So You Want to Discover Myths?

by Greg on May 18, 2013

This is a book list of actual myths, folklore and fairy tales — usually in translation. The best way to learn the myth stories, is by reading them in as close to the original format as possible.

Edith Hamilton’s Mythology may be a great introduction to Greek, Roman and Norse myths, but it’s a pale shadow compared to the real stories.

So You Want to Discover Myths?

Interested in one or more of these books? Click the mouse on the book title to order it from your local CLEVNET library.

The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian translated by Andrew George

Documents from Old Testament Times edited by D. Winton Thomas

The Egyptian Book of the Dead translated by E.A. Wallis Budge

The Iliad of Homer by Homer, translated by Richmond Alexander Lattimore

The Odyssey of Homer by Homer, translated by Richmond Alexander Lattimore

The Homeric Hymns by Homer, translated by Apostolos N. Athanassakis

Hesiod: Theogony; The Works and Days; The Shield of Herakles by Hesiod, translated by Apostolos N. Athanassakis

The Oresteia (Agamemnon — The Libation Bearers — The Furies) by Aeschylus, translated by Alan Shapiro and Peter Burian

Persians and Other Plays (Persians — Seven against Thebes — Suppliants — Prometheus Bound) by Aeschylus, translated by Christopher Collard

The Theban Plays of Sophocles (Antigone — Oedipus tyrannos — Oedipus at Colonus) by Sophocles, translated by David R. Slavitt

Four Tragedies (Ajax — Women of Trachis — Electra — Philoctetes) by Sophocles, translated by Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff

Euripides: 10 Plays (Alcestis — Hippolytus — Ion — Electra — Iphigenia at Aulis — Iphigenia among the Taurians — Medea — The Bacchae — The Trojan women — The Cyclops) by Euripides, translated by Paul Roche

Apollodorus: The Library, with An English Translation by Apollodorus, translated by James George Frazer

The Aeneid by Virgil, translated by Robert Fitzgerald

Metamorphoses by Ovid, translated by Charles Martin

The Poetic Edda translated by Carolyne Larrington

The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology by Snorri Sturluson, translated by Jesse L. Byock

The Nibelungenlied translated by D.G. Mowat

The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer translation by Jesse L. Byock

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation translated by Seamus Heaney

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated and edited by William Vantuono

Early Irish Myths and Sagas translated by Jeffrey Gantz

The Tain (also called: Tain bo Cuailnge) translated by Ciaran Carson

The Mabinogi, and Other Medieval Welsh Tales translated by Patrick K. Ford

The Song of Roland (also called: Chanson de Roland) translated by W. S. Merwin

The Poem of the Cid (also called: El Poema Del Mio Cid) translation by W. S. Merwin

The Mahabharata: An Abridged Translation by John D. Smith

Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation translated by Stephen Mitchell

You can view another version of So You Want to Discover Myths? book list complete with my annotations for many of the books at the CLEVNET webcatalog.

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Two years ago DC Comics did a major reboot of its entire superhero comic book line. Called the New 52, every comic book started fresh from issue number one and many heroes, like Firestorm, received major make-overs. Others, like Batman and Superman, had tweaks to bring them into a more modern age.

batman_the_court_of_owlsFor instance, Batman sports black and grey armor with a cowl, cape and utility belt. Gone is the “underpants on the outside” look.

At the time of the reboot, Batman and Superman have been active for about five to six years. The Justice League formed about five years ago.

Some comics explored the early years — Action Comics looked at Superman’s early battles and The Justice League depicted an updated origin story (against Darkseid) and then skipped ahead five years.

As for Batman, right from the start, DC Comics launched a huge saga pitting the Batman against a cartel of Gotham City’s power elite called The Court of Owls, and their enforcers, the Talons.

batman_the_night_of_the_owlsWhile the “reboot” may throw what we know about Batman’s history into some doubt, his personality is very much the same. Batman owns Gotham City and rules its night. Thus, writer Scott Snyder can launch into a very personal contest between Batman and the Court of Owls over who owns Gotham.

The saga is so large, it’s been collected into three volumes with spillover into other titles. So you may ask, how should I read this tale?

The Court of Owls Saga:

Interested in one or more of these books? Click the mouse on the book cover to order it from your local CLEVNET library.

