Tales of the Greek Heroes

by Roger Lancelyn Green, Romy Blümel (Illustrator), Stephen Fry (Introduction)

Some of the oldest and most famous stories in the world—the adventures of Perseus, the labors of Heracles, the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts—are vividly retold in this single, connected narrative of the Heroic Age, from the coming of the Immortals to the first fall of Troy. With fresh dialogue and a brisk pace, the myths of this version are enthrallingly vivid.

Genres: Mythology, Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Greek Mythology, Childrens, Short Stories

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Roger (Gilbert) Lancelyn Green was a British biographer and children's writer. He was an Oxford academic who formed part of the Inklings literary discussion group along with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Born in 1918 in Norwich, England, Green studied under C. S. Lewis at Merton College, Oxford, where he obtained a B.Litt. degree. He delivered the 1968 Andrew Lang lecture. Green lived in Cheshire, in a manor which his ancestors owned for over 900 years. He died in October 1987. His son was the writer Richard Lancelyn Green

Reviews

[Mark Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

My edition of this is from 1972!

I remember reading it as a child and was reminded of it today so I hunted my shelves for it and found it with no covers and a large food stain on the front page. It was a well loved and well read book.

I flipped through and read the story of the titan Typhon today. It was this book that furnished me with most of my education in this mythology. The author was an academic and a member of the Inklings along with Tolkien and C.S Lewis. The stories are drawn from original sources and not tailored for modern tastes.

In the Typhon story the titan wrestles with Zeus and cuts out the sinews from the god's arms and legs then makes off with them!

Anyway, it's interesting stuff which can be dipped into at will, and should be required reading for Rick Riordan fans so they can see the inspirations in the raw.



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[Miss Ravi · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب خوبی است برای شروع مطالعه اساطیر یونان. روایت جدی نیست و خواننده با اسطوره‌های یونان در قالب داستان‌های ساده‌ای آشنا می‌شود. پر از شخصیت‌های اصلی و فرعی و خرده‌ریز حوادث و جزییات که شاید همه‌شان توی ذهن نماند.
در یک مقایسه ساده می‌توانم بگویم که اساطیر ایران برایم جذاب‌تر است و بیش‌تر معنای پنهان‌شان را درک می‌کنم.

[Israt Zaman Disha · Rating 4 out of 5]

সরল, সাবলীল অনুবাদের জন্য অনুবাদকদের ধন্যবাদ। গ্রীক মিথলজি নিয়ে আগ্রহ আছে যাদের তাদের জন্য সুখপাঠ্য হবে আশা করি।

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Ah, Greek mythology, one of my pet passions. Like most people my introduction to the world of Greek mythology came through a children’s book that retold some of the more popular and enduring legends – Heracles, Odysseus, and Jason. That particular book will always have a very special place in my heart (and on my bookshelf). It wasn’t, however, this book.

Although objectively a much more comprehensive, intelligent, and less simplified introduction to Greek mythology than many of the brightly illustrated ‘Children’s Book of Greek Myths’ out there, I never quite managed to click with Roger Lancelyn Green’s Tales of the Greek Heroes. I enjoyed it, as I enjoy all retellings of Greek myth and, as an adult with a fairly decent knowledge of the subject, I could appreciate what the author was doing; his unique approach, the way he highlighted several little-known figures or versions of events. But, for me, the magic that first made me fall in love with not just Greek mythology but mythology as a whole, simply wasn’t quite there.

Whether it’s that the tone was a little too old-fashioned and slightly mollycoddling (Zeus ‘marries’ the mothers of all his children) or that I’m simply a good fifteen years older than the intended audience and bring with me a whole different set of knowledge and expectations, I’m not sure – probably a very strong helping of both – but I could only get into this book as an intellectual exercise (‘ooh, that’s a version I’ve not seen before’ ‘Ha! He censored the incest out!’) rather than as a particuularly gripping story in its own right. To someone looking for an accessible introduction into the myths and legends of Greece, however, I would strongly recommend it.

