 52Poseidon regurgitated 38Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes, etc 27, 60, 62, 86, 259, 349, 363Potameides 53Pothos, one of the Erotes 157Praxithea 309Priapus 242Primordial Deities 5Procne, daughter of King Pandion, cooked son, transformed into a swallow 303Procris 309Prometheus and the creation of mankind 115Prometheus and the gift of fire 129Prometheus bound in chains 145Prometheus, a Titan 13, 44, 56, 83Propoetides, the daughters of Propoetus 352Propoetus 352Proserpina, Roman name for Persephone 149Proteus, Sea God, Old Man of the Sea 64Pseudea, out of Pandora's Jar (or Box), Lies 137Psyche and Eros (Cupid) 157, 160Punishment, Fields of 144Pygmalion, sculptor who fell in love with his statue 352Pyramus 345Pyrois, one of the horses of the Golden Quadriga 202Pyrrha and Deucalion, survivors of the Great Flood 138, 264Pythia, a priestess, the Oracle of Delphi 98Pythian Games 98Pytho (later Delphi) 98Python, dragon-like serpent 97Quadriga, Golden 202Rhadamanthus, one of the Judges of the Underworld 143, 212Rhea, Titan Goddess 7, 13, 25Rhesus, King of Thrace 48Rock, Sisyphus rolling the 280rose garden of Midas 384Salmacis, a naiad 154Salmoneus 264Sarpedon 212Saturn (Kronos) 56Scamander 306Scylla, Princess 302scythe 16, 38Second Order of Devine Beings 7Selene, Moon Goddess 209, 308Semele 227, 230Semiramis 346Senectus 17serpent 86Sestos, ancient Greek town 360Sibyl 98sickle 16Silenus 156, 238Silenus and Midas 384Silver Age, The 138, 154Sisyphus, eternally punished for his deceitfulness 264Skolio, The Heights of, on Mount Olympus 127Sky Father (Zeus) 58Smilax, a nymph adored by the boy Crocus, transformed into brambly vine 325Smyrna (Myrrhe or Myrrha) daughter and lover of King Theias, turned into a myrrh tree 325stag (Actaeon) 245Staphylos, King of Athens. Died of the first ever fatal hangover 240Stefani, on Mount Olympus 127Steropes, a Cyclopes 8Steropes, killed 254Stheno, a Gorgon 52Strymon 48Styx, Goddess and boundary river of the Underworld 11, 62Styx, River (Hate) 143swallow 305Symaethis, a river nymph, mother of Acis 349syrinx, pan pipes 390Talaria, winged sandals of Hermes 109Tantalus, King of Lydia 261Tarentum, Italy 363Tartarus, Primordial Diety/Place of the Dead 5, 14, 44, 57, 60, 282Telephassa, Queen 210Telesphorus, a son of Asclepius 253Tereus, King of Thrace, tricked into eating his son, Ictys. Turned into a hoopoe bird 303Terpsichore, muse of dance 49Tethys, Titan Goddess of Water 7Thalassa, Primordial Sea Goddess 6Thalia MkII one of the three Charities or Graces 50Thalia, muse of comic arts and idyllic poetry 49Thallo, one of the Horai #1, Goddess of Spring 51Thanatos and Sysyphus 271Thanatos, Personification of Death 19, 62, 143Thasos 210Thebes 224Theia, Titaness 7Theias, King of Cyprus 325Themis, Titaness of Devine Law and Order 7, 12, 51, 140Theseus 64Third Order, The 58Thisbe 345Thoosa, an oceanid 349Threesomes 50Throne, Enchanted 70thunderbolts 44, 56Timolus, mountain deity 391Tiresias, Theban seer 330Tisiphone (Erinys) Vengeance 22Titans, Clash of the 43Titans, The 7, 23, 31, 39, 54Tithonus 317Trident 64Triton, Sea God Messenger and Merman 64Tros, King of Troy 305Troy (Troad), Kingdom of 305Typhon 14, 62Tyro 265Udaeus 224Urania, muse of astronomy 50Uranium 24Ursa Major 303Valhalla 52Valkyries 52Vesta, Roman name for Hestia 58Voluptas, Roman name for Hedone 186Vulcan, Roman equivalent of Hephaestus 74Water Dragon, The 219Wedding of Zeus and Hera (and Aphrodite and Hephaestus) 75wine 239, 240Woman, Creation of 132xenia, the sacred duty of hosts towards guests 59, 256, 270, 378, 386Zephyrus, God of the West Wind 164, 324Zethus 225Zeus and Atlas 54Zeus and Selene 308Zeus and Semele 230Zeus and the Third Order 58Zeus, birth of 30Zona 160Hope this helps.

I found this to be an enjoyable book, well written and the stories and myths intertwined at times. Lots of names, I didn’t try to remember them too much, many you will be familiar with.It’s more a book of short stories than a novel.

Funny and well written, an absolute must for any fan of mythology.

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A releitura feita pelo autor é sensacional!!!

Such a nice book! I like how the myths were told with the author's comedic and funny storytelling. It is so interesting to learn how random things and concepts nowadays rooted from names of gods and goddesses. It's easy to understand and the words used are not that complicated.

