Humans were literally their playthings and if they ever took notice of you for good or ill you were up a creek. What most people know of the Greek gods is a light fun version. Apollo skinned a man alive for claiming to play music better than him. The gods (and yeah yeah they are gods) would rape, steal, kill, whatever.Įven the “good” gods like Athena and Apollo. Yeah he cheated on Hera, but he just loved/was horny. Zeus I more or less knew but it was usually a romanticized verion. Why? Because the gods are flaming assholes. I really enjoyed my time with it BUT ultimately I am disappointed. The Greek gods and the creation of the world etc etc etc. A fun and educational read about Ancient Greek Myth. So, I’ve finished the book “Mythos” by Stephen Fry. This gives the book a 'light-hearted' touch and makes it easy to listen to while on the road or in bed or under the shower or.

He does hint at some words or expression derived from character names mentioned in the stories, but does not go into any further depths. Stephen Fry makes it quite clear that you neither need any prerequisites to enjoy the book nor will you gain any 'insight' into the stories' 'meaning', be it literary or sociological or etymological.

What I liked about this approach is the complete neglection of any academic expectations. It is a good enough excerpt, though, if you want to grasp the patterns and the overall 'tone' of those stories (most of which can be found in other peoples' mythologies in respective form anyway). The book starts with the creation of 'the world' (universe, actually) and ends with the story of Midas (the guy with the 'Golden Touch'), so it is NOT a 'complete' collection of all the myths and stories available in the vast pool of Greek mythology.

But Stephen's enthusiasm well carries you through it. He is not the world's greatest dramatic writer, so some of the stories come with quite some lengths that make you wish for an editor to cut, cut, cut. But do expect them to get a slightly 'updated' tone, modernized pace and some tongue-in-cheek side-comments by the story-teller (or 'author' if you will).

Modernized easy-listening version of old talesĭo not expect anything 'new' about the well-known Greek myths that are retold here.

Mythos by stephen fry