Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold
Author: Stephen Fry
Published by: Penguin Books
Pages: 416
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
One golden afternoon, Persephone was chasing butterflies as they flitted from blossom to blossom in a sun-dappled meadow. Suddenly, she heard a deep rending and roaring sound. The hillside in front of her split apart, and from out of the opening there thundered a great chariot. Before the terrified girl had a chance to turn and run, the driver had scooped her up, swung the chariot round and driven it back through the cleft in the hillside.
Hades, the king of the Underworld had claimed his queen.
‘Persephone has eaten fruit from my kingdom,’ Hades explained to Zeus. ‘It is ordained that all who have tasted the food of hell must return. She has tasted six pomegranate seeds so she must come back to me for sixth months of every year.’
The world had found a new rhythm.
My thoughts:
I have always wanted to know more about Greek mythology, as the stories have always fascinated me. When I first heard that Stephen Fry was going to release a collection of retellings this seemed the perfect opportunity to learn more about the Greek myths.
Mythos contains only a fairly small group of the Greek myths, but undoubtedly he has cherry-picked a wonderful selection of them, which he narrates in engaging and fluent prose. The bookmainly discusses the birth of the gods and the creation of the first few generations of humans, and Fryperfectly captures these stories for the modern age, incorporating his own personal touches of intellect and wit.
At times, Greek mythology can be absolutely brutal and strange, but Stephen Fry doesn’t at any point shy away from this. Reading his take on these crazy moments, it is obvious that he just totally gets it; he embraces it and as he re-tells these myths in his own distinctive style, Fry includes many witty and imaginative comments that allow readers to easily follow the stories. The writing is often comical with the author’s commentaries running throughout the various myths. This really makes the book even more captivating to get lost in!
The dialogue included in the stories adds another level of humour and works perfectly in simplifying certain scenarios. I enjoyed the various exchanges between characters very much and these moments made the book even more relatable and enjoyable to read. Whether it was Zeus taking on the role of ‘daddy’ and promising to grant the young Artemis a series of gifts, or Gaia seeking out someone to help her fulfil her plan for revenge against Ournaos, the dialogue allows us to get a better understanding of these gods. It makes the book feel much more fun and engaging throughout.
I also found it extremely interesting to learn the relationship between these myths and the English language, and Stephen Fry’s writing highlights how much influence and relevance these stories still have in today’s world.
The sheer joy and entertainment I felt whilst reading, is perhaps why I love Mythos so much. Unsurprisingly, Stephen Fry proves to be a wonderful narrator, bringing life, humour, and modernity into these age-old stories, and the book never feels dry or dull in any way.
His down-to-earth humour and modern narration have turned these gods into relatable and fascinating characters. Fry’s unique style allows us to enjoy the Greek myths in all their glory. Undoubtedly one of my favourite reads of the year so far!
Overall reaction: