Includes index.

Introduction to classical mythology -- Part one: The Gods, the creation, and the earliest heroes -- Part two: Stories of love and adventure -- Part three: The great heroes before the Trojan War -- Part four: Heroes of the Trojan War -- Part five: The great families of mythology -- Part six: The less important myths -- Part seven: The mythology of the Norsemen -- Genealogical tables.

For over fifty years readers have chosen this book above all others to discover the thrilling, enchanting, and fascinating world of Western mythology. From Odysseus's adventure-filled journey to the Norse god Odin's effort to postpone the final day of doom, Edith Hamilton's classic collection not only retells these stories with brilliant clarity but shows us how the ancients saw their own place in the world and how their themes echo in our consciousness today. An essential part of every home library, Mythology is the definitive volume for anyone who wants to know the key dramas, the primary characters, the triumphs, failures, fears, and hopes first narrated thousands of years ago-and still spellbinding to this day. Monsters, mortals, gods, and warriors.