Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Stella Caldwell

Gods, Heroes and Monsters: Discover the Wonders of the Ancient Greek Myths

This book explains the core Greek myths. Its cover features a sepia-toned image of the Minotaur and Theseus. It has a frame narrative, in which "Selene Nicolaides," the daughter of a museum director, explains that she found a mysterious box belonging to her father, one which held objects of value from the Ancient Greeks, objects that had been smuggled out of Ancient Greece. Knowing they must be returned, she arranged for them to be sent to the Athens Museum; they appear in the pages of(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Creation Myths Gods Hero(es) Pantheon Titans

Sandra Lawrence , Emma Trithart

Myths and Legends

Sandra Lawrence's Myths and Legends is relatively unusual amongst children's myth books in that it places more emphasis on comparative mythology than on story-telling. The book's five sections are arranged to stress features shared in common across myths, such as journeys, creation, trees, tricksters, and solar chariots. Some myths are told in summary form to demonstrate the story types that are being introduced (King Arthur: The Once and Future King and Theseus: The Highly-Strung He(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Alcmene Apples of the Hesperides Argo Argonauts Ariadne Athena Atlantis Bellerophon Chimera / Chimaera Creation Myths Crete Cupid Demeter Egypt Egyptian Mythology Eurystheus Golden Fleece Gorgon(s) Hades Harpies Helios Hera Heracles Hermes Hero(es) Hestia Hydra Jason Labyrinth Medusa Mercury Minos Minotaur Olympus Pandora Pandora’s Box Pegasus Persephone Poseidon Psyche Stymphalian Birds Theseus Twelve Labours of Heracles Venus Zeus

John Wyndham

The Beginning

Narrated in blank verse, a style appropriate for legends, as the author claims, the myth relates the life of origin of Ífè*, originally told by the highest authorities of the Yoruba land to a stranger. At the beginning there was Arámfè the God of Thunder and Father of the Gods, who reigned in the realm of heaven. He summoned his sons and narrated to them how he created all the bounties in heaven and gave them eternal peace. His sons questioned him about their ab(...)

african

YEAR: 1921

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Creation Myths Gods

Sylvie Onana Etoundi

The Copper Egg [Aki Ngoss]

Work in progress(...)

oral

COUNTRY: Cameroon

TAGS: African Mythologies African Storytelling African Traditions Creation Myths

May O'Brien, Susan Wyatt

The Legend of the Seven Sisters: A Traditional Aboriginal Story from Western Australia

In her story of the Seven Sisters legend, May O’Brien dedicates this traditional Aboriginal story to the descendants of the Wongutha people who came to live at Mount Margaret Mission in Western Australia. Beginning with “Long, Long ago when only Aboriginal people lived in Australia” there were “small men…Yayarrs” who walked all over the country. These small men would leave Earth and travel up and down the Milky Way, coming back to Earth and landing on a speci(...)

nonclassical

YEAR: 1990

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Creation Myths Indigenous Myths Pleiades

Pauline Baynes, Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis

The Magician's Nephew (The Chronicles of Narnia, 6)

Polly and Diggory are neighbours in row houses in London. Diggory lives with his aunt and uncle. His father is away in India and, sadly, his mother is dying. While playing together one day, Polly and Diggory discover a long tunnel running through the roofs of the adjoining houses on their street. They open a door with a latch and enter an attic room, discovering the room that Diggory’s Uncle Andrew has forbidden anyone from entering. Uncle Andrew is in the room, snarling, and is immediatel(...)

literary

YEAR: 1955

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Bible Creation Myths Olympus Pegasus

Reggie Sultan

The Seven Sisters

This story reveals how the stars of the Seven Sisters visited the earth and asked the Milky Way to bring them down in a creek in the desert, where they were turned into people. Seven hunters showed them the emus, goannas (monitor lizards) and the blackbirds. It was the first time the sisters had seen human men. The hunters showed the sisters where to collect plant food in their coolamons (carved wooden dishes for carrying food and small babies). At night time six of the sisters jumped onto the M(...)

nonclassical

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Creation Myths Indigenous Myths Pleiades

Farkou

Why God and Animals Live away from Humans

Long ago, humans and animals all lived in unity under the earth with Kaang, their supreme god and creator. None of them lacked anything. After some time, Kaang began to plan a world on the surface of the earth where he would move all his creatures. He started by creating a beautiful huge tree whose branches spread across the land. After that, he created other beautiful things and all was ready. Then he made a tunnel into the earth right down to where the humans and animals were. He first took a (...)

oral

COUNTRY: Cameroon

TAGS: African Mythologies African Storytelling African Traditions Creation Myths Gods

George O'Connor

Zeus. King of the Gods (Olympians, 1)

Zeus – King of the Gods is the first instalment of the Olympians series. The series comprises stylish looking graphic-novels created in the superhero comic-book tradition. Each volume is dedicated to retelling myths about individual Greek gods, with the gods appearing in each other's volumes much as superheroes overlap in the DC or Marvel universes. While the title of this volume is Zeus – King of the Gods, the volume also establishes the Olympians universe by retelling Greek cre(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aphrodite Architecture Creation Myths Crete Cronus / Kronos Cyclops / Cyclopes Demeter Erinyes Fate Gods Greek Philosophy Hades Hera Hestia Immortality Katabasis Metis Moirai Nymphs Olympus Poseidon Prometheus Titans Underworld Zeus