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Greek Myths
From the terror of Medusa and the Minotaur to the Labors of Heracles and journeys of Theseus, the stories in this collection have thrilled and enthralled people for centuries with their high drama, hazardous quests, and unforgettable characters (both mortal and immortal). Under Olivia Coolidge’s skillful pen, the landscape of early Greece and its famous legends bloom with vigor and are perfectly suited to the adventure-seeking reader.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1949
59 people are currently reading
750 people want to read
About the author
Olivia E. Coolidge
32 books20 followersOlivia Coolidge was born in London, England, in 1908. She received her education at Somerville College, Oxford University, where her main subjects included Latin, Greek, and philosophy. These studies helped her earn her place in the pantheon of children's literature through her mythological re-tellings demonstrating careful research and the adroit capacity to bring the past to life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
December 3, 2020
Summer garage sales yield worthy finds. Dating back to 1949, “Hercules & Other Tales From Greek Myths” was the first Scholastic Book by Olivia E. Coolidge, only recently deceased at age 90. It is proven again and again that writers live long! She specialized in summarizing history for children, successfully educating them in subjects swept under the carpet.
In one night, Olivia’s brief treatise has made me exceedingly more richly-versed in Greek lore than I had been. This isn’t to say I find their mythology palatable. The chapters on Hercules in particular were off-putting because they involved using force to subdue a person or animal. Although mercifully, harmless animals were seldom killed; most Greek themes were unpleasant. They involved tricking or forcing someone to do something; not only against their wishes on the spot but for all eternity. Hades wanting a wife in the underworld for instance, takes an unwilling daughter from a distressed mother. This myth is the explanation for why plants don’t grow for a period of winter. The months the daughter can live on Earth, result in joy for their family and growth for everyone in spring.
Unpleasant as these stories can be, however, they are the origins of familiar terminology. The name Hermes, messenger of Mount Olympus, is whence derives the Hermetic code. A book of maps is what we call an atlas. Atlas happens to be a God who was enlisted to hold the sky on his shoulders. Aphrodite was Goddess of love and from her, comes the noun aphrodisiac. By cutting these stories to their core contents, Olivia tools us with proficiency in a broad, standardized scope of history. Mythological or not, it is wise to know where concepts come from because a trace of the Greeks remain in our culture to this day.
In one night, Olivia’s brief treatise has made me exceedingly more richly-versed in Greek lore than I had been. This isn’t to say I find their mythology palatable. The chapters on Hercules in particular were off-putting because they involved using force to subdue a person or animal. Although mercifully, harmless animals were seldom killed; most Greek themes were unpleasant. They involved tricking or forcing someone to do something; not only against their wishes on the spot but for all eternity. Hades wanting a wife in the underworld for instance, takes an unwilling daughter from a distressed mother. This myth is the explanation for why plants don’t grow for a period of winter. The months the daughter can live on Earth, result in joy for their family and growth for everyone in spring.
Unpleasant as these stories can be, however, they are the origins of familiar terminology. The name Hermes, messenger of Mount Olympus, is whence derives the Hermetic code. A book of maps is what we call an atlas. Atlas happens to be a God who was enlisted to hold the sky on his shoulders. Aphrodite was Goddess of love and from her, comes the noun aphrodisiac. By cutting these stories to their core contents, Olivia tools us with proficiency in a broad, standardized scope of history. Mythological or not, it is wise to know where concepts come from because a trace of the Greeks remain in our culture to this day.
March 18, 2020
Only taking the star off because I have the sneaking suspicion that dear Ms. Coolidge smoothed over an incident or two for the sake of her 1940s grade school audience. :’D
April 27, 2025
*3.25 stars, rounded down
TW// mentions of slavery, murder, animal death, suicide
I finally got around to reading what may be the oldest book on my tbr. My dad lent this to me from his personal collection when I was about ten and I kept putting off reading it until now. This collection of Greek Myths include mostly the popular ones, but there are a couple lesser known ones thrown in here. They aren’t the best written version of the tales and the plot is simplified a ton. However, I still found this collection to be fairly enjoyable.
Hercules - 4 stars: The writing style was very simplistic in this story and if you’re familiar with Hercules’ story, it won’t add too much to what you already know. However, I haven’t read a Hercules story in ages so a lot of this story was a fun refresher.
