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Bulfinch's Mythology

Bulfinch's Mythology

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  • Create Date：2021-07-21 09:54:19
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Thomas Bulfinch
  • ISBN：1626861692
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Summary

Can’t keep all your gods and goddesses straight？ Wondering about mythological references in classic literature？ Bulfinch’s Mythology offers approachable accounts of ancient legends in a compilation of the works of Thomas Bulfinch， banker and Latinist。 This volume includes all three of Bulfinch’s original titles: The Age of Fable， The Age of Chivalry， and The Legends of Charlemagne。 Bulfinch states his purpose for the book clearly: “Our work is not for the learned， nor for the theologian， nor for the philosopher， but for the reader of English literature 。 。 。 who wishes to comprehend the allusions so frequently made by public speakers， lecturers， essayists， and poets， and those which occur in polite conversation。” This compilation was widely used as the authoritative text on mythology in schools for over a century。

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Reviews

Gabriel Lewis ，

The age of fables is the best part。

Noelia ，

I won’t rate it because I didn’t finish reading it。 It is an interesting book to have， but its accuracy is not enough for what I expected。Before buying it I thought this would be a complete book that would give me an idea of Greek mythology。 I found knights too， for example。 That was pleasantly unexpected。 I also found that Bulfinch changed and wrote basically what he wanted without minding accuracy。 His objective was getting people in the Victorian period closer to mythology。 It worked in the p I won’t rate it because I didn’t finish reading it。 It is an interesting book to have， but its accuracy is not enough for what I expected。Before buying it I thought this would be a complete book that would give me an idea of Greek mythology。 I found knights too， for example。 That was pleasantly unexpected。 I also found that Bulfinch changed and wrote basically what he wanted without minding accuracy。 His objective was getting people in the Victorian period closer to mythology。 It worked in the past， but now we have so many good books about it that this has become a mere anecdotic book and an interesting little gem in my shelf。 。。。more

Fernanda Yasmim ，

eu esperava algo mais profundo pra falar a verdade。 é como uma coletânea de mitos。

Liselotte ，

A gorgeous book and an absolute necessity if you love myths。

Mika ，

I love mythology so much。 This book had many details and for some reason， the writer just uses Roman names。 Thank God for Google。

Hannah ，

Ugh。 So the premise was very interesting。 Thomas Bulfinch was interested in mythology， but there wasn't much at the time so he decided to write the book himself。 Great right？ A man really into a subject writing a book about it。 But it got so boring。 And everything seemed the same。The first section is about Greek mythology。 They have all the stories that we know。 And it started to get tedious - people turning into constellations or flowers。 The Gods fighting each other， fighting with the mortals。 Ugh。 So the premise was very interesting。 Thomas Bulfinch was interested in mythology， but there wasn't much at the time so he decided to write the book himself。 Great right？ A man really into a subject writing a book about it。 But it got so boring。 And everything seemed the same。The first section is about Greek mythology。 They have all the stories that we know。 And it started to get tedious - people turning into constellations or flowers。 The Gods fighting each other， fighting with the mortals。The second section is Arthurian legends。 And again， they are all the ones that we are familiar with， though there are some different variations - Mordred is Arthur's nephew， not his son， etc。 And each knight goes off on a bunch of quests， they kill a bunch of knights and then they come back and fight in a tournament and everyone is very excited。 It got extremely old。The third section talks about Charlegmagne。 And I was just bored。 。。。more

