Mythology Books

Another teacher asked me about some young adult fiction dealing with mythology. I am ashamed that outside of the Rick Riordan books that I couldn't think of many. So I went to the internet and searched for books.

In my search, I ran across these two books:

Here is the blurb:

When Phoebe’s mom returns from Greece with a new husband and moves them to an island in the Aegean, Phoebe’s plans for her senior year and track season are ancient history. Now she must attend the uberexclusive academy, where admission depends on pedigree, namely, ancestry from Zeus, Hera, and other Greek gods. That’s right, they’re real, not myth, and their teen descendants are like the classical heroes—supersmart and superbeautiful with a few superpowers. And now they’re on her track team! Armed only with her Nikes and the will to win, Phoebe races to find her place among the gods.

Seems to me to be a female take off on Percy Jackson, but I may be wrong. I'm interested in knowing if anyone has read it and can shed some more light here.

So now I'm giving you homework. Can you add any more books to a young adult list of mythology themed books? Post them in a comment. I would like to compile a list. I know that Ailia did over at Paleothea a while back, but I believe that post is long gone.

Mythology Teachers Buy This Book!

Hey guys,

This has been a hectic year. I'm hoping to get the blog back up and running on a regular basis soon. However, in the meantime, I want to do something that I've been meaning to do for quite a while now.

School is starting up and everyone is getting ready. Those of you that are mythology teachers (and those of you who just love things associated with mythology) really need to visit Mythology Teacher. I've reviewed the site before for a whopping five out of five lightning bolts. It is packed with everything you need. You truly will NOT find a site more helpful to you as a mythology teacher. Zak does his own art work, reader's theatre, and more. He's not just limited to Greek and Roman, either. Zak includes Arthurian, Japanese, Norse, Russian, and local legends. He's got web quests, freebie activities to print out, posters to buy - what could be better than this?

I'll tell you! Reaching Olympus is his newest book. It has nine plays for use in the classroom. By using the play form, it gets the students more involved and into the story. Plus, you can do a quick unit on Greek plays and perform the plays in class if you like.

The plays are the stories of:

Perseus

Atalanta

Jason and the Golden Fleece

Narcissus and Echo

Oedipus Rex

Orpheus and Eurydice

and my personal favorite, Icarus.

But wait! There's more! Not only do you get the plays, you also get a a summary and all the background info you need, questions for before and after the play, terms and literary devices, games, puzzles, glossary, and pronunciation guide. Plus a secret bonus myth thrown in for the heck of it.

I give this book my highest recommendation. Five out of five lightning bolts. If you don't buy this, you won't be my friend.

You can order this book in hard back form or eBook form as well as see some sample pages at:

http://www.mythologyteacher.com/Learn-More-About-Creative-Mythology-Textbooks.php

A Book of Mythic Porportions!

O.K., since I am a teacher, I get teacher junk mail from time to time.  Today, I got one that got my interest up.  I have never seen this and am wondering if any of you have.  Here is the e-mail that I opened today:

It looks like something right up my oldest son's alley.  However, I shudder to think of the bad jokes that will certainly abound in the All in the Family edition!  I get all the books except the She's All That.  Come on, a whole book on female mythic characters?  I chapter, sure, but a book?   Just kidding Alia!  I have to let my male chauvinist side out once in while.  The other thing that I want to know is, how many of you out there have already Facebooked a god?  You know you're out there.  I don't do Facebook, but I'm sure if I did, I would have been nerdy enough to have already hit the big twelve.

So, no lightning bolts yet as I haven't looked at anything other than this ad.  Help me out people.  Has anyone seen this?  At least flipped through it?  I might get it for my son if I get some good reviews.

The Penelopiad

The following is NOT my review.  I have not read the book; however, it seems fun enough.  The review is by Allison Spooner at the Denver Book Review Examiner.  The original review is the link below, plus you get a picture of Alison.  Please click the link to read the entire review.  

http://www.examiner.com/x-5799-Denver-Book-Reviews-Examiner~y2009m8d16-The-Penelopiad-a-treat-for-Greek-Mythology-fans

If you are a fan of Greek myths, specifically The Odyssey or The Illiad, then you will highly enjoy “The Penelopiad” by Margaret Atwood. The book takes the story of Odysseus and his many triumphs, and puts the spotlight on his wife, Penelope, left alone at home for twenty years.

While putting a modern spin on the story, Penelope narrates her tale from Hades, where she wanders the after life, lamenting over her past life. She tells us the real story; how she and Odysseus met, how she was treated in his castle and their married life. Then she explains the motives behind the events we are familiar with; the murder of the suitors and the maids, and Odysseus’s homecoming.

