Mythos

Image credit: Amazon UK

Fairytales and myths have been around for millennia; indeed they are the oldest form of entertainment and making sense out of the world around us. Amongst the most celebrated stories in human history are the myths from Ancient Greece that feature Gaia and Ouranos, the Titans, and, of course, the Olympian gods. Many, many, many interpretations and retellings of these stories have been passed down through the ages and, this week, I took a wander amongst the olive groves and vineyards with Stephen Fry and his beautiful retelling of the ancient stories, Mythos.

The book is a chronological, at least as chronological as can be established through laborious research, narration of all the well-known (and not so well-known) ancient Greek mythology beginning with Chaos, then moving through the Titanomachy (rule of the babe-eating Kronos and his kind) before moving on to the war between the Gods and the Titans and finally ending on the high notes of the creation and government of mankind.

It doesn’t matter who’s narrating, the myths of the Ancient Greek world have always been and will always been incredible, and enrapturing experiences that excite the imagination as well as provide explanations for the world around us. We’ve all been exposed to the wondrous stories of Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Aphrodite, etc… usually in primary school where the watered down stories of magic immortal beings instil us with awe, but Fry brings new life to them for a wider range of readers that, not only keep the ‘educational’ tone (e.g. the story of Persephone and its establishment of the calendar seasons), but regale readers with the tales told in  a little more adult and risqué way (as all great fairytales were before they were watered down by Disney and the arrival of animated cinema).

Image credit: AXSChat

Fry’s eloquent and sophisticated vocal tone makes for a wondrous voice in which to read these tales, and his inclusion of personal remarks within the text and the footnotes, make the book unique reading experience, mixing the exciting, story-time tone, with one of passionate dinner conversation.

While the collection of stories can ultimately speak for themselves, Fry’s fascination and regard for the tales, their characters, and their morals/lessons, makes Mythos a highly enjoyable read that is perfect for either binge-reading or just coming back to every now and again. I absolutely adored it.

Mythos was written my Stephen Fry and published by Penguin Random House in 2017. It’s a glorious and succinct collection of stories coupled with beautiful images of artists renditions through the ages; a true celebration of ancient Greek mythology.