36 h 55 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 36 h 55 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What stories lie behind the names Apollo, Circe, Arthur and Roland—and why do writers keep returning to them?
In Bulfinch's Mythology, Thomas Bulfinch brings gods, heroes and monsters within reach of readers who are not scholars. Greek and Roman legends lead you through love, pride and dangerous tests. Perseus faces the task of taking Medusa's head; in the myth, her gaze turns men to stone. The stories of Troy open another world of conflict.
The collection moves from classical tales to Norse and Eastern myth, then to Arthur's knights in The Age of Chivalry and the paladins of Charlemagne. Bulfinch keeps each tale short enough to enjoy on its own. Along the way, lines of poetry show how these old stories live within English literature, giving familiar names a richer meaning.
What you’ll discover
- Gods with familiar names Meet the Greek and Roman gods whose names echo through poetry and art.
- Love that changes shape Discover tales such as Apollo and Daphne, where love and transformation meet.
- Heroes against monsters Follow Perseus toward Medusa and explore the dangerous tests that shape heroic legends.
- The world of chivalry Enter the stories of King Arthur's knights and the paladins of Charlemagne.
- A key to literature Find the stories behind allusions that might otherwise leave you puzzled.
Who will love it
This book suits curious readers who love poetry and want its allusions explained, and anyone who enjoys gods, monsters, quests and Arthur's knights told clearly.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Mythology unlocks the literature you already read
- The Greek universe and its crowded Olympus
- Fire, Pandora, the four ages and the flood
- Love and loss become trees, rivers and berries
- Jealous and offended gods punish with swift cruelty
- Devotion, hospitality and the risk of doubt
- Heroes face monsters, quests and fate
- Troy, the wanderings of Ulysses and the road to Rome
- Northern, Egyptian and Eastern myths widen the map
- Arthur, the Mabinogeon and Charlemagne's paladins
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La Mythologie de Bulfinch
Prometheus steals fire, Thor mistakes a giant's glove for a hall, and Arthur draws a sword from a stone.
ChallengingOver 20 hours to readfrançais
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In short
Why does a poet call Rome the Niobe of nations, and why does the line fall flat for a reader who has never met Niobe? Thomas Bulfinch wrote this book to fix that problem.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Mythology unlocks the literature you already read
Bulfinch begins by defending a subject many call useless. If usefulness means only money and rank, he admits, mythology fails. But if it means making people happier and better, it earns the title, because mythology serves literature and literature serves virtue.
His proof is practical. Milton's short poem Comus holds more than thirty allusions to the old gods. The first page of the Aeneid speaks of Juno's hatred, the Parcae and the judgment of Paris, and a reader without the stories cannot follow it. A dictionary is no cure. It gives bare facts, and the tale of Ceyx and Halcyone fills a chapter here but only eight lines there.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 24 h 0 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/bulfinchs-mythology.
Bulfinch, T. (2026). Bulfinch's mythology. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bulfinchs-mythology
Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bulfinchs-mythology.
@book{bulfinch2026bulfinchs,
author = {Bulfinch, Thomas},
title = {Bulfinch's Mythology},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bulfinchs-mythology}
}
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What is Bulfinch's Mythology about?
It retells myths and legends in readable prose, from Greek and Roman gods and heroes to Norse, Egyptian and Eastern beliefs, the Druids, King Arthur's knights, Welsh tales and Charlemagne's paladins, with poetic quotations to show their influence.
Who wrote Bulfinch's Mythology and why?
Thomas Bulfinch, an American writer who died in 1867, wrote it so readers of English literature could understand allusions to the gods and heroes in poems, essays and speeches, without having to study the ancient languages.
Where do the stories in Bulfinch's Mythology come from?
Most classical tales come from Ovid and Virgil, the Norse stories from Mallet's Northern Antiquities, and the Charlemagne legends from Italian poets such as Pulci, Boiardo and Ariosto, plus other collections.
The author
Thomas Bulfinch
1796–1867 · American writer and mythologist
Thomas Bulfinch was an American writer born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1796. He lived and worked in Boston, where he died in 1867. He wrote The Age of Fable (1855), The Age of Chivalry (1858), and Legends of Charlemagne (1863). These works were later collected as Bulfinch’s Mythology.
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