Those familiar with Greek mythology will enjoy seeing the names of familiar Gods and Goddesses and finding out what Penelope and her peers really though of them. With poems and songs by the Maids intertwined through the chapters, the story is a quick read and a highly enjoyable tale. 

 

Anyone who has read this book, I would love a comment from you with your opinion.

How Many Gods Is Enough?

I have reviewed Bernard Cornwell's books before. I have two series of his that I love. The first is the King Alfred series. That is pretty heavy historical fiction. The other series is about King Arthur (told you I've been on a King Arthur kick lately). This takes a different approach than most King Arthur stories. It mingles the legends with a historical mindset and merges the two. You see familiar characters and they act in a familiar fashion, but they take a life of their own. I love how he portrays Lancelot as a coward (never did like the guy).

This is not really a book review (although if it was I'd rank it a 4 lightning bolts out of 5 - once you get into it, you're hooked, however, getting into it may take a little bit of patience). No, I'm going to point out one thing about it that I like. In both of these series, you get a good look of what it is like to be a follower of mythology - not a fan like we are, but a believer. What is life like on a daily basis? How does a belief in Mithras or Woden affect the choices you make? Good stuff like that. If you are interested at all in either Norse or Celtic gods and goddesses, you ought to pick up one of these series (King Alfred for the Norse ones).

In Excalibur, he addresses what it would be like living in an area that believed in Christianity, Saxon gods (like Woden), newer Celtic gods (like Lugh), Roman gods (like Mithras), Egyptian gods (like Isis), and older Celtic gods (like Cernunnos). This is what it would be like to live in Saxon-invaded-England-post-Roman Empire. Here is what was said when the main character, Derfel - not Arthur, finds out that before their feast, they'll have to worship a god unfamiliar to him:

"She's brought a Druid out of Demetia, and before we all eat tonight we have to worship Nantosuelta."

"Who?" Ceinwyn asked.

"A goddess," Culhwch said carelessly. There were so many gods and goddesses that it was impossible for anyone but a Druid to know all their names.

Another reason why Christianity rocks. I actually knew some things about this goddess from teaching a high school mythology class a little while back. Nantosuelta is a Celtic goddess, but to be fair to Derfel and his wife Ceinwyn, there are different generations of Celtic gods. Many of the older ones we don't have much to go on. Nantosuelta is one of those. This picture shows her with her lover Sucellus.

Her name means, “wandering river”. She was probably a fertility goddess (water being heavily associated with childbirth). In this book, she is depicted as a fertility goddess as well. She is a patron of hearth and home and she is usually seen carrying a basket of apples. Sometimes she is seen with a raven as her symbol, a symbol that some scholars think associate her with the dead. That's one thing I like about the Celtic gods - they pretty much did a little of everything.

Well, I want to get back to my book now. Merlin is up to something, the Saxons are attacking, and Mordred and Lancelot are plotting. Oh my!

The Last Olympian

I haven't been able to write much lately, and for that I apologize.  The newest book int he Percy Jackson series has come out and it is entitled The Last Olympian.  It will take me several days to finish since I am reading it with my son.  If you have not read this series, even if you have no children to read it to, you should definitely do so.

As the name suggests, there is a nasty fate possible for the gods.  In fact, the titans are back and looking to cause problems.  Going only on that, I'm asking you (and no, you do NOT have to be a reader of this series to answer) to pick - if you were writing a story about the gods vs. titans, if only one Olympian could survive, who would you pick?

My scenario would have Zeus out of the fight early on - come on, they would all go after him first, right?  I thinking maybe Hermes as the final survivor.  His trickery, wily ways, and out and out speed to help him survive.

Well?  What about you?  Who would you pick?

Lords of the North

I just got finished with taxes (ugh!) and while I'm waiting for the printer to spit out all those pages of forms, I thought I'd post a review here.

Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwall is the third book in the Saxon series.  It is all about King Alfred the Great, even though Alfred is not the main character.  It is seen through the eyes of Uthred, a Saxon who was raised by Danes and has a different viewpoint on Christianity and what makes England England.  I've review the first book, The Last Kingdom, already.  It took me awhile before I picked the series back up, not because I didn't like the series - far from it.  It was because some ne'er-do-well checked out the second book and kept it out for a looooong time.  I finally checked out the LARGE PRINT VERSION SO I COULD CONTINUE THE SERIES.  MUCH TO MY DISMAY, THE LARGE PRINT WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY NICE ON MY EYES...  Anyway, I thought I would share with you a paragraph from this book which shows why that even though it is historical fiction, the interweaving of mythology and Christianity makes this book a must read for anyone interested in either Norse mythology or how the early Christians handled the taking over of England.    Keep in mind that the narrator here is more inclined toward the Danes and so does not like Christians very much.

