Storie

s

12

1 There w

as once a king in Greece w

ho did a very cruel thing to his family. H

e w

as told by the wise m

en of the gods that his own grandson w

ould kill him and he

was determ

ined that this should not come to pass. In order to cheat the gods, he

placed his beautiful daughter and her baby son in a large chest, and threw them

into the sea. H

e thought that by doing this he would never see them

again, and w

ould never have to fear this little grandson.2

Little did he know the w

aves were kind to the princess and her child. The

chest floated lightly upon the w

ater, and at last came to rest upon the sandy

beach of an island. Here a fi

sherman found it, and the princess and her child w

ere received and cared for by the ruler of that land. They lived there for m

any years w

hile the boy, who w

as called Perseus, grew

to be a strong and active young man.

For some tim

e the people were very kind to them

; but eventually the ruler of the island becam

e annoyed at the mother of P

erseus and made her his

slave. Since Perseus had becom

e such a strong youngm

an. The ruler was fearful he w

ould try to avenge hism

other for her suffering. So he sent P

erseus far away

on a dangerous journey, to the very ends of the earth.3

There dwelt a terrible w

oman called M

edusa. The hair of M

edusa was a m

ass of living snakes; andshe w

as so hideous to behold, that just to look uponher w

ould

turn a p

erson to stone. Perseu

s was

comm

anded to bring home the head of this w

oman;

and although he set out obediently, he did not knowat all w

here to find her. Perseus’s m

other had told himstories about M

edusa and a time w

hen an entire ship ofm

en arrived on the island

where M

edu

sa’s cave was

located. She had

such a hate for m

en that she neverbacked dow

n from any encounter w

ith them, even if she w

asoutnum

bered. Everyday Medusa w

ould think to herself ofnew

and creative w

ays to get unsusp

ecting m

en to lookh

er in th

e eyes. Sh

e enjo

yed starin

g th

em d

ow

n an

dw

atching them

one by one turn to stone. She would w

oothem

by saying in a soft, sweet voice, “Look at m

e.” The men

could

not resist her sweet voice and

they wou

ld look into

her eyes and turn imm

ediately to stone.©

20

14

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1 Long ago, K

ing Midas did a favor for a god nam

ed Dionysus and in return,

Dionysus w

anted to grant King M

idas a wish. K

ing Midas knew

well enough w

hat he m

ost desired. He w

as more caring of gold than anything else in the w

orld. In those days, kings had treasuries in their palaces, a safe place w

here they could lay aw

ay valuable things. The treasury of King M

idas contained a vast collection of rich jew

els, vessels of silver and gold, chests of gold coins, and other things that he considered precious.

2 W

hen Midas w

as a very little child, he used to watch the ants running back

and forth over the sand near his father’s palace. It seemed to him

that the anthillw

as like another palace and that the ants were w

orking very hard carrying in treasure. They cam

e running to the ant-hill from all directions, carrying little

white bundles. M

idas made up his m

ind, then, that when he

grew up he w

ould work very hard and gather treasure like

the ants did.

3 O

nce Midas becam

e a king, he found thatnothing gave him

more pleasure than to add to his

collection of treasure. He w

as continually coming up

with w

ays of exchanging or selling various things.H

e would

plot new

ways to tax the p

eople and

turned all the money into gold and silver. So w

hen the god D

ionysus offered him

anything that he might

ask for, King M

idas’s first thought was of his treasure,

and he asked

that whatever he touched

mig

ht be

turned into gold. His w

ish was granted.

4 K

ing M

idas w

as hardly ab

le to believe in his g

ood

fortune. He thought him

self the luckiest of men. The fi

rst thing he did w

as touch the branch of a tree. Imm

ediately thebranch becam

e the richest gold. He laughed trium

phantly,then touched a stone, an apple and other things. O

h therew

as no doubt about it; King M

idas had the “Golden Touch”.

5 K

ing Midas returned to his palace full of delight, but he

began to have his doubts when he patted his favorite dog, and

he turned into a cold, golden statue. The dinner gong sounded,and he hurried to his m

eal where the table w

as loaded with

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& leave feed

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get p

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disco

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futu

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THA

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Do y

ou lik

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1 A very long time ago, during the Golden Age, people everywhere were joyful and happy. It was always spring, the earth was covered with flowers, and only gentle winds blew to set the flowers dancing. No one had any work to do and played all the time. People lived on the mountain’s fruits and berries, which grew abundantly in the forests. Goodness was everywhere as rivers flowed with milk and honey. Throughout the world there were no swords or weapons that men could use to fight each other. No one had ever experienced trouble of any kind.

2 During this time there were two brothers who were gods. Their names were Epimetheus and Prometheus. They had sent fire as a gift to humans to help them. Zeus did not like humans and when he found out what the brothers had done, he stomped around so loud it sounded like thunder. His eyes burned with flames because once a god had given a gift to anyone, the gift could not be taken away.

3 Zeus wanted to get even with the humans for accepting the gift and he also wanted to teach the two brothers a lesson, so Zeus came up with a plan. He had a new creature made who would be as unique as a snowflake and unlike anything man had ever known before. The creature would be a woman made up with a mix of good and bad things. She was created from a lump of clay, which included love and hate, precious gems and rocks, along with beauty and ugliness. Both positive and negative characteristics made up this beautiful creature.

4 “Come now!” ordered Zeus to the other gods, with a scowl on his face. “Let us give some special gifts to this woman,” he said with a sneer. The gods came quickly and began to give a gift to this marvelous creature. First the goddess Athena gave her the gift of craft and taught her to sew. Aphrodite gave her beauty of course, and the gift of charm. Apollo taught her to sing and play the harp, and Hera gave her the gift of curiosity. All the gods gave her something, so they called her Pandora, which means “All-Gifted.”

5 Pandora was so beautiful and so wondrously gifted that no one could help, but love her. Zeus snickered as he thought to himself how easy his plan of revenge was coming together. He had Hermes, the messenger take Pandora to Epimetheus to be his wife. This was to trick Epimetheus into believing that Zeus had forgiven him and his brother for giving fire to humans. Pandora brought along with her a

golden chest that Zeus insisted she take as a gift from him. Athena had warned her to NEVER open the chest or look at the things inside.

