Kirjahaku

Some of the best stories about Ancient Greece are mixed with actual historical events: equal parts truth and fantasy, and that's what makes them so intriguing. The Trojan War for example, in which we see the hero Achilles, the bulwark of the Greek Army who saved the kidnapped Helen, is told from the perspective of his goddess mother. But did you know that according to the ancient Greeks, Achilles had the choice to live a long and happy life or die by his ambition to be remembered as a hero? Even with all the intervention of his Immortal mother who called in favors from the gods, she could not change the fate of her son, which was allegedly set by the Fates when he was born.Greek Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, Heroines, Monsters, and Classic Greek Myths of All Time is filled with interesting tidbits about the most popular heroes, gods and goddesses, as well as some little known facts and interpretations about their lives. You'll find timelines and the genealogy of the Immortals as well as the men and women who were subjected to their whims and used as pawns to further their intentions. It gives us deep insight into the philosophy of this "religion", into the minds of great thinkers of the time and how they viewed their world - the earth, the heavens, the stars, and the afterlife. But this book is as entertaining as it is informative. Discover how the great Olympian and King of the Gods, Zeus himself, was controlled by his wife, Hera, and how something as meaningless as a pomegranate seed fated poor Persephone to being the Goddess of the Underworld, at least part-time, that is.Find out about the four seasons, what or who inspires music and poetry, why life is limited to a certain span of time, how each person is allotted certain gifts and why, how the gods intervene, what came before Olympus, and how we got the names of many of our constellations and stars.It may seem like superstition today, but a mere 3000 years ago, these were strongly held beliefs that influenced everything in daily life including philosophy, religion and government in the same way today's dominant religions influence society. Greek Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, Heroines, Monsters, and Classic Greek Myths of All Time is a fun read and a book you'll want to refer to again and again. It should find a place in your reference library and onto your reading list.

The world of the Vikings is larger than life, filled with sagas of warriors who made fighting a career, but there's a lot more to Viking history than blood-letting and piracy. Their achievements, rich culture and craftsmanship contributed greatly to our world today, and their explorations helped make up the boundaries of nations. The Vikings: Raiders, Explorers, and Seafaring Warriors by author Lance Hightower will give you a glimpse of the battles that raged for more than 300 years, sparked by the cultural and religious differences that were the trigger for warring with the Franks, England and Ireland, and for trade and exploration into the Muslim empire, the Byzantine Empire, as far as Russia, Spain and North America.They came from Sweden, Norway and Denmark, not as one army, but as separate tribes who assaulted their way through Christendom as retaliation for the destruction of their holy icon. They came from the sea in a way that ingeniously allowed them to go where no conventional ship dared, and they were able to navigate waters without benefit of the sun to guide them. They used boats that made ship-building history - light, fast, and equally efficient in shallow rivers and mighty oceans.They terrorized, traded, bartered, took slaves, colonized, fought and died all in the name of Odin, god of the battle-slain. Perhaps in the end, they fought more for territory and riches than principle, but the history of the Vikings will always remain as one of the most enthralling of all Ages, where honor was crucial, death on the battlefield was preferred to idleness, and the stormy pantheon of their gods still held the greatest influence in their lives.The brilliant sagas come to life with snippets of modern translations, told like tales of old should be told, with dread, heroics and excitement. Lance Hightower combines his own expertise with the latest archeological findings and information given to us from ancient text to present a first-rate portrayal of the Vikings in an easy-to-read format that is a refreshing change from the usual dry delivery of history.