Myths and Legends

The Myth of the Minotaur
The Greek legend of Theseus and his battle with the minotaur - a giant with a bull's head, locked up in a labyrinth in Crete.


The Lambton Worm
An ancient British legend about a worm that grew into a dragon, and terrorized northern England, until a hero came to fight it.


Willy Wilcox, Blue Peter, and the Crumplehorn
Willy Wilcox is a legendary character from the town of Polperro in southern England. In this story he meets some strange and magical creatures, and makes a friend.


Robin Hood and his Merry Men
The classic story of Robin Hood - outlaw of Sherwood Forest. This story tells how he met Little John, Marion, Friar Tuck, and the merry men.


Halloween poems
Funny rhymes about vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches, and lots of other spooky Halloween monsters.


Mythical Creatures
More funny rhymes - this time about fabulous beasts such as mermaids, dragons, unicorns, goblins, elves, and trolls.


'Twas the Night Before Christmas
A new version. You will recognize it as the classic Christmas poem, but it has been updated for modern children, with old-fashioned ideas and words replaced with more familiar ones.

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As a parent or teacher you may copy or print out any of these poems/stories and pictures about about myths for children, and read them to your little ones without having to ask permission. Please, however, do not use the poems for any commercial purpose (such as magazines, newspapers, or websites) without contacting us first.

Myths and Legends

• Zeus was the king of the gods, and he ruled the other gods (such as Aphrodite the goddess of love, Apollo the god of music and archery, Hermes the god of travel, Poseidon the god of the sea) at Mount Olympus.


• Heracles was the son of Zeus, and was a great warrior. He successfully completed the 12 tasks (or "labours") that were set for him by his archenemy, the king. These included fighting a lion, a hydra, a bull, and Cerberus the three headed hound who guarded the gates of the Underworld.


• Perseus was also the son of Zeus. He was a hero who killed the Gorgon Medusa (who had snakes for hair and could turn a man to stone), and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster.


• Jason assembled a group mighty warriors (including Heracles, Telamon, and Orpheus) to go on a quest to find the magical golden fleece. They were called the Argonauts, after their ship, the Argos. Their voyage included dangerous encounters with harpies, nymphs, fire-breathing oxen, a dragon, and an army of warriors grown from dragons' teeth.


• The Trojan War, between Greece and Troy, began when Helen of Troy left the Greek King and ran off with the Trojan Prince Paris, and the Greeks sent their armies to bring her back. Great warriors like Hector and Achilles fought bravely, but the war was won by the Greeks, who tricked the Trojans using a giant wooden horse.


• Homer’s Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus and his men, returning to Greece after the Trojan War. Their epic journey brings them into conflict with a giant cyclops, the sirens, a witch, and the god Poseidon. Eventually the goddess Athena helps them to get home.


• The minotaur was a giant with a bull's head who lived in a labyrinth in Crete. He was killed by the hero Theseus.


• Daedalus and his son Icarus tried to escape from Crete, flying to freedom with wings made from feathers and wax. Icarus however, excited by the flying, flew too near to the sun, which melted the waxx. He fell to his death.


• King Midas was offered a wish by a satyr (half man, half goat) as a reward for his hospitality. Midas foolishly wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. He lived to regret it.


• Orpheus was a musician who traveled down to The Underworld in order to bring his wife back from the dead.

• At first there was nothing. Then there was a land of fire and a land of ice. When these lands met there was an explosion, which created an evil giant called Ymir. Eventually, Ymir created a race of frost giants. A giant cow called Audhumla created rivers of milk, and created the first god by licking the ice. This god was called Buri, and he was the grandfather of Odin. Odin and his brothers killed Ymir and most of the frost giants. From Ymir's body they created the Earth.


• Odin and his brothers created a man and a woman out of some logs they found washed up on the shore. The woman was called Elm and the man Ash, after the trees from which the wood came.


• A giagantic tree called Yggdrasill towered over the world, and its roots went into other, magical realms. It was from this tree that Odin obtained his special powers and knowledge.


• Odin and his sons built Asgard, the home of the gods, above the clouds. It was connected to the Earth by a rainbow bridge.


• There was a god called Loki who was a mischief maker. Sometimes though, his cunning and craftiness came in handy for the gods, such as the time he outsmarted a frost giant who was trying to trick the gods into giving him the beautiful Freya as a wife.


• Odin's eldest son was Thor, the god of thunder, who had a magical hammer called Miolnir. He was a warrior, and rather hot-heated.


• One day there will be a final battle called Ragnarok, between the gods and their enemies. After this, human life will be reborn again from the last two survivors.