Greek Mythology for Students: The Trojan War

Ever wonder why we refer to someone's weak spot as his or her “Achilles' heel?” Our language and culture owes much to the Greek myths set down in writing thousands of years ago by the classical poet Homer and others. One of Homer's two epics, The Iliad, recounts stories from the 10-year struggle between the Greeks and Trojans, as well as between the gods of Mt. Olympus (who constantly interfered) and mortal men. The Trojan War, one of 10 titles in the Greek Mythology for Students series, is comprised of animated segments detailing “The Judgment of Paris” (who sets the Trojan War in motion by choosing Aphrodite in one of the earliest and most famous beauty contests), “The Myth of Achilles” (the mighty Greek warrior erroneously thought to be immortal), and “The Trojan Horse” (which gave us the line “beware of Greeks bearing gifts,” as well a name for condoms and computer viruses), with each section featuring an introduction by a live host who outlines the particular mythological themes that will be covered. Unfortunately, the animation is rather rudimentary (the target audience is used to after-school and Saturday morning TV full of flashier anime-style cartoons or computer-generated animation), and the stories, which sing on the page, tend to plod along here. The other titles in the series include: Jason & the Golden Fleece, The Journeys of Odysseus, The Labors of Heracles, and Theseus & the Minotaur. Optional. Aud: E, I, P. (E. Gieschen)