6 Epimetheus welcomed Pandora with great joy even though his brother Prometheus had warned him to be careful of any gift that came from Zeus. Prometheus believed that Zeus could not be trusted. Pandora was happy in her new home and Epimetheus was very pleased. This all changed one day when Epimetheus was out hunting and Pandora got bored. She whispered under her breath, “I wonder what could be in that golden chest Zeus gave me?” Pandora began to look at the chest and became very intrigued. “I have to know what is in the box, I bet there are lovely jewels,” she thought to herself. She was suspicious and began thinking of how she could look in the chest.

7 The more she thought about the golden chest; the more she wanted to see what was in it. Every day Pandora took it down from its shelf and felt the lid. She would try to peek inside it without opening it up. “Why should I care what Athena told me, is she trying to keep something good from me?” she questioned aloud. Pandora broke the seal on the golden chest and lifted the lid just a little bit to get a peek inside. All at once, terrible creatures flew out of the box. There were big horseflies, beetles, and wasps that were stinging and biting. They fluttered for a little while and then flew away to find all the homes of humans. Up until that moment, mankind had never experienced any kind of sickness or trouble, but now these creatures were spreading disease everywhere. Before Pandora had opened the chest, humans never worried about anything that tomorrow could bring. Pandora felt terrible and wept for what she had done.

8 These creatures flew into every house and tried to put an end to man’s joy by bringing pain, sorrow, and death to every household. It would have been disastrous if it weren’t for a little winged creature. This angelic creature was named Hope. She promised Pandora and Epimetheus to never leave them and she told them that as long as there was life, there would always be hope.

golden chest that Zeus insisted she take as a gift from him. Athena had warned her to NEVER open the chest or look at the things inside.

6 Epimetheus welcomed Pandora with great joy even though his brother Prometheus had warned him to be careful of any gift that came from Zeus. Prometheus believed that Zeus could not be trusted. Pandora was happy in her new home and Epimetheus was very pleased. This all changed one day when Epimetheus was out hunting and Pandora got bored. She whispered under her breath, “I wonder what could be in that golden chest Zeus gave me?” Pandora began to look at the chest and became very intrigued. “I have to know what is in the box, I bet there are lovely jewels,” she thought to herself. She was suspicious and began thinking of how she could look in the chest.

7 The more she thought about the golden chest; the more she wanted to see what was in it. Every day Pandora took it down from its shelf and felt the lid. She would try to peek inside it without opening it up. “Why should I care what Athena told me, is she trying to keep something good from me?” she questioned aloud. Pandora broke the seal on the golden chest and lifted the lid just a little bit to get a peek inside. All at once, terrible creatures flew out of the box. There were big horseflies, beetles, and wasps that were stinging and biting. They fluttered for a little while and then flew away to find all the homes of humans. Up until that moment, mankind had never experienced any kind of sickness or trouble, but now these creatures were spreading disease everywhere. Before Pandora had opened the chest, humans never worried about anything that tomorrow could bring. Pandora felt terrible and wept for what she had done.

8 These creatures flew into every house and tried to put an end to man’s joy by bringing pain, sorrow, and death to every household. It would have been disastrous if it weren’t for a little winged creature. This angelic creature was named Hope. She promised Pandora and Epimetheus to never leave them and she told them that as long as there was life, there would always be hope.

1 Long ago, there was a King named Midas, who did a favor for a god named Dionysus and in return the god wanted to grant King Midas a wish. King Midas knew well enough what he most desired. He cared more about gold than anything else in the world. In those days, kings had treasuries in their palaces. A treasury was a safe place where they would keep their valuable things. The treasury of King Midas contained a vast collection of rich jewels, vessels of silver, chests of gold coins, and other things that he considered precious.

2 When Midas was a little child, he used to watch the ants running back and forth over the sand near his father’s palace. It seemed to him that the anthill was like another palace and that the ants were working very hard carrying in treasure. They came running to the anthill from all directions, carrying little white bundles. Midas made up his mind that when he grew up, he would work very hard and gather treasure like the ants did.

3 Once Midas became a king, he found that nothing gave him more pleasure than to add to his collection of treasure. He was continually coming up with ways of exchanging or selling various things. He would plot new ways to tax the people and turned all the money into gold and silver. So when the god Dionysus offered to grant King Midas any wish he wanted, King Midas’s first thought was of his treasure. He asked Dionysus for the gift of a golden touch. King Midas wanted everything that he touched to turn into gold and Dionysus granted him his wish.

4 King Midas could hardly believe his good fortune and thought of himself as the luckiest man ever. The first thing he did was to touch the branch of a tree. Immediately, the branch became the richest of gold. He laughed triumphantly and then touched a stone, an apple, and other things. Oh there was no doubt about it; King Midas truly had the golden touch.

5 King Midas returned to his palace full of delight, but he began to have his doubts when he patted his favorite dog. As soon as the king touched his dog, the dog sadly turned into a cold, golden statue. The dinner gong sounded and he hurried to his meal where the table was loaded with food.

6 When he sat down at the head of the table, his chair turned into gold! At the same time that this was happening, he had popped a grape into his mouth and it turned into a golden lump. Oh horrors! In disgust King Midas spit it out and tried to sip the hot soup and it turned into molten gold and burned his mouth. Next he tried the bread, cheese, and everything on the table. It all turned to gold. King Midas’s bright treasures began to look ugly to him and his heart grew heavy as if that too were turning to gold.

7 All of the sudden, King Midas’s daughter Marigold ran in from the garden and hugged him lovingly with her arms around his neck. Immediately, she stiffened as her arms and legs grew hard. Little Marigold had turned into a golden statue!

8 Midas was devastated. He called out to the god Dionysus, “Take away the horrible gift! Take all my lands! Take all my gold! Take everything, but I beg you to please give me back my sweet Marigold!”

9 Dionysus heard his pleas and came to the king. “Well Midas,” he said kindly, yet a little sternly, “Do you still think gold is the finest thing in the world?”

10 “Never again,” replied the king humbly. “Take away the golden curse and give me my Marigold!” Dionysus took pity on the pathetic king and took away the golden touch, which was after all, a curse rather than a gift. To make sure that Midas didn’t forgot his own foolishness, the gods gave him a reminder. Two donkey ears sprouted from the top of his head, and Midas never forgot his lesson.

