In this precursor (in both senses) of Heroes, Stephen Fry starts right at the beginning of the Greek mythology with the creation out of Chaos of primordial deities, such as Gaia and Ouranos, and with clarity moves through the early orders of Titans to arrive at the more familiar Olympians. These are the six offspring of Kronos and Rhea – Zeus, the eldest, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hades, and Hestia.
Zeus, having overthrown the Titans decides that six Olympians are not enough so he co-opts Aphrodite and goes about fathering another five – Ares and Hephaestus by Hera, twins Artemis and Apollo by the nymph Leto, and Hermes who actually springs from his cleaved head (immediately healed). As you might imagine, Fry has great fun relating all this.
However the mischief really starts when Zeus finds Olympus has become boring and decides to create a diversion in the form of humans. The rest, literally, is history.
But the exploits of men and women are mainly for the Heroes volume. Here it is the interaction of the gods that take centre stage. And fill it with wonder and chaos, rivalry and revenge, trickery and treachery, using humans as disposable proxies in their attempts at one-upmanship. Fry relates it all with gusto, humour, and erudition. Scholarship and etymological links are provided in copious footnotes that reward perseverance with the small print.
A wonderful laying
out of Greek mythology made relevant by a modern viewpoint and a highly
entertaining narrator.
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