Stories

12

1 There was once a king in Greece who was told by a prophet that one day

his own grandson would kill him. Determined to make sure this did not happen,

the king tried to outsmart the gods. He placed his beautiful daughter and her baby son in a large chest and threw them into the sea. By doing this, he thought

he would never see either of them again. To the king, this solved the problem of

living his life 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. It 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 the island where they both were cared

for by the ruler’s family. Over the years, living with the ruler, Perseus grew to be a

strong and active young man. 3 The ruler was kind to Perseus and his mother for many years. However, one day, the ruler became annoyed at Perseus’s mother and made her his slave.

Since Perseus had become such a strong young man, the ruler began to fear Perseus. He thought the young man would try to avenge his mother for her suffering. The king, then sent Perseus far away on a dangerous mission to the 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’s mission was 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. In one story, she told of a time when an entire ship of men had arrived on an island where Medusa lived in a cave. Medusa hated men so much that even when they outnumbered her, she refused to back down. Every day Medusa would think up new and creative ways to get unsuspecting men to look her in the eyes. She would

1 Long ago, a King named Midas, did a favor for a god named, Dionysus. 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 treasures. They came running up 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.

3 Once Midas became a king, he found that nothing gave him more pleasure than adding to his collection of treasures. He continually came up with ways to exchange or sell various exquisite items. He plotted new ways to tax the people, turning all the money into gold and silver. Therefore, 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! He thought himself the luckiest man ever born. The very first thing he did was touch the branch of a tree. Immediately, the branch became the richest of gold. Laughing triumphantly, he touched a stone, an apple, and other items close by. Oh, no doubt about it, King Midas truly had the golden touch.

1 Long ago, there was a battle between the Greeks and the Trojans. This battle

had been going on for ten years. While both sides grew weary in battle, neither

was willing to surrender. The long war finally ended, but 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 twenty feet high. In order to enter the city, a person would have to

go through one locked gate. The Trojan warriors would stand on the walls and

shoot sharp arrows at 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 enter the city of Troy without the Trojans knowing it.

Odysseus, a wise Greek warrior, came up with a great plan. He explained to his

Greek army that they were going to trick the Trojans. First, they would admit

defeat to the Trojans, then they would pretend to board their ship and head home.

The soldiers were puzzled at Odysseus's plan, until he told them the rest of it.

4 He explained that they would offer a gift to the Trojans. This "act" of

generosity would trick the Trojans into believing the Greeks 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. They would roll it

into the city. Inside, though, some of the Greeks would be hiding. While some

men would climb into the horse and wait, the other soldiers would pretend to

board the ship and sail away in defeat.

5 Everyone agreed that this was a great plan, so Odysseus

gathered together skilled craftsmen to build the horse. Once the

horse was complete, Odysseus and thirty of his men climbed

into the horse. 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, 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.

1 Among all the Greek heroes, one hero 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 one

year old. One night, Heracles was asleep in his cradle while the whole house was

still and quiet. Two huge snakes, whose bites were deadly, crawled in under the

door and slithered to the place where he lay sleeping. The snakes lifted their

heads over the cradle, waiting for the right moment to strike him.

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 a sound and came running

into his bedroom. The first thing she saw was

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. Eventually, he would live

on Mount Olympus with the gods.

4 As Heracles grew up, he received the same training in

all the things that Greek boys normally learn. 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,

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1 A very long time ago, during the Golden Age, everywhere you looked, people were joyful and happy. It was always springtime and the earth was covered with flowers. These flowers were set to dancing by the gentle winds that blew. 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, men carried no swords or weapons to fight one another. No one ever experienced trouble of any kind.

2 During this time, there existed two brothers who were both gods. Their names were Epimetheus and Prometheus. They had sent fire as a gift to humans to help them. Zeus did not like humans. 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 greatly desired to get even with the humans for accepting this gift. Also, he wanted to teach the two brothers a lesson, so Zeus thought up a plan of revenge. He made a new creature, who was as unique as a snowflake. It was unlike anything man had ever known before. The creature was a woman crafted with a mixture of both good and bad things. She was shaped from a lump of clay. She contained both beauty and ugliness, along with love and hate. These positive and negative characteristics made up an irresistibly 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 gifts to this marvelous creature. First, the goddess Athena gave her the gift of craft, teaching 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, and named her Pandora, which means “All-Gifted.”

