Fantasy

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold

  • Downloads：5586
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-12 12:52:26
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Stephen Fry
  • ISBN：1405934131
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

No one loves and quarrels， desires and deceives as boldly or brilliantly as Greek gods and goddesses。

In Stephen Fry's vivid retelling we gaze in wonder as wise Athena is born from the cracking open of the great head of Zeus and follow doomed Persephone into the dark and lonely realm of the Underworld。 We shiver when Pandora opens her jar of evil torments and watch with joy as the legendary love affair between Eros and Psyche unfolds。

Mythos captures these extraodinary myths for our modern age - in all their dazzling and deeply human relevance。

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Reviews

Emma Govan ，

A beautiful retelling。

April Smith ，

Entertaining， refreshing and approachable take on Greek Mythology。 And Stephen Fry's narration is delightful。 Perfect for those who are interested in mythology but like me are a little intimidated by it。 Entertaining， refreshing and approachable take on Greek Mythology。 And Stephen Fry's narration is delightful。 Perfect for those who are interested in mythology but like me are a little intimidated by it。 。。。more

Marianne ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Very enjoyable introduction to Greek Myths for adults！ Each story is succinct and amusingly told。 Fry makes them relevant by referring to their influence on our lives especially on language， religion and culture。

Kborsick ，

Thoroughly enjoyed this book。

The Artful Reader ，

Stephen Fry turns out to be the perfect voice to retell the stories of the greek gods。 His quick wit， dry sense of humour and staggering knowledge-base result in an informative but also very enjoyable read。 He perfectly encompasses the comical and absurd side to greek mythology， showing them （accurately） to be a collection of dysfunctional， surreal， family dramas， that you can't get enough of。 Stephen Fry turns out to be the perfect voice to retell the stories of the greek gods。 His quick wit， dry sense of humour and staggering knowledge-base result in an informative but also very enjoyable read。 He perfectly encompasses the comical and absurd side to greek mythology， showing them （accurately） to be a collection of dysfunctional， surreal， family dramas， that you can't get enough of。 。。。more

Izzy ，

Honestly I just couldn’t finish this。 The dreadful boomer humor and awkward dialogue/storytelling really ruined it for me。 I wanted to like it， but I just couldn’t。 I’m going to have to find a better book on Greek mythology。

Anne le Roux ，

This book is very true to the original myths， and pretty comprehensive。 It's more like a series of short stories than an actual novel though， so probably a better book for dipping in and out of than reading cover to cover。 This book is very true to the original myths， and pretty comprehensive。 It's more like a series of short stories than an actual novel though， so probably a better book for dipping in and out of than reading cover to cover。 。。。more

Briar Ellery Drost ，

The audiobook version of this is completely worth listening to！ I listened at 1。3x the speed and it made it a slightly more fast paced and exciting。

Matt ，

Hilarious and interesting， Stephen Fry nails his tellings of age old myths。 Cannot wait to get into the next one。

trijnewijn ，

Zoon is gebeten door griekse mythologie sinds de Sint hem Percy Jackson leerde kennen。 Aangezien ikzelf die zeldzame studierichting Grieks-Wiskunde volgde in het middelbaar， kan ik zijn enthousiasme alleen maar toejuichen。 We luisterden samen naar dit audioboek - pluspuntjes voor de audio versie omdat Stephen Fry zo aangenaam is om naar te luisteren。 Zoals vrienden me op voorhand waarschuwden， het boek is eigenlijk niet geschikt voor kinderen。 Er samen naar luisteren en heel veel duiden maakte h Zoon is gebeten door griekse mythologie sinds de Sint hem Percy Jackson leerde kennen。 Aangezien ikzelf die zeldzame studierichting Grieks-Wiskunde volgde in het middelbaar， kan ik zijn enthousiasme alleen maar toejuichen。 We luisterden samen naar dit audioboek - pluspuntjes voor de audio versie omdat Stephen Fry zo aangenaam is om naar te luisteren。 Zoals vrienden me op voorhand waarschuwden， het boek is eigenlijk niet geschikt voor kinderen。 Er samen naar luisteren en heel veel duiden maakte het oké， maar zijn woordenschat is nu wel uitgebreid met minstens 20 alternatieve uitdrukkingen om seks te omschrijven。 Naiefgeweg bleef hij me vragen "what do they mean with。。。" om vervolgens heel erg "ik ben tien en dat is ieuw" te reageren bij de uitleg。 U weze gewaarschuwd :D 。。。more

