142 books
—
35 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold” as Want to Read:
Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold
(Stephen Fry's Great Mythology #1)
by
The Greek myths are the greatest stories ever told, passed down through millennia and inspiring writers and artists as varied as Shakespeare, Michelangelo, James Joyce and Walt Disney.
They are embedded deeply in the traditions, tales and cultural DNA of the West. In Stephen Fry's hands the stories of the titans and gods become a brilliantly entertaining account of ribaldry ...more
They are embedded deeply in the traditions, tales and cultural DNA of the West. In Stephen Fry's hands the stories of the titans and gods become a brilliantly entertaining account of ribaldry ...more
Get A Copy
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Mythos,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Earl M.
The print version is being published in the US on 8/27/19
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
I don't know about any of you, but this one's a winner. Far from feeling like another dry recounting of a number of our favorite Greek myths, Fry's down-to-earth humor and traditional (modern) storytelling have turned these gods into something most relatable.
I've read Edith Hamilton and Bullfinch's recountings and I've had the pleasure of countless other sources, but here's where Fry shines: he cherry-picks the very best stories and tells them so charmingly and naturally that I wouldn't be surpr ...more
I've read Edith Hamilton and Bullfinch's recountings and I've had the pleasure of countless other sources, but here's where Fry shines: he cherry-picks the very best stories and tells them so charmingly and naturally that I wouldn't be surpr ...more
The funny thing about Greek mythology is its absolute brutal weirdness. And Stephen Fry totally gets it; he plays on it and as he re-tells it he injects it with so many witty comments. I mean, how could you not? It's waiting to be roasted.
For example, Zeus rips his father Cronos' balls off and throws them to the other side of the earth. The fluid (cough cough) seeps out and thus Aphrodite is born. Once Cronos is defeated, his five children (that he formerly ate) are regurgitated and born anew. ...more
For example, Zeus rips his father Cronos' balls off and throws them to the other side of the earth. The fluid (cough cough) seeps out and thus Aphrodite is born. Once Cronos is defeated, his five children (that he formerly ate) are regurgitated and born anew. ...more
This is good enough to eat! Loooooooooooooooooooove it! Gosh!!! I'll try to savour it for as long as possible!
Q:
What misery can be so great that it causes you to go about half drowning honest ants? (c)
Q:
‘You should ask yourself what brought you here,’ said Pan. ‘If it’s love, then you must pray to Aphrodite and Eros for guidance and relief. If your own wickedness caused your downfall then you must live to repent. If it was caused by others then you must live to revenge.’ (c)
Q:
What a business. Th ...more
Q:
What misery can be so great that it causes you to go about half drowning honest ants? (c)
Q:
‘You should ask yourself what brought you here,’ said Pan. ‘If it’s love, then you must pray to Aphrodite and Eros for guidance and relief. If your own wickedness caused your downfall then you must live to repent. If it was caused by others then you must live to revenge.’ (c)
Q:
What a business. Th ...more
I first heard of Stephen Fry many years ago, have since watched him debate with the Church and wander through dense jungles trying to find nearly extinct animals, listened to him bring one of my favourite magical worlds to life, and learned a great deal from him on what must be one of the best quiz shows on (British) television. Not to mention his influence on LGBTQ rights and the acceptance of mental health issues (he himself is suffering from at least one). He's been on radio programs, televis
...more
The most fun and entertaining book I've read in a very long time. Loved it.
I'm happy to say that Fry's comforting, relaxed, and vibrant voice echoes through the entire book, even for those chapters reserved for humans, mainly. I know the author is very intelligent, and has never been accused of being a narcissist.
Name dropping aside, I thought the book was far from committing the most wanton of sins, that is patronising. The tales of the Gods were unleashed by Stephen Fry on my unsuspecting mind. Imagine if he turned his talents to Hindu gods, or Inuit ones. The potent ...more
Name dropping aside, I thought the book was far from committing the most wanton of sins, that is patronising. The tales of the Gods were unleashed by Stephen Fry on my unsuspecting mind. Imagine if he turned his talents to Hindu gods, or Inuit ones. The potent ...more
Where did it all start?
Stephen Fry, in his delightful voice, tells of the beginning of the world and the birth of all the Greek gods and goddesses.
The original gods were the sky the sea, the ocean, the earth and many more natural spirits.
Much later came the most familiar gods, who were Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Venus, Mars and so on.
The Greeks had gods with human emotions exactly the same as the Greeks themselves. The gods were created in their image.
