This work is key to our understanding of ancient mythologies. Greek mythology is placed at the beginning of European cultural history and we know the accounts of Homer and Hesiod. The creation of the world, the deities, heroes and monsters are intertwined with all those stories which have gone to create the written canon we still cherish today. Herbert Jennings Rose has produced an incomparable introduction for readers. He shows how none of these ancient stories have lost their power to fascinate and intrigue us. This publication is in itself a classic.