ONE MYTH, MORE THAN ONE VERSION
Gods, heroes
and sources.
A stolen fire. A jar that should never have been opened. A ball of thread in a labyrinth. Read eleven Greek myths retold from the ancient texts, and see exactly where each version comes from and where the poets disagree.
Every sentence is labelled History, Literature or Tradition, with its source, book and line beside it.
For curious readers, families and teachers who like a good myth with its source beside it.
How we tell it ↗THREE THREADS TO PULL
Begin with the fire.
Prometheus and fire
A trick with an ox, fire hidden in a fennel stalk, and a long punishment.
Read the notebook ↗Retold from HesiodPandora and the jar
Why is it a box today? A 16th-century scholar has the answer.
Read the notebook ↗Retold from ApollodorusPerseus and Medusa
Three sisters with one eye, or two? It depends which ancient writer you read.
Read the notebook ↗MYTHS HAVE DATES TOO
Who told it first?
Homer and Hesiod in the 8th century BCE, Ovid in Latin about 8 CE, a handbook under the name of Apollodorus, a 16th-century slip that turned a jar into a box, and a 19th-century daughter for Midas.
Walk the timeline ↗Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Fifteen books of Latin verse full of transformations.
Who wrote the myths down? ↗1851
Hawthorne’s A Wonder Book
Where Midas’ daughter comes from ↗A SMALL TEST OF CURIOSITY
Myth, literature or history?
Sort twelve statements into the right pile, then try the ten-question quiz. Explanations after every answer.
SIX STAMPS TO COLLECT
The Greek myths stamp card.
A fire question, a thread question, a question about a very golden breakfast. Answer from the notebook and earn the ink.
Prefer paper? Printable Greek myths packs, with a free sample.
THE READING SHELF
Read the ancient texts free.
Hesiod, Homer, the Homeric Hymns, Apollodorus and Ovid are all free to read online in English translation on the Theoi Project and the Perseus Digital Library. If you want a printed copy, compare translations before the cover catches your eye.
Free texts & the reading shelf ↗Three sisters, or two?
Apollodorus gives the Graiae three sisters sharing one eye and one tooth. Ovid gives two. Neither is wrong: they are different tellings.
When sources disagree ↗