Over in the Woodland: A Mythological Counting Journey by Nicole and Shar Abreu - Illustrated by Susanna Covelli

A rhyming adventure for the youngest of readers. Follow a pride of griffins as they fly through the woodlands watching over all the inhabitants of their magical home. In simple rhyme, mythological characters are introduced in a family setting; each featuring or performing their principal attributes. Ten families are introduced, beginning with the rebirth of the phoenix and his son. Familiar characters are present, like the elusive unicorn and fire breathing dragons. An index of creatures in the end provide a short definition and summary.

Shiny, dewy and magical are the illustrations Susanna Covelli has created for this mythical world. Playful trolls under a bridge or hardworking dwarves learning their craft displayed with earnestness and innocence. The woodland seems like a happy place to be. Recommended for ages 3+.

Amazon
Familius LLC 2020
Hardcover 32p
9.3" x 11.1"

Top 10: Legendary Creatures of Greek Mythology

Wondrous tales of the gods of Mount Olympus and heroes on epic quests against the odds. Strange stories and creative answers for how the world came to be. These myths were full of mystery, danger and plenty of action. The journeys were long and the tasks impossible. A hero's quest is always hindered or aided by incredible beasts that will delight or frighten. These are our ten most memorable legendary creatures of Greek mythology. Click on images to enlarge.

10. The Chimera

This 3-headed hybrid monster is composed of several different animals. Typically having a lion's body, with a lion and goat's head and a snake for a tail. Often depicted as female, it is the offspring of Typhon (Typhoeus) and Echidna. This fearsome creature is strong and swift, was wreaking havoc in ancient Lycia. Burning villages with its breath of raging fire. It was slain by Bellerophon.

9. The Sphinx

A creature that is sometimes confused with the Chimera because it is also a hybrid monster similar in appearance. The reason for this is because it is the offspring of Orthrus and possibly Chimera. Its giant form consisted of a lion's body with the head and breast of a woman, the wings of an eagle and sometimes, a serpent for a tail. The Sphinxes are guardians of sacred temples and tombs. Asking riddles to travelers before allowing them passage. The most famous riddle asked by the Sphinx is: Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and then three-footed? Anyone who incorrectly answers this riddle will be devoured. Sphinxes also appear in Egyptian mythology. It was slain by Oedipus.

8. The Minotaur

A creature found in Crete where it is also known by the name, Asterion "Star". This offspring of Queen Pasiphaë of Crete and a bull, is part man and part bull. Because it needed human flesh for sustenance, it was monstrous and feared by men. To protect his people from it, King Minos of Crete imprisoned it inside a gigantic labyrinth. Every year, seven youths and seven maidens were sacrificed within these confines to be devoured by the Minotaur. It was slain by Theseus.

 

 

 

7. The Cyclops

Cyclopes are a race of giants with a single eye at the center of its forehead. Sometimes depicted with a human-like head with two extra empty eye sockets. Cyclopes are blacksmiths and craftsmen. They provided the three powerful weapons used by Zeus, Poseidon and Hades: the thunderbolt, trident and helmet of darkness respectively. The most famous Cyclops is Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon and Thoosa. While trapped on the island of the Cyclops, Odysseus tricks and blinds Polyphemus to make his escape.

6. The Centaur

The fascination with hybrid creatures continues with this next entry. The Centaur, has the upper body of a human and lower body of a horse. Centaurs are the procreation of Ixion, king of the Lapiths, an ancient tribe and Nephele, a cloud nymph. Another version of the origin of Centaurs is from the mating of a man named Centaurus and mares. They were wild and untamed creatures. The Centaur tribe that resided in Cyprus also had horns. A notable Centaur named Chiron was known for his knowledge of medicine and his nurturing nature. He was also skilled in archery, music, hunting and had the gift of prophecy. Unlike his kind, who were uncultured and beastly, Chiron was intelligent and civilized due to his different lineage. He was the son of Cronus and Philyra. He was wounded accidentally by a poisoned arrow shot by Heracles and later sacrificed his immortality to save Prometheus. His death was honoured with the constellation Centaurus.

5. The Hydra

A multi-headed serpentine swamp monster that lived in Lerna. Lerna was a lake that served as a gateway to the underworld. The Hydra is the offspring of Typhon and Echidna, both of whom were also giant serpent-like creatures. It's venom and blood was so poisonous that even its mere scent can cause death. If one of the Hydra's head is cut off, two more will grow in its place. Heracles killed the Hydra during the second of his twelve labours. Heracles had help from his nephew, Iolaus in defeating the Hydra. Iolaus cauterized each decapitated head from the Hydra to prevent new ones from forming. The Hydra had but one immortal head which was cut off by a special sword given to Heracles by the goddess Athena. Heracles then dipped his arrows in the poisonous Hydra blood which later becomes the weapon that accidentally kills Chiron.

