Category: | Our Mythical Childhood Survey

Nathaniel Hawthorne

First published in 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys holds a significant place in the reception of classical myth as one of the first retellings written in English specifically for children (Charles Lamb’s Adventures of Ulysses, published in 1808, is an important predecessor, and Charles Kinglsey’s The Heroes, or, Greek Fairy Tales for My Children, was published five years later in 1856). Prior to this, mythic stories predominantly featured in t(...)

literary

YEAR: 1852

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Atlas Baucis Bellerophon Heracles Hercules Hermes Medusa Midas Pandora Pegasus Perseus Philemon

Johnny Capps , Julian Murphy, Howard Overman

Atlantis (Series)

Jason, a twenty-first-century young man in search of his lost father, travels in a submarine through an under-ocean portal and ends up on the shores of the ancient city of Atlantis ruled by King Minos. He befriends a yet unrecognized mathematical genius/geek Pythagoras and a prizefighter past his prime, Hercules. In this version of the Minotaur myth, victims for the monster are picked from among the inhabitants of the city in a lottery. Pythagoras draws a black stone, but his friends try to save(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Admetus Aeson Alcestis Anabasis Ariadne Atalanta Baucis Campe Cassandra Circe Daedalus Destiny Furies Hecate Heracles Hercules Icarus Jason Jocasta Katabasis Laius Medea Medusa Melas Minos Minotaur Oedipus Oracle of Poseidon Oracles Orpheus Pandora’s Box Pasiphae Philemon Prophecy Pythagoras Telamon Thanatos Tiresias Underworld

Małgorzata Musierowicz

Mrs. Darling’s Kisses [Całuski pani Darling]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp., online: http://omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/omc_catalogue. The book presents a variety of recipes weaved into various stories about characters known from classic children’s books (Polish and from (...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Achilles Aeneas Amphitrite Apollo Baucis Caesar Circe Damocles Demeter Diogenes Eris Helen Hercules Hyacinth Hypnos Lucullus Midas Odysseus / Ulysses Persephone Philemon Phoenix (Bird) Poseidon Pyrrhus of Epirus Socrates Xanthippe Zephyrus

William Byron Forbush , Frederick Richardson

Myths and Legends of Greece and Rome

This is a collection of a large number of Greek myths, retold for children. The book divides into sections: ‘Stories from the Beginning’, ‘Stories of Gods and Men’, ‘Stories of Air and Ocean’, ‘Animal Stories’, ‘Stories of Life and Love’ and ‘Hero Tales’. These categories thus implicitly position what myth is seen to be about: nature, aetiology, relationship with the divine, brave heroes, romance and the meaning of life. At (...)

literary

YEAR: 1928

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Apollo Arachne Ariadne Baucis Bellerophon Ceres Cupid Jason Jupiter Medusa Mercury Minerva Pandora Philemon Pluto / Plouton Prometheus Proserpina / Proserpine Psyche Theseus

Wanda Markowska

Myths of the Greeks and Romans [Mity Greków i Rzymian]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp., online: http://omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/omc_catalogue.The book includes stories of ancient gods and heroes. We find there the most important myths about the origins of the world, as well as the most popular ones, e.g. about Promet(...)

literary

YEAR: 1968

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Actaeon Aeneas Alcestis Amor Aphrodite Apollo Ares Argonauts Ariadne Artemis Asclepius Atalanta Athena / Athene Atlas Baucis Bellerophon Cerberus Ceres Cronus / Kronos Daedalus Demeter Deucalion Diana Dionysus / Dionysos Eros Europa Eurystheus Flora Fortuna Gaia / Gaea Genies Gods Golden Fleece Hades Harpies Hecate Hephaestus Hera Heracles Hercules Hermes Hero(es) Hestia Icarus Janus Juno Jupiter Lares Liber Libera Luna Mars Medea Medusa Meleager Mercury Metis Midas Minerva Minos Minotaur Moirai Neptune Niobe Olympians Orpheus Pandora Pasiphae Penates Persephone Perseus Phaethon Philemon Pomona Poseidon Priam Prometheus Proserpina / Proserpine Psyche Pyrrha Quirinus Remus Roman Religion Romulus Sibyl Sisyphus Sol Styx Tantalus Themis Theseus Typhon / Typhoeus / Typhaon Venus Vertumnus Vesta Vulcan Zeus

