Wow! I totally enjoyed this. It has taken me an age to finish because it is such an informative book and many parts I have had to reread to get my head around plus I didn't want to rush it. bloody hell, really interesting and funny too.
When I was at Primary School I was fascinated by the Greek myths and lapped up lots of the kiddie friendly versions but I always knew I was being fed a child friendly version but as soon as I went to secondary school this kind of 'stuff' went off the agenda. It's so great at 44 to finally reconnect with my 10 year old self and get back into the nitty gritty of Greek myths. It's such fun to finally see it all as an adult and really think about what these myths meant to the ancients.
They are marvellous; thought provoking and mental all at the same time. This book wasn't the stories but rather an analysis of the whole SHABANG. An overview of the main points. It's from the library but I really think I need to buy it.
My favourite parts were learning that LOVE , ie Eros and Aphrodite, are two of the first created gods.
Eros was the first proto-God to emerge from Chaos. Cuddly cute Cupid is a Roman invention but Eros embodies not only love but the entire reproductive system. . Aphrodite ( Venus) is the oldest of the major gods and she was born from the chopped off penis of Uranus where it seeded in water!!! Wow, no woman involved in Aphrodite's birth...she's pure cock!
I love how brothers marry sisters, dads eat their children and their pregnant wives and then regurgitate them or in the case of Athena, her pregnant, water nymph mother is eaten by her dad Zeus and then the God of fire, Hephasteus, comes and chops open Zeus head and out walks a fully formed adult Athena. A woman who will be a god of both war and wisdom!
I also enjoyed reading about the trials of Theseus and Heracles and the myth of the Queen who fell in love with a bull, managed to dress up like a cow and got pregnant. Her hideous offspring was the minatour which had to be hidden away in a maze.
So much in this book, too much to remember, but for someone who hasn't really connected with the myths for over 30 years...a lot of fun!!
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