12 h 7 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 12 h 7 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Before the Olympians rule, generations of gods struggle for power—and the world of heroes waits beyond.
In Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, E. M. Berens brings scattered tales into a connected sequence. Begin with the early divine powers, then meet Zeus, Hera, Athena, and Apollo. Their realms span the heavens, marriage, wisdom, music, and prophecy, while lesser divinities inhabit the waters, woods, and other corners of life.
The book moves from the gods and their worship into a dangerous world of heroic quests. Temples, sacrifices, oracles, and festivals reveal the religious setting of these stories. Then Perseus, Heracles, Theseus, and the Argonauts face monsters and divine commands, alongside the great cycles surrounding Troy and Odysseus. Greek figures also find their Roman counterparts.
What you’ll discover
- Before the Olympian gods Follow the struggle between divine generations before the familiar gods take their places.
- Gods with distinct realms Meet Athena through wisdom and skill, and Apollo through music and prophecy.
- Stories rooted in worship Explore temples, sacrifices, oracles, and festivals as parts of ancient religious life.
- Heroes facing danger Enter tales of quests, monsters, royal households, and commands from the gods.
- Names that echo onward Recognize the mythic figures and images that recur throughout Western art and literature.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy stories of gods, monsters and heroes, students meeting classical names for the first time, and anyone curious about the myths behind art and everyday words.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The gods look human but never die
- Each ruler falls to the child he fears
- Zeus rules heaven with a quarrelsome family
- Persephone's loss explains seasons and the dead
- Apollo, Artemis, Hermes and Dionysus shape culture
- Lesser spirits and Roman gods fill every corner
- Temples, oracles and festivals gave myths daily life
- Cadmus, Perseus and Jason set out on quests
- Heracles, Theseus and Oedipus face fate and monsters
- The Trojan War and the road home
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Miti e leggende dell'antica Grecia e di Roma
by E. M. Berens · 1880
A father devours his children, but a son concealed in a cave survives and grows up to overthrow him.
Challenging5–10 hours to readItaliano
Learn a language with challenging classicsSpagnoloFranceseTedescoItalianoGiapponesePortogheseIngleseAll 25 languages
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In short
Picture a father who swallows each of his children the moment they are born. His wife wraps a stone in baby clothes and hands it over in place of the newest child.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The gods look human but never die
Berens begins by asking what kind of beings the Greek gods were. They look like people, only taller, more beautiful and far stronger. They marry, have children, eat and sleep. Their blood is a bright fluid called ichor.
They also share human feelings. They can be vengeful, jealous and sly, and they punish anyone who scorns their worship. Some join with mortals, and their children are the heroes, or demigods. The firm line between gods and people is that gods never die.
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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
- First published
- 1880
- Language
- Italiano
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Berens, E. M. Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/myths-and-legends-of-ancient-greece-and-rome.
Berens, E. M. (2026). Myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/myths-and-legends-of-ancient-greece-and-rome (Original work published 1880)
Berens, E. M. Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/myths-and-legends-of-ancient-greece-and-rome.
@book{berens2026myths,
author = {Berens, E. M.},
title = {Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/myths-and-legends-of-ancient-greece-and-rome},
note = {First published 1880}
}
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What is Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome about?
It is a guide to the gods, goddesses, spirits and heroes of classical mythology. The first half covers the myths of the deities and their Roman counterparts. The second half retells the legends of heroes such as Perseus, Jason, Heracles, Theseus and the Trojan War.
Who are the Greek and Roman equivalents of each other's gods?
Berens pairs the gods throughout. Zeus is Jupiter, Hera is Juno, Athene is Minerva, Poseidon is Neptune, Aphrodite is Venus, Ares is Mars, Hermes is Mercury, and Demeter is Ceres. Many entries name a Roman counterpart and explain how its worship or character differed.
Is this a collection of true stories?
These are ancient myths and legends rather than history. Berens retells them from classical writers such as Homer, Hesiod and Ovid, and offers explanations of how nature, early heroes and poetic imagination may have shaped them. The book itself dates from the nineteenth century.
The author
E. M. Berens
Writer on Greek mythology
E. M. Berens is the author behind Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, a much-loved Victorian handbook that retells the stories of the Olympian gods and classical heroes for general readers. We've carried that same welcoming spirit forward, restoring the text into clear modern English for a new generation of mythology lovers.
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