Flora Juliette Cooke

Nature Myths and Stories for Little Children. The Teacher’s Helper

This is a collection of myths from around the world that ostensibly relate to nature, designed primarily as a reader for use in schools, although it resembles any other children’s myth anthology in form. Sometimes, the myth has been altered to make it more relevant to this theme – see ‘The Story of Sisyphus’ in the Analysis section. The Table of Contents orders the stories according to theme, dividing them into Animal Stories, Bird Stories, Cloud Stories, Flower Stories, (...)

literary

YEAR: 1895

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aeolus Apollo Arachne Athena / Athene Baucis Clytie Daphne Demeter Eos Hades Hermes Iris Persephone Phaethon Philemon Prometheus Sisyphus Tithonus Zeus

George O'Connor

Olympians (Series)

Olympians is a series of graphic novels that takes one deity per volume as the focus, retelling numerous myths related to that god.Volume 1. Zeus. King of the Gods. Featuring creation myths and the war between the Titans and Olympians. Narrator unspecified.Volume 2. Athena. Grey-Eyed Goddess. Featuring the myth of Athena's conception and birth; Pallas; the attack of the Giants; Medusa and Perseus; Arachne. Narrated by the Moirae (The Fates). Volume 3. Hera. The Goddess and her Glory. Fe(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Achilles Aeneas Aesop Aesop’s Fables Afterlife Agamemnon Amphitrite Anteros Aphrodite Apollo Apples of the Hesperides Arachne Architecture Ares Argo Argonauts Ariadne Artemis Asclepius Athena / Athene Athens Atlas Bacchus Baucis Centaur(s) Cerberus Ceres Charybdis Chimera / Chimaera Crete Cronus / Kronos Cyclops / Cyclopes Daedalus Delos Demeter Diana Dionysus / Dionysos Divination Egypt Egyptian Mythology Epimetheus Erinyes Eris Eros Europa Fable Furies Gaia / Gaea Galatea Gods Golden Fleece Greek Art Greek History Greek Music Greek Philosophy Griffins / Gryphons Hades Harpies Hecate Hector Helen Hephaestus Hera Heracles Hercules Hermes Hestia Homer Hydra Icarus Iliad Immortality Jason Juno Jupiter Katabasis Labyrinth Laurel Wreath Leto Mars Maze Medusa Menelaus Mercury Metamorphoses (Ovid's) Metempsychosis Metis Minos Minotaur Nymphs Odysseus / Ulysses Odyssey Olympus Oracles Ovid Pan Pandora Pandora’s Box Paris (Trojan Prince) Pasiphae Patroclus Pegasus Penelope Persephone Perseus Philemon Polyphemus Poseidon Priam Prometheus Sirens Sisyphus Sphinx Stymphalian Birds Styx Theseus Thetis Trojan Horse Trojan War Troy Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld Zeus

Emma Chichester Clark, Geraldine McCaughrean

Orchard Book of Roman Myths

This is a retelling of Roman myths, meant for ages 9–12, that takes the readers through a fantastic journey of cultural transition, from Troy to Rome. It combines some tales of Greek mythology with Roman myths (Romulus and Remus, the Sibylline prophecies, Tages, Camillus, Lara, the Sabine Women, Aeneas). The chapters of the book are as follows:Introduction: explains how the Romans translated the Greek gods, creating their own mythology where the main concept was "duty". 1) T(...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Aeneas Apollo Baucis Camillus Carthage Ceres Diana Dido Endymion Erysichthon Falernus Ganymede Gaul Italia Juno Jupiter Lara Lares Liber Mars Mercury Nymphs Olympians Orion Philemon Pleiades Remus Rhea Silvia Rome Romulus Sabine Women She-wolf Sibylline Books Sirius Tages Tarchon Tarquin the Proud Tiber Troy Veii Venus Vesta Vulcan

Eric Freeberg, Diane Namm

Roman Myths

Retelling of classic Roman myths meant for ages 7–9 with one illustration per story. Following the stories, the author includes questions for discussion about each story. The stories in the book:The Oak and the Linden TreePrometheus and IoAtlas and the Eleventh Labor of HerculesRomulus and RemusEscape from TroyThe Golden BoughCupid and PsycheMinerva and ArachneOedipus and the SphinxOtus and Ephialtes(...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Aeneas Aeolus Amulius Apollo Arachne Atlas Baucis Carthage Cerberus Ceres Charon Crete Cupid Diana Dido Dii Consentes Elysian Fields / Elysium Ephialtes Faustulus Garden of Hesperides Golden Bough Greeks Harpies Heracles Hercules Io Italia Janus Juno Jupiter Lares Lemures Manes Mars Mercury Minerva Neptune Numina Numitor (King) Nymphs Oedipus Otus (Giant) Ovid Penates Philemon Prometheus Psyche Remus Rhea Rome Romulus Saturn Sibyl Sphinx Styx Temple of Vesta (Forum Romanum) Thebes Titans Trojan Horse Troy Twelve Labours of Heracles Underworld Venus Vesta Vulcan