The real strength of this version above other ‘introduction to Greek mythology’ books is that Roger Lancelyn Green takes a chronological approach. Instead of cherry-picking the best and most well-known stories (Heracles, Perseus, Theseus etc.) and simply retelling them, Green attempts to tell the whole story of the ‘golden age’ of Greek heroes; from the creation of the world and the war with the Titans right through to the defeat of the giants and the death of Heracles (the tale of the later Trojan War and Odysseus’s adventures are told in a second book). Each story is fitted in to the wider context and there’s a strong narrative thread that runs throughout the book even as different heroes take it in turns to assume the leading role. I didn’t always agree with the order Green chose to sort his stories into – I think placing the adventures of Theseus before those of Jason was a wrong one; Theseus being among the Argonauts adds very little to Jason’s story while taking away Medea’s role completely from the Theseus myth and giving it to an unnamed ‘witch queen’ instead. But then that’s how it is with Greek myth – there are so many versions of a single story that once you try to iron it all out there will be contradictions and which version you go for is ultimately down to personal preference.

In the end, though I enjoyed it, this book didn’t quite work for me as a piece of entertainment. I loved the idea of it, and I loved stumbling across names I was only vaguely familiar with and having to jump to my numerous dictionaries of Greek mythology to do a bit of fact checking. But things like attempting to tell the story of Oedipus without reference to either the killing of his father or his marriage to his mother, or the story of Heracles’ conception with Zeus portrayed as guilt-stricken by the deception and only sexing up a married woman for the sake of creating a hero were simply too laughable for me to take the book entirely seriously. Still, I would recommend it as well worth a read to anybody with an interest in Greek mythology, and not just as an introduction.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleanor: Dad? Why do you read me books that I might not enjoy reading by myself?

Dad: There are a lot of reasons, I guess. I don't think you'll read some of these books in school, or on your own, and they're worth reading.

Eleanor: Why don't you read them to Gwen and Poppy?

Dad: I do, sometimes. Like The Little Prince. I didn't think any of you would read that one on your own yet, and it's a classic that has influenced a lot of other works.

Eleanor: At school, they did The Reader's Theater, and The Power of WOW.

Dad: I'm not sure what that is. ...What's "The Power of WOW?"

El: It's the Reader's Theater.

Dad: Yeah, but what's that?

El: Words on Wheels.

Dad: Ok, sorry. Keep going.

El: Reader's Theater is a play they put on at school. ...Well, sometimes they put it on, and sometimes they just read it. Anyway, they talked about King Midas and mentioned The Greek Myths last week. Eliana - from Reader's Theater might have gotten Tales of the Greek Heroes as one of her books.

Dad: So, you knew a little bit about King Midas from reading this book with me?

El: Yeah. Or when in Wonder, they had the quote from The Little Prince.

Dad: Yeah. I get it. And I get that you get it. That's part of why I'm trying to read you some of these books.

El: Yeah. It's just that sometimes I think there are too many adventures.

Dad: There certainly were a lot of adventures in Tales of the Greek Heroes, that's for sure.

El: My favorite was Chapter 2: Hermes and Apollo.

Dad: What happened?

El: In Hermes and Apollo, the cattle were stolen. And they didn't know who stole them. ...(*ellipses here = Eleanor explaining much faster than I can type.*) then Hermes admitted that he stole them, and he was just a little baby.

Dad: That was a good one. I have to say I like pretty much all of them. Perseus and the Gorgons. I liked Jason and the Argonauts. I'd always heard of that story, but I don't think I've ever actually heard it. What do you think was the worst thing that happened to anyone?

El: I think it was that Heracles put on that robe and it killed him. That was MEAAAAANNNN!!!

Dad: Yeah. That was crazy. I don't think I knew, or remembered that before reading this book. I also find it interesting that we're using the name Heracles now all the time instead of Hercules.

El: Why?

Dad: I think most people use the name Hercules. Do you know what the difference is?

El: Oh, I know. The Romans called him Hercules, and the Greeks called him Heracles. ...I don't know if I should call him the Roman name or the Greek name.

Dad: I guess it just depends if you're talking to a Roman or a Greek person. ... ... That was a joke.

You're saying you don't want to read any more books like this?

El: Not for a while now. It's been a really long book. We started this in March. MARCH was when we read Hermes and Apollo. MARCH, dad. But I will recommend this book to people, because I recommend all books to people - even if I don't like them, because I know someone might like them.

Dad: Sure. I liked it. I wish I would have read it earlier.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love greek mythology so much but multiple times the author got me lost with all the different names and some of them even seemed to come out of nowhere

[Amin Dorosti · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب واقعا خواندنی، دقیق و جذاب است. به ویژه از این جهت که کوشیده است تا روایتی داستانی از اساطیر یونان ارائه کند و از حالت دایره المعارفی دوری گزیند.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like "The Adventures of Heracles" 😅 but still I learned a lot of things. Thank you Mr. Green 💖

[ناصر سليم · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب از نوزده فصل تشکیل شده که فصل اول کتاب با ظهور جادودانان آغاز میشه فصل بعدی متعلق به هرمس و آپولون و در فصل سوم شرح زندگانی پرومتئوس که شاید بشه به عنوان یکی از مهمترین فصل‌های کتاب از اون یاد برده شروع میشه چرا که در اساطیر یونان پرومتئوس بود که آدم رو خلق کرد سپس بی‌توجه به امر زئوس خدای الهه‌گان، آتش رو به آدمها داد
چون زئوس امر کرده بود که آتش به آدمیان داده نشه و پرومتئوس برخلاف امر زئوس عمل کرد (به خاطر علاقه‌ایی که به مخلوقانش داشت) زئوس عذاب دردآوری برای او مقرر کرد بطوریکه او را در کوه قاف بست و به عقابی دستور داد که هر روز جگر پرومتئوس را بخوره و بعداز خوردن جگر، تا روز دیگه دوباره جگری نو در وجود پرومتئوس ساخته میشد و عقاب دوباره اون جگر رو میخورد.
دلیلی که باعث شد زئوس، پرومتئوس رو نکشه بخاطر پیش‌بینی بود که قرار بود درباره خدایان نامیرا در آینده انجام بده.
تا اینکه یک روز هرکول یا به زبان یونانی هراکلس برای گذروندن یکی از دوازده خوانی که پادشاه به او داده بود مجبور میشه به نزد پرومتئوس بره و جواب سوالش رو بدست بیاره و بعداز کشتن عقاب، اون رو آزاد کنه.
نویسنده این کتاب بخوبی داستانی در دل داستان دیگه رو از ابتدا تا زمان مرگ هراکلس به رشته تحریر در آورده و خواننده رو با خدایان یونانی و سرگذشت اونها آشنا می‌کنه.

[Neus Gutiérrez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueno, nivel empezar con el tema no está mal. Mi problemática es que necesito que estos libros sean cronologicos para encontrarles un buen sentido didáctico. Más que nada porq la mitología se conecta muchísimo y ponerlo uno tras otro por gusto o incluso alfabéticamente, no tiene ningún sentido.
Las ilustraciones son bonitas pero sería más interesante que acompañarán más al texto y lo que sucede, en lugar de ser una lámina sin más.
Y lo que directamente no puedo esq se mezclen partes romanas y griegas sin diferenciarlas.

[helen · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star for the cover – and even that didn’t hold up. It’s peeling off, just like with „King of Wrath“ @rhi
What the hell?

[Someone Who Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب بدی نبود ولی اول از همه اینکه داستانهای موردعلاقه و جالب توجه من رو نداشت. همونطور که از اسم کتاب معلومه از آفرینش شروع میشه و بعدش بیشتر به هرکول میپردازه.
دوم هم اینکه خیلی سریع عبور میکنه و جزئیات زیادی نداره. I NEED MORE 😫

[ناصر سليم · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب از نوزده فصل تشکیل شده که فصل اول کتاب با ظهور جادودانان آغاز میشه فصل بعدی متعلق به هرمس و آپولون و در فصل سوم شرح زندگانی پرومتئوس که شاید بشه به عنوان یکی از مهمترین فصل‌های کتاب از اون یاد برده شروع میشه چرا که در اساطیر یونان پرومتئوس بود که آدم رو خلق کرد سپس بی‌توجه به امر زئوس خدای الهه‌گان، آتش رو به آدمها داد
چون زئوس امر کرده بود که آتش به آدمیان داده نشه و پرومتئوس برخلاف امر زئوس عمل کرد (به خاطر علاقه‌ایی که به مخلوقانش داشت) زئوس عذاب دردآوری برای او مقرر کرد بطوریکه او را در کوه قاف بست و به عقابی دستور داد که هر روز جگر پرومتئوس را بخوره و بعداز خوردن جگر، تا روز دیگه دوباره جگری نو در وجود پرومتئوس ساخته میشد و عقاب دوباره اون جگر رو میخورد.
دلیلی که باعث شد زئوس، پرومتئوس رو نکشه بخاطر پیش‌بینی بود که قرار بود درباره خدایان نامیرا در آینده انجام بده.
تا اینکه یک روز هرکول یا به زبان یونانی هراکلس برای گذروندن یکی از دوازده خوانی که پادشاه به او داده بود مجبور میشه به نزد پرومتئوس بره و جواب سوالش رو بدست بیاره و بعداز کشتن عقاب، اون رو آزاد کنه.
نویسنده این کتاب بخوبی داستانی در دل داستان دیگه رو از ابتدا تا زمان مرگ هراکلس به رشته تحریر در آورده و خواننده رو با خدایان یونانی و سرگذشت اونها آشنا می‌کنه.

