Greek myths abound in images of beauty and perfection: charming gods, attractive goddesses, and handsome heroes, all of them standards of physical and spiritual flawlessness. However, the ancient Greeks were not fond of absolutes. No god or hero is shown without blemishes in character and ethics, and some are even physically imperfect, like Hephaestus, who is ugly and lame. Another element that dominates Greek mythology is the idea of balance. Good and evil, light and darkness, hubris and punishment. What could not be missing from this world is the image of reversed beauty: monstrosity. The aim of this book is to explore the realm of the imaginary world of Greek mythology and present the reader with a categorization of monstrosity, referring to some of the most noted examples in each category.

The aim of this book is to explore the realm of the imaginary world of Greek mythology and present the reader with a categorization of monstrosity, referring to some of the most noted examples in each category.

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

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.

A retelling of all the great tales of Greek mythology in language that is simple, swift and highly dramatic.

A bestiary featuring mythical animals such as the gryphon and the chimera.

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.