Emma M. Firth

Stories of Old Greece

This is a collection of Greek myths retold for children in simple language. In the introduction, Firth writes that this book is for "her fellow-teachers and … the dear children of America". She begins with stories about Helios, then moves to stories about Apollo, then Hermes and finally into more general stories. The retellings are accompanied by line drawings every few pages that depict key characters. Sometimes, these are sketches based on ancient statues. Featured Storie(...)

literary

YEAR: 1894

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Apollo Arachne Athena / Athene Baucis Clytie Daphne Demeter Epimetheus Eurydice Hades Helios Hermes Hyacinth Medusa Orpheus Pandora Persephone Perseus Philemon Prometheus Psyche Zeus

Enid Blyton, Chris Price

Tales of Ancient Greece

This is a short collection of Greek myths retold for children. They are related in fairly simple language, mostly adapted closely from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The illustrations take the form of black and white line drawings depicting key moments in the chapters.Pandora and the Whispering Box.Phaeton and the Sun-Horses.Prosperina and the King of the Underworld.The Maiden of the Laurel Tree (Daphne and Apollo)The Watchman with a Hundred Eyes (Io and Argus).The Story of Echo and Narcissus.The K(...)

literary

YEAR: 1930

COUNTRY: United Kingdom

TAGS: Apollo Arachne Arion (Poet) Baucis Ceres Clytie Cupid Daphne Echo Epimetheus Hyacinth Io Juno Jupiter Minerva Narcissus Pandora Phaethon Philemon Pluto / Plouton Proserpina / Proserpine Psyche Zephyrus

Don Bolognese, Roger Lancelyn Green

Tales the Muses Told

This is a fairy tale style retelling of Greek myths for children, which displays Lancelyn Green's high level of knowledge of ancient source material. He often brings in lesser-known myths or obscure variant versions, such as Daphne's father being called Amyclas. The sections are divided into "Tales of Flowers", "Tales of Trees", "Tales of Birds and Bees", "Tales of the Stars" and "Great Lovers and True Friends". It is lightly illustrated (...)

literary

YEAR: 1965

COUNTRY: United States of America

TAGS: Admetus Adonis Alcestis Apollo Baucis Callisto Clytie Daphne Erigone Hero(es) Hyacinth Leander Melampus Narcissus Orion Philemon Pyramus Thisbe Zeus

Maurice Saxby , John Winch

The Millennium Book of Myth and Story

The text includes retellings of six classical myths: Prometheus’ theft of fire, Pandora’s Box, Orpheus and Eurydice, Midas and the Golden Touch, Daedalus and Icarus, and Baucis and Philemon. These myths are grouped with stories from other cultures, including China, North America, India, and Africa, among others. Other stories are drawn from the Old and New Testament, Egyptian and Norse mythology, and Aboriginal Australia. The 33 myths are arranged into ten sections that emphasise the(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: Australia

TAGS: Baucis Daedalus Eurydice Icarus Jupiter Mercury Midas Orpheus Pandora Philemon Prometheus Zeus

Mirosław Rutkowski

Well-Prepared Readers [Lektura dobrze opracowana] (Series): Mythology [Mitologia]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of "Artes Liberales", Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp., section by Anna Górska, pp. 326-331.Intended for middle and high school students learning mythology. First part of the book presents well-known myths, such as the origin of the world, Jason and the Argonauts, or Hercu(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: Poland

TAGS: Amphitrite Andromeda Aphrodite Apollo Ares Argonauts Ariadne Artemis Asclepius Athena / Athene Baucis Chiron / Cheiron Danae Demeter Dionysus / Dionysos Eos Eros Gaia / Gaea Galatea Golden Fleece Hades Hebe Helios Hephaestus Hera Heracles Hermes Hestia Jason Medea Midas Minotaur Muses Oceanus / Okeanos Ouranos / Uranus Perseus Phaethon Philemon Poseidon Prometheus Pygmalion Selene Sisyphus Tantalus Theseus Titans Zeus