The One Eyed Giant And Other Monsters From The Greek Myths

Relates ten Greek myths featuring an assortment of fantastic creatures.

This first volume of Bernard Evslin’s award-winning series introduces the monsters, demons, gods, and heroes of Greek mythology Athena, wise and powerful daughter of Zeus, is the most feared of all the goddesses. Poseidon, the “earth shaker,” rules the sea with his thunderous wrath. Each wants to control Olympus absolutely. Obsessed with destroying Poseidon, Athena summons her crows by day and owls by night to spy on his vast water realm. The long-simmering feud spawns a multitude of monsters, the most terrifying of which is the brass-headed colossus Amycus. This classic work features a sprawling cast of gods and mortals waging battle on land and by sea, from Zeus to the Titan god Prometheus, from Hades, who guards the gates of hell, to Circe, immortal weaver of spells, to the great war chief Ulysses, who sails in search of his long-lost home. Monsters of Greek Mythology brings to life fearsome creatures like giant, flame-spitting wingless dragons, a spider named Arachne, goats and swordfish endowed with magical properties, and the Cyclopes—one-eyed male and female goliaths even more powerful than the Titans.

Describes some of the strange, colorful, and dangerous creatures found in Greek mythology.

Relates ten Greek myths featuring an assortment of fantastic creatures.

Retells selected ancient Greek myths in the voice of a wandering ancient storyteller.

Retells a part of the Odyssey in which King Odysseus fights the cyclops.

The gods, heroes, and monsters of Greek mythology come wondrously alive in this second volume of Bernard Evslin’s award-winning series Book two of Bernard Evslin’s extraordinary work opens with the story of Hercules, the strongest man on Earth. Son of a mortal woman and Zeus, feared and hated by Zeus’s wife, Hera, Hercules is condemned to twelve labors in which he must fight the world’s most terrifying monsters. It seems that the world’s mightiest hero may have met his match against the Hydra, a beast with one hundred heads that spew lethal poison. Other tales feature Atlas, the Titan condemned to bear the world on his shoulders; the hideous gorgon Medusa, who turns men to stone; the half-man, half-bull Minotaur; the Sphinx; and many more. Greek myths come to thrilling life in these timeless stories of love and revenge, sorcery and enchantment, in which gods and demigods, mortals, fiends, and demons battle between good and evil. It is a world where bushes become bears, the four winds go to war, and the Nemean Lion and giant crab Cancer strike terror into the hearts of all.

From Ancient Greece to contemporary culture, the mythical Cyclops has long fascinated readers. Ugly and one-eyed, the Cyclops is known the world over as a primitive and ferocious creature who consumes human flesh and terrorizes whole communities. Today, writers and filmmakers continue to use the classic image of the Cyclops in everything from comic books to big budget Hollywood movies. Although visions of the monster have changed over time, the Cyclops remains one of the best known and most feared creatures of all time.

A Cyclops is popularly assumed to be nothing more than a flesh-eating, one-eyed monster. In an accessible, stylish, and academically authoritative investigation, this book seeks to demonstrate that there is far more to it than that - quite apart from the fact that in myths the Cyclopes are not always one-eyed! This book provides a detailed, innovative, and richly illustrated study of the myths relating to the Cyclopes from classical antiquity until the present day. The first part is organised thematically: after discussing various competing scholarly approaches to the myths, the authors analyse ancient accounts and images of the Cyclopes in relation to landscape, physique (especially eyes, monstrosity, and hairiness), lifestyle, gods, names, love, and song. While the man-eating Cyclops Polyphemus, famous already in the Odyssey, plays a major part, so also do the Cyclopes who did monumental building work, as well as those who toiled as blacksmiths. The second part of the book concentrates on the post-classical reception of the myths, including medieval allegory, Renaissance grottoes, poetry, drama, the visual arts, contemporary painting and sculpture, film, and even a circus performance. This book aims to explore not just the perennial appeal of the Cyclopes as fearsome monsters, but the depth and subtlety of their mythology which raises complex issues of thought and emotion.