[Girl with her Head in a Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review: https://girlwithherheadinabook.co.uk/...

My Greek Mythology Challenge has proven much trickier than anticipated. I was finding the subject matter to be unbearably depressing even before the massive global pandemic. I found myself questioning how I had ever gotten the idea that I liked Greek mythology in the first place. With that in mind, it was helpful to retrace my steps and go right back to the book that first caught my attention over twenty years ago. I first read Tales of the Greek Heroes aged around eight or nine. We had covered the topic at school and I had responded - as I generally did - by becoming obsessively interested. I got this out of the library and I remember reading it before bedtime and picturing these magical people in my mind. Returning to the book now felt risky - if the spell was broken here too, I risked sullying very contented childhood memories. In fact, I ended up with a nice trip down Memory Lane.

Having read so many modern or contemporary retellings of the Greek myths and legends, it was an interesting step change to return to something so unashamedly traditional. As an Oxford academic and an Inkling, Roger Lancelyn Green has an impressive classical background and has written children's versions about the mythologies of almost every culture on the planet. The updated forward to Tales of Heroes notes that this particular book inspired Percy Jackson. I am definitely not the only reader whose understanding of the classics has been heavily influenced by Roger Lancelyn Green. Which only makes it all the more worthwhile to take a closer look at just how he tells the story.

Like Stephen Fry's more recent attempt Mythos, Green is writing the Greek foundation myths for an unfamiliar audience. There though the similarity ends. Where Fry revels in the sordid aspects, Lancelyn Green skims past them carefully. I admit that I sniggered on the re-read when I came across Green's explanation that Oedipus took the throne and ruled well but was subsequently punished for unspecified crimes that he had committed 'unintentionally'. Another stellar example is his description of how Tiresias was blinded by Hera for saying that women had a better time than men, with Green failing to specify that by this Tiresias meant during sex. But despite these issues, I was really struck by the way that Green manages to retell the stories for a younger audience without appearing patronising. More than that, he actually covers a huge amount of ground while still keeping his reader engaged. Where your average 'Greek Myths for Children' book cherry-picks a few key incidents like the abduction of Persephone or Theseus' battle with the Minotaur, Green is genuinely trying to put across a reasonably detailed understanding of the classics, drawing in an impressively wide range of sources.

I was surprised - and then surprised at how surprised I was - to realise just how influential Tales of the Greek Heroes has been for me over the twenty or so years since I last read it. Bearing in mind that this was a library book that I read once, a massive chunk of the character names did stick in my head. At eighteen, I went to a university full of predominantly privately-educated people to study a literature degree. While reading Mythos, I was reminded of my own past irritations with how the upper classes can 'gate-keep' ancient mythology. By contrast, I can see that Tales of the Greek Heroes gave me some tools to fight back. In a tutorial when I was nineteen, I correctly named Theseus' mother Aethra. Another student expressed surprise that I had heard of her since I had gone to a state school. The only reason why I knew her name was because I had read this book and also one of Green's other books, The Luck of Troy. That was not the only time that something like that happened. I had forgotten that this was where I first learned a lot of these things and I have a huge gratitude to Green that his books helped me to save face in environments where I sometimes felt on the back foot. Reading the right books can seriously damage your ignorance.