"Their myths understand that whoever created this baffling world, with its cruelties, wonders, caprices, beauties, madness and injustice, must themselves have been cruel, wonderful, capricious, beautiful, mad and unjust". The Greeks created gods that were in their image: warlike but creative, wise but ferocious, loving but jealous, tender but brutal, compassionate but vengeful". (Prologue)Stephen Fry is one of the most versatile and multi-skilled artists of our time and his work as an author, actor, producer, director, presenter, etc, has won both critical acclaim and people's deep respect. From a man of this stature, one could expect nothing less than bold artistic creations that dare to approach grand themes and subjects through an innovative perspective. In Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold, Fry attempts to retell the Greek myths, in chronological order, beginning with the existence of the primordial Chaos -the Greek equivalent to the scientific "big bang" theory- and the birth of the first order of divine beings such as the Nychta, Erevos, Gaia, Ouranos, Eris,and many others. These primordial deities were called the Titans, the word meaning "the striving, straining one", and the most notorious of them was Cronos, the titan who conspired with his mother to kill his father, Ouranos, and thus became the first among them. Cronos is known to the masses for the fact that he ate his own children to remain the king of the universe, but he finally took a taste of his own medicine as his wife, Rhea, deceived him and kept her last child that was called Zeus. Zeus grew up in Crete, far away from his wicked, cruel father and when he was in the appropriate age took revenge on his father and dethroned him from his regal status.As we are all well aware of Zeus was going to be the first among the twelve gods of Olympus, but this would not happen until this new order of divine entities, the second order, have removed once and for all the remaining titans from the face of the Cosmos. It should be mentioned that for ancient Greeks the word Cosmos meant what we call today the universe. What followed was a ten-year brutal war, an "earth-shattering conflict", known as the "Clash of the Titans" or "Titanomachy", and by the end of it, the Dodekatheon (meaning the twelve gods) was established as ruling the universe and everything in it. The new gods took the place of the titans through the use of excessive violence during the Titanomachy. Fry continues with the story of the creation of mankind by Zeus and the betrayal of Prometheus who stole fire and gave it to humanity as civilization. Zeus, enraged by Prometheus' treachery punished him severely as he was sentenced to eternal torment. Prometheus would be bound to a rock and each day an eagle would eat his liver which would then grow back only to be eaten again the next day. This process would continue ad infinitum. The reader can observe how the Greek perception of the creation of humanity shares many similarities with later religions like Christianism. One example would be seen as being created in the image of God both in Greek mythology and Christian tradition.Furthermore, we learn about the creation of the first woman, named Pandora, and her infamous box that contained a vast number of human vices that would torture mankind for the centuries to come. The author then mentions the story of the god Eros and his relation with Psyche. It is worth noting that ancient Greeks had four different words for love: Agape, Eros, Storge, Filia and each one of them had a distinct meaning. Eros was the son of the two Olympian gods, Aphrodite and Ares. Psyche was a lavishly beautiful young woman, daughter of a king, who made Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sexuality, to become jealous of her due to her incredible attractiveness. Eros fell in love with her and took her with him in an enchanted place where everything was dazzling, but under one condition. Psyche was not allowed for any reason to see her lover. But, as it always happens in Greek mythology, Psyche was unable to resist the temptation of looking at her gorgeous partner and attempted to light a candle to see him as clearly as possible when he was sleeping beside her. The result was that Eros, devastated by Psyche's betrayal, flew away from her. It was only after the intervention of the first among the twelve gods, Zeus, that Aphrodite became convinced to accept Psyche as her bride. There are more captivating chapters on the complex relationships that formed between gods and humans, the divine punishments, the metamorphoses of mortals to animals either as torture or as an act of compassion, and the great Greek lesson about Hybris that can be boiled down in this sentence: how pride comes before a fall.There are so many stories in this (mid-length) book that I was forced to incessantly keep notes during the reading. I have to admit that, even though I am a proud Greek, I remembered a tiny percentage of the stories cited in Mythos. In his foreword note, the author stresses his fascination with Greek myths as"the Greeks were the first people to make coherent narratives, a literature even of their gods, monsters and heroes"., even though their mythology is not the oldest in the world. The Greek gods owe a lot to the deities of Mesopotamia while the stories of Babylonians, Sumerians, and Akkadians preceded the Greek ones. Fry stresses out that his only intention is to simply retell the -already known- stories, and not to offer any kind of explanation or interpretation of their possible hidden meaning. There are some minor differentiations in their details, and Fry justifies himself by writing "in tinkering with the details I am doing what people have always done with myths". On another page, he quotes: "I think however that it is best told like all myths, not as an allegory, symbolic fable or metaphor, but as a story". Nevertheless, Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold attempts to establish a coherent timeline regarding the "ages of man" which is different from that of the Greek poet Hesiod who wrote the iconic Theogony. The readers who will read the book without skipping chapters will manage in the end to achieve some clarity regarding the chronological order of the genesis of both Cosmos, gods and mankind.In conclusion, I have to admit that this was by far the most compelling book I've read the last twelve months -or even more- and I cordially recommend it to everyone who has specific -academic or other- interest in Greek antiquity, mythology, literary theory and so on. Mythos doesn't require any prior knowledge on the subject and as the author writes in his foreword note: "You don't need to know anything to read this book; it starts with an empty universe". Stephen Fry is one of the most brilliant artists today and if you are not familiar with his body of work, then you ought to check him out immediately. He has also written another book, Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures, which is a kind of continuation of Mythos as in that book, the author dives into the world of ancient Greek Heroes. Some claim that those two books should be read in a row and I'm seriously considering starting it at once.