Greek Myths: Ulysses and the Trojan War

by Homer

Homer''s famous stories of war, magic and adventure in the ancient world are retold for children using modern language. Follow the Greek army to the siege of Troy, where bravery and horror on the battlefield combine with Ulysses'' wit and cunning.'

Genres: Mythology

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Homer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.

French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.

Reviews

[Christine Stobbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to Greek mythology for children. Although it is poorly written in places, it gets the ideas across without getting too gory. Includes a useful map and a "who's who" list in the back, which is helpful. Nicely illustrated and easy to read.

[Natalie McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: This book is a great way to read the Odyssey and the Iliad without having to read Old English. The main character for most of the book is Ulysses (Odysseus), the Greek king of Ithaca and a man who desperately tries to get home to see his wife after the Trojan War. After facing struggles with Poseidon, Calypso, and many other Greek entities, he is able to make it back to his home of Ithaca, where he finds his wife Penelope being fawned upon by many men due to his lengthy absence. He scares away the men and is able to resume his normal life as king.

Commentary and Comparison: The best part of this book was probably the beginning because it explained the original cause of the war. I love this book because literally everything in it is connected to one another and every single action affects everything. This book is similar to the Percy Jackson Ultimate guide because it has tons of information about Greek Mythology, but the Ultimate Guide is focused on the PJO series whereas this book is just a compilation of stories.

The author could improve the novel by making the font a little larger and not writing in columns as it is very difficult to read.

Favorite line: "For the fairest." I don't have the book with me because I am lending it to a friend but that is what the golden apple from Eris read.

This book is for anyone interested in Greek Mythology and doesn't want to read Old English!

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids absolutely ate this book up! They kept wanting me to read more every day. This book covers the Trojan War and Ulysses' (Odysseus) return home and his journeys along the way. After having just read the "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" myself I wanted to share the stories with the kids and this was the perfect book to do it. While some things are of course excluded because it's abridged the most improtant things are still included. I'm so glad I found this sitting on a friend's shelf collecting dust!

I believe this book is out of print. I'm sure you could find it on line though.

[Tristin Cummins]

This book is really cool it has cool pictures and I love Greek mythology I would read any books this author makes it is a really interesting book. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Greek mythology. I would rate this book 4/5 stars. It really got my attention too it when I saw the cover.

[Jessica Hymas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. It was a great way to put the trojan war in a way for kids to read. I loved it. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.