5 Beautiful and wondrously gifted, no one could help but fall in love with Pandora. Zeus snickered, thinking to himself how easy his plan for revenge came together. He had Hermes, the messenger, take Pandora to become the wife of Epimetheus. This was meant to trick Epimetheus into believing that Zeus had forgiven both him and his brother for giving fire to humans. Pandora brought along with

her a golden chest, which Zeus demanded she take as a gift from him. Athena had warned her, “NEVER open the chest or look at what is contained inside!”

6 Epimetheus welcomed Pandora with great joy, even though his brother Prometheus warned him to be careful of any gift given by Zeus. Prometheus believed that Zeus could not be trusted. Pandora was happy in her new home, and Epimetheus was very pleased. One day, however, everything changed. Epimetheus was out hunting when Pandora got bored at home. She whispered under her breath, “I wonder what could be in that golden chest Zeus gave me?” Pandora began to look at the chest with great curiosity. “I have to know what is in the box. I bet there are lovely jewels,” she thought to herself. She became so curious and began thinking of how she might peak into 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 hoped to peek inside without even opening it up. “Why should I care what Athena told me? Is she trying to keep something good from me?” she questioned out loud. Then, Pandora broke the seal on the golden chest; she lifted the lid just a little bit, trying to peek inside. All at once, terrible creatures flew out of the box. Into the air swirled big horseflies, beetles, and wasps that wanted to sting and bite everything. They fluttered for a little while, then flew away to find homes where humans lived. Up until that moment, mankind had never experienced any kind of sickness or trouble, but now these creatures began spreading disease everywhere. Before Pandora had opened the chest, humans never worried about anything that tomorrow might bring. Pandora felt terrible and wept for what she had done.

8 These creatures flew into every home and tried to put an end to man’s joy by bringing pain, sorrow, and death to every household. Things 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.

her a golden chest, which Zeus demanded she take as a gift from him. Athena had warned her, “NEVER open the chest or look at what is contained inside!”

6 Epimetheus welcomed Pandora with great joy, even though his brother Prometheus warned him to be careful of any gift given by Zeus. Prometheus believed that Zeus could not be trusted. Pandora was happy in her new home, and Epimetheus was very pleased. One day, however, everything changed. Epimetheus was out hunting when Pandora got bored at home. She whispered under her breath, “I wonder what could be in that golden chest Zeus gave me?” Pandora began to look at the chest with great curiosity. “I have to know what is in the box. I bet there are lovely jewels,” she thought to herself. She became so curious and began thinking of how she might peak into 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 hoped to peek inside without even opening it up. “Why should I care what Athena told me? Is she trying to keep something good from me?” she questioned out loud. Then, Pandora broke the seal on the golden chest; she lifted the lid just a little bit, trying to peek inside. All at once, terrible creatures flew out of the box. Into the air swirled big horseflies, beetles, and wasps that wanted to sting and bite everything. They fluttered for a little while, then flew away to find homes where humans lived. Up until that moment, mankind had never experienced any kind of sickness or trouble, but now these creatures began spreading disease everywhere. Before Pandora had opened the chest, humans never worried about anything that tomorrow might bring. Pandora felt terrible and wept for what she had done.

8 These creatures flew into every home and tried to put an end to man’s joy by bringing pain, sorrow, and death to every household. Things 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, a King named Midas, did a favor for a god named, Dionysus. 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 treasures. They came running up 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.

3 Once Midas became a king, he found that nothing gave him more pleasure than adding to his collection of treasures. He continually came up with ways to exchange or sell various exquisite items. He plotted new ways to tax the people, turning all the money into gold and silver. Therefore, 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! He thought himself the luckiest man ever born. The very first thing he did was touch the branch of a tree. Immediately, the branch became the richest of gold. Laughing triumphantly, he touched a stone, an apple, and other items close by. Oh, no doubt about it, King Midas truly had the golden touch.

