Books in Myths and Legends series

For ten years, the battle raged. Thousands of ancient Greece's best warriors battled their enemies, the Trojans, in a desperate attempt to win back King Meneleus's beautiful wife, Helen. After a decade of fighting and thousands dead, the Greek forces suddenly fell back. Cautiously the Trojans ventured out of the city walls, where they discovered a giant wooden horse and a messenger. Should they accept this peace offering? Or is the gift horse too good to be true?

Jason was born a prince of the kingdom of Argos. But when Jason was a child, his uncle Pelias stole the throne and sent Jason into hiding. Now a young man, Jason returns to claim his birthright. But Pelias only sneers. He demands that Jason prove himself by retrieving the priceless, magical Golden Fleece from the far-off land of Colchis. Jason accepts the challenge and gathers a ship full of Greek war heroes to aid him. But what deadly trials has Aeetes, King of Colchis, set for Jason? And what plans does the beautiful witch Medea have for the seeker of the Golden Fleece?

Raised by his mother and tutor, young Theseus finally learns the truth of his birth: he is the son of King Aegeus, ruler of Athens. Armed with his father’s shield, he sets out to claim his birthright and face his greatest challenge―the Minotaur, a savage beast who is half-man, half-bull. To defeat the Minotaur, Theseus must enter the Labyrinth, a bewildering maze from which no one has ever escaped alive. Will Theseus succeed in his quest? Or will he suffer the fate of the Minotaur’s many other victims?

As a child, Philip Sherlock loved to listen to folk tales. Since then he has made a significant contribution to Caribbean folklore by recording many of them in print for the first time. Here are fables of the birds and animals of the West Indies: jaguar, snake, crested curassow, wild pig, parrot, wise owl, and of Anansi--the spider who can assume human form. These twenty-one stories are a wonderful mixture of early tales from the Arawak and the Carib people, the original inhabitants of the Caribbean, and from the Ashanti people of West Africa. Read together they help to provide a background to the history of the West Indies. The stories are retold here in a warm, rich style--some tales gentle and philosophical, some humorous and full of action.

Osiris is the greatest king and god of the Land of the Nile. He is a generous ruler, and the people love and worship him--along with his wife and queen, the goddess Isis. But Osiris's jealous brother Set has a terrible plan to get rid of Osiris forever and take his place on the Egyptian throne. Will Egypt suffer under an evil tyrant? Or can Isis use her magic and her love to save Osiris and conquer Set?

From one of China’s most famous epics comes a righteous hero and god of war. Guan Yu, an ancient Chinese warrior, fights side by side with his blood brothers Liu Bei and Zhang Fei to squash the menacing Yellow Scarves. He defends his country and his honor, but his troubles are just beginning. All over China, opponents pose grave challenges, each one more trying than the next. Will Guan Yu prevail against the forces that threaten him? Or will the obstacles prove too much for even the brave warrior to handle?

After finally winning the decade-long war against the Trojans, Odysseus, captain of the Greek Army, only has to guide his men back home, across the sea. Yet the journey will prove just as perilous as the battles they have just won, as they encounter the monstrous, man-eating Cyclops, the irresistible song of the siren, and the wrath of an angry Poseidon, god of the sea. Are he and his men destined to die at sea? Or can Odysseus's cunning, strength, and courage bring them safely home?

The classic stories of our childhood--"Cinderella," "The Sleeping Beauty," Little Red Riding Hood"--exist only in books today, but they started their lives as oral tales told from one generation to the next. In Ethiopia, however, great treasuries of fairy tales still live in people's heads and have never been written down. Old people sit together in the evenings and tell each other stories that were already old a hundred years ago. Elizabeth Laird--a winner of the Reader's Choice award and the Children's Book award--spent two years traveling around Ethiopia and collecting the tales in this anthology. She was told stories by Muslims in the hot, dry deserts of the East; Christians from the cool, central Highlands; and people from even older religions from the warm, humid South. The different faiths and cultures are reflected in the stories, with their varying notions of God, heaven, and the spirit world. You will enjoy the funny stories with a twist, the exciting adventure stories of brave warriors and hunters, the clever stories of cunning and trickery, along with stories about ogres and kings and merchants and farmers and animals.

Egyptian mythology tells us that long ago the brother gods Osiris and Set ruled peacefully over the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt, each in his own kingdom. But over time Set came to covet his brother's lands and crown, and eventually the temptation overwhelmed him. Usurping Osiris' throne, Set began a blood feud that spread war, death and mutilation through both the heavens and the earth. Gods and men chose sides and took up arms on behalf of both Set and Horus, the heir of Osiris. This book retells the mythic struggle between Horus and Set, exploring the variations and background to the feud, and examining the earthly realities that inspired, or reflected, the actions and allegiances of the Gods, such as the political rivalries between the two kingdoms, and the invasion by Cambyses II. Egyptian weapons and strategies are also examined, showing how their gods and men did battle.