Greek Mythology Explained

A Deeper Look at Classical Greek Lore and Myth

Marios Christou, David Ramenah

• Publisher: Mango Media
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781633538979
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Folklore & Mythology
• Index: Social Sciences

A unique retelling of Greek mythological tales featuring love, betrayal, murder and ruthless ambitions—for fans of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones. Discover six classic Greek myths in this exciting retelling that paints both famous and lesser-known characters in a whole new light. Follow the likes of Odysseus, Lamia, Bellerophon, Icarus, Medusa and Artemis as their fates are revealed through bloody trials, gut-wrenching betrayals, sinister motives and broken hearts. With an accessible writing style that delves into the thoughts, feelings, desires, and motivations of every character, these mythical figures and their compelling stories will resonate with readers as they are guided through perilous and tragic adventures. Greek Mythology Explained provides an in-depth analysis of each story told as it unravels the greater themes and valuable lessons hidden within each chapter. Inside these pages, you'll...

• Sail with Odysseus as he navigates through the straits of Messina with a terrifying monster on each side, intent only on killing him and his crew.
• Witness Lamia's world turned upside down as she loses her kingdom, her children and her humanity.
• Journey with Bellerophon as he battles the Chimera and becomes the hero that he was destined to be.
• Take flight with Icarus and Daedalus as they escape their confinement and the Cretan navy.
• Follow Medusa as she loses faith in the gods and becomes the monster she so adamantly wished to protect her people from.
• Experience the love between Artemis and Orion, as well as the bitter jealousy it spawns at the core of her brother Apollo.

II. An Unlikely Guest

She’d come down to the beach in the thick of the night, though she could still hear the celebrations like a ghostly whisper somewhere beyond the cliffside where the festival lived on, if only through drunken ramblings and the sorry few who didn’t know when to call it quits. Medusa had seen Cassandra sneak off with a handsome looking gentleman, and though she, like Medusa, had sworn an oath to remain pure for Athena, it seemed like even a priestess was human in the end.

I’ve got needs like everyone else, Medusa recalled Cassandra telling her once. Don’t tell me you’ve never… She had trailed off after that, widening her eyes and making gestures with her hands, but Medusa simply went red in the face and switched the conversation as quickly as she could.

The smell of the salty air hit her hard, and the sound of the restless waves ironically brought her a sense of calm. She felt the sand between her toes as she set her sandals to the side and skipped here and there between the odd pebble until the cold tide slithered up to meet her, swathing her ankles and bringing with it both foam and seaweed. She cupped some of the water up in her hands, splashed it over her face and felt immediately revitalised. Something about the salty water always made her feel alive again, even after such a long day of planning, cooking, dancing and being momentarily worshipped.

A loud set of cheers went up over the cliffside, and if she looked carefully, she could make out the temple cut out against the night’s sky, one side of it concealed by the dark, but the other lit up by the moonlight. Medusa wondered if someone had fallen over or if a fight had broken loose, hence the sudden cheers. But then it went silent after that, and only the arguing of the waves met her ears and the hiss of the tide as it shouldered against the coast.

You know, they’d make you their goddess if they could.

Cassandra’s words crept into her head as vividly as if she had just whispered it by her ear. She tried to shake the thought loose, but the more she tried, the more it stuck there like a fly trapped in a bottle. Not only was it a blasphemous thought, but it was a stupid one too. She could no more be a goddess than a crab could be a gull. She paced her way out of the tide’s reach and back to her sandals where she got down to her knees. Looking up at the sky, she took a deep breath and considered the subtle purple streak that was spread against the darkness, littered by a thousand stars. She supposed she couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night.

‘Why didn’t you come?’ she started, quiet at first and then louder. ‘Why didn’t you come?’

There was no response, only the waves muttering as they sloshed back and forth. Medusa liked to think they did so in agreement, for surely everything in Athens would benefit from Athena’s presence, no?

‘I thought that this time you would grace us with your presence for sure, but again you keep us waiting. Have you forgotten us? Do we mean so little to you? Or is there a plan at work here, Athena? Is all as it should be? Then why can you not tell me, so that I might tell the others.’

Still there was no response, just the howl of the salty wind as it whipped at her hair.

‘Athena,’ Medusa lowered her head, ‘if I am on the right course…if Athens is on the right course…if…if you are even there still then please, give me a sign.’

She stared up at the sky waiting—waiting for something that might’ve been a message. A flash of light? A shooting star? Perhaps a change in the waters? But no, everything remained as it was if not for the chilly wind that snuck up around her shoulders and slithered about her neck.

Medusa sighed, gathered her sandals and was about to head off back to her chambers, but then she heard laughter not too far off. Two figures emerged at the far end of the shore, one of them more composed in his strut, the other less so as he fumbled about, dropping to his knees from time to time. She couldn’t see their faces, for they were entombed in the shadows that gathered on that side of the beach, but as they came closer she could hear their slurring, could hear their crude utterings and the cackling laughter that came with it.

A part of her told her to run for some reason. Perhaps it was the realisation that she was far enough from the temple now that they wouldn’t hear her scream. Even if they did, they’d probably think it was some drunkard from the festival, wouldn’t they? She struggled to get her sandals on, slipping them on the wrong feet before frantically working to change them round. She glanced up and saw them coming, no longer stumbling. One of them had a grin that was illuminated by the moonlight, the other looked like a dullard, face fixed with a lifeless expression.

Surely she was panicking over nothing, right? It was just two men out for a midnight stroll on the beach. There was nothing surreptitious about that, was there? The one with the grin had a mess of greasy hair and was wearing a dark blue tunic. His expressionless friend had a patchy beard, his head too large for his body with a brown tunic that was sullied by something he’d spilled on the front of it. They’d seen her, there was no doubt about that as they stopped to mutter at one another. Then they were pacing towards her, the grinning man all e...