The Fateful Contest - 2 stars: Arachne’s story isn’t my favorite and this version didn’t really add anything to the story for me. It was very bland and it didn’t portray any of the characters in even a slightly positive light.
The Mysterious Strangers - 4 stars: I haven’t actually read this one before (though I’ve read similar types of stories in the Bible). I found the story really cute and I love this depiction of the gods. Gods treating humans well and humans showing humility are always things I like to read about.
The Beloved Statue - 3 stars: This story has a lot of potential, but this version felt very rushed and bland. I hope that this story has a modern romantic retelling (or at least gets one soon).
How the Seasons Came to Be - 4 stars: Persephone’s story has always been my favorite and although I’ve read better versions of her story, this one was still really enjoyable.
The Boy Who Flew Too High - 3 stars: This is another one of my favorites, but I felt the bland writing style really hindered from the emotional impact this story usually has when you read it in other versions.
The Winning of Atalanta - 3 stars: This was a very simplistic telling of the story, but it was enjoyable. Whenever I’ve read this myth, I’ve always wanted to read past the ending and see what their marriage was like.
The Adventures of Theseus - 3 stars: I think this was the most complete version of this story I’ve read so far. I’ve never read one with so much information before Theseus enters the labyrinth. However, I did not like the way the story quickly rushed to finish after they escaped the labyrinth.
TW// mentions of slavery, murder, animal death, suicide
I finally got around to reading what may be the oldest book on my tbr. My dad lent this to me from his personal collection when I was about ten and I kept putting off reading it until now. This collection of Greek Myths include mostly the popular ones, but there are a couple lesser known ones thrown in here. They aren’t the best written version of the tales and the plot is simplified a ton. However, I still found this collection to be fairly enjoyable.
Hercules - 4 stars: The writing style was very simplistic in this story and if you’re familiar with Hercules’ story, it won’t add too much to what you already know. However, I haven’t read a Hercules story in ages so a lot of this story was a fun refresher.
The Fateful Contest - 2 stars: Arachne’s story isn’t my favorite and this version didn’t really add anything to the story for me. It was very bland and it didn’t portray any of the characters in even a slightly positive light.
The Mysterious Strangers - 4 stars: I haven’t actually read this one before (though I’ve read similar types of stories in the Bible). I found the story really cute and I love this depiction of the gods. Gods treating humans well and humans showing humility are always things I like to read about.
The Beloved Statue - 3 stars: This story has a lot of potential, but this version felt very rushed and bland. I hope that this story has a modern romantic retelling (or at least gets one soon).
How the Seasons Came to Be - 4 stars: Persephone’s story has always been my favorite and although I’ve read better versions of her story, this one was still really enjoyable.
The Boy Who Flew Too High - 3 stars: This is another one of my favorites, but I felt the bland writing style really hindered from the emotional impact this story usually has when you read it in other versions.
The Winning of Atalanta - 3 stars: This was a very simplistic telling of the story, but it was enjoyable. Whenever I’ve read this myth, I’ve always wanted to read past the ending and see what their marriage was like.
The Adventures of Theseus - 3 stars: I think this was the most complete version of this story I’ve read so far. I’ve never read one with so much information before Theseus enters the labyrinth. However, I did not like the way the story quickly rushed to finish after they escaped the labyrinth.
April 10, 2012
Throughout your years in school no matter the grade references to Greek Mythology are always made. If you are like me and you enjoyed learning about the myths than "Greek Myths" by Olivia Coolidge is the book for you. This book has short stories of all the popular gods and the minor gods you may have never known existed. This book is great for the type of reader who cannot get involved in a long drawn book. Since the book has many stories it is easy to pick up and put down without forgetting what has happened in previous chapters.
Coolidge writes the book for all ages. The content is easy enough for the younger audience to comprehend and a great refresher for the older audience. She formats it so you can look up the god you would like to read about and then you can find stories of the god/goddess. The sections themselves are easy to read which keeps you interested and wanting more. You are going to be constantly interested if you choose this book.
My favorite story was the story of Hercules. This section goes into great depth of the life of Hercules. Starting off with his life as a young child all the way to his death. In order to find out how he died you will have to read the story yourself.
The book covers all gods from Zeus and Poseidon all the way to Hermes. Each god has at least one story of the adventures in their life. One problem is, the sections leave out some information leaving you with many questions. Although there is that small problem it is still an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone who likes Greek Mythology and wants to refresh their memory.
Coolidge writes the book for all ages. The content is easy enough for the younger audience to comprehend and a great refresher for the older audience. She formats it so you can look up the god you would like to read about and then you can find stories of the god/goddess. The sections themselves are easy to read which keeps you interested and wanting more. You are going to be constantly interested if you choose this book.
My favorite story was the story of Hercules. This section goes into great depth of the life of Hercules. Starting off with his life as a young child all the way to his death. In order to find out how he died you will have to read the story yourself.
The book covers all gods from Zeus and Poseidon all the way to Hermes. Each god has at least one story of the adventures in their life. One problem is, the sections leave out some information leaving you with many questions. Although there is that small problem it is still an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone who likes Greek Mythology and wants to refresh their memory.
May 1, 2019
This book was written in 1949... so.... yeah. Not great. It's that genre of Greek Mythology where all the story details have been expanded on enough to create coherent stories told in a fairy-tale-type tone, but with absolutely NO added character development. It was also somewhat moralizing and forced all the characters into a nuclear family model (i.e. all the Amazons had husbands in a different country, lol).
The only story I really liked was Theseus telling his mom he was going to walk to Athens by himself, because I think that really captured how that boy is a superhero and also as smart as a nub.
The only story I really liked was Theseus telling his mom he was going to walk to Athens by himself, because I think that really captured how that boy is a superhero and also as smart as a nub.
January 29, 2015
It was a good read! This author is a great story-teller, so you will like it even if your not into Greek mythology. She makes the myths better, even after I have read them a few times over. Very easy going and the only bad thing was that it didn't have all of the myths. I had to read this for school and it has been one of the best books. :)
July 24, 2007
Read this with my daughters as it was a little more kid-friendly. Great book!
December 16, 2023
"The Greeks have left us so many stories about their gods that it would hardly be possible for everyone to know them all. The following tales are some of the ones which have pleased the most people and have been most widely used by dramatists and poets. We can still enjoy them because they are good stories. In spite of their great age we can still understand them because they are about nature and people. We still need them to enrich our knowledge of our own language and of the great masterpieces of literature." ~ Olivia Coolidge
From the dark labyrinth of the Minotaur, to the Labours of Heracles upon Pegasus, to the riverbank where Narcissus falls in love with himself, to the sun-filled skies and treacherous waters where Icraus plummets to his death, to the great love story of Cupid and Psyche, to sad sucide of King Aegeas in the Aegean sea, to perilous journeys of Theseus, to adventurous Jason with his Argonauts and the golden fleece, comes a cativiating collection of Greek myths for young readers! Highly recommend this book, such an interesting interpretation of these legendary tales. A solid foundational knowledge of the Greek myths is paramount to our education and our understanding of the arts and our world, this book is a fantastic tool for gaining further insight into Greek mythology.
From the dark labyrinth of the Minotaur, to the Labours of Heracles upon Pegasus, to the riverbank where Narcissus falls in love with himself, to the sun-filled skies and treacherous waters where Icraus plummets to his death, to the great love story of Cupid and Psyche, to sad sucide of King Aegeas in the Aegean sea, to perilous journeys of Theseus, to adventurous Jason with his Argonauts and the golden fleece, comes a cativiating collection of Greek myths for young readers! Highly recommend this book, such an interesting interpretation of these legendary tales. A solid foundational knowledge of the Greek myths is paramount to our education and our understanding of the arts and our world, this book is a fantastic tool for gaining further insight into Greek mythology.
August 10, 2022
I absolutely loved this book but I learned I hate Heracles with a burning passion
February 22, 2024
More depth and detail (but fewer illustrations) than D'Aulaires'. Read to my 13 year old daughter who enjoyed it, but she became impatient a few times with a few of the characters.
September 7, 2022
Totally recommend to any PJO/HoO readers.
June 13, 2025
I’m counting this as non fiction thank you very much
September 17, 2007
The child in me loved the illustrations that were peppered throughout this book and the adult in me loved the complex stories, emotions, struggles and ideas that are collected here. I adore Greek mythology, and this book had several stories I had already read, but also many new ones. This is a YAF book, so the language is simple and easy to understand and read. I liked the book and would recommend it to my fellow Greek myth dorks.