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

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

7 All of the sudden, King Midas’s daughter Marigold ran in from the garden and hugged him lovingly, putting her arms about his neck. Immediately, she stiffened, 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, and 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. From that day forward, Midas never forgot his lesson.

1 Long ago, a King named Midas, did a favor for a god named, Dionysus. 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 treasures. They came running up 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.

3 Once Midas became a king, he found that nothing gave him more pleasure than adding to his collection of treasures. He continually came up with ways to exchange or sell various exquisite items. He plotted new ways to tax the people, turning all the money into gold and silver. Therefore, 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! He thought himself the luckiest man ever born. The very first thing he did was touch the branch of a tree. Immediately, the branch became the richest of gold. Laughing triumphantly, he touched a stone, an apple, and other items close by. Oh, no doubt about it, King Midas truly had the golden touch.

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

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

7 All of the sudden, King Midas’s daughter Marigold ran in from the garden and hugged him lovingly, putting her arms about his neck. Immediately, she stiffened, 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, and 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. From that day forward, Midas never forgot his lesson.

1 There was once a king in Greece who was told by a prophet that one day his own grandson would kill him. Determined to make sure this did not happen, the king tried to outsmart the gods. He placed his beautiful daughter and her baby son in a large chest and threw them into the sea. By doing this, he thought he would never see either of them again. To the king, this solved the problem of living his life 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. It 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 the island where they both were cared for by the ruler’s family. Over the years, living with the ruler, Perseus grew to be a strong and active young man.

3 The ruler was kind to Perseus and his mother for many years. However, one day, the ruler became annoyed at Perseus’s mother and made her his slave. Since Perseus had become such a strong young man, the ruler began to fear Perseus. He thought the young man would try to avenge his mother for her suffering. The king, then sent Perseus far away on a dangerous mission to the 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’s mission was 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. In one story, she told of a time when an entire ship of men had arrived on an island where Medusa lived in a cave. Medusa hated men so much that even when they outnumbered her, she refused to back down. Every day Medusa would think up new and creative ways to get unsuspecting men to look her in the eyes. She would

woo them by saying in a soft, sweet voice, “Look at me.” Men could not resist her sweet voice. They would look into her eyes and turn immediately to stone. It brought her much joy to stare men down. Standing tall, she would watch them turn to stone, one-by-one.

6 In his aimless wanders, Perseus pondered this story. Soon, 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. These items would make him invisible and able to complete his mission.

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 make them tell him what he needed to know. However, everything changed when he stole their only eye as they passed it from one to another. After Perseus outsmarted these women, they were more than happy to tell him what he wanted.

8 At last Perseus reached the cave of the maidens, and 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. At first, 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, giving him a bright shield to use as a mirror. As he held this before him, Perseus walked backwards, not looking upon Medusa, but only upon her reflection in the shield. Once he was near enough, he struck off her head with a sharp sword that was given to him by Hermes. Still being careful not to look at Medusa’s head, he quickly threw it into a bag and left the cave.

9 The journey back from the ends of the earth towards his home offered Perseus many adventures. He also discovered that Medusa’s head made 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. At once, they turned to stone.

1 Once a man named Odysseus sailed the seas with his men. After being victorious in the Trojan War, they were trying to get home. Unfortunately, their ship was thrown off course by a storm. In an unfamiliar place, they came ashore, thirsty and hungry. The men spotted a cave containing 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 these sheep. The giant’s name was Cyclops. At one time, he was one of Zeus’s favorite creatures. Cyclops’ talent was making amazing lightning bolts for Zeus. In the past, Zeus also admired Cyclops for his ability to work from sun up to sun down. At somepoint though, Cyclops had angered Zeus, causing Zeus to banish Cyclops on the island.

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

4 Cyclops appeared at the mouth of the cave. He began screaming at the men, “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. The men grew fearful for their lives. While sharpening a stick and hardening its tip in the fire, Odysseus devised a plan to get free.

