Greek Myths

47 stories, retracing the most famous scenes in Greek mythology, evoke the timeless drama of its fascinating protagonists. Heracles, Jason, Midas, and above all Homer’s tales of Odysseus belong to the permanent stock of our cultural and literary canon. Here, their exploits are magnificently staged by leading artists from the Golden Age of...
The Greek myths are timeless classics, whose scenes and figures have captivated us since ancient times. The gods and heroes of these legends embody universal human characteristics and truths – the courage of Perseus, the greed of Midas, the ambition of Icarus, the vengeance of Medea or the hubris of Niobe. These traits are the basis for immortal dramas and rich narratives, as profound as they are entertaining, which form the bedrock of our culture and literature today and remain relevant and fascinating for all readers, young and old alike.This edition contains 47 tales based on the most famous episodes in Greek mythology, from Prometheus, the Argonauts, and Theseus to the Trojan War and Homer’s Odyssey. The individual texts are selected from the seminal work Sagen des klassischen Altertums (Legends of Classical Antiquity) by Gustav Schwab (1792–1850), and strikingly illustrated by 29 artists, among them outstanding representatives of the Golden Age of Book Illustration and the Arts and Crafts Movement, including Walter Crane (1845–1915), Arthur Rackham (1867–1939), William Russell Flint (1880–1969), and Virginia Frances Sterrett (1900–1930).These illustrations are complimented by contemporary vignettes and a genealogical tree of Greek gods and goddesses by Clifford Harper, commissioned especially for this volume. Placing the tales in context, the book contains a historical introduction by Dr. Michael Siebler, and is rounded off with biographies of all contributing artists and an extensive glossary of Greek mythology’s most famous protagonists. The heroism, tragedy, and theater of Greek mythology glimmers through each tale in this opulently illustrated edition, awakening the gods and heroes to new life.