Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome

by E.M. Berens

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‘This was the slaying of the Minotaur, which put an end forever to the shameful tribute of seven youths and seven maidens which was exacted from the Athenians every nine years.‘


The gods, heroes and legends of Greek mythology and their Roman interpretations are as fascinating as they are instructive. They include the almighty Zeus and his many wives; heroic Perseus, slayer of the snake-headed Medusa; Helen of Troy, whose beauty caused a great war; Medea, driven mad by jealousy; and tragic Persephone, doomed to live half of each year in the Underworld, condemning the world above to winter.


First published in 1880, this comprehensive collection is an early modern retelling of the characters and tales of ancient Greece and Rome; a popular account which offers an important insight into the ancient civilisations that it evokes, and forms a basis for our understanding of the classical world.

Genres: Mythology, Classics, History, Nonfiction, Reference, Religion, Ebooks

347 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1880

Reviews

[Parmida R. A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Berens is a mine of information about the lineage of the gods, forms of worship, festivals and temples devoted to them.

Written in an easy and light style, the author attempts to bring the pantheon of gods into a comprehensible format. He organizes them into different dynasties and chronologies to make it easier for the reader to understand the labyrinthine relationships and connections between the various gods, heroes, minor divinities, mythical figures and legendary creatures.
It is interestingly chronicled, right from the primordial legend of Uranus and Gaia to the Creation of the Earth, through the dynasties of the Gods, heroes and divinities of the Night and the Sea, right up to the Trojan War where the Gods played a most important role in the destiny of humans.

[Tahera · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first ever audio book. Interesting experience... realised two things:
1 A good option to finish a book quickly
2 I have been mispronoucing quite a few words till now :3

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well researched and essential book for anyone trying to learn more in real depth about the religious beliefs of the Greeks and Romans. It doesn't go into any great depth in any one area but what it does is cover all ridiculous numbers of the Gods and Godesses of both Pantheons. I honestly had no idea that there were so many minor divinities until reading this book.

It loses a star by being a true history book and not making much effort to liven things up. It reads very nearly as a textbook and I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who isn't honestly interested in the subject.

[Conor Ahern · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book through Better Morning Reading, which sends you a chapter of a book every morning by email. Not a bad way to consume a book, but this one was a bit dry and didn't really divulge too much of interest that I didn't already know. Still, I picked it for its short chapters so I suppose I shouldn't have been expecting too much. Those Greeks sure were petty.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on my e-reader, which meant I didn’t have access to the much lauded footnotes (major drawback I didn’t know about when I bought it!). However, I read it to refresh my memory of ancient mythology before settling down to read The Iliad, and I am amazingly glad I did. Berens has done an excellent job of assuming that as an adult you probably know the basics, and manages to both refresh what you already knew, and introduce new material. I especially enjoyed learning more about HOW the ancients worshiped their myriad gods. I also was glad he acknowledged some of the more common myths about the myths and included information about the Roman myth that corresponds with the Greek myth right on the same page instead of in a separate section. That helped make it one of the most well organized reference books I’ve ever read, as well as one of the most interesting.

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the sort of book I would usually read but I figured I'd give it a try. If you like to read about ancient Greece and Rome then this is the book for you but unfortunately it really didn't impress me that much.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent quality Project Gutenberg ebook: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/22381

It's a keeper for reference.

[Cari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not dry or well referenced enough for a textbook and not written in flowery enough prose for an amusement.

[Sara Aouichi · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed reading this also listning to the audio book

[Tommy /|\ · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an embarrassing piece of work. Berens litters most of the retellings of the myths and legends with his over-arching commentary on how each mythological tale and archetype is essentilly the work of a "savage", "crude" or "unrefined" civilization.

[Ceyrone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a success. I read this with my year 6 class and they loved it. They loved all the stories and the myths and legends, they really got into this, they were engaged and absorbed. Highly recommend this book. I think this was partly because of the Percy Jackson books that they have read.

[Slippy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't really care for the roman myths

[Mert · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars (%58/100)

The book was originally published in 1880 and if you consider that fact, then it could get a higher mark. I've read most of the books out there that deal with Greek and Roman mythology, whether it is a textbook, like this one, or a fantasy/sci-fi book with mythological elements. Even though this book started as interesting, I found myself getting bored because it is presented as a history book. I love history but when it is explained in a simple but fun way. The same thing is true for mythology as well since it is highly related to history. This is why I really liked Gaiman's Norse Mythology and recently Stephen Fry's Mythos. Those books also contain a lot of information but both Gaiman and Fry are brilliant storytellers. Sadly, Berens is not, he is more like a history professor. The book contains good information about a lot of myths and legends. I especially liked the comparison between Greek and Roman when talking about the same myth or the deity. Talking about festivals like Saturnalia is also interesting. However, the biggest problem is the way all of these are presented: boring. Nonetheless, it is still a good source for Greek and Roman mythology.