5 The next day, Cyclops pulled back the boulder. At that point, Odysseus invited the giant into the cave. He said, “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 wasn’t too smart, so he was unable to see through Odysseus’s plan. Cyclops’ one thought was how he needed visitors to come to the island, so he could eat them. For this reason, he willingly agreed to the invitation.

6 As Cyclops enjoyed the wine, he fell asleep inside the cave. While Cyclops slept, 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. They made it safely to their ship and were on their way home once more.

1 Long ago in Greece, lived a beautiful, young girl whose name was Arachne. She had a lovely face and long hair the color of gold. Arachne was famous in her town for being a very talented spinner. Her talent was so amazing that 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. The stranger then 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 purple dress appeared in front of Arachne. While the woman’s face was attractive, it was stern, very stern! She had sharp and bright gray eyes. Arachne could not meet her gaze. “Arachne,” said the tall 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?” Very foolishly, once again, Arachne denied that anyone had taught her.

5 Athena went on to question Arachne further as to whether Arachne thought she was the best weaver. Arachne began to get nervous, but pride kept her claiming that she could weave as well, if not better than Athena. Athena was shocked at the arrogance of Arachne, 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. We will 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, then agreed to the contest. 7 The day came for the contest in weaving and the entire world was there to see it. Great Zeus sat among the clouds, looking 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. All who saw the cloth were filled with delight, including the great Zeus.

8 After seeing how pleased everyone was, Arachne proudly sat down, glancing up at 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 mountaintops 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. 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 When Arachne saw the wonder, she felt ashamed and afraid. 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, so 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 our agreement and never touch a loom or spin again.” Arachne began to cry louder and told Athena how sorry she was for her boastfulness. She regretted her pride. Begging Athena, Arachne asked her to find a way to undo the agreement.

10 Athena felt such pity for Arachne. She 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. At once, Arachne was changed into a spider and ran into a shady place in the grass. Merrily, Arachne began spinning a beautiful web. Since that day, rumors say that Arachne is still alive, happily spinning and weaving.

6 Psyche agreed and every evening the visitor came. She became 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 the visitor must be a monster. Psyche then began to have doubts, so she decided to look at the visitor while he was sleeping. Imagine her shock! She didn‘t see a monster, but the most handsome man with wings! In that instant, Eros awoke! He saw Psyche gazing upon him. He became so hurt by her lack of trust that he spread his wings and flew away.

7 Saddened by what she had done, Psyche went to Eros’ mother, Aphrodite, and begged her for help. Aphrodite, still full of jealousy for Psyche, challenged her with impossible tasks to complete before offering her any help. The first task was sorting a huge pile of mixed grains into separate piles. This had to be finished by the morning. Devastated, Psyche knew this was impossible. As she sat in despair, a tiny ant ran out and called a whole army of ants to help. They worked all through the night and separated the grains for Psyche. By morning, they finished the task.

8 The second task involved gathering 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 obtain a cup of water from the mouth of a river that was high up on a mountain. Defeated, Psyche thought all was doomed, until an eagle helped her. It carried an empty cup up to the mouth of the river. The eagle dipped the cup into the water and returned it to Psyche. 10 Psyche’s final task was to go to the underworld. She must seek 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 enter the underworld and get a portion of Persephone’s beauty that was kept in a box. The voice warned Psyche, "Do 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, and thereby end all the tasks asked of her. 12 Then, Eros went to Mount Olympus. He asked Zeus for permission to marry Psyche even though she was mortal. Moved by the love Eros had for Psyche, Zeus decided to help. He gave Psyche a cup of nectar that would make her live forever and they were married. Surprisingly, Aphrodite overcame her jealousy and even danced at their wedding.

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

2 Aphrodite called upon her son Eros to help her destroy Psyche. Although the Greeks called him Eros, he is better known today as Cupid. 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. Aphrodite wanted Eros’s arrow to hit Psyche and make her fall in love with a poor beggar. Then, 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 fell madly in love with her himself. Aphrodite did not want her son to be with Psyche because he was immortal and Psyche was only mortal. However, Eros didn’t care and sprinkled Psyche with a potion that would keep any man from being attracted to her. Then, he flew back to Aphrodite, keeping the event a secret.