Antwerpenr ，

This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read！ Fabulously interesting and insightful - I had always wondered what the Greek Gods got up to and could never have imagined so much！ Superbly told by Stephen Fry！

Hayyu Marzuki ，

This is overall so much fun！ I've always found greek mythology very fascinating， its whimsical， charming， and so weird。 I love that Stephen Fry doesn't shy away from this and is very witty and embraced the ridiculousness of it all。 If there is a way to tell greek mythology in all its glory and messiness with such humor， this is it。 I picked up the audiobook version of this， and he has one of the best narrative voices I have heard - just entirely joyful。 I just imagined how hard it would be to ge This is overall so much fun！ I've always found greek mythology very fascinating， its whimsical， charming， and so weird。 I love that Stephen Fry doesn't shy away from this and is very witty and embraced the ridiculousness of it all。 If there is a way to tell greek mythology in all its glory and messiness with such humor， this is it。 I picked up the audiobook version of this， and he has one of the best narrative voices I have heard - just entirely joyful。 I just imagined how hard it would be to get the overall tone of the book right， if you're too pressing it might read as just another history book。 But if you veer too much down the line of it being a whimsical re-telling， it'll read like a children's book。 The combination of humor and depth of narrative is perfectly balanced。 Such a joyful book。 Highly recommend。 。。。more

Sophia Wohlwend ，

Now this is how you write about myths！

Regan ，

Note: This review is for the audiobook version of Mythos， which was narrated by Stephen Fry as well。 And added layers to the experience。Stephen Fry conducts the most interesting history class in Greek mythology。 He stays true to the legends while making this strange world relatable and almost understandable。The book is well researched and is both entertaining and educational。 For the audiobook， he does deviate from the printed copy to create a better narration which only improves it。Read this if Note: This review is for the audiobook version of Mythos， which was narrated by Stephen Fry as well。 And added layers to the experience。Stephen Fry conducts the most interesting history class in Greek mythology。 He stays true to the legends while making this strange world relatable and almost understandable。The book is well researched and is both entertaining and educational。 For the audiobook， he does deviate from the printed copy to create a better narration which only improves it。Read this if you like mythology for its fantastical plots， origins-of-everything stories and escapism。 。。。more

Charlotte ，

Excellent book。 Marvellously written。 Fry is an extraordinary writer and always succeeds in telling a story in that captivating humorous way。

reine ，

This book can be finished in one sitting， which I really liked。 Very light-hearted and sarcastic， I really appreciated Fry's simple yet eloquent style of story-telling， definitely for the modern reader。 I think it was overall a fun read， I didnt really learn much that I didnt know before， but he definitely tweaked and sharpened my memory of the greek legends， and I appreciate that he was able to have done that in less than a day。 Humorous and entertaining is what I would describe this book as， i This book can be finished in one sitting， which I really liked。 Very light-hearted and sarcastic， I really appreciated Fry's simple yet eloquent style of story-telling， definitely for the modern reader。 I think it was overall a fun read， I didnt really learn much that I didnt know before， but he definitely tweaked and sharpened my memory of the greek legends， and I appreciate that he was able to have done that in less than a day。 Humorous and entertaining is what I would describe this book as， it is most surely not a serious read or a serious mode of reference， but for any person that has just started showing interests in greek mythology and just wants a brief introduction with some sarcastic remarks to tie things up， then I would definitely recommend it。 。。。more