Batman: The Court of Owls
(Batman 1-7)

Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes
(Nightwing 1-7)

Batman: Night of the Owls
(All-Star Western 9, Batman 8-9, Batman Annual 1, Batman: The Dark Knight 9, Batman: Detective Comics 9, Batgirl 9, Batwing 9, Birds of Prey 9, Nightwing 8-9, Batman and Robin 9, Catwoman 9, Red Hood and the Outlaws 9)

Batman: City of Owls
(Batman 8-12 and Annual 1)

What is the best way to read them? Start with Batman: The Court of Owls, read Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes, then Batman: Night of the Owls except for the last story (It’s titled “The Fall of the House of Wayne” and opens with Jarvis Pennyworth writing a last letter to his son Alfred — you’ll find it reprinted in its proper order in Batman: City of Owls). Then move on to Batman: City of Owls.

batman_the_city_of_owlsAnother title that has close ties to “The Court of Owls” saga, is All-Star Western, which takes place in the 1880s and stars Jonah Hex and a reluctant Dr. Amadeus Arkham.

In the first volume, All Star Western: Guns and Gotham, Jonah Hex comes to Gotham, a city that he hates, looking for a bounty. What he finds is the fledgling Religion of Crime organization (seen in the pages of Batwoman) and, in the last story of the collection, a child kidnapper with ties to the Court of Owls.

In the second volume, All Star Western: The War of Lords and Owls, Jonah and Dr. Arkham chase the kidnapper to New Orleans and encounter a Talon — the Court of Owls assassin. Although part of this story is incorporated in Batman: Night of the Owls, it starts in the middle of the adventure, minutes before the Talon attacks and most of the back story is glossed over.

“The Court of Owls” Saga is well worth your time to read and it sets up one of the most powerful Joker stories I’ve ever read: “The Death of the Family”.

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So You Want to be a Screenwriter: A Book List

April 11, 2013

Unlike other forms of writing, when you write a screenplay, a teleplay or a stage play, your job is only just beginning. And often, the easiest part is the writing itself. It’s the rest of the job — pitching the script, doing a multitude of requested rewrites, being ignored as an advisor and generally treated [...]

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A Bad Day for Abusive Husbands — The Stella Hardesty Series

April 6, 2013

Stella Hardesty is a 50-something widow who runs a sewing shop and has a side business setting abusive men straight . . . First she has a nice little sit down talk with them . . . while they’re helplessly trussed up in some questionable bondage wear. If that doesn’t work, she has a little [...]

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In Search of a New Home: The Jacob’s Ladder Trilogy

March 21, 2013

Elizabeth Bear is a science fiction author who can satisfy that midnight craving for space opera when yet another Star Trek rerun won’t do. Discover new sights and wonders as the generation ship Jacob’s Ladder limps toward its final destination and her people must adapt . . . or die. The Jacob’s Ladder Trilogy Interested [...]

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In and Out of Capes: My Superhero Reading List

February 27, 2013

Superheroes are breaking out of comics and landing in prose short stories and novels. Below is a reading list of superhero and super-villain books — novels and anthologies — that I assembled for myself. I’ve already read, and enjoyed, the first three books. I’m about to start Ex Heroes. How many have you read? In [...]

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So You Want to be a Writer: A Book List

February 9, 2013

These days everyone wants to be a writer, everyone has a book in them but no one know how to go about it. The books below will not make you a New York Times Bestselling author but they may help you get to the end of the book and perhaps even make a sale. So [...]

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So You Want to be a Blogger: A Book List

February 2, 2013

Whether being a blogger means making money on the Internet or creating a website that gathers a tribe of individuals sharing your interest, these books are essential reading before you create your first blog. I am a professional blogger (horrorbooks.co) and a blog coordinator for the Heights Library system and these books have and still [...]

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So You Want to Improve Your Creativity: A Book List

February 1, 2013

Creativity. Those that don’t have it believe they can never develop it — those that have some never have enough or enough of the right type. The truth is, creativity is the birthright of every human being but one must practice using it — exercise it like a muscle — to enhance their creative selves. [...]

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So You Want to Create Comics: A Book List

January 29, 2013

Comics, comic books and graphic novels both online and in print are very popular and a legitimate way to tell a story. And comics aren’t just for superheroes anymore. The books in this list offer guidance in learning the craft of writing and drawing comics. So You Want to Create Comics? Interested in one or [...]

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