July 23, 2011
I liked the way this book was written. It was a good fast read that kept the stories interesting. There are lots of the more familiar myths covered (i.e. Theseus, Hercules, Midas and the like), plus a few that I don't remember having read about before (i.e. Phaethon, Arachne, and Tithonus).
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March 28, 2012Love...Love...Will always love this book. Gave me so much information about the myths that I was trying to find out about.
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November 9, 2022Olivia Coolidge writes and illustrates Greek myths ranging from the story of Medusa's head to the story of Arachne, and captures the beauty and tragedy behind Greek mythology as she does so.
Coolidge writes about many gods, but my personal favorite is Hades. Hades, most well known as the god of the underworld is mostly mentioned within the story of the origin of the seasons. This may lead you to wonder why Hades is my favorite. Oftentimes Hades is referred to as the devil of Greek mythology. An that's understandable, he constantly went against Olympus and seemingly kidnapped an innocent young woman. But his constant rebellion and ambition is why like him. He constantly called out whenever someone was in the wrong and had a very clear idea of what right and wrong was. What this book does not mention is that Hades was a god of justice, fairness, and helpfulness. He was known to help heroes such as Heracles with their quests and journeys. Just like how this book doesn't mention how Zeus, the almighty "king of the gods", constantly cheated on his wife by shapeshifting into men who were separated from their wives and had intimate relationships with them and even got one or two pregnant and proceeded to leave behind confusion and broken marriages. Actually, Zeus's most famous son Heracles was a product of one of these affairs. So there is a lot this book left out in terms of the good or bad acts a certain god committed. Hades never pretended to be a good guy, unlike his brothers (yes the plural is intentional, look up Poseidon's REAL connection to Medusa and you'll see why) and that plays into why he is my favorite.
I would recommend this book, especially to Percy Jackson fans and those who are interested in learning about mythology. This book is a great place to start if you want to learn about mythology. Each chapter is clear and has an individual message. This books shows the stories in a way that's entertaining and for that, it is definitely worth the read.
Coolidge writes about many gods, but my personal favorite is Hades. Hades, most well known as the god of the underworld is mostly mentioned within the story of the origin of the seasons. This may lead you to wonder why Hades is my favorite. Oftentimes Hades is referred to as the devil of Greek mythology. An that's understandable, he constantly went against Olympus and seemingly kidnapped an innocent young woman. But his constant rebellion and ambition is why like him. He constantly called out whenever someone was in the wrong and had a very clear idea of what right and wrong was. What this book does not mention is that Hades was a god of justice, fairness, and helpfulness. He was known to help heroes such as Heracles with their quests and journeys. Just like how this book doesn't mention how Zeus, the almighty "king of the gods", constantly cheated on his wife by shapeshifting into men who were separated from their wives and had intimate relationships with them and even got one or two pregnant and proceeded to leave behind confusion and broken marriages. Actually, Zeus's most famous son Heracles was a product of one of these affairs. So there is a lot this book left out in terms of the good or bad acts a certain god committed. Hades never pretended to be a good guy, unlike his brothers (yes the plural is intentional, look up Poseidon's REAL connection to Medusa and you'll see why) and that plays into why he is my favorite.
I would recommend this book, especially to Percy Jackson fans and those who are interested in learning about mythology. This book is a great place to start if you want to learn about mythology. Each chapter is clear and has an individual message. This books shows the stories in a way that's entertaining and for that, it is definitely worth the read.
March 1, 2019
Who was the author of the book?
What genre was the book?
Who were the main characters in the book?
hermes apollo basically a lot of greek gods
What was the main conflict in the book?
the main conflict in one of the stories is that Hermes stole Apollo sheeps
Give a brief summary of the book you completed. Be sure to include the beginning, climax, and resolution from the book (if applicable).
What was the title of the book?
so the story starts off telling us how Hermes was hidden from other gods because they would have killed him. Hermes is the god of thieves by the time he was a baby he could walk and talk. one day he stole Apollo his brother sheep and killed two of them Appollo was mad and wanted to kill Hermes but Hermes gave his musical instrument to Apollo and Apollo spared his life and from that day Hermes never stole from apollo again.
