The legends of the twelve Olympians, the infernal deities, the local or common heroes throughout Greece, as well as the mythical expeditions, as told by the ancient Greeks and described by their poets, come alive in this book and take the reader on a journey through the magic of a fantastic world.

Gods conceived in the image of men, with their weaknesses and passions, but at the same time all-powerful, brilliant, immortal, and always young; human heroes with invincible physical strength, valiant and selfless; secondary zoomorphic deities, one-eyed cyclopes, centaurs with horse bodies, hermaphrodite beings, and hideous monsters ignite the imagination, entertain, and teach, while composing the foundations of European civilization.

Here recounted with clarity and richly illustrated with scenes from works not only of ancient Greece but also from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and modern times, the richest mythology in the world has never ceased to interest artists: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, Heracles, Theseus, Achilles quickly crossed the borders of Greece to inspire and serve as universal models of strength, wisdom, and beauty.