1 Long ago, there was a King named Midas, who did a favor for a god named Dionysus and in return the god wanted to grant King Midas a wish. King Midas knew well enough what he most desired. He cared more about gold than anything else in the world. In those days, kings had treasuries in their palaces. A treasury was a safe place where they would keep their valuable things. The treasury of King Midas contained a vast collection of rich jewels, vessels of silver, chests of gold coins, and other things that he considered precious.

2 When Midas was a little child, he used to watch the ants running back and forth over the sand near his father’s palace. It seemed to him that the anthill was like another palace and that the ants were working very hard carrying in treasure. They came running to the anthill from all directions, carrying little white bundles. Midas made up his mind that when he grew up, he would work very hard and gather treasure like the ants did.

3 Once Midas became a king, he found that nothing gave him more pleasure than to add to his collection of treasure. He was continually coming up with ways of exchanging or selling various things. He would plot new ways to tax the people and turned all the money into gold and silver. So when the god Dionysus offered to grant King Midas any wish he wanted, King Midas’s first thought was of his treasure. He asked Dionysus for the gift of a golden touch. King Midas wanted everything that he touched to turn into gold and Dionysus granted him his wish.

4 King Midas could hardly believe his good fortune and thought of himself as the luckiest man ever. The first thing he did was to touch the branch of a tree. Immediately, the branch became the richest of gold. He laughed triumphantly and then touched a stone, an apple, and other things. Oh there was no doubt about it; King Midas truly had the golden touch.

5 King Midas returned to his palace full of delight, but he began to have his doubts when he patted his favorite dog. As soon as the king touched his dog, the dog sadly turned into a cold, golden statue. The dinner gong sounded and he hurried to his meal where the table was loaded with food.

6 When he sat down at the head of the table, his chair turned into gold! At the same time that this was happening, he had popped a grape into his mouth and it turned into a golden lump. Oh horrors! In disgust King Midas spit it out and tried to sip the hot soup and it turned into molten gold and burned his mouth. Next he tried the bread, cheese, and everything on the table. It all turned to gold. King Midas’s bright treasures began to look ugly to him and his heart grew heavy as if that too were turning to gold.

7 All of the sudden, King Midas’s daughter Marigold ran in from the garden and hugged him lovingly with her arms around his neck. Immediately, she stiffened as her arms and legs grew hard. Little Marigold had turned into a golden statue!

8 Midas was devastated. He called out to the god Dionysus, “Take away the horrible gift! Take all my lands! Take all my gold! Take everything, but I beg you to please give me back my sweet Marigold!”

9 Dionysus heard his pleas and came to the king. “Well Midas,” he said kindly, yet a little sternly, “Do you still think gold is the finest thing in the world?”

10 “Never again,” replied the king humbly. “Take away the golden curse and give me my Marigold!” Dionysus took pity on the pathetic king and took away the golden touch, which was after all, a curse rather than a gift. To make sure that Midas didn’t forgot his own foolishness, the gods gave him a reminder. Two donkey ears sprouted from the top of his head, and Midas never forgot his lesson.

1 There was once a king in Greece who was foretold by a prophet that his own grandson would one day kill him. The king was determined to make sure this wouldn’t happen. In order to out smart the gods, he placed his beautiful daughter and her baby son in a large chest and threw them into the sea. He thought that by doing this, he would never see them again and would not have to live in fear of his grandson.

2 Little did he know that the waves would be kind to his daughter and her child. The chest floated lightly upon the water and at last came to rest upon a sandy beach of an island. Here a fisherman found the chest along with the princess and her child, Perseus. He took them to the ruler of that land and they were taken care of. They lived with the ruler for many years and during this time, Perseus grew to be a strong and active young man.

3 The ruler was kind to Perseus and his mother for the longest time, but eventually the ruler became annoyed at Perseus’s mother and made her a slave. Since Perseus had become such a strong young man, the ruler began to fear that he would try to avenge his mother for her suffering. So the king sent Perseus far away on a dangerous journey to the very ends of the earth.

4 At the very ends of the earth lived a terrible woman called Medusa. The hair of Medusa was a mass of living snakes. Medusa was so hideous to behold that just to look upon her would turn a person to stone. Perseus was commanded to bring home the head of this woman, but he did not know where to find her.

5 Perseus’s mother had told him stories about Medusa and a time when an entire ship of men had arrived on an island where Medusa’s cave was located. Medusa’s hate for men was so great that even when they outnumbered her, she refused to back down. Everyday Medusa would think to herself of new and creative ways to get unsuspecting men to look her in

© 2014 Hubbard’s Cupboard

the eyes. She would woo them by saying in a soft, sweet voice, “Look at me.” The men could not resist her sweet voice and they would look into her eyes and turn immediately to stone. It brought her so much joy to stare them down. She would stand and watch them turn to stone, one-by-one.

6 Perseus pondered this while he was wandering aimlessly, until the god Hermes and the goddess Athena came to his aid. They gave him courage for his dreadful task. They told Perseus that he must have a pair of winged sandals and a helmet, which would make him invisible so that he could complete his task.

7 The wonderful gifts were in the cave of some sea-maidens. The only people who knew where the maidens could be found were three old women. These dreadful women shared one eye and one tooth among themselves. They would take turns passing around the eye and tooth to one another. Hermes led Perseus to these women and then left him. At first Perseus could not get them to tell him what he wished to learn. This all changed when he stole their only eye as they were passing it from one to another. After Perseus outsmarted the women they were more than happy to tell him what he wanted.

8 When at last Perseus reached the cave of the maidens, he easily took the sandals and the helmet from them. Putting these on, he soon reached Medusa’s cave and found her lying asleep on the ground, but he did not dare try to approach her. Perseus knew that if he challenged Medusa face to face, he would turn to stone. The goddess Athena came to help Perseus out and gave him a bright shield to use as a mirror. Holding this before him, Perseus walked backwards, not looking upon Medusa, but only upon her reflection in the shield. When he was near enough, he struck off her head with a sharp sword, given to him by Hermes. While still not looking at Medusa’s head, he threw it into a bag and hurried away.

9 As he journeyed back from the ends of the earth towards his home, Perseus experienced many adventures and he found Medusa’s head was a wonderful weapon. It was better than any sword or spear. If he wished to harm his enemies, he only had to take Medusa’s head from his bag and hold it before their eyes. They were at once turned to stone.