What genre was the book?
Who were the main characters in the book?
hermes apollo basically a lot of greek gods
What was the main conflict in the book?
the main conflict in one of the stories is that Hermes stole Apollo sheeps
Give a brief summary of the book you completed. Be sure to include the beginning, climax, and resolution from the book (if applicable).
What was the title of the book?
so the story starts off telling us how Hermes was hidden from other gods because they would have killed him. Hermes is the god of thieves by the time he was a baby he could walk and talk. one day he stole Apollo his brother sheep and killed two of them Appollo was mad and wanted to kill Hermes but Hermes gave his musical instrument to Apollo and Apollo spared his life and from that day Hermes never stole from apollo again.
July 27, 2024
July 2024 - 3.5⭐️ → I got this book not knowing it was published in 1949 and was for children. Oops. I love Greek mythology and I love going back to basics, so I appreciated this, but I know all of these stories from front to back and left to right, so I was a little bored. I think this book is a great introduction to Greek mythology, but dull for people more informed on these stories and characters. Also, not to be a total nerd and nitpick, but some of these stories and names used were not Greek but Roman (you can't just put Roman myths in a book titled Greek myths).
May 5, 2017
I have been looking for a detailed book of Greek mythology and this is one! It would have gotten five stars but some of the details are different than the stories I remember reading as a child - such as the story of Echo, who pines after Narcissus, and the story of Heracles, the son of Zeus (in this book he is not????).
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Greek mythology, but who are not sticklers for the classic tellings of the stories.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Greek mythology, but who are not sticklers for the classic tellings of the stories.
October 14, 2021
I thought the stories themselves were mostly pretty interesting. But the actual book was a bit of a dry read. There was mostly repeats that I could laugh about to my mom, but there was some stuff that was just a little, 'Oh this again.' I will say that a lot of the stories were interesting, but it was a lot of guys being absolute jerks to women, and then forgetting about it. Sometimes it came back to bite them, sometimes it didn't. Also a lot of people being turned into plants.
September 26, 2024
Read with the Sonlight homeschool curriculum.
This one was enjoyed by us all. I wish there was an audiobook, though, because this mom was riding the STRUGGLE BUS trying to pronounce all these names!
There was a lot of people killing themselves for one reason or another… Proceed with caution when reading with your kids.
This one was enjoyed by us all. I wish there was an audiobook, though, because this mom was riding the STRUGGLE BUS trying to pronounce all these names!
There was a lot of people killing themselves for one reason or another… Proceed with caution when reading with your kids.
December 5, 2024
I've heard lots about the labours or Hercules, but never knew what they were. This book is a very quick read as it is written for children. However, it still had some very good information about Greek mythology that was interesting to know.
Recommended for children and adults alike. This was a great bathroom reading book.
Recommended for children and adults alike. This was a great bathroom reading book.
January 2, 2019
The last time I picked up a book on Greek myth was when I was little and it has been this book but I don’t remember I know it was for a school. Excellent place to refresh my memory. I would recommend this book if you want to get familiar with or re-introduce yourself to these timeless stories.
November 7, 2019
I would have given this one more star, but I already had an
idea about the myths in this book. I think this would have been better with more illustrations. I still enjoyed re-reading the myths though.
idea about the myths in this book. I think this would have been better with more illustrations. I still enjoyed re-reading the myths though.
July 31, 2022
Greek myths summarized and told in stories. There are lots of accounts of tragedy and heroism, with monsters and mythical creatures. Read this with my girls and it was fun to analyze how some of the stories compared to the Bible.
June 20, 2023
Had to read for school. I don’t believe in any of this stuff so it wasn’t a great book for me, just a bunch of fairy tales. Didn’t learn much, except at least now I know about some of the greek “gods”.
March 4, 2025
Great book, but through the pages it loses the mystery and passion after flipping pages after pages to find that desire to keep reading the book. I love the ending where it shares its overall beautifully poetry lesson.
May 15, 2025
I think this book is easily digestible and a very concise collection of popular Greek myths. I found it easy to read and very entertaining. It’s definitely not the best tellings of these myths, although I still give it five stars because of the enjoyment I got out of it.
July 30, 2017
I recommend it.
August 26, 2019
The book is written well enough, I just really don't like reading greek myths in general.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews