Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece

by W.H.D. Rouse

Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, History, Religion, Greek Mythology, Classics, Collections

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Rouse is known for his plain English prose translations of Homer's ancient Greek epic poems Odyssey (1937) and Iliad (1938). He is also recognized for his translations of Plato's Dialogues, including The Republic, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo.

William Henry Denham (W. H. D.) Rouse (30 May 1863 – 10 February 1950) was a pioneering British teacher who advocated the use of the Direct Method of teaching Latin and Greek.

Born in Calcutta, India on 31 May 1863, Rouse gained a double first in the Classical Tripos at the University of Cambridge, where he also studied Sanskrit. He became a Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge in 1888.

After brief spells at Bedford School and Cheltenham College, he became a schoolmaster at Rugby School, where he encouraged Arthur Ransome - against his parents' wishes - to become a writer. Ransome later wrote, "My greatest piece of good fortune in coming to Rugby was that I passed so low into the school ... that I came at once into the hands of a most remarkable man whom I might otherwise never have met. This was Dr W.H.D. Rouse."

Rouse was appointed headmaster of The Perse School, Cambridge, in 1902. While in charge, he restored it to a sound financial footing following a crisis. As a teacher he believed firmly in learning by doing as well as seeing and hearing: although the curriculum at the Perse was dominated by classics, he urged that science should be learned through experiment and observation. He was a strong personality, described by the archivist of The Perse School as the school's greatest Headmaster: "Rouse was strongly independent to the point of eccentricity. He hated most machines, all bureaucracy and public exams." He retired from teaching in 1928.

In 1911, Rouse started a successful series of summer schools for teachers to promulgate the Direct Method of teaching Latin and Greek. The Association for the Reform of Latin Teaching (ARLT) was formed in 1913 as a result of these seminars. Also in 1911, James Loeb chose W. H.D. Rouse, together with two other eminent Classical scholars, T. E. Page and Edward Capps, to be founding editors of the Loeb Classical Library.

Rouse died in Hayling Island on 10 February 1950.

Obituary: The Association for Latin Teaching

Reviews

[آستیاژ · Rating 5 out of 5]

این کتاب رو خوندم و برام جالب بود. برای کسایی که می‌خوان یه دید کلی و قابل‌فهم درباره‌ی اسطوره‌های یونان داشته باشن یا فقط دنبال بالا بردن اطلاعات عمومی‌شون هستن، انتخاب خیلی خوبیه. نثرش روانه و ترجمه هم کیفیت خوبی داره. در مجموع کتاب مفید و خوش‌خوانیه.
من نسخه‌ی ترجمه‌ی علیرضا قربانیان از انتشارات امیرکبیر رو خوندم.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great introduction to ancient Greek myths. It was very readable as well as concise, and would be a good choice for reading aloud.

[Sonia ahmadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

ketabe khili khili jalebie, hatman bekhooninesh;-)

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this. I'm not a fan of the writing; it lacks detail and a literary feel. I'm going to seek out Edith Hamilton instead.

[Stuart Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cambridge professor Rouse, scholar of Ancient Greece, taught at a boy's school. To get the boys to listen to his lessons on Greek mythology he rendered them down to their level, much like the S. Morgenstern classic The Princess Bride (the good parts version). Dozens of myths, shortened and translated to the level of a 10 year old, with the naughtiest bits left out and the hard Greek names Anglicized. Goggle-eye for the cyclops and Helios' horses which pull the sun through the sky are Swifty and Blackie. Basically anybody that isn't a main character like Zeus or Heracles are given a seven dwarves or a Smurf name. Just so you know that this is a YA novel.

Lots of myths that I'd never heard of, some godlings new to me, and I've read a bunch of mythology, starting with Bullfinch. Starts at the beginning with Uranus and goes right up through Odysseus. Even though it's written for kids it's still quite scholarly. Without being much detailed it skims over all the gods of Olympus and even how the mountain got it's name. Would recommend as a fine introduction to Greek mythology for any young reader.

[Marcia Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rouse, W.H.D. Gods, Heroes and Men of Ancient Greece: Mythology Great Tales of Valor and Romance, New York: Penguin Books, 1957
Genre: Mythology
Recommended for 9th Graders
Story: “Theseus”

“Theseus” is one of the great hero stories in Rouse’s anthology of mythological tales.
Theseus, son of the Athenian king, Aegeus, was a great hero who possessed incredible strength far surpassing any other being. He grew up with his mother in Greece, and while still a child, rolled away a massive stone to remove a sword and pair of shoes hidden there by the king, his father. He then set out on a “treacherous” journey to join his father in Athens. During the journey, he meted out justice to evil Cercyon (Sciron in other versions), Procrustes, and countless bandits who constantly terrorize travelers in the region. When Theseus arrived in Athens, he was welcomed by his father. Theseus continued to use his strength to conquer evil creatures and monsters including the Minotaur, a great beast to which children were fed to avenge the anger of Minos, the powerful ruler of Crete whose son was killed while visiting King Aegeus.

Theseus went on many quests, and came back the victor. “All loved him for his goodness and admired him for his nobility” (151, Hamilton). However, he was not infallible. The death of Ariadne, Minos’ daughter who fed him a clue to conquer the Minotaur, was abandoned by Theseus and ultimately died. The death of his father was a result of his forgetfulness. However, he became King of Athens upon the death of his father, was “wise but disinterested.” The city prospered under Theseus, but he could not resist the lure of adventure. His pride and thirst for adventure, ultimately led to his downfall.

This is a great hero tale. Teenagers will love the exploits of Theseus and his friends, and cheer for the wrongs avenged by this great hero. The themes in this story are universal, and the action riveting. The downfall of the hero teaches a tough lesson about arrogance and irresponsibility. The language in Rouse’s tale is elevated, and the plot engaging. The story takes place in various places including dungeons, on high seas and even Hades, making the story very intriguing. This version of Thesues is more detailed than other versions of the same tale thus giving the young adult reader a greater perspective into the characteristics of traditional heroes.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in high school and as I will say for most things Classics related. If you are really interested in anything Greek or Roman, get it from the primary sources themselves, not from the people interpreting them. The amazing thing is that these writings still exist and in every single case, the translations, even literal ones, are a far superior experience. Read the metamorphoses or the Iliad. I would say if you have 0 experience with the classics, this could be a valuable introduction, but if anything I think it's more a small stepping stone that you skim through to get to the good stuff, the actual texts.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally delightful read. Told in the style of a teacher walking into a classroom to charm you with some of the interesting myths told as they might be in ancient days. None too long, much cut out, but it's more for someone already having a fair familiarity with at least some of the stories as Rouse cuts to the chase and tell the stories in a quick, whimsical and often brutal sort of way, while giving the important points as well as quite a few of the lesser points that end up seeming just as important in the way only a master story teller can.

I had started this in the hospital but lost it when I got back home. Only recently finding it again to finish and glad I had the chance.

[Allie A · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book because it was just too uninteresting to me.
I will give it some educational value, I wanted a book on Greek mythology and it is definitely a book of Greek mythology. With that being said, it was written by some old white guy in the 1930s and the writing style reflects that. Most of the stories have bad endings, but I guess this is not the author's fault. I guess it just was not my cup of tea. Maybe if the stories had more of a connecting flow I would have enjoyed more. I will be looking for a more contemporary book of Greek mythology in the future.

[Sashi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hold a deep-seated dislike of this book, probably because there exist much better books that recount Greek mythology. Anybody wishing for a well-written collection should read Edith Hamilton's Mythology.

[Izzy ⋆.˚⭒⋆.˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally forgot, I read this for my senior mythology class. Fairly good introduction to Greek mythology, although the writing style wasn’t very good, it lacked detail and was more like mediocre summary’s.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the worst myth book I’ve read for a class, but not the best either. I wish that there was more detail in some of the myths, because I think some of the meanings and nuances were lost in this one

[Arkajit Dey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick recap of the main stories in Greek mythology. Was fun to remember some of them again and learn a few new ones.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for beginners, telling the Greek mythology in a very concise way. It doesn’t get too deep, so for Greek myth enthusiasts, probably you can skip this one out.

[Megg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of uh-huh moments

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh lookie here. Yet another thing that Christian dogmatism ended.