4 Psyche remained without a husband because of the potion. Earlier, Psyche had been given a prophecy. She was told that she wouldn’t marry a human, but she would marry a winged monster at the top of the mountain. So one day, sadly, the king and queen took their daughter, Psyche, to the mountain, leaving her to find her husband.

5 In the evening, Psyche began to weep. Just then, a gentle wind came and carried her off to a beautiful palace. Because it was dark, she was unable to see that it was the god Eros. She could hear the sound of his wings and footsteps, but she couldn’t see his face. She then heard his 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 became 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 the visitor must be a monster. Psyche then began to have doubts, so she decided to look at the visitor while he was sleeping. Imagine her shock! She didn‘t see a monster, but the most handsome man with wings! In that instant, Eros awoke! He saw Psyche gazing upon him. He became so hurt by her lack of trust that he spread his wings and flew away.

7 Saddened by what she had done, Psyche went to Eros’ mother, Aphrodite, and begged her for help. Aphrodite, still full of jealousy for Psyche, challenged her with impossible tasks to complete before offering her any help. The first task was sorting a huge pile of mixed grains into separate piles. This had to be finished by the morning. Devastated, Psyche knew this was impossible. As she sat in despair, a tiny ant ran out and called a whole army of ants to help. They worked all through the night and separated the grains for Psyche. By morning, they finished the task.

8 The second task involved gathering 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 obtain a cup of water from the mouth of a river that was high up on a mountain. Defeated, Psyche thought all was doomed, until an eagle helped her. It carried an empty cup up to the mouth of the river. The eagle dipped the cup into the water and returned it to Psyche. 10 Psyche’s final task was to go to the underworld. She must seek 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 enter the underworld and get a portion of Persephone’s beauty that was kept in a box. The voice warned Psyche, "Do 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, and thereby end all the tasks asked of her. 12 Then, Eros went to Mount Olympus. He asked Zeus for permission to marry Psyche even though she was mortal. Moved by the love Eros had for Psyche, Zeus decided to help. He gave Psyche a cup of nectar that would make her live forever and they were married. Surprisingly, Aphrodite overcame her jealousy and even danced at their wedding.

6 Achilles fought successfully in the war for nine years. He 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 became so angry, and he declared that he would no longer help the Greeks. In his rage and resentment, he sat back watching as his fellow Greek soldiers were killed. Even though his best friend, Patroclus, had come to Achilles and pleaded with him to help out. Achilles’ pride kept him from helping the Greek army.

7 Once the Trojans discovered that Achilles was no longer fighting, they grew bold, coming out of their gates; they attacked the Greeks. They killed Achilles’ devoted friend, Patroclus. When Achilles learned that his friend had been slain, he wanted revenge, so he started fighting the Trojans again. Armed with his anger, Achilles 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; they 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 felt sadness and regret 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 wound. 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. She decided to make him completely immortal like her, so he would never die. Thetis took Achilles into her arms and carried him down to the gloomy kingdom of Hades. In Hades, a dark river flowed called Styx. If a mortal like Achilles was dipped into the Styx, he would become immortal. Nothing could hurt Achilles if he was dipped, not even a sword, arrow or any other weapon.

3 So, Thetis held Achilles by the heel and dipped him into the water. However, in her haste to get out of the underworld, she forgot to dip Achilles heel into 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 there. 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, now knew that he had found Achilles. He knew a girl would not have chosen the weapons. The Greek leader told Achilles about the Trojan War; he said Achilles 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. Hence, he sailed to Troy to fight in the Trojan War.

6 Achilles fought successfully in the war for nine years. He 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 became so angry, and he declared that he would no longer help the Greeks. In his rage and resentment, he sat back watching as his fellow Greek soldiers were killed. Even though his best friend, Patroclus, had come to Achilles and pleaded with him to help out. Achilles’ pride kept him from helping the Greek army.