1 There once was a man named Odysseus, who had been sailing at sea with his men. They had been trying to get home after being victorious in the Trojan War, but their ship had been thrown off course by a storm. Coming ashore to an unfamiliar place, they were thirsty and were hoping to find something to satisfy their hunger. They came upon a cave that had a pen of sheep outside of it. They knew the sheep belonged to someone, but they were so hungry that they planned to eat some of the sheep. They thought the owner would understand once they explained their situation.

2 Little did the men know that a one-eyed giant, who hated humans, was the owner of the sheep. This giant was known as Cyclops and at one time, he was one of Zeus’s favorite creatures. Cyclops was very talented in making lightening bolts for Zeus. He also was admired by Zeus for his ability to work from sun up to sun down. At some point though, Cyclops had angered Zeus and was banished to this island.

3 Cyclops was known to be extremely dangerous. For fun he would pick humans up, throw them to the ground, and eat them. Unaware of this fact, Odysseus and his men built a fire in the cave and cooked the sheep on sharpened sticks. As they were enjoying the food, all of the sudden they heard a giant growl!

4 Cyclops appeared at the mouth of the cave and started screaming at them, “Why are you here and who gave you permission to eat my food?” Odysseus tried to explain, but the giant was so full of rage that he would not listen. Cyclops rolled a huge boulder over the opening of the cave and trapped Odysseus and his men inside. Fearful for their lives, Odysseus devised a plan to get free as he was sharpening a stick and hardening the tip of it in the fire.

5 The next day, Cyclops pulled back the boulder and Odysseus invited the giant in saying, “Let’s visit and drink some wine. You don’t want word to get out that you were not a good host. No one will ever come to your island to visit you.” The giant was not too bright and was unable to see through Odysseus’s plan. He thought how he needed visitors to come to the island so he could eat them; therefore, he willingly agreed to the invitation.

6 Cyclops was enjoying the wine and drank until he fell asleep inside the cave. As he lay sleeping, Odysseus grabbed the sharpened stick and blinded the giant. Odysseus and his men thought quickly about how to escape. They came up with a plan to pretend they were sheep. The men made “baa-baa” sounds as they crawled all the way out of the cave and safely to their ship, to start again on their journey.

1 There was a beautiful, young girl in Greece whose name was Arachne. She had a lovely face and long hair that looked like gold. Arachne was famous in her town for being a very talented spinner. Her work was amazing and people from all over came to watch Arachne’s skill with her loom. She would sit in the sun and spin from morning until night.

2 There was only one problem with Arachne, she was very arrogant and proud. She bragged about her work every day. She would say, “In all the world there is no yarn as fine as mine and there is no cloth so soft and smooth. My cloth is the rarest around with all its brightness and beauty.”

3 One day, as Arachne was boasting again about her talent, a stranger over heard her and asked if the goddess Athena may have helped Arachne with her skill. Arachne replied back to the stranger saying, "Athena, the queen of the air? Bah! How could she teach me?" Arachne continued questioning the stranger, "Can she spin such bundles of yarn as these? Can she weave cloth like mine? I would like to see her try. I could teach her a thing or two."

4 All of the sudden, a tall woman wrapped in a long coat appeared in front of Arachne. The woman’s face was attractive, but stern, very stern! She had gray eyes that were so sharp and bright that Arachne could not meet her gaze. “Arachne,” said the woman, “I am Athena, the queen of the air and I have heard you boast. Do you still want to claim that I have not taught you how to spin and weave?” Arachne very foolishly denied once again that anyone had taught her.

5 Athena went on to question Arachne further as to whether Arachne thought she was the best weaver. Arachne started getting a little nervous, but her pride kept her claiming that she could weave as well, if not better than Athena. Athena was shocked at the arrogance of Arachne and so she challenged her to a contest.

6 “Let me tell you what we will do,” said Athena. “Three days from now we will both weave; you on your loom, and I on mine. We will ask the entire world to come and see us and even invite the great Zeus, who sits in the clouds, to be the judge. There is one catch, if your work is the best, then I will never weave again, but if my work is the best, then you will do the same.” Arachne gulped and then agreed to the contest. 7 When the day came for the contest in weaving, the entire world was there to see it and great Zeus sat among the clouds and looked on. Arachne had set up her loom in the shade of a mulberry tree, but Athena set up her loom in the sky; after all, she was the queen of the air. Arachne took her bundles of fine silk and began to weave. She wove a web of marvelous beauty, so thin and light that it would float in the air, and yet so strong that it could hold a lion. Everyone who saw the cloth was filled with delight, including the great Zeus.

8 Arachne, after seeing how pleased everyone was, sat down very proudly and looked up to Athena with challenging eyes and a slight smile on her face. Athena began to weave, but not with threads from flax, wool or silk. She took the sunbeams that lit up the mountaintop and the softness of summer clouds along with the blue from the sky. With these she mixed the green from the fields and purple from the autumn woods. Athena wove the most beautiful picture and those who looked upon Athena’s work stood in awe and wonder. Their delight in her creation made the people forget the beautiful web Arachne had woven.

9 Arachne felt ashamed and afraid when she saw it. She hid her face in her hands and wept. “Oh how can I live,” she cried, “now that I can never touch a loom or spin again?” Arachne kept on weeping and saying, “How can I live?” Athena saw that Arachne would never have any joy unless she was allowed to weave, Athena took pity. Athena said to Arachne, “I would free you from your agreement if I could, but that is something which no one can do. You must hold to your agreement to never touch a loom or spin again.” Arachne began to cry louder and told Athena how sorry she was for her boastfulness and regretted her pride. She begged Athena to come up with some way to take this agreement off of her.

10 Athena felt such pity for Arachne and said to her, “Since you will never be happy unless you can spin and weave, I will give you a new form." Athena touched Arachne with the tip of her spear. Arachne was changed at once into a spider and ran into a shady place in the grass. She began merrily to spin a beautiful web. There have been rumors since that day saying Arachne is still alive, spinning and weaving happily.

6 Psyche agreed and every evening the visitor came. She was very happy in her new life. One day, Psyche’s sisters came to visit and when they saw her palace, they were filled with jealousy. They convinced Psyche that Eros must be a monster. Psyche began to have doubts about Eros and so she took a look at him while he was sleeping. She was shocked; there was no monster, but instead a handsome man with wings! Eros woke up instantly, he saw Psyche and was so hurt by her lack of trust that he spread his wings and flew away.