Reading the book as an adult, I can see that Green is not writing with the same emotional range as a lot of the more modern retellings. He tells us what is happening without really interrogating the characters' wider motivations. We never have to stop to consider the consequences. With so much ground to cover, it is a bit of a whistle-stop tour. Yet still Green weaves a magic of his own. The passage describing the night Zeus and Alcmena conceived Heracles inspired very confusing feelings in my childhood self. It was probably the first time that it ever occurred to me that the act of making babies was something that people actually did for fun. Of course, re-reading it now I was more disturbed by the casual way that Green describes Heracles' violence towards women. For all that though, I do plan to point my son towards Tales of the Greek Heroes when the time is right. If possible, I hope to read it with him. Partly because there are certain episodes such as the life of Heracles which I think require extra discussion. But as an introduction to Greek mythology, Tales of the Greek Heroes is pretty unbeatable. It explains the events of the mythology in a manner both clear and succinct. And although the Greek heroes were perhaps not as heroic as Green would have had me believe, knowing who they are has still come in pretty handy. This book has been a fantastic building block in my journey as a reader - a true and under-appreciated classic.

[Selma Boer · Rating 2 out of 5]

With now currently also reading Heroes from Stephen Fry, you can’t help but to compare. This author seems to rush the stories, because it’s too much to tell on a few pages. I was talking about it with my friend and we both agreed that it felt like it was a toddler who wanted to tell you a story, but doesn’t know how to make it cohesive. Most stories went like “And the boy was born, and he slayed a lion, then they had a feast, he married, then he slayed another beast and then he died”, and I am not even exaggerating. I did finish this book, because some parts were good, but I would not recommend it to anyone.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book put me in a reading slump. I really hope not because I have a lot of book I want to read this month, and my goal for the school year is to read 100 and a reading is not going to help me achieve my goal. Overall I think this book is not worth reading.

[Narges Delpazir · Rating 3 out of 5]

در حد آشنایی با اساطیر کتاب خوبی هست ولی توضیحات زیاد و کاملی نداره. گاهی اسامی زیاد توی یک صفحه آدم رو کاملا گیج میکنه

[Ellie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good! Definitely should've read this before Percy Jackson as a kid, and a cutesy Metamorphoses primer for getting back into Greek myth later.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little read recounting the tales of “heroes”, now have a burning need to rewatch Troy ✨

[Adrian Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember this book being in our English Literature class' reading list. I loved it. I think it is geared more to the young mind than to an adults as, yes, the narrative is aimed more to adventure and action as opposed to a more deep and profound account of the Greek mindset and way of life in those times.

That said, I too enjoyed Green's idea of linking the stories and forming a more coherent continuity with an ultimate end goal - Defeating The Giants. All the heroes were on Zeus's short list. He was always, always mindful of Prometheus' prophesy of the coming war and looking on for the foretold mortal hero.

I loved Heracles' labors and the accounts. Of course we can't expect every single nuance of myth, including the more controversial aspects of Greek mythology to be crammed into this book. So I won't join in and criticize on that. Bear in mind this book is written for a YOUNG audience. Other than that - GREAT book and excellent appetizer course for someone now starting off on the Journey!

[Katherine Sas · Rating 4 out of 5]

About as spartan a retelling of the Greek myths as you could hope for (which I believe is typical of his retellings for young readers, and fair enough) but Green does a solid job of knocking the tales of the Greek Gods and heroes into a reasonably linear and comprehensive whole.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found these to be somewhat dull retellings of exciting stories.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I’ve had to think quite a bit about a rating for this one and ultimately i have settled for 3 stars. It’s quite a comprehensive overview of Greek mythology and hasn’t been overly simplified for its target audience which is nice. I thought the author did a good job of highlighting some more of the lesser known events and figures of Greek myth and I enjoyed it, I just felt it hasn’t stood the test of time and was reading as quite old-fashioned. I also didn’t like that some aspects of the original tales had been censored - I know it’s for a younger readership but editing the myths to suit just doesn’t sit right for me. For example, one thing that sticks out was mentioning him, but then leaving out the fact that Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. That’s quite a big part of the mythology! That being said it’s still a good introduction to the legends of Ancient Greece so I’m not disappointed to have read it and I also liked the fact it appears to read in an almost chronological format so for me that worked well too, I just didn’t like some of the versions chosen and how it came across as a whole.

[Saied Davoodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

اگر قرار باشد هم نقاط ضعف و هم نقاط قوت کتاب را نام ببرم به ترکیب زیر می‌رسم.

