36 h 55 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 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
For readers who love old stories, poetry and art, and for anyone who wants Milton, Byron or Keats to open up. It suits storytellers, students and families who enjoy a tale told with warmth.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Olympus Lives On in Literature
- Creation, Fire and the Fall of Ages
- Love Changes Shapes in Ovid's Tales
- Pride Meets Swift Punishment
- Ceres, Proserpine and Psyche's Trials
- Heroes Face Monsters and Labors
- Troy, Ulysses and Aeneas Wander
- Norse, Egyptian and Eastern Myths
- Arthur, Wales and Charlemagne's Knights
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Bulfinch's Mythology
A boy asks to drive his father's sun chariot for one day, despite warnings that even the gods cannot manage it.
ChallengingOver 20 hours to readEnglish
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In short
What would you make of a poem that speaks of Juno's hatred, the judgment of Paris and the honors of Ganymede if you had never met them? Thomas Bulfinch wrote this book so readers could enjoy the stories behind such lines.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Olympus Lives On in Literature
Bulfinch starts from a simple claim. The religions of Greece and Rome have no worshippers left, but their gods live on in poetry and art. Knowing their stories lets a reader follow the allusions that fill English verse.
He opens with the Greek picture of the universe. The earth is a flat disk with Greece at its center and the River Ocean flowing around it. The gods live on Mount Olympus, feasting on ambrosia and nectar while Apollo plays his lyre and the Muses sing. Vulcan builds their houses of brass, Jupiter rules with thunder, and Juno, Neptune, Pluto, Minerva, Mercury and Venus each hold a domain. The Romans, he explains, gave these gods Latin names and added household spirits such as the Lares and Penates.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 7 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 24 h 0 min
- Level
- Challenging
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What is Bulfinch's Mythology about?
It retells the myths of Greece and Rome, then adds Norse, Egyptian, Persian and Hindu tales, the legends of King Arthur and the Welsh Mabinogeon, and the stories of Charlemagne and his knights.
Are the stories in Bulfinch's Mythology true?
They are myths and legends, not history. Bulfinch drew on Ovid, Virgil and Homer, on Mallet's account of northern traditions, and on medieval romances, and he often notes where a tale may rest on real events.
Why does Bulfinch quote so many poets?
The quotations help fix each story in memory and show how poets such as Milton, Byron and Keats borrowed from myth. They also teach readers to recognize allusions when they meet them.
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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