4. The Sirens

Out at sea, sailors would meet their demise if they should ever encounter these predators. With the body of a large bird and the head of a woman, the Sirens are a terrifying sight to behold. The Sirens song, hypnotic and enchanting, lure their victims to shipwreck or drowning. Their origins are unclear, some say they are the daughters of Phorcys, a sea god or the daughters of a river god, Achelous and a muse. Often mistaken for a Harpy, Sirens are associated with the sea and use their beautiful voices as weapons. The Sirens are fated to die if anyone should ever escape their singing. While passing by their island, Odysseus had himself tied to the mast of his ship and his crew plugged their ears with beeswax, and therefore was able to resist the lure of the Sirens. The Sirens then flung themselves into the sea and perished.

3. The Cetus

This monstrous sea creature is serpentine-like and usually depicted with fins and a long muzzle. Queen Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter, Andromeda was more beautiful than the sea nymphs, Nereids. As punishment for her insolence,  Poseidon created Cetus to ravage ancient Ethiopia. To appease the sea god, Andromeda was to be sacrificed, chained to a rock by the ocean for Cetus to devour her. Perseus defeats Cetus by turning it into stone using the decapitated head of Medusa. Cetus is often mistaken with the Kraken, another sea monster with squid-like qualities.

2. The Pegasus

Pterippus are winged horses and the most famous of its kind is Pegasus. Usually depicted as a white or black stallion. Son of Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa upon her death. This divine creature was born from Medusa's blood after her decapitation by Perseus. It was Pegasus who helped Bellerophon defeat the Chimera by flying high above the monster to avoid its fiery breath. When Bellerophon tried to reach Mount Olympus by riding Pegasus, Zeus shot him down with a thunderbolt and transformed Pegasus into a constellation.

1. The Medusa

There were three Gorgon sisters: Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. Gorgons were scaly creatures with large wings, claws and heads covered with writhing snakes. Their terrifying gaze will turn anyone into stone. The Gorgons were the offsprings of the sea god, Phorcys and his sister Ceto. Another more popular but tragic origin story of Medusa is about a beautiful young maiden who was raped by Poseidon inside Athena's temple. This enraged Athena who then transformed Medusa's lovely locks into snakes and made her face so hideous, it petrified onlookers into stone. The victimizing of Medusa makes it easy to empathize with this seemingly evil character. Medusa was mortal unlike her siblings and was slain by Perseus who later used her severed head to defeat Cetus. It was then given to the goddess Athena and placed on her shield.

Books to ponder:

Mid-Autumn Festival and the Legend of the Moon Goddess

The Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival celebrates and gives thanks for the fall harvest. It is also a time of family reunion and moon worshiping. Held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar when the moon is at its fullest and brightest. This tradition is widely followed in East Asia and originates from Chinese mythology.

The Jade Emperor (also Celestial Emperor) who ruled the universe had ten sons. Each day, the Sun Princes would take turns brightening the sky and warming the earth. All was well until one day the eldest Sun Prince thought it would be fun to have all of the Sun brothers shine at once. And so all ten suns appeared at once in the sky and the heat became unbearable for the earth. The seas dried up, there was no water for farming and animals died of thirst. Terrified by the catastrophe, the people implored the Jade Emperor for help.

Upon learning of his sons' thoughtless actions, the Jade Emperor commanded Hou Yi (also Shen Yi) to punish them. Hou Yi, the Celestial Archer whose arrow is the most powerful in the universe, shot nine Sun Princes down. When he was about to shoot the last one, he was stopped by the Jade Emperor who merely wanted to scare his sons, not kill them. Full of rage, the Jade Emperor banished Hou Yi and his wife Chang'e (also Heng'e) from the heavens to live on earth as mortals.

The arrival of Hou Yi and Chang'e brought joy to the people on earth for they were so grateful to this saviour and crowned him their emperor. Hou Yi ruled with generosity and kindness at first but as the years passed, he became greedy and arrogant. He longed to return to the heavens among the other deities and thought of himself to be above mankind.

In his search for immortality, Hou Yi was instructed by a hermit to visit the ancient goddess Xiwangmu (also Queen Mother of the West) who lived at the top of Mount Kunlun. Xiwangmu knew of Hou Yi's past life and his divine powers. She felt he did not deserve to share the fate of all mortals and granted him the elixir of immortality.

When Hou Yi returned home and presented Chang'e with the elixir of immortality, she was horrified. She did not want this cruel and selfish man to live forever and bring continued suffering to the people. That night after celebrating his successful return, Hou Yi fell asleep; drunk with wine. Chang'e grasped her opportunity to rid of the elixir. She did not know how else to do it but drink it all. As soon as she finished the last drop of the elixir, she began to feel lighter and lighter. She floated up weightlessly into the sky and all the way up to the moon. There she remained and became the Goddess of the Moon.

There are many variations to the names of the characters and story arcs. Other stories about Chang'e include a rabbit, her companion on the moon and the elixir is sometimes written as a pill. Chang'e also appeared in Wu Cheng'en's novel Journey to the West. During the Moon Festival, sweet baked goods are usually gifted, especially mooncakes. Traditional mooncakes have lotus seed paste filling with a salted duck egg yolk in the center that when cut resembles a moon. These cakes usually come in tin boxes with the images of Chang'e decorating the exterior.