[Haze Baiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good to use as in introduction to greek myths !

[MyWolfs_Booktaste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: "Gods, Heroes, and Men Of Ancient Greece" by W.H.D Rouse
Rating: 4-4.2/5 Stars


~ I LOVE Greek myth! My favorite type of mythology. I've read different type even roman but I always go back to Greek. That being said I liked the read. I had to read for my college class but I'm not complaining....much. My only thing is I wanted more. More detail, more history. It always in a way got cut off early and I've read other books w/more depth, but I do believe for people who are barely getting into mythology this would be a good read. Not much into an over load of detail for them so I recommend for myth beginners. Over all good read.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent source for getting the general stories that make up so much of the background in Greek myth. For a while I was concerned with trying to find translations of the oldest versions of some of these tales but I quickly realized that's not nearly as important as having a great author like Rouse give the frameworks of the tales - especially since oftentimes the details of each story vary from place to place and time between Homer, Hesiod and the later Greek playwrights.

My only criticism is that I wish Rouse somewhere (either in the tales, in notes at chapters' end or in an index etc.) would provide some of the ancient sources he drew on to tell these stories. Probably most of them are from "Pseudo-Apollodorus" (author of the Bibliotheca) but in the beginning much of the origin of the Gods I recognized from a translation of Hesiod's Works & Days, so I suspect there is a variety of ancient sources even beyond the Bibliotheca. It would help immensely for someone like me who wishes to delve more into any of the legends. Diving into translations of the ancient works themselves could be frustrating without someone like Rouse to give such good context between the tales.

Definitely should be required reading in middle or high-schools, the work has been made 'family-friendly' for modern taste without taking away much - Rouse does hint at the darker, original portions of the stories.

Some people undoubtedly take issue with the last chapter in which Rouse "ends" the reign of the Greek gods with the rise of the Christian god in a mythologically consistent way. Some people inevitably rage at any mention of Christianity anywhere but from a more thoughtful perspective what Rouse does is relegate Christianity into the same fanciful realm of story-telling, morality and tradition -- depending on how hardcore religious you want to be this could be good or bad to your faith but I prefer to relish in it. The gods are real if we choose to make them so and they themselves battled against older deities and cosmic revolutions that can make the reality we live in more exciting than the cosmology of most modern fantasy epics.

[Dan Darragh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book you want to pick up and read for fun, but if you're looking for an uncomplicated explanation of the Greek Gods and folks like Odyssus, Achilles and Jason this is the book for you. The author taught at a private boys school in England that was heavy into teaching Greek civilization and understanding the mythological gods and heroes of this era is really helpful in understanding how the civilization evolved. Rouse tells the stories as if he were talking to classroom of eighth- or ninth-graders. It's a little reminiscent of Joel Chandler's Uncle Remus tales. Read it back in high school and started re-reading it before I went to Greece last fall.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of mythological stories. It is similar to Edith Hamilton's book, but it is written more like someone telling a story. There are references to the Bible and other events in history to give context to places or times the mythological stories happen. There are also details to some of the same stories, but with different details than what Edith Hamilton provides. It is especially rich in the origin of the Gods and how each of the main Gods makes his or her way to Olympus.

I read some of these to my kids (age 5 and 3) and they liked them.

[LilDaddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is OK it is almost like another.Book i read which is called heroes,gods,monsters, and greek myths. Except this is less intereting.Than the other one,but it is alright like the other.This book is very interesting and adventurous to.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the mythology most often assigned in schools. It is also one of the most boring collections. It has no zip or zing. I think people assign it just because they had to read it. I also feel that way about Edith Hamilton.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very old sensibility informs this anthology, but it is a sensibility equally born of reverence for the other and pride in one's own. Let a young person read it first and fix a sense of myth's sweep before tackling its smaller parts.

[Shaunda · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this sometime between 5th and 8th grade, and i still pick it up from time to time to read certain tales...

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first book I ever read about Greek mythology.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fully enjoy Greek mythology, this book was a good assistant in an introduction of the mythologies yet does not always go into depth.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was not my favorite book of greek myths which I read and reread.

[Tim Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gods are very weird

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Greek Mythology