Ancient Myths

This reissue of the 1919 classic combines the immortal stories from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey into one glorious saga of heroism and magical adventure. Beloved by generations, Padraic Colum's masterful retelling of these epic adventures is remarkably fresh, consistently spellbinding, and unmatched for its richness and poetry.

Greek myths were full of powerful witches, unpredictable gods and sword-wielding slayers. They were also extreme: about families who turn murderously on each other; impossible tasks set by cruel kings; love that goes wrong; wars and journeys and terrible loss. There was magic, there was shape-shifting, there were monsters, there were descents to the land of the dead. Humans and immortals inhabited the same world, which was sometimes perilous, sometimes exciting.

Ariadne, Princess of Crete, grows up greeting the dawn from her beautiful dancing floor and listening to her nursemaid’s stories of gods and heroes. But beneath her golden palace echo the ever-present hoofbeats of her brother, the Minotaur, a monster who demands blood sacrifice. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives to vanquish the beast, Ariadne sees in his green eyes not a threat but an escape. Defying the gods, betraying her family and country, and risking everything for love, Ariadne helps Theseus kill the Minotaur.

King Pelias promises Jason the throne if Jason can capture the Golden Fleece. Jason and his men, the Argonauts, depart on a great journey. After years of sailing adventures, Jason and his men arrive at Colchis, home of the Golden Fleece. Will Jason find what he's looking for?

Medusa, once a bewitching beauty, has become a hideous monster with snakes for hair. When men look at her, they turn to stone. When King Polydectes sends Perseus for Medusa's head, he thinks Perseus will soon be another one of Medusa's stone men. Or will he?

Isis and Osiris have never trusted their brother Set. When Set hosts a huge banquet for Osiris, Isis is worried. Osiris falls for Set's trickery, and is separated from his beloved Isis. Will Isis be able to save Osiris?

Over two millennia ago, the prescient insights of Anaximander paved the way for cosmology, physics, geography, meteorology, and biology, setting in motion a new way of seeing the world. His legacy includes the revolutionary ideas that the Earth floats in a void, that animals evolved, that the world can be understood in natural rather than supernatural terms, and that universal laws govern all phenomena. In this elegant work, the renowned theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli brings to light the importance of Anaximander’s overlooked influence on modern science

Prince Neferkaptah has always loved learning. When he hears of a great book of knowledge called The Book of Thoth, he sets out to find it. But the gods have made his task difficult. Will Neferkaptah find the great book of the gods, or will he continue his search forever?

The great city of Troy is under siege as Greek heroes Achilles and Agamemnon wage bloody war over a stolen woman. In the Greek camp, another woman is watching and waiting: Briseis. She was a queen of this land until Achilles sacked her city and murdered her husband and sons. Now she is Achilles' concubine: a prize of battle. Briseis is just one among thousands of women backstage in this war - the slaves and prostitutes, the nurses, the women who lay out the dead - all of them voiceless in history.

Within this audiobook lies the heart of Irish identity—a rich heritage of storytelling that has been passed down through the generations, from the mysterious Druids and the formidable Tuatha Dé Danann to legendary heroes whose deeds are still sung. Meet the awe-inspiring gods and goddesses who wielded power over life and death and shaped the destiny of Ireland itself.

Lilith and Adam are equal and happy in the Garden of Eden. Until Adam decides Lilith should submit to his will and lie beneath him. She refuses—and is banished forever from Paradise. Demonized and sidelined, Lilith watches in fury as God creates Eve, the woman who accepts her submission. But Lilith has a secret: she has already tasted the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Endowed with Wisdom, she knows why Asherah—God's wife and equal, the Queen of Heaven—is missing. Lilith has a plan: she will rescue Eve, find Asherah, restore balance to the world, and regain her rightful place in Paradise.

The Sumerians are widely regarded as the first people to develop civilization in the sense that modern humans understand the term. They were pioneers in a variety of fields, including language, government, architecture, and more. Before the Babylonians took control in 2004 BC, they ruled the region for close to 2,000 years, during which time they were successful in maintaining their dominance.

When Clytemnestra marries Agamemnon, she ignores the insidious whispers about his family line, the House of Atreus. But when, on the eve of the Trojan War, Agamemnon betrays Clytemnestra in the most unimaginable way, she must confront the curse that has long ravaged their family. In Troy, Princess Cassandra has the gift of prophecy, but carries a curse of her own: No one will ever believe what she sees. When she is shown what will happen to her beloved city when Agamemnon and his army arrives, she is powerless to stop the tragedy from unfolding.

Herodotus is not only the father of the art and the science of historical writing, but also one of the Western tradition's most compelling storytellers. In tales such as that of Gyges, who murders Candaules, the king of Lydia, and usurps his throne and his marriage bed, thereby bringing on, generations later, war with the Persians, Herodotus laid bare the intricate human entanglements at the core of great historical events.

Heroes, gods, and mortals. The Greek myths are the founding narratives of Western civilization: to understand them is to know the origins of philosophy, literature, art, science, law, and more. Indeed, as Luc Ferry shows in this masterful book, they remain a great store of wisdom, as relevant to our lives today as ever before.

Learn about the evolution of Roman Myths with iMindsJNR audio learning series for younger minds. Romulus and Remus were twins who were raised by a wolf. In 753 BC they moved away from their home in Alba Longa to build a new city. But they fought over the site and name of the future city and Romulus slew Remus. Romulus then founded the city of Rome. So goes the myth which tells of the beginnings of ancient Roman culture.

Do you know that the one-eyed Odin was alcoholic? Or that Loki gave birth to an eight-legged horse? Norse Mythology is complicated, unpredictable, and wonderful. All the stories tell of bravery and strength, loyalty amongst friends and family, and the pursuit of wisdom over power.

Years have passed since the clash of shieldwalls echoed across the land. The Saxons are now the lords of Britain. And yet the bards still sing of Arthur - 'In our darkest time, when we need him most, shall he come again.' Yet old Beran has no love of bards' songs. Nor of people, unless they are paying him to steal or kill. He is a mercenary, in the employ of the cutthroat Nabor ap Nabor, and he has been ordered to murder a boy fleeing a burning city. No ordinary boy either. No, this boy is the son of King Constantine and the grandson of High King Ambrosius.

An epic re-creation of the exhilarating and mysterious time when the Sun King ruled Egypt, Ramses, the Son of Light, has become the rage in France. With over two million copies sold, it is the greatest publishing phenomenon to hit the shelves there in 20 years. Rameses is only 14 when his father, the Pharaoh Seti, begins testing his true mettle. Being the younger of two sons, the proud Ramses has a problem with being relegated to second place.

Rudolf Steiner explores the astonishing, special relationship and deep spiritual connection between our own time and that of ancient Egypt. He tells us why it is important to study Eygpt, with its vast wisdom and knowledge of cosmic laws and myths.