7 Psyche was saddened by what she had done and went to his mother Aphrodite, to beg for help. Aphrodite, full of jealousy for Psyche, challenged her with impossible tasks to complete before she would offer help to Psyche. The first task was a matter of sorting a huge pile of mixed grains into separate piles and this had to be finished by the morning. Psyche was devastated and knew this was impossible. As she sat in despair, a tiny ant ran out from under a stone and called a whole army of ants to help. They worked all night to separate the grains for Psyche and they finished by morning.

8 The second task involved getting some golden wool from a flock of very violent sheep. A tree by the river whispered to Psyche to wait until the sheep fell asleep by the bushes. When the sheep were asleep Psyche was able to go and pick all the wool she wanted that was left clinging to the bushes. She took an armload of golden wool back to Aphrodite. 9 The third task Aphrodite set before Psyche was to get a cup of water from the mouth of a river that was high up on a mountain. Psyche thought it was all over, until an eagle helped her by carrying an empty cup up to mouth of the river. The eagle dipped the cup into the water and returned it back to Psyche full. 10 Psyche’s last task was to go to the underworld and ask Persephone, wife of Hades, for some of her beauty. Psyche knew that she would have to be dead to go to the underworld. She decided to finally give up when out of nowhere a voice spoke to her. The voice told Psyche how to get to the underworld and get a portion of Persephone’s beauty that was kept in a box. The voice warned Psyche to not look inside the box under any circumstance! 11 After Psyche received the box from Persephone, she forgot what she was told and opened the box. A strange invisible mist rose from the box and put her into a deep sleep. Eros could not live without Psyche, so he woke her up. He told Psyche to bring the box to Aphrodite to finally end the tasks. 12 Eros went to Mount Olympus and asked Zeus for permission to marry Psyche even though she was mortal. Zeus was moved by the love Eros had for Psyche and decided to help. Zeus gave Psyche a cup of nectar that would make her live forever. After this, she married Eros, who never flew away from her again. Aphrodite eventually got over her jealousy and even danced at their wedding.

1 A long time ago, there was once a king and queen who lived in a castle with three lovely daughters. The youngest, named Psyche was the most beautiful. She was so stunning that people often thought she was the goddess Aphrodite. The real Aphrodite was jealous and wanted to destroy poor, innocent Psyche.

2 Aphrodite called upon her son Eros to help her destroy Psyche. Eros had the ability to make people fall in love by shooting them with his arrows. Anyone struck by one of his arrows would immediately fall in love with the first person they saw. She wanted Eros to cause Psyche to fall in love with a poor beggar, so Psyche’s life would be miserable. Eros obeyed his mother and flew down to Earth.

3 As soon as Eros saw Psyche, he was so overtaken by her beauty that he tripped and wounded himself with his own arrow. Instead of making Psyche fall in love with some poor beggar, he himself fell in love with Psyche. Aphrodite did not want her son to be with Psyche because he was immortal and Psyche was not. Eros didn’t care and sprinkled Psyche with a potion that would keep any man from being attracted to her and he flew back to Aphrodite, keeping the event a secret.

4 Psyche remained without a husband because of the potion. A prophecy had been told that she would never marry a human but instead, a winged monster at the top of the mountain. The king and queen sadly took their daughter Psyche to the mountain and left her to find her husband.

5 When it was evening, Psyche began to weep and a gentle wind came and carried her off to a beautiful palace. She did not see anyone, but she did hear the sound of wings, and then footsteps coming towards her. It was so dark that she could not see who it was, but heard a voice say, “Beautiful Psyche, this palace is all yours if you will agree to be my wife. Every night I will spend time with you, but I will leave before the sun rises. You must never see my face or know who I am.”

6 Psyche agreed and every evening the visitor came. She was very happy in her new life. One day, Psyche’s sisters came to visit and when they saw her palace, they were filled with jealousy. They convinced Psyche that Eros must be a monster. Psyche began to have doubts about Eros and so she took a look at him while he was sleeping. She was shocked; there was no monster, but instead a handsome man with wings! Eros woke up instantly, he saw Psyche and was so hurt by her lack of trust that he spread his wings and flew away.

7 Psyche was saddened by what she had done and went to his mother Aphrodite, to beg for help. Aphrodite, full of jealousy for Psyche, challenged her with impossible tasks to complete before she would offer help to Psyche. The first task was a matter of sorting a huge pile of mixed grains into separate piles and this had to be finished by the morning. Psyche was devastated and knew this was impossible. As she sat in despair, a tiny ant ran out from under a stone and called a whole army of ants to help. They worked all night to separate the grains for Psyche and they finished by morning.

8 The second task involved getting some golden wool from a flock of very violent sheep. A tree by the river whispered to Psyche to wait until the sheep fell asleep by the bushes. When the sheep were asleep Psyche was able to go and pick all the wool she wanted that was left clinging to the bushes. She took an armload of golden wool back to Aphrodite. 9 The third task Aphrodite set before Psyche was to get a cup of water from the mouth of a river that was high up on a mountain. Psyche thought it was all over, until an eagle helped her by carrying an empty cup up to mouth of the river. The eagle dipped the cup into the water and returned it back to Psyche full. 10 Psyche’s last task was to go to the underworld and ask Persephone, wife of Hades, for some of her beauty. Psyche knew that she would have to be dead to go to the underworld. She decided to finally give up when out of nowhere a voice spoke to her. The voice told Psyche how to get to the underworld and get a portion of Persephone’s beauty that was kept in a box. The voice warned Psyche to not look inside the box under any circumstance! 11 After Psyche received the box from Persephone, she forgot what she was told and opened the box. A strange invisible mist rose from the box and put her into a deep sleep. Eros could not live without Psyche, so he woke her up. He told Psyche to bring the box to Aphrodite to finally end the tasks. 12 Eros went to Mount Olympus and asked Zeus for permission to marry Psyche even though she was mortal. Zeus was moved by the love Eros had for Psyche and decided to help. Zeus gave Psyche a cup of nectar that would make her live forever. After this, she married Eros, who never flew away from her again. Aphrodite eventually got over her jealousy and even danced at their wedding.