No one loves and quarrels, desires and deceives a ...more
Stephen Fry, in his delightful voice, tells of the beginning of the world and the birth of all the Greek gods and goddesses.
The original gods were the sky the sea, the ocean, the earth and many more natural spirits.
Much later came the most familiar gods, who were Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Venus, Mars and so on.
The Greeks had gods with human emotions exactly the same as the Greeks themselves. The gods were created in their image.
No one loves and quarrels, desires and deceives a ...more
4.5**
So lucky to have found this book in the local library. Stephen Fry does a brilliant job of recounting the Greek myths- through describing the tales of gods, goddesses and creatures alike. This was a very informational read and I was able to build my knowledge on Greek myths and uncover more tales.
Stephen Fry writes the book in such a way that it is not dry or boring (unlike some other informational books) and you can easily follow the myths and use your imagination. His writing can be rath ...more
So lucky to have found this book in the local library. Stephen Fry does a brilliant job of recounting the Greek myths- through describing the tales of gods, goddesses and creatures alike. This was a very informational read and I was able to build my knowledge on Greek myths and uncover more tales.
Stephen Fry writes the book in such a way that it is not dry or boring (unlike some other informational books) and you can easily follow the myths and use your imagination. His writing can be rath ...more
This was the perfect book to read over a very sunny and hot Bank Holiday.
Covering the dawn of the Gods, through the golden and silver ages, this discusses a wide range of stories told in the usual Fry wit. It’s incredibly informative and well planned out, told in a more structured chronological order than I’m normally use to with these stories. And I’ve read a lot of these stories. There’s nothing new here if you’ve delved into Greek mythology, but I enjoyed Fry's take on them - and I really li ...more
Covering the dawn of the Gods, through the golden and silver ages, this discusses a wide range of stories told in the usual Fry wit. It’s incredibly informative and well planned out, told in a more structured chronological order than I’m normally use to with these stories. And I’ve read a lot of these stories. There’s nothing new here if you’ve delved into Greek mythology, but I enjoyed Fry's take on them - and I really li ...more
It is regrettable that Stephen Fry's talent to be effortlessly snobbish in a very appealing, charmingly British way, does absolutely no good to the subject of his book. The main problem with this book is that Fry's retelling of the myths of Ancient Greece is exactly what the title promises – it is the retelling of the myths of Ancient Greece with some supposedly witty (but more often irrelevant) remarks which can be easily omitted. The question is: Do we actually need one more retelling of Greek
...more
"Gods are nothing if not capricious."
A riot of characters and colour burst from these pages. I cannot pretend to be any the wiser about Greek mythology, because, let's face it, there's a cast of thousands involved. And it's hard to keep track of them all. But I had a hell of a good time reading this. Wonderful escapism!
In his imitable style, Stephen Fry brings to life the dawn of time, when gods and goddesses ruled the earth, heavens, seas & sky. He tells us about the squabbles, the jealousi ...more
As always, Stephen Fry proves to be a wonderful narrator, bringing life, humour, and modernity into these age old stories. Certainly, Jeremy Kyle's show has nothing on the incessant sexual escapades, jealousy, deceit, love, and revenge that fuel the tales, which are essentially one long list of who had sex with who and what children were born of it. Sometimes listening to it in big chunks was almost too much, it is perhaps a book best dipped into so that each mini story has a greater impact- oth
...more
The lesson that repeats and repeats throughout the story of man. Don’t mess with the gods. Don’t trust the gods. Don’t anger the gods. Don’t barter with the gods. Don’t compete with the gods. Leave the gods well alone. Treat all blessings as a curse and all promises as a trap. Above all, never insult a god. Ever.
Stephen Fry’s dry, sardonic wit and wicked humour shines through every page, particularly the pseudo-archaic banter between the Gods and Goddesses, which is perhaps what someone already ...more
Stephen Fry’s dry, sardonic wit and wicked humour shines through every page, particularly the pseudo-archaic banter between the Gods and Goddesses, which is perhaps what someone already ...more
It is always such a joy to listen to Fry.