7 Once the Trojans discovered that Achilles was no longer fighting, they grew bold, coming out of their gates; they attacked the Greeks. They killed Achilles’ devoted friend, Patroclus. When Achilles learned that his friend had been slain, he wanted revenge, so he started fighting the Trojans again. Armed with his anger, Achilles 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; they 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 felt sadness and regret 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 wound. 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 ten years. While both sides grew weary in battle, neither was willing to surrender. The long war finally ended, but 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 twenty feet high. In order to enter the city, a person would have to go through one locked gate. The Trojan warriors would stand on the walls and shoot sharp arrows at 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 enter the city of Troy without the Trojans knowing it. Odysseus, a wise Greek warrior, came up with a great plan. He explained to his Greek army that they were going to trick the Trojans. First, they would admit defeat to the Trojans, then they would pretend to board their ship and head home. The soldiers were puzzled at Odysseus's plan, until he told them the rest of it.

4 He explained that they would offer a gift to the Trojans. This "act" of generosity would trick the Trojans into believing the Greeks 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. They would roll it into the city. Inside, though, some of the Greeks would be hiding. While some men would climb into the horse and wait, the other soldiers would pretend to board the ship and sail away in defeat.

5 Everyone agreed that this was a great plan, so Odysseus gathered together skilled craftsmen to build the horse. Once the horse was complete, Odysseus and thirty of his men climbed into the horse. 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, 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 Fascinated by the craftsmanship of this great wooden animal, the Trojans discussed what to do with the horse. At that moment, a long debate broke out among them. One wise man warned them to not take this 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 keeping the gift would be a bad idea. After all, the Greeks were gone. Some Trojans brought ropes and placed them around the wooden horse. Then, they dragged it through the gate of the city of Troy.

8 That night while the Trojans slept, Odysseus and his men hid inside the wooden horse. Once the Trojans were asleep, the Greek soilders climbed down a rope, one by one. When all were down safely, they quietly opened wide the city gate. Waiting outside were the Greek soldiers who had appeared to leave on the ship, but who had actually gone only a small distance to the other side of the island. Quietly, they had returned to the city of Troy unnoticed by the Trojans. The Greek army anxiously awaited the opening of the gate by Odysseus and his men. Once open, the men rushed inside the gate 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, one hero 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 one year old. One night, Heracles was asleep in his cradle while the whole house was still and quiet. Two huge snakes, whose bites were deadly, crawled in under the door and slithered to the place where he lay sleeping. The snakes lifted their heads over the cradle, waiting for the right moment to strike him. 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 a sound and came running into his bedroom. The first thing she saw was 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. Eventually, he would live on Mount Olympus with the gods.

4 As Heracles grew up, he received the same training in all the things that Greek boys normally learn. 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,

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Heracles laid down to sleep through the noonday heat. While sleeping, he had a strange dream. In this dream, he was following a path that suddenly divided into two roads. He could not tell which road he should take. One looked smooth and easy to follow, while 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. She wore a wreath of withered roses in her hair, and 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, yet something held him back.

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

8 Soon afterwards, Heracles was sent out to perform the twelve 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. With his labors completed, Heracles rose up into Mount Olympus and began 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, which offended Zeus. Thus, Zeus made a proclamation. Since Echo loved having the last word, from that day forward, her voice would only be able to repeat the last words of others.

2 This proclamation devastated Echo. She felt the punishment equaled Zeus having turned her into a parrot. Ashamed, she hid herself in the forest. During this time, a young man named Narcissus, came into the forest. He had hair as yellow as gold and eyes as blue as the sky. He was hunting near where Echo was hiding. Shyly peeking out from behind the tree, Echo watched Narcissus. She began admiring him very much. One day, Narcissus became separated from his friends. He heard something rustling among the leaves and 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 this stranger, instead of his friends that he was expecting, a look of surprise struck his face. Then, he walked quickly away with no thought of Echo’s feelings.

7 This hurt Echo. She decided to never come out of hiding, nor allow 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, among mountains, and particularly in caves. In their solitary walks, hunters often heard it. Sometimes, it mocked the barking of their dogs. Sometimes it repeated their own last words. Often, the sound is strange and mournful; it seems to make the forest feel lonely.