B🤍 ，

This book was exactly what I was looking for， an amazing anthology of myths from all different places and cultures， compiled in a style that made them accessible and enjoyable。Despite a couple of blunders that are to be expected from the era in which this book was written， I found the Victorian writing style pleasant and Bulfinch’s personal touch in relating these classic myths quite fascinating。As I already knew a lot about Greek and Roman myths， what I appreciated the most about the “Age of Fa This book was exactly what I was looking for， an amazing anthology of myths from all different places and cultures， compiled in a style that made them accessible and enjoyable。Despite a couple of blunders that are to be expected from the era in which this book was written， I found the Victorian writing style pleasant and Bulfinch’s personal touch in relating these classic myths quite fascinating。As I already knew a lot about Greek and Roman myths， what I appreciated the most about the “Age of Fables” section was how Bulfinch provided references of later authors referencing the myths in English literature， from Byron to Milton， Shelley， Shakespeare， you name it！ It added an aspect I hadn’t thought about， at least not to such a thorough extent， and made reading very interesting for me。 I also really appreciated the mention of other cultures， although limited， especially the part about Teutonic mythologic， complete with an overhaul of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung Opera。 Such a fun little addition to the lore！On the other hand， I was eager to read about the King Arthur lore for the first time， and the stories collected in the “Age of Chivalry” did not disappoint。 This section and the final one， “Legends of Charlesmagne，” really made me appreciate how Bulfinch was able to comb through the original material （for example the Orlando cycle of epic poems that I can vaguely remember from school） and turn archaic prose and poetry alike into a more easily digestible format that still does justice to these kind of forgotten mythical heroes。 I’m biased because I’m a sucker for the genre and I love the original material， but nevertheless I think this book provides an excellent selection infused with that classic 19th century sensibility that I’m definitely here for！ 。。。more

D ，

A beloved book from adolescence。

Christy Hall ，

Bullfinch is supposed to be the ultimate expert on Greek/Roman mythology。 It’s true， he knows his stuff。 Sadly， there are times he fails to include all the details and it doesn’t set up the context of the myth。 There are other times that he selects a particular version of a myth that doesn’t feel like the standard one we have all heard。 It was fine and there were some really good sections。 The illustrated version does include some amazing works of art。

Carly ，

This is a difficult one to rate。 On the one hand， I love the use of language and find Victorian storytelling enjoyable。 These are classic stories， and when this was written， was one of the first tellings of these mythological stories for the everyday reader。 Since some of these stories and themes are so intertwined with our modern culture I enjoy learning the originals， where they came from， and how we use them today。Also， dude is super racist and sexist。Right now I'm finding the reading slow-go This is a difficult one to rate。 On the one hand， I love the use of language and find Victorian storytelling enjoyable。 These are classic stories， and when this was written， was one of the first tellings of these mythological stories for the everyday reader。 Since some of these stories and themes are so intertwined with our modern culture I enjoy learning the originals， where they came from， and how we use them today。Also， dude is super racist and sexist。Right now I'm finding the reading slow-going。 I am enjoying reading it， but there's other stuff that I would like to/need to get to， so I'm going to put this one down and come back to it at a later date。 I will also leave this unrated， because I don't know how to rate important classical Western mythology that is written by a racist sexist person。 。。。more

gabriele ，

tem nome DEMAIS

Gala Bond ，

My adult introduction to mythology。

Joseph Carrabis ，

Bulfinch's Mythology has been on my bookshelf far too long。 It's always been one of those "some day" books。Okay， the day came。 My ideas and expectations for this book were way out of line with the text itself。 I knew Bulfinch focused on Greek and Roman mythology， I didn't realize he also covered several other mythologies or did so so dismissively。 Most of his Greek and Roman texts are commentaries from 18th and later century authors who wrote using Greek and Roman mythological allusions。 His act Bulfinch's Mythology has been on my bookshelf far too long。 It's always been one of those "some day" books。Okay， the day came。 My ideas and expectations for this book were way out of line with the text itself。 I knew Bulfinch focused on Greek and Roman mythology， I didn't realize he also covered several other mythologies or did so so dismissively。 Most of his Greek and Roman texts are commentaries from 18th and later century authors who wrote using Greek and Roman mythological allusions。 His actual text may be useful to someone with no history in mythology， folklore， anthropology， et cetera， and it may be a useful read to someone studying classical literature， but otherwise I didn't find it much of a read。 。。。more

Drew Reilly ，

I enjoyed this book， until I got to the section 9n Charlemagne。 For whatever reason， those tales lacked the spark that the previous eras had。

Dave Harmon ，

So this is a great alternative to actually reading the original stories of Arthur and Lancelot and Roland and Rogero and Rinaldo et al。 And that's great because they're really really bad。 But you can read this and have enough to be able to appreciate Don Quixote and Monty Python more fully。 So four stars for not having to read all that crap。As for the first half dealing with ancient mythology， a more modern writer is probably to be preferred。 So this is a great alternative to actually reading the original stories of Arthur and Lancelot and Roland and Rogero and Rinaldo et al。 And that's great because they're really really bad。 But you can read this and have enough to be able to appreciate Don Quixote and Monty Python more fully。 So four stars for not having to read all that crap。As for the first half dealing with ancient mythology， a more modern writer is probably to be preferred。 。。。more

Gabriela Gonçalves ，

Ótimo livro！ Uma grande bíblia resumo sobre os mitos。 Acho q alguns podiam ter sido mais aprofundados， mas， no geral， o livro cumpre em contar ao leitor as histórias mitológicas。 Gostei bastante， principalmente quando tinha alguma curiosidade sobre a origem de nomes que usamos hoje em dia。 Um livro que é para ser consultado sempre q precisar。 A edição também é muito caprichosa e bonita。

Sam ，

2。5 stars because of how expansive it was。 Sadly it was a bit brief on the Egyptians。 If I had no experience of mythology， I probably would have given it a higher rating， nevertheless I still found a lot of the stories useful。 Plus， I realised that a fair few stories about Charlemagne and his paladins mirrored both King Arthur and his Knights of the round table， as well as carbon copied some of the more popular Greek myths。 It was okay and then some。

Jeremiah ，

An extensive overview of mythology from the ancient Greeks to the paladins of Charlemagne。 The textbook style of the writing can be tiresome at times but the subject matter is worth exploring as an introductory education of these tales。

Jay Butcher ，

+ Many familiar stories within this book。- language can be be awkward ！ These are sanitised versions of the stories！！！ They contain some very graphic detail 😳

Ezgi Mentes Mete ，

Sizde zamanında zeyna， herkül vb severek izlediyseniz çok keyifle okuyacağınız bir kitap olacak。 İçinde kısa kısa çok güzel hikayeler var， tam bir 2。 Kitap görevi gördü。 Aklınıza geldiğinde açıp tatlı bür masal gibi 2-3 tane okuyup keyif almak ve rahatlamak mümkün。 Mitoloji seviyorsanız tavsiye ederim。

Jess ，

Reading this aloud once per week took a long time。 It’s dense。 It wasn’t loved， but it was enjoyable， enlightening， and entertaining。

Joshua Miller ，

This edition contains The Age of Fable， The Age of Chivalry， and the Age of Charlemagne and boy is it a doozy。 Many of the Greek legends follow Ovid's Metamorphoses or Hesiod's Theogeny and to someone who hasn't read these poems are very interesting。 It covers pretty much everything from Prometheus and Pandora， the Titanomachy War， and the Golden Fleece to the Trojan War， Odysseus （Ulysses）， and Aeneas。 There are scattered fragments of Norse legends and mere mentions of Egyptian and Indian relig This edition contains The Age of Fable， The Age of Chivalry， and the Age of Charlemagne and boy is it a doozy。 Many of the Greek legends follow Ovid's Metamorphoses or Hesiod's Theogeny and to someone who hasn't read these poems are very interesting。 It covers pretty much everything from Prometheus and Pandora， the Titanomachy War， and the Golden Fleece to the Trojan War， Odysseus （Ulysses）， and Aeneas。 There are scattered fragments of Norse legends and mere mentions of Egyptian and Indian religions。The Age of Chivalry was where I had the hardest time getting through the book。 As my read dates indicate， I spent over a year and a half slugging it out and it was mainly due to this section。 Arthurian legend is irresistible and has infected our society since before the stories were written down。 However， most of the stories are told in a non-linear fashion much like a Christopher Nolan film。 And at times， they down right contradict each other。 This is not a fault of the author， who writes more like a Spark Notes summary， but more a reflection on the evolution of the historical manuscripts。The Age of Charlemagne was very similar to the King Arthur stories but I found them much more enjoyable。 Maybe this was due to understanding the style of writing and scattered-brained nature of the stories。 The characters seemed more fleshed out and there was even a female knight who kicked ass and took names！ I definitely see parallels to Brienne whom she resembles almost perfectly。 This book definitely isn't for everyone， but is a solid starting point for amateur mythologists。 The writing is dated （it shows） and the use of names can be confusing （Orlando = Roland， Rinaldo = Rinaud， Rogero = Ruggiero， etc） but the events still match up。 Also， this edition had really small writing so be prepared for that。 I'm satisfied I finished reading the book， but I won't be picking it up anytime soon。 。。。more

