Mythos by Stephen Fry

Moving ahead with the theme of Mythology, this May, we reach our next trail stop - Mythos by Stephen Fry. This book is a collection of greek stories and affords us a very comprehensive view of the mythos of Greece. Greeks and their culture, as we may know, have influenced western civilisation to a large extent and these influences find manifestations even today in language, phonetics, political thought, philosophy, science etc. This is a book about the stories the Greeks liked to tell. Their mythology, their world view. Before we dive into the book, let us talk about the author a little.

Stephen Fry is a name which rarely needs any introduction. He, over the years of an illustrious career, has donned many a hat, including that of a writer, actor, theatre thespian, comedian, social commentator, activist etc. He is known for his remarkable work, with fellow Englishman Hugh Laurie(of House fame), in shows like Jeeves and Wooster and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. Stephen is also a strong voice advocating for LGBTQ rights and mental health issues. As a writer, Stephen is one of the most subtle, nuanced and witty authors you can read. His books have a typical English sense of observational and wry humour. A long and ardent lover of Greek Myths, Stephen has authored 2 books around the same. Heroes and Mythos. The latter is what we deal with today, though both have been best sellers and should be given a read

Now to understand the book better let us answer out 3 questions of Why, What and How

Why did I pick up this book: The Greek mythologies, have always been a source of inspiration for all sorts of pop-culture items, be those movies, video-games or even comic books. These collections of stories have managed to shape some of the most elementary humanist thought in the western civilisations. Given the importance, gravitas and thrill Greek Mythos carry, I wanted to understand it better and from a more contextually apt scholarship, wherein literary licenses for screen adaptations are minimised. Basically, I wanted to know the "real deal" when it came to the Gods of Olympus.

What was this book all about: This book is a collection of the myths of the Hellenic people. It introduces us to the greek concept of creation, the various titans, Gods, humans and the various behavioural trends which shaped human history as in the eyes of the Greeks.

"The Greeks thought it was Chaos who, with a massive heave, or a great shrug, or hiccup, vomit or cough, began the long chain of creation that has ended with pelicans and penicillin and toadstools and toads, sea-lions, seals, lions, human and daffodils and murder and art and love and confusion and death and madness and biscuits"

"But one little itch tickled her(Pandora), one little fly buzzed around her, one little worm burrowed inside. That jar".

The book retells the stories of Zeus' birth, his ascension to the throne by displacing his tyrant father Kronos, the bloody war with the Titans and the eventual age of Gods. It talks about the coming of the first men (moulded by Prometheus, enlivened by Zeus as a ploy to alleviate his boredom). Mythos tells the contextual story behind various other incidents which have managed to stay with us even today like Pandora opening the box (jar rather), Prometheus stealing the divine flame much to the chagrin of Zeus, chaining of Atlas etc. Stephen also gives us an insight into various linguistic origins of English words. scientific notations, and astronomical entities which bear a direct correspondence to Greek (sometimes Roman) myths.

"As she spoke Arachne started to shrivel and shrink [..] This is how the first spider – the first arachnid – came into being. It was not a punishment as some would have it, but a prize for winning a great competition"

"Zeus rewarded this beautiful youth, his devoted minion, lover and friend, by sending him up into the sky as a constellation in the most important part of the heavens, the Zodiac, where he shines still as Aquarius, the Cupbearer"

The book more or less brings you abreast with Greek mythology. It serves as your entry point to appreciating not just Greek Mythos but also their history, philosophy and culture much better.

How is this book to read? The book is written in a very simple and straightforward fashion. The book has an air of fantasy about it, which is always a good thing while retelling myth. Mythos is a quick read and successfully sets you up to consume other forms of greek stories, be that books or pop-culture. While reading the book you'll feel Stephen Fry's wry sense of humour come across especially during his intermittent commentary on the God's infidelity, their jealousies and other eccentricities etc.

"But, ambitious, snobbish, conservatively protective of hierarchy and impatient of originality and flair as she certainly was – the archetype of many a literary aunt and cinematic dowager dragon – Hera was never a bore"

"I like to picture the first stage of creation as an old-fashioned TV screen on which a monochrome game of Pong played [..]So it was for the Greek cosmos, a creation that began with clunky and elemental lo-res outlines now exploded into rich, varied life."

Stephen has curated a very comprehensive set of stories ranging from Amalthea's Horn of Plenty to the Titanomachy to Dionysius' birth and much more. With multiple such short stories, Mythos is not just an informative read but also an entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable read.

So should you read this book? If you want to know more about greek mythos - then this is the book for you and you should definitely check this book out. If you're into audiobooks then Mythos has been narrated by Stephen Fry himself on the Storytel App and it is an all-new experience listening to Stephen, narrate Greek Myths to you.

Can this be your first book? Well given the fact that the book is not complex in structure and just the right length to hold your attention, this can be a very good first book to pick up.  The vocabulary and literary deft demanded from the reader are not too much and a newbie can approach this book without any apprehensions.

With this, we come to the end of our 6th trail stop. It is proving to be a journey which is as enriching for the reader as it is for me, the writer, and I hope this tryst continues to flourish. Until next time keep reading, keep recommending and keep sharing, for more the passengers in the Paperback Trails the better.