Read my post about why these stories are so important: I Don’t Know Enough So Where Do I Begin?

• These collections of myths are some of the best modern compilations. [The original Greek and Roman myths are recounted in The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid.]

  • Mythology by Edith Hamilton is wonderfully approachable and gives the perfect amount of introduction to each myth. This book is the key to your entry into the world of Homer and the Greek playwrights. She also includes an introduction to Norse myths.  

  • Bulfinch’s Mythology is also very worthwhile, though perhaps a bit less approachable. 

  • D’Aulaires’ books of Greek and Norse myths are beautifully illustrated and retell the stories well. Read them again and again, discover your favorites, retell them at the dinner table, let them color and animate your life.

• There are innumerable collections of fairy and folk tales. Here are just a few recommendations.

  • Grimm’s Fairy Tales

  • Hans Christian Andersen

  • Andrew Lang

  • This website makes many of these available for free. 

• Legends can be a little different in form than fairy tales and myths, but there is a lot of overlap. Here are a few recommendations for legends that have greatly influenced the English speaking world. 

  • Beowulf - J.R.R. Tolkien’s translation (and accompanying commentary) is the perfect way to approach this classic. 

  • King Arthur stories and retellings:

    • Thomas Malory originally translated the stories from the French.

    • Howard Pyle

    • Roger Lancelyn Green

    • Tolkien’s Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Pearl poet, and Sir Orfeo 

  • This children’s version of Saint George and the Dragon is splendid.

• Fables can be a little more tedious to read, but they are full of wisdom. I would suggest finding a beautiful copy of well-illustrated fables and focusing on one each week. Or just know they exist and come back to them when interest strikes.

  • Aesop’s Fables - Here is a link to one of the earliest modern compilations of fables. There are many other collections that are beautifully illustrated and well adapted for easy reading.

  • This website has a plethora of fables available for free and provides many different versions of each. 

• J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis have given us some of the most beautiful and well written fairy tales and myths of our time. There is so much to say about both of these authors, but right now I will only begin by urging you to read them. 

  • The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings 

  • The Narnia Series

  • Till We Have Faces

  • The Space Trilogy - Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength