Is Mythos a good book? Is it worth reading?

Mythos is a captivating book that brings Greek mythology to life. It's definitely worth reading.

Who is the author of Mythos?

Stephen Fry is the author of Mythos.

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Mythos Book Summary - Mythos Book explained in key points

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Mythos summary

Name: Mythos
Rating: 4.7 (640 reviews)
Author: Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry

A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece

4.7 (640 ratings)

18 mins

Brief summary

Mythos by Stephen Fry is a retelling of Greek myths with a modern twist. It offers an engaging and humorous insight into the origins of the world and the gods.

Topics

Ancient History General Knowledge Culture Ancient

Table of Contents

Mythos
Summary of 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Learn how the Ancient Greeks envisaged creation.

Stephen Fry’s fascination with myths and legends began at a young age after reading Tales from Ancient Greece. From there, his interest only continued to grow as he encountered new mythologies from different people and cultures.

Although the Greek myths contain similar narrative arcs to those from many other countries, it was the Greeks who first created coherent narratives full of life, color, and detail. It was always the Greek stories, that Fry says, “lit me up inside.”

Mythos and this Blink both begin at the beginning, but neither end with the end. Fry says that if he’d done that, then Mythos would have been “too heavy even for a Titan to pick up.” In our case, we can’t hope to cover the richness of the myths in a single Blink, so we’ve presented the beginning – how the gods came into being from Chaos; and the story of Prometheus, his role in the creation of mankind, and Pandora.

So sit back, settle in, and prepare yourself to meet creative, warlike, vengeful, wise, compassionate, ferocious, loving, tender – and brutal gods.

Creation and the First Order

Scientists today propose that the Universe started with the Big Bang. But the Greeks believed that in the beginning, there was only Chaos. What exactly was that? Perhaps a divine being, perhaps just nothing at all, or as Fry says, perhaps a “grand cosmic yawn.” Whatever the case, one thing scientists agree on is that everything will eventually return to Chaos, or entropy.

But just as you might wonder who or what came before the Big Bang, you might also wonder who or what came before the Greek’s Chaos. The answer is that there was nothing before Chaos. Indeed, the word before was meaningless as Time itself didn’t yet exist.

From out of Chaos, two creations emerge: Erebus, the darkness, and Nyx, the night. Upon their creation, Erebus sleeps with his sister and from their union spring forth Hemera, day, and Aether, light. Simultaneously – remember, there’s no Time yet – two other entities come into being: Gaia, the earth, and Tartarus, the underworld. None of these are gods or goddesses. There are no stories about them. These are primordial deities, the First Order of divine beings. It’s from them that all the gods, monsters, and heroes of Greek mythology later arise.

Gaia has two sons all of her own: Pontus, the sea, and Ouranos, the sky. Ouranos is often referred to as Uranus – a name that now engenders great hilarity to children of all ages!

Gaia’s son, Ouranos, covers her. Not just as the sky covers the earth but also, as Fry puts it, “a stallion covers a mare.” At that moment, Time begins, and with it, personality, drama, character, and meaning. From the union of Gaia and Ouranos spring 12 beautiful healthy children – six male, and six female – the Titans. These 12 will eventually become the Second Order of divine beings. But in addition to them, there are two sets of particularly unattractive triplets: the Cyclopes – one-eyed giants; and the Hecatonchires – who have 50 heads and 100 hands. Although Gaia loves them, Ouranos is revolted by them – so much so that he pushes them back into Gaia’s womb. Gaia, in agony, and unhappy about the treatment of her offspring at the hands of their father, begins to plot Ouranos’s downfall.

The Second Order

For nine days and nights Gaia labors tirelessly at the top of a great mountain, Othrys. She forges a sickle from adamantine – meaning “untameable” – which consists of flint, granite, diamond, and ophiolite. After hiding it, she approaches each of her beautiful children, the Titans, to suggest they kill their father and rule the cosmos with her. Each has a reason or excuse not to – except Kronos, the youngest, strongest, most handsome, and moodiest of the siblings. He’s always hated his father and readily agrees.

Gaia leads him to mount Othrys, where Kronos takes the sickle and they wait for evening. As Ouranos covers Gaia once more, Kronos swings the sickle and slices off Ouranos’s genitals. Kronos catches them and hurls them far away while Ouranos writhes on the ground in agony. Ouranos curses Kronos telling him he’ll be destroyed by his own offspring. Kronos banishes his father to live out eternity deeper in the ground than even Tartarus.

Zeus

Zeus is raised on milk from Amalthea and manna from the Meliae. Rhea visits him as often as she can and teaches him the art of revenge. Zeus grows into the strongest and most handsome male ever created. He’s so striking that he’s “almost painful to look upon.”

Zeus learns that his father is his enemy – he tried to eat him, after all. Rhea tells him that his father rules by fear and has no loyalty or trust.

The Clash of the Titans and the Third Order

Rhea and her children put some distance between themselves and the Titans. When the other Titans learn of the downfall of Kronos, it seems likely that war will ensue.

And indeed, it does. It’s a violent and destructive conflict that lasts ten years. Mountains bellow fire and the ground quakes and cracks. Islands and land masses form. Continents shift and reshape.

Prometheus and the First Humans

Prometheus is a strong, good-looking, well-mannered Titan. He’s also become Zeus’s favorite. The fondness is reciprocal.

One week before the inauguration of the dodecatheon Prometheus, who’s been sleeping in long grass, is woken up by Zeus who has a plan he wants to share. He excitedly tells Prometheus he wants to create a new race of beings similar in every way to the gods but smaller and with less power. They’ll have consciousness, though, and they’ll worship the gods and be their playthings. There’ll only be males so as not to anger Hera with more females for him to get involved with.

Fire, the Wrath of Zeus, and Pandora

Later, Prometheus thinks to himself that it’s a shame that these creatures are only males. Yes, they’re happy, but they also have a life that’s safe and unchallenging. They have no zest. He decides what they really need is fire.

He’s never disobeyed Zeus before, yet in this matter he’s determined. He climbs Mount Olympus unseen, and while the gods are eating and drinking he ignites a fennel stalk and flees from the mountain with it. At first, humans are afraid of fire. But with the help of Prometheus, they soon learn that once tamed, fire has many uses.

Final Summary

We hope you’ve enjoyed listening to our Blink to Mythos, by Stephen Fry. Here’s a quick recap.

In the beginning, there was only Chaos. Everything in the Universe came from Chaos. The First Order of divine beings was overthrown by Kronos when, encouraged by his mother Gaia, he gelded his father, Ooronus. Later, Kronos was overthrown by his own son, Zeus.

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What is Mythos about?

Mythos (2017) is a fabulous retelling of the Greek myths. It provides a great introduction to anyone interested in knowing more about the Greek gods and goddesses without any preknowledge or a classical education.

Mythos Review

Mythos (2017) by Stephen Fry is a captivating exploration of Greek mythology that will transport you to a world brimming with gods, heroes, and epic tales. Here's why this book is worth your time:

Through engaging storytelling and witty anecdotes, Fry brings the ancient myths to life, making them accessible and relatable.
With in-depth research and a deep love for the subject matter, Fry provides a comprehensive overview of Greek mythology, enriching the reading experience.
The book's humorous tone and modern perspective breathe new life into these age-old stories, making them entertaining and never boring.

Who should read Mythos?

Lovers of Greek mythology
Anyone interested in creation stories from ancient cultures
Humans who want to understand their origin as seen by the ancient Greeks

About the Author

Stephen Fry is a multitalented phenomenon. A director, actor, broadcaster, comedian, and writer, he first became well-known in the 1980s as half of a comedy duo with Hugh Laurie and then in the late 1980s in Blackadder with Rowan Atkinson. Since then, he’s appeared in many films including Wilde, The Hobbit, and Alice in Wonderland as well as many TV series, theater productions, and quiz shows. Fry’s writing is similarly prolific. Since his first novel, The Liar, he’s gone on to write more fiction and several nonfiction titles. He’s also been a columnist for the Listener, the Daily Telegraph, and the Guardian.

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