Summary of Edith Hamilton's Mythology (75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition)

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview:

#1 The Titans were the first gods, and they were supreme in the universe. They were of enormous size and incredible strength. The twelve great Olympians were their descendants, and they ruled over the other gods.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669372080

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Titans were the first gods, and they were supreme in the universe. They were of enormous size and incredible strength. The twelve great Olympians were their descendants, and they ruled over the other gods.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

Zeus was the supreme ruler of the gods, and he was also the God of the Sky, the Rain-god, and the Cloud-gatherer. He had immense power, but he was not omnipotent or omniscient. He could be opposed and deceived.

#2

Hera was the goddess of marriage and women, but she was also the goddess of vengeance. She was the protector of heroes, but not in any other story. She was the goddess who married women.

#3

Pluto was the Greek god of wealth and the underworld. He was also called Dis, the Latin word for rich. He had a famous cap that made whoever wore it invisible.

#4

The goddess Athena was the daughter of Zeus. She was the protector of civilized life, and the inventor of the bridle. She was the pre-eminent goddess of the city, and was called the Maiden, Parthenos, and her temple the Parthenon.

#5

Apollo, the god of prophecy, was born on the island of Delos. He was a purely beneficent power, a direct link between gods and men. He guided men to know the divine will, and he could even cleanse those who had been stained with the blood of their kindred.

#6

Artemis was the moon goddess, and she was the Lady of Wild Things, Huntsman-in-chief to the gods. She was also the sister of Helios, the sun god.

#7

The goddess of love and beauty, who beguiled all, gods and men alike. She is the daughter of Zeus and Dione in the Iliad, but in the later poems she is said to have sprung from the foam of the sea.

#8

The goddess of beauty was also known as Aphrodite. She had two sides to her: the beautiful side, and the treacherous and malicious side. She was the wife of Hephaestus, the lame and ugly god of the forge.

#9

The God of War, son of Zeus and Hera, was hated by the two Olympian gods. He was not a distinct personality like Hermes or Apollo, but he was a symbol of war. He had no cities where he was worshiped.

#10

Hephaestus was the god of metalworking and handicrafts. He was a kindly, peace-loving god who was popular on earth as well as in heaven. He was the protector of the smiths and the weavers, two important groups in Greek society.

Insights from Chapter 3

#1

Eros was the Greek god of love, and he was usually depicted as a beautiful, serious youth who gave good gifts to men. He was not Aphrodite’s son in the early stories, but she often accompanied him.

#2

There were many deities in Olympus, including the Muses and the Graces. The Muses were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, Memory. They were the keepers of song and poetry, and they gave life its bloom. The Graces were three: Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia. They were the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, a daughter of the Titan, Ocean.

#3

The Greeks believed that there were two personified emotions that were the highest of all: Righteous Anger, or Nemesis, and AIDOS, which means reverence and the shame that holds men back from wrongdoing. However, it seems that neither of these emotions