Stefan ，

Very entertaining and good retelling of some of the best myths。 This book never failed at making me emotional or get sucked into the stories。 I learned a lot of these myths in class and my teacher really did them no justice。

Nipunie ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Very easy to follow。 absolutely loved audio book。 need to read again in print

Brandon Smith ，

Stephen Fry delivers a devilishly delectable dish with this humorous， vibrant retelling of Greek mythology。 With it， he presents a chronological version of the myths from the beginning of everything—Chaos， the dark abyssal energy of creation—to Chaos’s progeny Gaea （Earth）， Tartarus （Underworld）， and Eros （Love）。 From them stemmed various other entities such as the Titans （among them Prometheus， who eventually molded humankind from clay at Zeus’s request）。 And， of course， the Gods， the direct de Stephen Fry delivers a devilishly delectable dish with this humorous， vibrant retelling of Greek mythology。 With it， he presents a chronological version of the myths from the beginning of everything—Chaos， the dark abyssal energy of creation—to Chaos’s progeny Gaea （Earth）， Tartarus （Underworld）， and Eros （Love）。 From them stemmed various other entities such as the Titans （among them Prometheus， who eventually molded humankind from clay at Zeus’s request）。 And， of course， the Gods， the direct descendants of the Titans。Intertwined within this long and winding creation story are the myriad fables passed down through oral tradition: Tales explaining how different animal species came to exist and how humankind was born。 There’s no shortage of stories detailing the Gods’ mischievous acts against one another， their ancestors， and their descendants。It had been a long time since I’d visited Greek mythology。 It was fun to get reacquainted。 Fry’s coherent and whimsical writing made it all the more joyful to explore。“It is enough to say that the Greeks thought it was Chaos who， with a massive heave， or a great shrug， or hiccup， vomit or cough， began the long chain of creation that has ended with pelicans and penicillin and toadstools and toads， sea-lions， lions， human beings and daffodils and murder and art and love and confusion and death and madness and biscuits。” —Stephen Fry， Mythos 。。。more

Mahesh ，

The Greek gods， with all their quirks， are perfectly entertaining （and very powerful indeed）。 They are pretty much humans on steroids --- they are benevolent but jealous and righteous yet sometimes cruel。 They have all the good and the bad — the whole nine yards。 But of course， unlike humans， they enjoy immortality。What makes the book tick is the excellent story writing by Stephen Fry。 The myths are all known， but the way they are presented makes them very entertaining as well。 I listened to thi The Greek gods， with all their quirks， are perfectly entertaining （and very powerful indeed）。 They are pretty much humans on steroids --- they are benevolent but jealous and righteous yet sometimes cruel。 They have all the good and the bad — the whole nine yards。 But of course， unlike humans， they enjoy immortality。What makes the book tick is the excellent story writing by Stephen Fry。 The myths are all known， but the way they are presented makes them very entertaining as well。 I listened to this as an audiobook， and Stephen Fry retakes the crown with great narration。 I hope I can keep some of these characters and stories in my head！ Now somebody should combine Mythos with Mahabaratha， and then the world will explode in literary glitters。 。。。more

Fá ，

What an adventure。 What a story。 My first 'introduction' to Greek Mythology。 This book is the start of a history adventure， because I'm not done yet。 Excited for what is coming next！ What an adventure。 What a story。 My first 'introduction' to Greek Mythology。 This book is the start of a history adventure， because I'm not done yet。 Excited for what is coming next！ 。。。more

Kilien Natens ，

Ken je dat gevoel wanneer je in een toprestaurant een beeldig bord voorgeschoteld krijgt， en al na de eerste hap denkt: “𝕯𝖆𝖒𝖓， 𝖎𝖐 𝖍𝖊𝖇 𝖓𝖚 𝖆𝖑 𝖘𝖕𝖎𝖏𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖙 𝖉𝖎𝖙 𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖐𝖘 𝖑𝖊𝖊𝖌 𝖟𝖆𝖑 𝖟𝖎𝖏𝖓”？ Wel， datzelfde gevoel had ik met Mythos， dat al maanden op mijn leeslijst stond。Dit boek katapulteerde me meteen terug naar het vierde middelbaar， waar ik niet kon wachten tot we 𝖉𝖊 𝕸𝖊𝖙𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖕𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖓 𝖛𝖆𝖓 𝕺𝖛𝖎𝖉𝖎𝖚𝖘 𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖙𝖆𝖆𝖑𝖉 𝖍𝖆𝖉𝖉𝖊𝖓 𝖔𝖒 𝖙𝖊 𝖜𝖊𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖍𝖔𝖊 𝖉𝖊 𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖓 𝖆𝖋𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖕𝖊𝖓。 Dat ik soms niet helemaal mee was met de structuur van h Ken je dat gevoel wanneer je in een toprestaurant een beeldig bord voorgeschoteld krijgt， en al na de eerste hap denkt: “𝕯𝖆𝖒𝖓， 𝖎𝖐 𝖍𝖊𝖇 𝖓𝖚 𝖆𝖑 𝖘𝖕𝖎𝖏𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖙 𝖉𝖎𝖙 𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖐𝖘 𝖑𝖊𝖊𝖌 𝖟𝖆𝖑 𝖟𝖎𝖏𝖓”？ Wel， datzelfde gevoel had ik met Mythos， dat al maanden op mijn leeslijst stond。Dit boek katapulteerde me meteen terug naar het vierde middelbaar， waar ik niet kon wachten tot we 𝖉𝖊 𝕸𝖊𝖙𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖕𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖓 𝖛𝖆𝖓 𝕺𝖛𝖎𝖉𝖎𝖚𝖘 𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖙𝖆𝖆𝖑𝖉 𝖍𝖆𝖉𝖉𝖊𝖓 𝖔𝖒 𝖙𝖊 𝖜𝖊𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖍𝖔𝖊 𝖉𝖊 𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖓 𝖆𝖋𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖕𝖊𝖓。 Dat ik soms niet helemaal mee was met de structuur van het boek， wordt dan ook snel vergeven。De pijnlijk herkenbare manier waarop de Griekse goden worden geportretteerd， de humor van de schrijver， de alliteraties die de vertalers wisten te behouden: 𝖉𝖎𝖙 𝖇𝖔𝖊𝖐 𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖘𝖙 𝖛𝖆𝖓 𝖉𝖊 𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓。 Terwijl jij dit boek aan het lezen bent - want dat zou je écht moeten doen - ga ik op zoek naar het vervolg。 。。。more

Nicolas Hoffmann ，

Such an incredible， funny， and light book。 Great for reading before bed， in that each chapter is a wonderful little story， not that it puts you to sleep。 The narrative is like a comforting warm blanket。 Just wonderful。

Chris Campbell ，

'Mythos' by Stephen Fry is a re-telling of the origin myths of Ancient Greece， particularly the births and lives of the Olympian gods。 Lively， poignant and punctuated with Fry's characteristic wit， I found this book a delight to read。 Borrowing heavily from Homer， Hesiod， Ovid and other poets of antiquity， Fry nevertheless holds firm to his distinct voice， taking some liberties with timelines and details but always in service of the story。 In the afterword， Fry states that he never sought in thi 'Mythos' by Stephen Fry is a re-telling of the origin myths of Ancient Greece， particularly the births and lives of the Olympian gods。 Lively， poignant and punctuated with Fry's characteristic wit， I found this book a delight to read。 Borrowing heavily from Homer， Hesiod， Ovid and other poets of antiquity， Fry nevertheless holds firm to his distinct voice， taking some liberties with timelines and details but always in service of the story。 In the afterword， Fry states that he never sought in this book to explain the myths of Ancient Greece， but earnestly to re-tell them。 He holds himself mostly to this standard， but loosens his restraint when stories inevitably arise that are tied to gender and identity， drawing certain obvious conclusions about the relative open-mindedness of the Greeks compared to modern Western sensibilities （especially regarding trans rights）。 Honestly， these interjections felt necessary， and are in keeping with Fry's intent to keep these stories alive。 The scope of this book is limited to stories of the gods and origin stories of Greece - Achilles， Odysseus and Heracles are absent from these pages。 However， breadth is traded happily for depth， and one finishes the book feeling well acquainted with the Olympians， as well as somewhat nostalgic for the times in which their myths are set。 I listened to this on Audible， and Fry's narration is characteristically excellent， breathing life into each character。 What the audiobook lacks， however， is the kind of tabulation that helps keep track of different characters and races。 Definitely worth a read for anyone with a passing interest in Greek myth or who enjoys the works of Stephen Fry。 。。。more

