Tales of the Greek Heroes
An Introduction and Study Guide
Roger Lancelyn Green was a lover of great stories and myth. He wrote numerous works wherein he gathered together the best stories of ancient civilizations and wove them into a fitting order and narrative. Among these wonderful arrangements of some of the first stories of men ever told are Green’s book Tales of Ancient Egypt, Myths of the Norsemen, and this one, Tales of the Greek Heroes. Compellingly written, so as to be enjoyed at any age, these retellings remain faithful to the ancient stories which have been handed down for several millennia.
R. L. Green (not at all to be confused with R. L. Stein who, sadly, was about the only author I ever read when I was in middle school) was a very good friend of the much loved Christian writer C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and a great deal many other important books. It is actually Green whom we have to thank (in heaven some day) for the fact that Lewis went forward with writing and publishing Narnia. Lewis had become rather discouraged about his early attempts but Green persuaded him that he was on to something worth pursuing. Can you imagine not having the world of Narnia and Aslan in our lives today? That was indeed a near tragedy which was avoided because of the gift of this friendship.
Tales of the Greek Heroes will introduce the reader to the great stories of the Titans, the first and most treacherous of the immortal beings, and the war that broke out between them and their children, the “gods” of Greece. But it is not only of Titans and gods which this wonderful little book speaks, but it also tells stories of mortal men who did incredible things, sometimes even opposing or overcoming the will of the gods themselves.
Greek civilization is so incredibly important for us to understand not only for its influence in religion and also in art, architecture, and politics. As Christians we know that the New Testament was written in the Greek language in the first century A.D. Greek culture became highly influential upon the Jewish people during the “years of silence” (a.k.a the approximately 400 year period between the last book written in the Old Testament and the first in the New Testaments). Alexander the Great, as he conquered much of the world during that time, spread the Greek language and culture as he went. The Greek language became the common language of trade and commerce. The Greek way of life, its philosophical and religious beliefs, often came along with its language. This is, in part, why a believer who reads their Bible from cover to cover notices quite a bit has changed between Malachi and Matthew. While the Jews and Christians were certainly not supposed to yield in their beliefs to the pagan religion of the Greeks it is very helpful to understand what the Greeks believed (indeed how they imagined) and how their thinking impacted the people of the New Testament era. That Paul was conversant with Greek poets and thinkers is evident from his sermon in Athens at the Areopagus (Mars Hill) in Acts 17.
While it is true that the Romans, and not the Greeks, became the dominant world power prior to the beginning of the New Testament era (In fact Rome defeated both Carthage and the Greek Peninsula in 146 B.C. thereby leaving no real competitors left to challenge their growing power), nonetheless they largely adopted the Greek gods as their own. For the most part the Romans simply changed the names of their gods and added small variations to their stories. The Romans were too busy building roads, aqueduct systems, and an Empire in general, to sit around and think as much as the Greeks had done!
So, all that being said, this book serves as a wonderful place to start your investigation into the cultural backgrounds of the New Testament or just into a culture that has been so influential to Western Civilization in general. But even if that is not your particular desire or interest then this work remains a wonderfully entrancing set of tales in its own right. In these stories we see where so many later stories got their “bones” upon which they constructed their own tales. Indeed, we are always telling the same stories again and again. Stories of adventure, honor and loyalty, deceit and trickery, love, hate, good versus evil, and courage against all odds. These and so many other great ideas are between the covers of Tales of the Greek Heroes. So enjoy your journey back into some of the world’s earliest stories.
This page will serve as a landing page for the study of Tales of the Greek Heroes. It will be regularly updated as each section of the study guide is completed. Grab a copy of the book HERE and use the resources below to help you have fun reading and thinking about these great stories!
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I once had a copy long ago. I shall order it again from Biblio or Abebooks.