8 Because he could only think of himself, Narcissus never became aware of Echo’s love. Instead, he became obsessed

about the loss of his twin sister, whom he loved more than anyone else in the world. This sister died as a young and very beautiful girl. Narcissus was sad because he missed her so very much. One day, while Narcissus was looking into a pond and thinking of his 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, clear mirrors did not exist like modern mirrors. Therefore, his reflection appeared blurry. Narcissus leaned over the water and glanced at the beautiful face that looked so much like his twin sister. He wondered whether he would ever see his sister again.

10 Once Narcissus thought he saw his sister in the water, he came back to the pond day after day. He would look at the reflection for hours. He mourned for his sister. At last, the gods felt sorry for him and changed Narcissus into a flower. To this day his flower can be seen every spring growing by the side of a pond. The flower still bends its beautiful head over the water, to look at the reflection of its own face in the water’s surface.

1 Atlas is one of the oldest 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, Atlas had to hold up the heavens on his shoulders.

2 Atlas became terribly weary from carrying out this great task. Night and day, year after year, the whole weight of the sun, moon, and stars were on his shoulders. Even with his great strength, there were times Atlas was unable to keep stars from falling. He feared that the whole sky would come crashing down if he even relaxed for one moment. He longed for the rest he dared not take. One day, he was given hope. As Heracles, known today as Hercules, arrived at the garden, he began collecting the golden apples that grew there. Heracles saw Atlas holding the blue heavens above the earth upon his shoulders. He 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, offering 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. Also, 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. He did not suspect a trick. Atlas put his shoulders under the ceiling of heaven in order to let Heracles make himself as comfortable as he could. At that moment, Heracles seized his chance. He 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 when 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, on the island of Crete, there lived a cruel king named Minos. He required that every nine years the city of Athens send an offering to his island. He requested that seven young men and seven young ladies be offered. He would then feed them 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 with many twists and turns in its passageways. Those who went into it could never find their way out again.

2 When the time came for the newest offering to be prepared. Prince Theseus of Athens, volunteered of his own free will to go with the chosen young men and women. The King begged his son not to leave, but Theseus was determined to seek out the Minotaur and kill him. On the appointed day, the Prince and the youth boarded 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. No more children would ever have to be offered again as a sacrifice.

4 That night, these young Athenians were thrown into a dungeon under the palace of King Minos. Each of them knew that one of them was destined for the Minotaur’s breakfast the next morning. Directly above 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 captives complaining.

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. The two then made a plan regarding how they might help Theseus succeed in killing the Minotaur.

6 They waited until everyone in the king’s household fell asleep. Then they stole the key to the dungeon, and opened the door. Overcome with fatigue and anxiety, all the captives were asleep, except Theseus. Theseus stood wide awake. The girls asked him to come out with them. 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. 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 guide you in the 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; she kept the other end of thread in her own hand. Next, she opened a door for him that lead to a secret passage into the labyrinth.

8 Theseus holding the sword in one hand and the thread in the other, entered the labyrinth. He saw that the inside was all cut up into narrow paths and high walls that bordered the sides. So many paths he took ended with a blank wall; thus, 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. As he continued, he heard the heavy breathing more and more clearly. He knew that he was approaching the den of the monster he was seeking.

9 Meanwhile, the two sisters stood at the gate. The oldest held her end of the thread. They waited a long time, but they could not tell how long. The moon began to set behind the hills, leaving only the light of the stars. Then, they heard a great roar that shook the strong walls of the labyrinth. Just after this, everything became still once again. The girls found waiting difficult because they did not know if Theseus was alive or dead inside. At last, the oldest girl felt the thread tighten. In a few moments, Theseus came out of the maze, saying he had slain the Minotaur.

10 Fortunately, the ship that had brought Theseus and his companions to Crete was still near the shore. This made it possible to escape from King Minos before daylight. Awakening the sleeping youths in the dungeon, Theseus helped them board the ship and began making their way back to Athens.

11 When the King Minos awoke in the morning, he was told all that had happened, but he was not angry. He was relieved that the Minotaur was dead. Now, the king never had to require the children of Athens to be brought to the island and give up their lives again.

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