Publisher's Synopsis
Greek myths and legends have inspired men and women around the world for hundreds of years. The stories of Apollo, Perseus, Achilles, and others have sustained the imaginations of old and young alike, even into the present. In fact, characters of Greek myth and legend have found their way into mainstream culture in the form of popular television and film characters. Greek mythology was so influential that it even formed the basis of Roman myth.
Greek myth has become a part of us in ways that we do not fully appreciate. In fact, heroes like Achilles, Heracles, and Perseus have helped to form the image that we have today of the hero. The basis for much of the philosophy and dramatic arts that characterize Western society today has its root in Ancient Greek culture, which was closely tied to and spurred on by Greek myth and legend. The Ancient Greeks used the tales of their gods and heroes to help understand their world and their own place in it. In Greek Mythology: Fascinating Myths and Legends of Greek Gods, Heroes, and Monsters, you will learn about all the gods and heroes by reading the formative myths of the Greeks.
This book explores the Greek gods and the Ancient Greek legends by delving into the tales told by Greek and Roman poets and historians, including Homer. They told tales about the creation of the universe, how the Titans were the first gods before the Olympians, and how the Titans and Olympians went to war with one another. Because the Ancient Greek religion was demonstrated in these tales about their gods and heroes, learning about these figures in the form of stories allows the reader to understand who the Ancient Greeks were and why they were.
The world of Ancient Greek legend was very different from our own. The people at the heart of Ancient Greek civilization - living in modern-day Greece, Italy, Turkey, and other places - these people were part of a culture so far removed from the way that we think and perceive today as to be almost unrecognizable to us. This book gives you the lens you need to understand, even beginning with a description of the world they lived in and a summary of their history through the major historical periods.
In this book you will learn everything there is to learn about Greek myth and legend. You will learn about the Titans and Olympians, the monsters, who the major gods and goddesses were, who some of the important heroes were, and how Ancient Greek legend has a legacy that continues among us today. Poets and dramatists like Homer, Hesiod, Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus recorded Greek stories in a form that has allowed them to be read and appreciated today.
