Feeling the need to brush up on Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology, I turned to Edith Hamilton, whose Mythology covers the stories of gods and heroes from ancient times. As many stories were told in various ways through the ages, she prefaces each with a brief background on which version she presents and why (or, if she combined versions, she discusses how). Here you'll learn about the Greek/Roman gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, and company), the heroes around the Trojan War (Odysseus, Aeneas, Agamemnon, Hector, and so forth), creation stories, monsters (Cyclops, the minotaur, medusa, sirens etc.), the underworld, the quest for the golden fleece, heroes (Theseus, Perseus, Hercules), the basics of Norse mythology, and more. You'll see the accounts as presented by several famous authors, including Homer, Pindar, Sophocles, Euripides, Apollodorus, and Ovid.
This book doesn't disappoint. Greek/Roman mythology has played an integral part in western culture, and names/concepts from these stories show up everywhere in modern society (in geography, science, pop culture, and more). Learning about the origins of so many modern words was fascinating. The stories were summarized well, in a manner that maintained interest while also being informative enough to get the spirit of the tale. In short, this is an excellent primer, summary, and reference on mythology.
Rating: A
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