6 Achilles fought in the war for nine years successfully and began to think that the Greeks could not make it without him. He was full of pride and carelessness. During the tenth year of the war, Achilles became angry with another Greek for dishonoring him. He was so angry that he declared that he would no longer help the Greeks. In his rage, he sat back resentfully and watched as his fellow Greek soldiers were being killed. Achilles’ pride kept him from helping the Greek army even though his best friend, Patroclus had come to Achilles and pleaded with him to help out.

7 Once the Trojans learned that Achilles was not fighting, they grew bold and at last came out their gates, they attacked the Greeks. They killed Achilles’ devoted friend, Patroclus. When Achilles learned that his friend had been slain, he wanted revenge and started fighting the Trojans again. In Achilles’ anger, he did great damage to the Trojans. Unfortunately, after this battle, Achilles began to think he was invincible and forgot about his weakness.

8 One day, the Trojans found out about Achilles weakness and shot a poisonous arrow into his left heel. Achilles was wounded and for several days many people tried to save him. As Achilles lay dying, he was sad and regretful that he had not protected his heel. Several days later when no one could save Achilles from the poison of the arrow, he died from the wounding. Not too long after Achilles death, the Greeks were able to trick the Trojans and defeated them.

1 Long ago, there was a famous Greek warrior whose name was Achilles. Achilles was known for fighting the enemies of Greece called the Trojans. He was born to a mortal father and an immortal mother who was a sea maiden.

2 Achilles mother, Thetis loved Achilles more than anything and she decided to make him completely immortal like her, so that he would never die. Thetis took Achilles into her arms and carried him down to the gloomy kingdom of Hades. There in Hades, flowed a dark river called the Styx. If a mortal like Achilles was dipped into the Styx, he would become immortal and nothing could hurt him anymore, not even a sword, arrow or any other weapon.

3 Thetis held Achilles by the heel and dipped him into the water, but in her haste to get out of the underworld, she forgot to dip Achilles heel in the river. Achilles’ body was protected everywhere except for his heel where his mother had held him. In that heel, and only that heel, could Achilles be wounded.

4 Thetis was afraid for Achilles because it had been foretold that he would be a great hero in the Trojan War. To protect Achilles from going to war in the future, Thetis took him to an island to hide him. She dressed him as a girl, but one day a peddler came to the island. The peddler brought wonderful things for sale. There were beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and dresses along with weapons like shields and spears. All the girls on the island wanted the jewelry and clothes except one. This “girl” wanted a shield and spear.

5 The peddler, who was really a Greek leader in the Trojan War, knew that he had found Achilles. He knew a girl would not have chosen the weapons. The leader told Achilles about the war and how he was needed. Achilles had always been brave because of the protection the river had given him. Despite all that his mother had done to protect him, he forgot about his heel and sailed to Troy to fight in the Trojan War.

6 Achilles fought in the war for nine years successfully and began to think that the Greeks could not make it without him. He was full of pride and carelessness. During the tenth year of the war, Achilles became angry with another Greek for dishonoring him. He was so angry that he declared that he would no longer help the Greeks. In his rage, he sat back resentfully and watched as his fellow Greek soldiers were being killed. Achilles’ pride kept him from helping the Greek army even though his best friend, Patroclus had come to Achilles and pleaded with him to help out.

7 Once the Trojans learned that Achilles was not fighting, they grew bold and at last came out their gates, they attacked the Greeks. They killed Achilles’ devoted friend, Patroclus. When Achilles learned that his friend had been slain, he wanted revenge and started fighting the Trojans again. In Achilles’ anger, he did great damage to the Trojans. Unfortunately, after this battle, Achilles began to think he was invincible and forgot about his weakness.

8 One day, the Trojans found out about Achilles weakness and shot a poisonous arrow into his left heel. Achilles was wounded and for several days many people tried to save him. As Achilles lay dying, he was sad and regretful that he had not protected his heel. Several days later when no one could save Achilles from the poison of the arrow, he died from the wounding. Not too long after Achilles death, the Greeks were able to trick the Trojans and defeated them.

1 Long ago, there was a battle between the Greeks and the Trojans. This battle had been going on for 10 years. Both sides were getting very tired of the war, but neither were willing to surrender. The long war finally ended, not in the typical way wars end, instead it ended with trickery and deceit.

2 The Trojan army had shut themselves up safely within their own walled city. The walls were 20 feet high and in order to get inside the city, a person would have to go through a locked gate. The Trojan warriors would stand on the walls and shoot down arrows onto anyone who tried to break into their city. These walls made it almost impossible for the Greeks to enter the Trojan's city.

3 The Greeks realized if they were to ever have a victory, they would have to come up with a plan to get inside the city of Troy without the Trojans knowing it. Odysseus, a wise Greek warrior came up with a plan. He explained to his Greek army that they were going to trick the Trojans. They would admit defeat to the Trojans and pretend to leave on their boats to go home. The soldiers were puzzled at Odysseus's plan, until he told them the rest of it.

4 Odysseus continued to explain that they would be offering a gift to trick the Trojans into believing they wanted peace. The men became interested and wanted to know more. Odysseus described what the gift would be. It would be a giant wooden horse on wheels that could roll and would be large enough to hide some of the Greek army inside it. Part of the men would climb into the horse and wait, while the others would pretend to get on the ship and sail away in defeat.

5 Everyone agreed that this was a great plan and so Odysseus gathered together skilled craftsmen to build the horse. Once the horse was completed, Odysseus and 30 of his men climbed into the horse as the rest of the army pretended to sail away.

6 When the Trojans saw the Greek army’s ship sail away, they celebrated like they had never celebrated before. The Trojans ran outside the walled city for the first time in a long time. They danced, they shouted and chased each other along the shore. As they were enjoying their freedom outside of the city, they came upon the large wooden horse.

7 The Trojans were fascinated by the craftsmanship of this great wooden horse. They discussed what to do with the horse and a great debate broke out among them. One wise man warned them to not take a gift from the Greeks. He suggested that the horse should be burned, but the majority of the Trojans thought it was harmless. They could not possibly see how this would be a bad idea, after all, the Greeks were gone. The Trojans brought ropes and placed them on the wooden horse and dragged it through the gates of the city of Troy.

8 That night while the Trojans slept; Odysseus and the men who were hidden inside the wooden horse climbed down a rope, one by one. When they were all down safely, they quietly opened the gates wide. The men who had appeared to leave on the ships had actually went only a small distance to the other side of the island. They quietly returned to the city of Troy unnoticed by the Trojans. The Greek army was anxiously waiting for Odysseus and his men to open the gates. Once the gates were open, the men rushed in with their swords, shields and lit torches. The Greeks began to set the town on fire and overtook the Trojans by surprise. By the time the Trojans figured out what had happened, it was too late and the Greeks had defeated the Trojans by deceit and trickery.

1 Among all the Greek heroes, there was one who was loved the most. This was Heracles whose mother was a mortal and his father was the god, Zeus. The Greeks loved him more than any other hero because he was stronger and braver than most. Although the Greeks called him Heracles, he is better known today as Hercules.

2 Heracles performed his first brave deed when he was a baby, less than a year old. Heracles was asleep in his cradle one night when the entire house was still. Two huge snakes, whose bites were deadly, crawled in under the door and slithered to the place he was sleeping. The snakes lifted their heads over the cradle, waiting for the right moment to strike. Just then, Heracles sat up in his cradle. Quick as a flash, he caught both snakes by the neck and began to squeeze their throats with all his might.

3 His mother heard something and when she ran into the bedroom, she saw Heracles holding two dead snakes by their necks. He was giggling with pleasure, as if he had a new play toy. The next morning, his mother asked a wise old man what it meant for a baby to be able to kill two great snakes. The wise man answered that when Heracles grew up, he would be stronger and braver than any man who had ever lived. He continued telling how Heracles would perform twelve difficult labors and eventually would live on Mount Olympus with the gods.

4 As Heracles grew up, he was trained in all the things that Greek boys normally learned. He was taught his letters, how to play on the harp, and how to shoot with a bow and arrow. He also learned how to box, wrestle, throw discs, and fight with a sword and shield. Heracles was at the top of his class in all these areas because of his strength, bravery, and cleverness.

5 When he was a young man, he went to live among the herdsmen on the mountains for a short time. One day, Heracles laid down to sleep through the noonday heat.

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In his sleep he had a strange dream. In this dream, there was a path he was following that suddenly divided into two well-marked roads. He could not tell which road he should take. One looked smooth and easy to follow and the other was a rough mountain road, which looked very hard to climb.

6 As Heracles stood trying to make up his mind on which road to choose, he saw a young woman coming slowly up the easy road. Her dress was covered with embroidered flowers of all colors and she wore a wreath of withered roses in her hair. Her name was Vice. When she reached Heracles, she advised him to take the smooth road, which would lead quickly to a city. She told him that it was filled with kind people and everything he could ever wish for. As he looked out at the city he felt tempted to follow the young woman’s advice, but something held him back.

7 Just then, he saw someone standing on the mountain road. This was a young woman too, but she looked very different from the first one. Her name was Virtue and she wore plain white garments and her eyes were sad, but brave. “I will tell you the truth, Heracles,” she said. “My sister is deceiving you. The tempting things they will offer you in that city are not worth having. In the end, you must pay a price for them, which you cannot imagine. Do not go to that city, but come up the mountain road with me. The mountain is hard to climb, and as you go higher, it will grow harder and harder, but it will be worth it once you reach the end. If you have enough courage to climb high enough, this mountain road will lead you to Mount Olympus at last. There you shall live forever with the gods, who cannot die.” In his dream Heracles was wise, and chose the mountain road.

8 Soon afterwards, Heracles was sent out to perform the 12 labors that were foretold to his mother. The twelve labors consisted of many tasks, which required strength, bravery, and effort. He proved himself to be worthy of living on Mount Olympus by accomplishing all twelve of the difficult tasks. Once these labors were completed, Heracles was taken up to Mount Olympus to live with the gods, just as the wise man had predicted.

1 Echo was a sea-maiden who talked too much. She was very fond of having the last word. One day, this bad habit got her in trouble with Zeus. She insisted on having the last word and Zeus was offended. He told her that since she loved having the last word, from that day forward, she could only use her voice to repeat the last words of others.

2 Echo was devastated and felt this punishment was equal to Zeus having turned her into a parrot. She was very much ashamed and hid herself in the forest. During this time, a young man named Narcissus, who had hair as yellow as gold and eyes as blue as the sky, hunted in the forest where Echo was hiding. As she was peeking out shyly from behind a great tree, Echo often saw Narcissus, and she admired him very much. One day Narcissus became separated from his friends, and hearing something rustle among the leaves, he called out, “Who’s there?”.

3 “There,” answered Echo.

4 “Who is that?” asked Narcissus.

5 “Who is that?,” repeated Echo. As she spoke, she came out from among the trees.

6 When Narcissus saw a stranger, instead of one of his friends as he had expected, he looked surprised and walked quickly away with no thought of Echo’s feelings.

7 After this, Echo never came out or allowed herself to be seen again by Narcissus or anyone else. In time, she faded away until she became only a voice. This voice was heard for many, many years in forests and among mountains, particularly in caves. In their solitary walks, hunters often heard it. Sometimes it mocked the barking of their dogs and sometimes it repeated their own last words. It always had a weird and mournful sound and seemed to make the forest feel lonely.

8 Narcissus was never aware of Echo’s love because he only knew how to think about himself. He was also

obsessed about the loss of his twin sister whom he loved more than anyone else in the world. This sister died when she was young and very beautiful. Narcissus was sad because he missed her so very much. One day, while Narcissus was looking into a pond and thinking of his lost sister, he saw a face. This face seemed to be staring back at him and looked a lot like his sister. Narcissus thought his sister had become a water maiden.

9 Of course, the face Narcissus saw was really the reflection of his own face in the water, but he did not know that. In those days there were no clear mirrors like there are in modern times and so the reflection he was able to see was blurry. Narcissus leaned over the water and glanced at the beautiful face that looked like his sister. He wondered whether he would ever see his sister again.

10 After he had experienced seeing who he thought was his sister in the water, he came back to the pond day after day and looked at the reflection for hours. He mourned for his sister until at last, the gods felt sorry for him and changed him into a flower. He became the first flower called, narcissus. All the flowers of this family, that grow by the side of a pond, still bend their beautiful heads and look at the reflection of their own faces in the water.

1 Atlas was one of the old Titan gods of Greece. After Zeus defeated the Titans in a war, he punished them severely. Atlas was punished by having to stand in the Garden of the Hesperides on the western edge of the world and hold up the heavens on his shoulders.

2 Atlas was terribly weary of having to hold up, night and day, year after year, the whole weight of the sun, moon, and stars. Even with his great strength, there were times Atlas was not able to keep stars from falling. He feared that the whole sky would come crashing down if he even took a moment’s rest. He was longing for the rest he dared not take. Then one day he was given hope as Heracles arrived at the garden to collect the golden apples that grew there. Heracles saw Atlas holding the blue heavens above the earth upon his shoulders and said to Atlas, "I am seeking fruit from the gardens of the Hesperides." At that moment a sneaky idea came into Atlas's mind.

3 Atlas knew a dragon guarded the apples and that he was the only one who could safely retrieve them. Atlas explained the situation with the dragon to Heracles and offered him his help. Little did Heracles know that Atlas had a plan. "If you want me to get the apples," Atlas said, "you will have to hold up the sky for me. I will bring you the apples, and then you can put the sky back on my shoulders."

4 Heracles agreed to hold up the sky while Atlas fetched the apples. After a short amount of time, Atlas returned with the apples. He enjoyed the freedom from his burden so much he decided to inform Heracles that he was not going to take the burden back. "Here are the apples," Atlas said, "but I've decided to let you keep the sky."

5 "What!" exclaimed Heracles. "Are you not coming back to your responsibility?"

6 "Never!" shouted Atlas. “You can keep the honor of holding up the skies yourself, since you are so strong and willing.”

7 Heracles had no plan of allowing this. He did not wish to spend the rest of his days standing still under a great burden, while Atlas roamed free and happy about the world. So Heracles pretended to go along with Atlas, but asked him for a favor. Heracles said, "Well, I am certainly strong enough to hold up the heavens for all eternity, but if you please, let me place my lion’s skin between my shoulders and the sky, so that the weight may be less painful to bear. It will only take a moment, if you don’t mind.”

8 Atlas, knowing how painful holding up the sky was, felt pity and agreed to shoulder the burden just for a moment, not suspecting a trick. Atlas put his shoulders under the ceiling of heaven to let Heracles make himself as comfortable as the situation allowed. Heracles seized the chance and let the whole weight of the heavens fall upon the shoulders of Atlas once more. As soon as the sky was resting again on Atlas's shoulders, Heracles grabbed the apples and made his escape. "Thank you, Atlas," he shouted, "I am very grateful for your help!"

9 That is where the sky still rests because Atlas failed in trying to shift his own burden to another's shoulders. As a result, Atlas is still standing at the western edge of the world, holding up the heavens.

1 Many years ago, there lived a cruel king named Minos from the island Crete, who required that the city of Athens send an offering to his island every nine years. The offering he required was seven young men and seven young ladies that would be fed to a monster called the Minotaur. The Minotaur had the body of a man and the head of a bull. He lived in a labyrinth that had so many turns in its passageways, that anyone who went in could never find their way out again.

2 When it was time again for the offering to be prepared, Prince Theseus of Athens, volunteered of his own free will to go with the young men and women. The King begged his son not to leave, but Theseus was determined to seek out the Minotaur and kill him. So on the day appointed the youth were loaded onto the ship that would sail to King Minos’s palace and labyrinth.

3 When Theseus and his companions arrived at Crete, Theseus informed King Minos that he planned to kill the Minotaur. King Minos told the prince that if he could perform this task, he and all his companions might go free, and that no more children would ever have to be given as a sacrifice again.

4 That night, the young Athenians were thrown into a dungeon under the palace of King Minos and they all knew that one of them would be destined for the Minotaur’s breakfast in the morning. Directly over this dungeon were the rooms of the two daughters of King Minos. As the two sisters stood on the wall, enjoying the moonlight, they heard the complaining of the captives.

5 “What a pity it is,” said the youngest daughter, “that these young men and women should become food for the Minotaur. I pity young Prince Theseus most of all, because he is so brave. The oldest agreed with her sister and the two made a plan that they thought might help Theseus succeed.

6 They waited until all the king’s household were asleep, then stole the key to the dungeon, and opened the door. Worn out with fatigue and anxiety, all the captives, but Theseus had fallen asleep. Theseus however, was wide awake. The girls asked him to come out and they took him to the place where the famous labyrinth stood. Its marble walls looked very high and strong in the moonlight. The night was very still, except for the lapping of the waves on the shore and Theseus could distinctly hear the heavy breathing of the sleeping Minotaur.

7 “This is the best time to attack the creature; do not wait until morning,” the oldest daughter whispered. Theseus knew that she was right. “The Minotaur’s den is the very heart of the labyrinth,” she continued. “The sound of his breathing will show you in what direction you must go. Here is a sword, and here is a ball of thread. After you have killed the monster, you can find your way back.” With these words she handed him the sword and the ball of thread as she kept the other end of thread in her own hand. She then opened a door for him that lead to a secret passage in the labyrinth.

8 Theseus holding the sword in one hand and the thread in the other, entered the labyrinth. The inside was all cut up into narrow paths, bordered by high walls. So many of these paths ended in a blank wall that Theseus often had to retrace his steps. There never was another labyrinth half as difficult as this one. Back and forth, in and out, Theseus went. He could hear the heavy breathing more and more plainly. He knew that he was getting nearer to the den of the monster he was seeking.

9 Meanwhile, the two sisters stood at the gate with the oldest holding her end of the thread. They waited a long time; they could not tell how long. The moon set behind the hills, and left only the light of the stars. Then they heard a great roar that shook the strong walls of the labyrinth. After this everything was still again. It was hard for the girls to wait because they did not know if Theseus was alive or dead inside. At last the oldest girl felt the thread tighten and in a moment, out came Theseus saying that he had slain the Minotaur.

10 Fortunately, the ship that had brought Theseus and his companions to Crete was still lying on the shore. This made it possible to escape from King Minos before daylight. The sleeping youths in the dungeon were awakened, they got on the ship and were soon heading back to Athens.

11 When the King Minos awoke in the morning and realized all that had happened, he was not angry. He was relieved that the Minotaur was dead and the king never required the children of Athens to be brought to him again.