Konstantinos Kartsakalis ，

An excellent collection on mythology

Paula Rogerio ，

Os nomes dos deuses variavam muito em grego ou romano， o que pode acabar confundindo o leitor。

Skallagrimsen ，

The religions of ancient Greece and Rome are alive。 The divinities of Olympus have thousands of worshipers among living women and men。 They belong now to the department of theology， as well as to those of literature and taste。 They have returned to their place， and will continue to hold it， for they are too closely connected with the finest productions of poetry and art， both ancient and modern， to languish forever in the limbo of unbelief。

Rudyard L。 ，

Did not finish。 I found the writing style has not aged well since the 1850s。 I may be biased since this was clearly designed to be an introductory work and so I went in knowing most of the myths already。 I found the writing style quite condescending and whimsical。 Also， the additions of the literary quotes did not mend with this work well。 There also is a Victorian flair， in that any sex or anything ludicrous was taken out。 This is understandable given the time but does create a gap between the Did not finish。 I found the writing style has not aged well since the 1850s。 I may be biased since this was clearly designed to be an introductory work and so I went in knowing most of the myths already。 I found the writing style quite condescending and whimsical。 Also， the additions of the literary quotes did not mend with this work well。 There also is a Victorian flair， in that any sex or anything ludicrous was taken out。 This is understandable given the time but does create a gap between the real myths and how they are portages。 However， even with all my griping， this is a solid introductory work。 If you know little about mythology this will teach you much。 I can easily see how the writing style would appeal to others， if not me。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

Read these as a teenager。 I have always been interested in mythology。

raffaela ，

*sees review slamming this book because author is a Christian imposing his moral views on pagan myths**hits Want to Read*

Michelle Contreras Ewens ，

Must own！

Isabelle | Nine Tale Vixen ，

DNF @ 20%I've been fascinated by the Greco-Roman pantheon for a very long time and I'm familiar with many of the myths， so Bulfinch's versions honestly just didn't hold my interest。 They felt somewhere in between SparkNotes and detailed storytelling， which didn't work; additionally， they were highly sanitized from the original versions （suitable for the original target audience， but I feel it detracts from the stories）; they made references to other myths that weren't covered yet， and went on lo DNF @ 20%I've been fascinated by the Greco-Roman pantheon for a very long time and I'm familiar with many of the myths， so Bulfinch's versions honestly just didn't hold my interest。 They felt somewhere in between SparkNotes and detailed storytelling， which didn't work; additionally， they were highly sanitized from the original versions （suitable for the original target audience， but I feel it detracts from the stories）; they made references to other myths that weren't covered yet， and went on lots of tangents; I didn't gain much from all the excerpts of Literary Works that reference the myths。However， I'm less familiar with Arthurian or Romantic legends， so I may just skip the rest of the first section。 At some later point， though， when I'm feeling slightly less intimidated by the sheer volume of this book。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Bulfinch's Mythology

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Bulfinch's Mythology&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Bulfinch's Mythology&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0