Sarah Kelly ，

Reading this， I don't understand how we ever moved towards Christianity。 It's clear that like many of our English words， the phrase "sex， drugs and rock n roll" came from the Greeks。This particular rendition of these great stories is great for anyone who didn't take classics but wants to know the difference between an ionic， doric and corinthian column for their upcoming trip to Athens。 Reading this， I don't understand how we ever moved towards Christianity。 It's clear that like many of our English words， the phrase "sex， drugs and rock n roll" came from the Greeks。This particular rendition of these great stories is great for anyone who didn't take classics but wants to know the difference between an ionic， doric and corinthian column for their upcoming trip to Athens。 。。。more

Hayley ，

An entertaining and relatable telling of popular Greek myths and how some have shaped our language and culture。 I enjoyed the author’s wit and constant connectivity of the stories to our lives / culture， how the gods were flawed， like us。 （I am guessing this relatability is what makes the Greek myths so timeless and popular through the years。）

Emily Sims ，

I love this book。It manages to be educational and interesting whilst also wildly entertaining。I did this a bit backwards though; I read Heroes （the sequel） first and then listened to Mythos。 Whilst I enjoyed Heroes， there is something very magical about listening to Stephen Fry read his own writing as it was intended to be read。 It really did add to the experience of what is a very well-written and engaging book in itself。 A great refresher for those of us already familiar with the myths， and a I love this book。It manages to be educational and interesting whilst also wildly entertaining。I did this a bit backwards though; I read Heroes （the sequel） first and then listened to Mythos。 Whilst I enjoyed Heroes， there is something very magical about listening to Stephen Fry read his own writing as it was intended to be read。 It really did add to the experience of what is a very well-written and engaging book in itself。 A great refresher for those of us already familiar with the myths， and a great introduction for those who aren’t。 I also found that I knew a lot more about the Heroes than I did about the Gods， which made this book more interesting for me。 It will be one to revisit again and again。 。。。more

Vasudha ，

This read to me more like an encyclopaedia。 Was it meant to be？

Rachel ，

A fun listen on audiobook。 I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology！ A fun listen on audiobook。 I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology！ 。。。more

Chris Haley ，

This book was tremendously entertaining。 Stephen Fry is a fantastic writer。 I felt like a young boy being swept up in a magical world filled with delightful tales that kept me engaged and awestruck the whole time。 The tale， though thousands of years old felt fresh and new。 Mythos is packed full of wisdom told in a subtle pleasant way that comes across as witty and sometimes poetic。 I found myself savoring this book like a fine wine or piece of chocolate。 If you are wanting to read about Greek My This book was tremendously entertaining。 Stephen Fry is a fantastic writer。 I felt like a young boy being swept up in a magical world filled with delightful tales that kept me engaged and awestruck the whole time。 The tale， though thousands of years old felt fresh and new。 Mythos is packed full of wisdom told in a subtle pleasant way that comes across as witty and sometimes poetic。 I found myself savoring this book like a fine wine or piece of chocolate。 If you are wanting to read about Greek Mythology， then this is a great place to start。 5/5 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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