     I am no Christian. These days it does no good to confess that, for the bishops and abbots have too much influence and it is easier to pretend to a faith than to fight angry ideas. I was raised a Christian, but at ten years old, when I was taken into Ragnar's family, I discovered the old Saxon gods who were also the gods of the Danes and of the Norsemen, and their worship has always made more sense to me than bowing down to a god who belongs to a country so far away that I have met no one who has ever been there. Thor and Odin walked our hills, slept in our valleys, loved our women and drank from our streams, and that makes them seem like neighbors. The other thing I like about our gods is that they are not obsessed with us. They have their own squabbles and love affairs and seem to ignore us much of the time, but the Christian god has nothing better to do than to make rules for us. He makes rules, more rules, prohibitions and commandments, and he needs hundreds of black-robed priests and monks to make sure we obey those laws. He strikes me as a very grumpy god, that one, even though his priests are forever claiming that he loves us. I have never been so stupid as to think that Thor or Odin or Hoder loved me, though I hope at times they have thought me worthy of them. 

Overall, I give this a 5 lightning bolts out of 5 rating.  A must read!

Groovy Greeks

While this book (yes, I know I used the audio cover here, but the book cover is essentially the same) is obviously a kids book, it doesn't shy away from giving good information in a fun to read format.  It is a series called Horrible Histories which includes The Vile Victorians, The Vicious Vikings, The Rotten Romans, and The Angry Aztecs to name a few.  They have a way of making history fun with really corny jokes (as you can see from the cover) - kind of a Monty Python does history sort of thing.  

My son came home with The Groovy Greeks from a school book fair.  He paid 25 cents for it and only picked it because he thought it might have something about mythology in it (yes, he is as geeky as his dad).  It does.  It has a whole chapter about them called The Gruesome Gods and throughout the book it refers to the gods since so much of what the Greeks, I mean the groovy Greeks, did was done because of their belief in the gods.  The back of the book entices you with these questions:

• Want to know why some groovy Greek girls ran around naked pretending to be bears?
• Want to know who had the world's first flushing toilet?
• Want to know why some dedicated doctors tasted their patients' ear wax?

Who wouldn't???  (want to know, that it - not taste ear wax!)

One of my favorite sections is Clytemnestra's diary where she repeatedly refers to Paris as "that nice Paris guy" and Electra and Orestes as an "odd couple."  It also lets you know that in Corinth, you could speak directly to the gods.  At the oracle there was evidently a room underground from which a priest could listen to the request and then yell out the answer which would make it sound as if the gods were speaking.

It is a neat little book that is worth more than just a quarter.  Although in one part it asks if you think your teacher would did a noble death like Socrates, but then adds that "unfortunately" you won't be able to find out since hemlock can't be found in your local pharmacy.  UNFORTUNATELY!  You can see more of what these people are about at their website: http://www.horrible-histories.co.uk/.  

I'll give it 3.5 lightning bolts out of 5 and definitely recommend it if you have kids or teach kids.  Like I said, it is a fun read and full of information.   If I ran across one of the others, I'd probably pick it up ... for the kids of course ...

Tigerheart

Peter David is an excellent writer, very skilled at taking existing characters and breathing new life into them.  He started with comics (Spider-Man) and moved on to the Hulk, Aquaman, and Supergirl.  Everywhere he went, the title, once lagging in sales, blew through the roof.  He had a great novel series (well, at least two out of three) on King Arthur.  

His newest novel is Tigerheart, a tribute/continuation of Peter Pan.  Since the Peter Pan franchise is closely copyright guarded, he doesn't actually use the names.  Instead of Peter Pan, you have The Boy.  Instead of Wendy, you have Gwenny (which in real life is the name of the author's daughter).  Instead of Captain Hook, you the notorious Captain Hack (who has a hatchet for a hand).  They don't live in Neverland, but instead Anyplace.

To avoid the over cheesiness of ripping off another author , he pays tribute to Peter Pan's author by offering him thanks.  Although it is difficult to get used to. 

