A Book of Myths


Read by James K. White

(4.6 stars; 20 reviews)

This is a collection of myths--mostly Greek with a smattering of others from the east--written in a clear and easy-to-read style. Lang complemented each myth with poetry by other authors who, like her, were inspired by these ancient stories of the gods. Lang chose these stories because they portrayed heroic gods, faithfully and blindly worshipped by man. Ultimately, however, these gods demonstrated the same frailties as humans, and were found to be just as corrupt. Still, as Lang said, in spite of this these myths portrayed "a wonderful humanity that strikes a vibrant cord . . . ." This is significant to a deeper understanding of the collection as it was published in 1914 against the backdrop of the first world war, the war to end all wars--a war that doomed millions of common men to suffer "Promethean agonies," and die on battlefields in a most un-heroic way. As you listen to the narration, compare the gods of myth--with all their human frailties--to the 20th century, god-like European leaders who traded the wonderful innocence of humanity for the notion of "a noble cause." - Summary by James K. White (10 hr 24 min)

Chapters

Preface and Post-Script 11:12 Read by James K. White
Prometheus and Pandora 18:52 Read by James K. White
Pygmalion 8:52 Read by James K. White
Phaeton 18:42 Read by James K. White
Endymion 9:15 Read by James K. White
Orpheus 20:34 Read by James K. White
Apollo and Daphne 7:08 Read by James K. White
Psyche 41:54 Read by James K. White
The Calydonian Hunt 16:20 Read by James K. White
Atalanta 7:32 Read by James K. White
Arachné 14:28 Read by James K. White
Idas and Marpessa 18:46 Read by James K. White
Arethusa 8:36 Read by James K. White
Perseus the Hero 35:49 Read by James K. White
Niobe 9:30 Read by James K. White
Hyacinthus 8:24 Read by James K. White
King Midas of the Golden Touch 17:47 Read by James K. White
Ceyx and Halcyone 19:02 Read by James K. White
Aristaeus the Bee-Keeper 12:44 Read by James K. White
Proserpine 14:16 Read by James K. White
Latona and the Rustics 8:45 Read by James K. White
Echo and Narcissus 12:40 Read by James K. White
Icarus 15:35 Read by James K. White
Clytie 5:45 Read by James K. White
The Cranes of Ibycus 8:04 Read by James K. White
Syrinx 9:31 Read by James K. White
The Death of Adonis 12:34 Read by James K. White
Pan 19:54 Read by James K. White
Lorelei 12:24 Read by James K. White
Freya, Queen of the Northern Gods 13:47 Read by James K. White
The Death of Baldur 18:31 Read by James K. White
Beowulf 42:09 Read by James K. White
Roland the Paladin 41:44 Read by James K. White
The Children of Lir 31:31 Read by James K. White
Deirdrê 52:00 Read by James K. White

Reviews


(5 stars)

Wonderfully read, thank you. Your voice, at times, sounds like Morgan Freeman's.