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Greek Myths and Legends - Stories from Ancient Greece

Greek myths and legends. Stories about the Greek gods and goddesses and the fantastic adventures of the heroes of Greek mythology, as well as glossary entries on many of the famous names from Greek mythology.

Trojan War and the Famous Stories From Greek Mythology

Need a quick review of the main sets of stories from Greek mythology? Need more detail? Either way you'll find basics on stories like the Trojan War, the Quest for the Golden Fleece and the adventures of the great demi-god heroes that make such fantastic characters to use as the basis for video games and movies.

Myth Mondays in Review - 2009

Topics for Myth Mondays in 2009 from Greek mythology featured Heracles (Hercules), Dionysus, Theseus, cannibals, Medea, and Zeus. From Roman mythology, Janus, Romulus, Turnus and Io were covered. There was also a post on Norse mythology.

Myth Mondays in Review - 2010
The round up includes: Greek Underworld Myths, Norse gods, Hindu gods, Egyptian gods, the cult of the emperor, Apollo and Hyperborea, Roman religion, Picus, Hekate and Hermes and the crossroads, Riordan’s Mythological References, Atlas' family, and more.

Hermes - Thief, Inventor, and Messenger God

He should still have been in his crib, but Hermes, a most precocious Greek god, was busy figuring out how to steal cattle without getting caught, make musical instruments, and persuade the adults that butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. Read all about the many facets of Hermes.

Hercules - Incidental Adventures of Hercules

Four parts on the incidental adventures of Hercules: (1)Hercules at Troy; (2)Hercules Hurls His Guest; (3)Hercules the Giant-Killer; and (4) Hercules and the Argonauts.

Cannibalism in Greek Mythology

Occasionally in Greek mythology someone's children are served up at a dinner feast.

'Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths'

Here is my review of Philip Freeman's 'Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths.' Find out what a new edition of the same old myths has to offer adults.

Pyramus and Thisbe - Bulfinch

The story of Pyramus and Thisbe, star-crossed lovers made fun of in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream.

Apollo and Daphne - Bulfinch

The story of Apollo and Daphne, where Apollo is so despised that his love object would rather become a tree.

Andromeda

Read a glossary entry on the mythological princess who was rescued from a sea monster by a Greek hero and lived happily ever after with him and their 8 children, until she was placed in the heavens by Athena.

Theseus Hero of Athens

Four parts: (1) Athena and the First King(s) of Athens; (2) Theseus Returns From Crete; (3) Theseus Had a Hand in It; and (4) The Deeds of Theseus.

Worst Betrayals in Ancient Myth

A look at some of the most famous betrayals in ancient Greek mythology.

House of Atreus

The House of Atreus was cursed. Among its unlucky members were Pelops, whose shoulder was eaten by Demeter, Menelaus, whose wife was taken by Paris, Agamemnon, who was murdered by his own wife after he murdered their daughter, and Orestes, who was hounded by the Furies.

Cephalus and Procris - Bulfinch

The story of a hunter whose wife thinks he is having an affair with the breeze and winds up shot by her husband's javelin.

Dionysus the Twice-Born Son of Zeus

Four parts to this Myth Monday series on Dionysus: (1)The Birth Story of Dionysus; (2)Dionysus the Thrice-Born; (3)Dionysus Causes Dismemberment; and (4)Dionysus and the Return of Hephaestus.

Genealogy of the First Gods

Descendants of chaos include night and day, darkness and light, and a host of ailments, plus some pleasures like sexual love (philotes), sleep (hynos), and dreams (oneiroi).

Re-telling of Hawthorne's "Tanglewood Tales"

Nathaniel Hawthorne tells some of the main stories from Greek mythology in charming ways that happen to be suitable for children. Hawthorne is a great introduction to the myths. Here are my summaries of his tales, with links to Hawthorne's full versions of The Minotaur, The Pomegranate, Pygmies, Dragon's Teeth, Circe's Palace, and the Golden...

Jason - Kingsley

Story of the adventures of the heroes known as Argonauts and led by Jason to capture the Golden Fleece.

Jason's Angels

Jason, the Argonauts, and Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece.

Cadmus of Thebes

The story of Cadmus and the founding of the city of Thebes. Among other events, Cadmus slew a dragon that had eaten his men.

What Is Myth?

A starting point for looking at the nature of myths is to say that myths are stories shared by a group, and which are a part of their cultural identity. As such, they are important to understand when looking at the history of a people. There is no completely satisfactory definition of myth*, although many of the world's greatest thinkers have...

Leda and the Swan, by William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeat's poem based on Greek mythology about the story of Leda and the Swan.

People in the House of Atreus - Index

Index of people in the House of Atreus.

Perseus - Kingsley

Story of Perseus who cut off the head of the Gorgon Medusa.

Tiresias

The legendary seer Tiresias, famous from The Odyssey and the Oedipus legends, appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses as the first (unhappy) transgendered individual. His plight came to the attention of the contentious king and queen of the gods.

Boreas and Oreithyia

When Boreas abducted Oreithyia he became the son-in-law of Athens. Read more about the stories involving Boreas.

Deucalion and Pyrrha

Deucalion and Pyrrha survive the great deluge in the Greek myth.

Eos and Tithonus

Eos was a goddess, but Tithonus was not. When Eos fell in love, she was determined to marry her man. The consequences could have been anticipated.

Theseus - Kingsley

Story of Theseus and the Minotaur and the later adventures of Theseus.

Eponymous Heroes of Athens

Each of the ten tribes of Athens was named for a hero, specifically, an eponymous hero.

Olympics

The mythological origins of the Olympic games.

Greek Mythology - An Introduction to Greek Mythology

An introduction to Greek Mythology and all the fascinating Greek gods and goddesses. Greek Mythology remains a part of western culture.

Myths vs. Legends

In common parlance the stories of the Greek and Roman deities and heroes are indiscriminately referred to as myths and legends. If we wish to be more careful, however, we can differentiate between the two types of story, and between them and folktales and fairy tales, although a story may shift between these different categories, or may contain...

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