If only I had the likes of him during my undergrad days I wouldn’t run to the hills at the merest mention of anything mythological and mostly Greek (& Roman) at that! (my knowledge of Indian mythology is rudimentary, Egyptian abysmal and Norse, non existent). Anyway, it took me almost an entire month to finish this book. It's best enjoyed in small doses imho to avoid being overwhelmed or bored by the nature of the tales. Am glad to have not given up ...more
If only I had the likes of him during my undergrad days I wouldn’t run to the hills at the merest mention of anything mythological and mostly Greek (& Roman) at that! (my knowledge of Indian mythology is rudimentary, Egyptian abysmal and Norse, non existent). Anyway, it took me almost an entire month to finish this book. It's best enjoyed in small doses imho to avoid being overwhelmed or bored by the nature of the tales. Am glad to have not given up ...more
Finished it! Still hated it. I just couldn't bear the structure nor style of prose that Fry chose to use. I'm much more partial to a classical style or a beautiful lyrical style when it comes to relating Greek myths. This had neither. And since I've read extensively about Greek mythology over the years this just didn't add anything new to the subject for me.
HELLO FIRST ONE STAR OF THE YEAR.
------
Nah. Not gonna DNF this one. The desire to read it in totality and then get to trash it and rate it ...more
HELLO FIRST ONE STAR OF THE YEAR.
------
Nah. Not gonna DNF this one. The desire to read it in totality and then get to trash it and rate it ...more
Feb 10, 2018
Claudia
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
myths-related,
humor
I must have been around 8 when I first read The Legends of the Olympus and fell in love with Greek mythology. I reread it at least 3 times afterwards and remains one of my favorite books to this very day.
Stephen Fry’s retelling of these myths is just as good as the original, if not better. It is limited to the gods (heroes’ tales are not included) but much more detailed than the version I read. I never really thought about how many of today’s vocabulary are derived from the names in these myths ...more
Stephen Fry’s retelling of these myths is just as good as the original, if not better. It is limited to the gods (heroes’ tales are not included) but much more detailed than the version I read. I never really thought about how many of today’s vocabulary are derived from the names in these myths ...more
Stephen Fry is such an amazing orator that I could listen to him describing paint dry. Having said that, I have never actually read any of his written work. I shouldn’t have worried, he writes as beautifully as he talks, eloquent and entertaining. He truly has a gift with entertaining, regardless the topic. I don’t think you have to love the Greek myths to enjoy this book as its strength comes from Fry’s wit, humour and gift of the gab. Fry does not attempt to compete with the plethora of mythol
...more
I loved Mythos, and Fry’s narration was superb. What makes it different from all the other Greek/Roman mythology books that I have collected over the years is the coherent chronology that Fry has achieved. By placing all the stories in context and in a timeline, the personalities and actions of the gods suddenly made sense to me. I’d often struggled to remember who was who’s relation previously but I found Mythos wonderfully easy to follow and lose myself in. I immensely enjoyed all of his aside
...more
3.5 stars
I love fantasy and mythical tales and I adore Stephen Fry (who's audio narration was pitch perfect). I have also always wanted to read / understand the different Greek myths, and this seemed the perfect opportunity.
I found it very interesting to learn the relationship between these myths and the English language, and just how much of an influence these stories still have on us today.
There were a few tales that stood out, and these were the longer stories that actually felt like proper s ...more
I love fantasy and mythical tales and I adore Stephen Fry (who's audio narration was pitch perfect). I have also always wanted to read / understand the different Greek myths, and this seemed the perfect opportunity.
I found it very interesting to learn the relationship between these myths and the English language, and just how much of an influence these stories still have on us today.
There were a few tales that stood out, and these were the longer stories that actually felt like proper s ...more
At a time when other children had their mothers reading "Sleeping Beauty" and "Little Red Riding Hood" to them, my father was telling me the story of the abduction of Persephone with his own adornments (I particularly liked the squirrels wondering why she was picking flowers instead of nuts).
I bring this up so you understand that I was exposed to the Greek myths at a young age. Once I was able to read I got my hands on Bullfinch's Mythology and Robert Graves rather interesting two volume offerin ...more
I bring this up so you understand that I was exposed to the Greek myths at a young age. Once I was able to read I got my hands on Bullfinch's Mythology and Robert Graves rather interesting two volume offerin ...more
This book is truly fantastic. I have always found the mythology of Ancient Greece fascinating, but it's also always been a pretty confusing mixture of madness and mayhem. Fry has collated many of these myths into one book and he has also added chronology which makes reading through the stories make a lot more sense, and shows us many of the relationships between the Gods and how these were formed. I definitely think this is one of the best examples of the Mythology, very readable and easy to enj
...more
Mar 15, 2019
Lena K.
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction,
mythology
The Greeks created gods in their image, and that is why I love Greek mythology so much. The gods are just like humans, for better and for worse. They scheme, they cheat, they punish, but they also love, help and are compassionate.
The stories of Ancient Greece have accompanied me since childhood, when I’ve first read the version for kids, and they accompany me still, after reading the original works of Homer, Hesiod, Ovid and others.