This is not a book written for kids, but rather for adults lamenting the loss of their childhood.  It is not unsuitable for children (I'm reading it to my 9 year old now and he likes it much better than I do).  To me, though, this is not Peter David's best work (my son, reading over my shoulder disagrees, but since he has never read any of David's other works, don't take his advice).  But the reason I thought it worth mentioning here is the mythology connection.  Peter David has always shown a penchant for mythology in his writings (both comic and prose).  In this book, he explains why Peter Pan has such a mischievous nature by having Peter claim to be the grand nephew of Loki, the Norse trickster/shape shifting god of trouble.  I think it is a good fit.  It explains the happy-go-lucky, selfish nature of Pan.

Got extra time and nothing to read?  Pick this up at your local library.  It is a good reminder of an old story.  I give it 2.5 lightning bolts out of 5.  I would love to hear from anyone who read the book and see if they agree.

Giants, Monsters,and Dragons - Oh My!

My first week of vacation was at the beach. I love the beach. It doesn't matter if it is rainy or cold, the beach is the place to be. While waiting for my wife to pick out a swim suit, I took my boys over to the Barnes and Noble and told them I'd get them a book. My eldest got a Pokemon book, the youngest got Five Chinese Brothers, which is perhaps the best book ever on Asian siblings with supernatural powers. Not to be left out, I wandered over to the mythology section and found Giants, Monsters, and Dragons by Carol Rose. What a fantastic book!

What it is is an encyclopedia of creatures that can be found in mythology and legend. There are many things that make this a great book to have in your collection of reference books:

• It is pretty comprehensive. It has well over 2,000 entries and gives most entries a fair amount of coverage.
• It covers many cultures. In fact, it covers Anatolia, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Roman, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Sumer, Zambia, Libya, South Africa, Tanzania, Sotho, Zambia, Dahomey, the Congo, Nigeria, Tschwi, Ashanti, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Burma, Canada (Canadian mythology - now there's something I've overlooked), the Caribbean, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Venezuela, China, Czech, Denmark, Croatian, Slav, Serbian, Bosnian, Romanian, England, Estonia, Medieval Europe, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Indonesia, Ireland, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lapp, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Cook Islands, Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Basque, Switzerland, Thailand, Native American, and other American. If a particular culture is not mentioned, I must have over looked it. If you want to hear about a particular one, leave a comment and I'll pick a monster from that area for a post.
• It has an incredible index. The book is set up in alphabetical order, so if you knew a particular monster by name, you could just look it up. You can look up creatures by nationality. You can look up creatures by type. You can look up creatures by what they are associated with (water, end of time, etc.).
• It is heavily documented. Carol Rose used 189 different sources to find her information and gives them all credit if you want to read more.

The only thing I could say that would make this a better book would be to have more illustrations of creatures.

I give it a 4.5 lightning bolts out of five.

So now if someone mentions a Gaki to me, I'll be able to know that it is a Japanese demon with a huge red or green belly, a horse head, three eyes, huge horns and claws, and is always tormented by hunger and thirst. And I know how to defeat it. That's pretty handy information.

Knight Life

If you are a King Arthur fan and have not read Peter David's Knight Life, then I have one question for you, what are you waiting for? Peter David has a great style of writing. It is not a deep, philosophical style. It is humorous, light hearted, and accurate. Peter David is obviously a lover of the Arthurian legend and it shows. Countless times the Arthurian legend has been rewritten. This is the only time (that I know of) that the legend has been continued.

That's right. The "once and future king" is back. It is the future (here and now for us) and we are in a time of need. Arthur has returned. This time, he has come back in New York. Once just can't go around wielding Excalibur and claiming to be president, so Arthur finds himself trying to go through the election process - starting with mayor of New York. Perceval is here, having drunk from the holy grail, he has eternal life. Morgana le Fay is still around, fat and lazy after centuries of a meaningless lifestyle. Merlin, too is around. Here Davis takes T.H. White's viewpoint that Merlin ages backwards, so we see him now as a 4 year old. You don't see too many mayor candidates listing a 4 year old as their campaign manager.

The best thing about this book besides the humor is the accuracy. David knows his legends and tries to keep his story, however light hearted, true to the Arthurian tales. He wrote two sequels that, while interesting, are not quite as good.

The author has a reputation for taking existing stories and breathing new life into them. I give Knight Life a five out of five lightning bolt rating. The next book, One Knight Only I give a 3.5 lightning bolt rating, and the last book in this series is Fall of Knight, which I give a 2.5 lightning bolt rating. Despite this, I am sure that once you have read Knight Life you will want to check out the others for yourself.