نقاط قوت:
1- کتاب به صورت خلاصه‌وار داستان‌ها را پی می‌گیرد و خواننده را خسته نمی‌کند.
2- برخی خرده‌روایت‌ها در بین داستان اصلی بیان می‌شود که جذابیت دارد.
3- نویسنده سعی کرده همۀ روایت‌ها را به دنبال هم و با نظمی منطقی ارائه کند که به درک بهتر حوادث کمک می‌کند.

نقاط ضعف:
1- ترجمۀ ضعیف عباس آقاجانی در طول کتاب توی ذوق می‌زند.
2- در ترجمۀ برخی اسامی بی‌دقتی شده و اسامی فارسی شده گاهی اوقات اشتباه نوشته شده است.
3- از اواسط کتاب نحوۀ بیان روایت‌ها سرعت گرفته و به شکلی پیش می‌رود که از بیان جزئیات حوادث بازمی‌ماند.


پی‌نوشت: اگر کتابی دربارۀ اساطیر یونان و کهن‌الگوها می‌شناسید معرفی کنید.
:)

[Syed Muhammad Hamza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this book very much. The best thing about it is that it is written in a simple and easy language which can also be understood by anyone who hasn't inherited English language as mother tongue.
Heracles also Known as Hercules is the main character of this book and the most interesting part of the book are his 12 labours.
It was a good experience to read such interesting book. Really appreciate the author Roger Lancelyn Green for providing us brief tales of Greek mythology that still has a deep effect on Hollywood.

[Andrew Obrigewitsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories are incredibly influential on western culture and should be read by all just for that reason. I’m amazing at how many references there are to stories from around 2,500 years ago in popular culture, to a religion that hasn’t been followed in over 2,000 years.

[emanfp 💫 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and unexpectedly fun book to read.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
Enjoyed how the writer told the tales in a sequence, making it into one big Greek story. Will help my current read, Circe, who appeared in part of the book.

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

the men start war yet troy hates helen

[Ahmad MohammadKhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

یه بار پنج شیش سال پیش این کتاب رو خونده بودم و خب همیشه دوست داشتم دوباره بخونمش که خداروشکر موفق شدم.

کلا اسطوره و حماسه خوندن، اونم از نوع یونانیش، خیلی جذابه. اینکه چطور پرومتئوس انسان رو به دستورِ زئوس از گل میسازه ، اینکه زئوس برای پاکسازی نسل بشر یک انسان خوب رو انتخاب میکنه و بهش میگه کشتی بساز و بعد نه روز و نه شب سیل تمام زمین رو میگیره و فقط اون شخص و خانوادش زنده میمونن و اینکه به پادشاهی خبر میدن نوه اش حکومتشو نابود خواهد کرد و اونم دختر و نوش رو میذاره تو صندوق و به آب میسپاره و خب نوش برمیگرده و پیشگویی عملی میشه جذاب نیست؟
اینکه چطور این اسطوره ها منظم و مرتبطن و مثلا قوچِ زرینی که یک روز خدایان برای نجات یک نفر میفرستن ، سالها و نسلها بعد مایه ماجراجویی آرگونات ها میشه یا مثلا سیب هایی که هرکول از یک باغ افسانه ای میچینه و به خدایان میده ، سالها بعد به ازدواج یکی از همراهانش کمک میکنه ، حداقل نشون دهنده‌ی ذوق بالای مردمِ یونانه.

یه نکته جالب دیگه اینه که خدایانِ المپ چه موجوداتِ شبیه به انسانی بودن. حسادت میکردن، توطئه میکردن از هم انتقام میگرفتن ، انسان هارو قربانی اهداف و دعواهای خودشون میکردن و حتی فرزندانِ هم رو میکشتن.

پ.ن1 : اگر کتابهایی ازین نوع میشناسین حتما معرفی کنین :دی
پ.ن2: من با خیلی از شخصیت های این کتاب و یونان باستان خاطره دارم. هرکول رو از اولین بازی کامپیوتری ای که کردم ، آژاکس رو از بازی عصر اساطیر ، و جیسون و همراهانش رو از بازی رایز آو آرگوناتس، که از بهترین ها بود. :دی
پ.ن3: اگر ایلیاد رو خوندین و دوست داشتین حتما اینو هم بخونین. اگر ایلیاد رو نخوندین هم اینو بخونین و بعد برین ایلیاد بخونین :دی