[Eddie Galarza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greece is the cradle of Western civilization. Even after thousands of years our culture and society continues to be heavily influenced by the beliefs, myths and legends of these ancient peoples. For that reason, once upon a time the educational system in the United States included formal instruction about the classics, and in his desire to provide students with a concise volume on this subject, E.M. Berens penned this work. In it you will read about the origin of the gods, their quarrels, love affairs, and blessings to humanity. You will also become acquainted with ancient heroes like Hercules, Jason, Ion, Cadmus, Persius, and many more. There is also a section on their religious beliefs and practices, for which I was particularly grateful. It is truly a wonderful book with only one flaw: its brevity. One of the things that makes the myths and legends of Ancient Greece eternal is the depth they carried. The stories are masterpieces because they dig into the essence of what it means to be human, in all its frivolity, fatality and search for purpose. Unfortunately, due to its shortness, this element is utterly missing in "Myths and Legends." However, I do not wish to discourage anyone from reading it, since this book serves as a good introduction or an overview on the classics.

[yyyasmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand that Greek Mythology is a pretty hefty topic, but the author presents in an easy and understandable way. It's just that, it was hard to keep track of so many characters, though, and at several points I did feel as if I was in a history lesson...and I dozed off. But if you read books like Percy Jackson or whatever and you want to find out more, yeah, then you can use this book as your reference.

[P · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, yes. Of course Greek mythology always is, additional thanks to Percy Jackson. But reader friendly? No seriously, the way its presented I would much rather go and do something else & forget about the book completely than actually read it with interest.

[Jem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always been fascinated with Greek and Roman mythologies but the books were either too complicated or boring. This is a great introduction to world of Greeks and Romans that is comprehensive with many of the highlights of their entire history.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good summary of Greek mythology, relating the stories well but not exhaustively. Roman mythology, however, plays a pretty small part. This book is available online for free.

[Janeiva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I KNOW THIS BOOK IS FOR EDUCATION PURPOSES BUT WOW IT CAN PUT A COLIC CHILD TO BED COULDN'T FINISH

[martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small encyclopedia of all the mythical world of the Greeks and Romans. If you want to reach a general yet perfectly recounted knowledge of the Ancient times, this is the collection for you. It's obviously less engaging than reading the translation of the myths themselves, but the description of almost every god and godess is worth every minute of the reading.
I particularly loved the description of the nymphs, for some reason they had more pathos and poetry to them than any other description given. In fact, sometimes, they could get a bit too much methodic for my taste.

[Jacob Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good book for a crash course in Greek and Roman mythology but one should keep in mind for whom it was written. It generalizes quite a bit; however, it would be hard not to in such a concise novel. I have read many of these 200ish page Greek and Roman mythology books since starting studying classics and I think that this one is pretty good. I would recommend it for someone who wants a good base knowledge of Greek or Roman myth. Maybe for someone who is just beginning their studying and need the basic knowledge or someone who has not experienced Greek mythology outside of Percy Jackson.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for general reference, for general audiences. The author warns in the preface that he tried to make make the narratives palatable to children... which means many of the troubling events are glossed over or described as "joined in marriage" or "became united to". Sometimes the crimes are implied or alluded to, but it would make a good introduction to the stories for children, and a good jumping off point for adults, augmented by a further search through not so abridged versions.

[Maria Lastella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessante guida nelle usanze e festività religiose dell'Antica Grecia e Roma, che include una raccolta dei più grandi miti dell'epoca e una descrizione approfondita di ogni divinità delle religioni di entrambi i popoli. Da consigliare soprattutto a coloro che sono davvero interessati e appassionati della cultura greca e romana. Tuttavia, lo stile di scrittura dei miti e delle leggende era molto piatto e monotono, quindi la lettura di questo libro per me non è stata molto scorrevole.

[Books By Hala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great production from Collins. I usually google these things separately but this book compiles them in great sequence and details . It starts off with the origins of Greek mythology which later spread to Rome. Stories of the gods, legends and festivals are all there with thorough explanation and details. A must have as a reference in any library!

[maria.silvia.m · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bro this took me WAYYY too long to finish but oh well its a nice form of general knowledge
Some parts were funny, some parts were so dumb that they became funny and some parts were Greeks thinking they were intelligently funny when they were actually pretty dumb and therefore comical.
The most battered paperback I own honestly

[Phillip Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really amazing! If you want a good overview of the mythology, this is a great place to go. Not only is there an overview of lots of major and minor divinities, but also stories, description of temples, rituals, and lots more. Definitely worth the time.

[Vivien · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit like reading a text book. The first half was a definition of the origins and relationships of the Greek and Roman gods which got more tedious as the gods got more obscure. The second half was the famous legends which were not written with any gusto.

[Andrea Pisano · Rating 5 out of 5]

È una lettura obbligatoria per chi ama la cultura greco-romana. Spiega in modo esaustivo le principali leggende, dando modo di evidenziare i collegamenti tra i vari personaggi. Lo stile è molto asciutto e fa sembrare il tutto come una vero e proprio canto epico.

[Phil Davin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Torn between giving this bone dry yet factual reader two or three stars.
While it’s as much fun as a microwaves operating manual I think this might be what the author was aiming for.

The odd reference to “Irish peasants” sealed the deal though.

[angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, if I wasn't such a big fan of greek mythology I would've stopped reading this. I found it a bit boring, but I think it'll be a good book for future reference regarding a particular myth.