Stephen Fry’s retelling of the most famous myths was great and i ...more
The stories of Ancient Greece have accompanied me since childhood, when I’ve first read the version for kids, and they accompany me still, after reading the original works of Homer, Hesiod, Ovid and others.
Stephen Fry’s retelling of the most famous myths was great and i ...more
‘Mythos’ is a retelling of a selection of Greek myths and legends with Stephen Fry’s witty, sometimes self-indulgent, panache. Informative and fun, the narrative interlaces modern cultural references into the text, highlighting the influence of the stories on the present day. The writing is very accessible, so no prior knowledge of Greek mythology is required. I read a paperback copy, but wish I’d listened to the audiobook, as I imagine Stephen Fry’s spoken voice would have added even more to t
...more
I love Greek Mythology or any mythology at that. This is a great collection of retellings but in Frys perfect storytelling mixed with his intellect and wit. If you enjoyed Gaimans Norse novel this will be 100% your thing. Has a little more depth to it than Gaimans and some personal touches which maked this a perfect read from start to finish.
The history of greek mythology told in a long long story.
This is the audio book and it was a challenge to finish, but interesting nonetheless.
Stephen Fry is faultless in his narration.
This is the audio book and it was a challenge to finish, but interesting nonetheless.
Stephen Fry is faultless in his narration.
I imagine many members of GR will have some knowledge of the Greek myths, even if like mine it is (or was) fragmentary. I heard or read a few of these stories when I was a child - Persephone and the Underworld; Pandora’s Box, Arachne; Echo and Narcissus; King Midas, to name some. The version of Arachne’s story that is presented here was different from the one I remember, but I suppose many of these tales circulate in different forms.
The is a longish book at 400+ pages, but as Stephen Fry says in ...more
The is a longish book at 400+ pages, but as Stephen Fry says in ...more
An absolutely fantastic read ❤ including the footnotes!
...more
This was such a fun read, a little tough on the brain with all the notes and appendixes (all nicely hyperlinked up so you never lose your place in the ebook edition, the physical version may end up being a little more difficult!) but you can tell a mile off that the wonderful Stephen Fry had a hand in this work. I read the whole book with his voice in my head, only Fry would use some of those big words in places where little ones would do just as well but that's him all over of course and the wh
...more
Always wanted to learn about Greek mythology, but never knew how and where to start. This book is a great place to get familiar with the most common greek myths. The way Stephen Fry writes is highly enjoyable, and keeps me interested in reading more. Will definitely pick up his 'Heroes' as well.
Feb 11, 2019
Sophie Crane
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
myths-legends,
history
An entertaining and interesting book about ancient Greek mythology written in a style that is recognisable as Stephen Fry (if you've ever watched him on QI). Originally, I had been looking for a book on ancient Greek mythology that was written in a modern way and would be both easy to understand and fluid and I think this book fulfilled those criteria. I had read books on Ulysses (Odysseus I think he's also known as), Theseus, Hercules, Jason and the Argonauts and Perseus as well as seeing a few
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play Book Tag: Mythos by Stephen Fry, 3 or 4 stars | 1 | 12 | Jun 29, 2019 12:02AM | |
| Fanatieke Nederla...: Maandboek april: Mythos | 17 | 81 | May 01, 2019 10:18AM | |
| Readicorns: Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold/Миф (Стивен Фрай) | 1 | 2 | Apr 17, 2019 04:19AM | |
| Books Ever After: Maandboek september 2018 - Mythos - Stephen Fry | 34 | 86 | Feb 07, 2019 12:57AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Stephen John Fry is an English comedian, writer, actor, humourist, novelist, poet, columnist, filmmaker, television personality and technophile. As one half of the Fry and Laurie double act with his comedy partner, Hugh Laurie, he has appeared in A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster. He is also famous for his roles in Blackadder and Wilde, and as the host of QI. In addition to writing fo
...more
Other books in the series
Stephen Fry's Great Mythology
(2 books)
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“Gaia visited her daughter Mnemosyne, who was busy being unpronounceable.”
—
20 likes
“It is enough to say that the Greeks thought it was Chaos who, with a massive heave, or a great shrug, or hiccup, vomit or cough, began the long chain of creation that has ended with pelicans and penicillin and toadstools and toads, sea-lions, lions, human beings and daffodils and murder and art and love and confusion and death and madness and biscuits.”
—
15 likes
More quotes…
Dec 21, 2018 02:00PM
Dec 21, 2018 02:18PM